Update Extension Period for EAP 7.x
Background
The support policies for Red Hat Enterprise Application Platform (EAP), and Red Hat Middleware in General, specify that when a new Minor release is made, customers are expected to upgrade to that release and no further Update releases will be created for the Minor release that preceded it.
To use a real-world example: When EAP 7.2 was released (a Minor release), the 7.1 update release stream stopped and new update releases were made from the EAP 7.2 stream:
Example using actual release dates
| Date | 7.1 Release Stream | 7.2 Release Stream |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Nov-2018 | 7.1 Update 5 | |
| 22-Jan-2019 | 7.2 GA | |
| 18-Feb-2019 | 7.1 Update 6 (LAST) | |
| 8-May-2019 | 7.2 Update 1 | |
| 10-Jun-2019 | 7.2 Update 2 |
In this case there was ONE Update release made soon after the GA of EAP 7.2, but the policy does not require that.
Issue
Customers have expressed that it takes time after the GA of an EAP release to effectively migrate to the new version. They have asked that during the time it takes to migrate, Red Hat should continue to address bugs and security vulnerabilities by continuing to release updates for the previous minor version.
Patch Extension Period
To address this, Red Hat is putting in place an Update Extension Period.
This Update Extension Period will begin at the GA of a new Minor release and extend for 3 months OR for two (2) Update releases, whichever comes first.
Example of expected upcoming releases with Update Extension Period
The release order could be:
| 7.2 Release Stream | 7.3 Release Stream |
|---|---|
| 7.2 Update 7 | |
| 7.3 GA | |
| 7.2 Update 8 | |
| 7.3 Update 1 | |
| 7.2 Update 9 (LAST) | |
| 7.3 Update 2 |
NOTE: It could be that Update releases for the NEW Minor release are made during this time period. As customers migrate, it is recommended they keep current with the last updates.
Customers who file support cases related to the previous Minor release will receive support during this period. Once the Update Extension Period ends, customers will be asked to upgrade to the new Minor.
The contents of an Update release are at the discretion of Red Hat and will typically contain bug fixes and fixes to security vulnerabilities but will not add new features.
An Update Extension Period will apply to EAP 7.2 Update releases once EAP 7.3 is released.
An Update Extension Period will apply to EAP 7.3 Update releases once EAP 7.4 is released.
The addition of the Update Extension Period does not change the general life cycle policy for JBoss EAP or other middleware products for future releases.
NOTE: Update Extension Periods are subject to change for future releases. Red Hat will continue to monitor customer feedback and adjust release overlap and timings to benefit customer's needs.
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