Release Channels

The material in this document is for informational purposes only. This guide assumes that the most recent version of Rampiva Automate is in use unless otherwise noted in the prerequisites. The products it describes are subject to change without prior notice, due to the manufacturer’s continuous development program. Rampiva makes no representations or warranties with respect to this document or with respect to the products described herein. Rampiva shall not be liable for any damages, losses, costs or expenses, direct, indirect or incidental, consequential or special, arising out of, or related to the use of this material or the products described herein.

Introduction

Rampiva Automate new features are released on a quarterly cadence in the main release channel. In addition to this, from version 7, we introduced a new yearly channel, which has the advantage of providing a more stable product with fewer changes.

New features are first introduced in the preview channel, then once a quarter released in the quarterly channel, and finally once a year promoted to the yearly channel.

Nomenclature

Throughout this document, the “major/feature/patch” nomenclature is used when referring to versions, for example:

  • 7.x.x - Major version

  • x.2.x - Feature version

  • x.x.4 - Patch version

Quarterly (Main) Release Channel

The quarterly channel includes a feature release every quarter, and continuous patch releases throughout each quarter.

The first major version in the quarterly channel is released in the last quarter of the calendar year, starting with version 7.1.0 released in Q4 2022. Subsequent feature releases have version numbers 7.2.0, 7.3.0, and 7.4.0.

Yearly Release Channel

The yearly channel includes a feature release once a year, and continuous patch releases throughout the year. The major version in the yearly channel is released in the first quarter of the year, starting with version 7.0.0 released in Q1 2023.

Versions Lifecycle

The following image illustrates the lifecycle of version 7, in the yearly channel (top) and the quarterly channel (bottom). Note that the yearly channel only receives live bug fixes that are applicable to that channel (i.e. bug fixes related to features not included in the yearly version do not trigger the release of a patch version).

Version 7 Releases
Legend

The following image illustrates the beginning of the lifecycle of version 8, in the yearly channel (top), in relation to previous versions. Note that this version contains all the features and bug fixes which were released in previous quarterly versions 7.2.x, 7.3.x, and 7.4.x, as well as in the quarterly version 8.1.x.

Upgrade Paths

The following upgrade paths are possible:

  • From a quarterly version to a newer quarterly version, for example:

    • 7.1.0 → 7.1.3

    • 7.1.0 → 7.2.0

    • 6.2.4 → 7.1.3

  • From a quarterly version to a yearly version with a higher major version, for example:

    • 7.1.0 → 8.0.0

  • From a yearly version to a quarterly version with the same major version, or higher, for example:

    • 7.0.9 → 7.1.3

    • 7.0.9 → 7.2.0

    • 7.0.9 → 8.1.0

 

It’s not possible to downgrade from a quarterly version to a yearly version with the same major version, for example 7.1.3 → 7.0.9.