Support Policy

TIS+ Releases explained

TIS+ follows a semantic versioning model based on https://semver.org. This means we use a MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH version numbering style (e.g. v1.12.0).

This model describes that:

1. MAJOR version is incremented when incompatible API changes are made.
2. MINOR version is incremented when new features are added.
3. PATCH version is incremented when bug and security fixes are handled.

TIS+ Release Cadence and Support

Tetrate releases PATCH updates (1.x.y) to supported TIS+ versions on a regular basis, and at least quarterly.

Each release of a new MINOR falls under the Long Term Support (LTS) policy, in which Tetrate provides support starting from the official General Availability (GA) release date of the MINOR release, to the End of General Support (EoGS) set to 12 months after GA or N-2 (two versions prior to the latest TIS+ version), whichever is longer. Any release after EOGS will not be supported unless extended support has been arranged with Tetrate prior to the EoGS date.

During the release's support window, bug and security fixes will be provided for each eligible MINOR version, through the use of PATCH releases (e.g. v1.x.1). A new PATCH release does not reset the support lifetime duration, as it is tied to the initial MINOR release. Patch releases include fixes for TIS+ specific components, as well as patch fixes for its open source components.

Supported Upgrade Policy

TIS+ employs a structured upgrade policy to ensure compatibility and stability across its platform versions. This policy is defined as N-1, which indicates that any given version of TIS+ Management Plane (MP) is guaranteed to work seamlessly with the Control Plane (CP) version immediately preceding it.

Understanding the N-1 Upgrade Policy

• For any TIS+ Management Plane version, denoted as 1.x, compatibility is assured with the 1.(x-1) version of the TIS+ Control Plane.
• For instance, if you are using TIS+ Management Plane (MP) version 1.12.x, it is guaranteed to be compatible with TIS+ Control Plane (CP) version 1.11.x.
• However, this policy does not guarantee compatibility with Control Plane versions that are two or more releases behind the current Management Plane version. Continuing the previous example, TIS+ MP 1.13.x would not be guaranteed to work with CP 1.11.x.

Implications for Upgrading

• When planning upgrades, it is important to consider this policy to ensure compatibility between the Management Plane and Control Plane versions.
• This policy aids in maintaining a stable and predictable environment, reducing the risks associated with version incompatibility.

Recommendations

• Users are advised to regularly update their Control Plane versions to stay within the N-1 compatibility range of their Management Plane version.
• Staying up-to-date with the latest releases not only ensures compatibility but also provides access to the latest features and security updates.
• Tetrate will work with Customers' schedules and timelines when upgrading the customer's hosted Management Plane.

TIS+ EoGS dates based on planned upcoming releases

TIS+ Version	General Availability	End of General Support
TIS+ v1.12.x	7 February, 2025	6 February, 2026
TIS+ v1.11.x	15 November, 2024	14 November, 2025

TIS+ Feature Definitions Terminology

Features in TIS+ are designated in 5 different stages as described below. Any stages apart from the Production (Default) stage, are identified in the Feature Status Table, API References, and Guides.

Feature Stage	Notes
Alpha	Disabled by default, and can be enabled only by Tetrate Support. These features are for customers' initial testing, and for collecting feedback
Beta	Limited availability feature that is pre-Production standard. These features are for customers' evaluation within any licensing or feature flag restrictions. The API is subject to change, although unlikely
Production	Default - These features are Generally Available for use in Production. Any feature that has not been explicitly identified in any of the other stages can be considered as Production-ready
Deprecated	These features are deprecated from the Product and will be removed in a future release based on the their impact and usage (see the Deprecation Policy below for details)
End of Life	These features are End of Life and will be removed from the Product

TIS+ Deprecation Policy

• Features that are deprecated are identified in the Release Notes, API references, and Guides.
• The information also includes the Release in which they are deprecated and the Release in which they will be removed (End of Life).
• When a feature is deprecated, users should stop using the feature, or migrate to any recommended alternate solutions.
• Upon deprecation, the feature is removed (End of Life) from the product 2 or 4 minor releases later as documented.

info

Please work with your Customer Engineering Representative or Tetrate Support to plan the migration from the feature(s) that are deprecated to the recommended alternate solutions.