Maintenance and Support Releases — Schedule and Numbering

Avi Networks makes two Avi Vantage feature releases per year.

Release Numbering

Release numbers take on the form YY.<feature-release-number.<maintenance-version-number>. Feature and maintenance release numbers start with 1. For example, the following can be said about Avi Vantage 16.2.3:

  • The release year is 2016.
  • It is a member of the 2nd feature release, the 2nd branch (see diagram below).
  • It is the 3rd maintenance release within the 2nd feature release. chang

    Release Timeline

typical Avi Vantage release timeline

The above time line serves as the backdrop for our release tutorial. It shows:

  • Three feature releases, 16.1, 16.2 and 16.3.
  • Five maintenance releases, 16.1.1, 16.1.2, 16.2.1, 16.2.2, and 16.2.3.
  • Within this snapshot of time, a total of 23 features/bug fixes have been applied to the mainline code base.
  • At time t1, the branch for the first release of the year 2016 is made. Features/fixes 1 through 3 are automatically swept into it.
  • Some time later Avi Engineering releases 16.1. Thereafter, work on the next maintenance release proceeds.
  • Note that features/fixes 4 through 6 have been incorporated into the mainline, independent of the 16.1 branch.
  • Some time later, Avi Engineering determines that #6 (but neither #4 nor #5) is critical enough to be made available to customers running 16.1. Accordingly, shortly thereafter, maintenance release 16.1.1 is made available.
  • 16.1.2, the final maintenance release of the 16.1 branch, adds feature/bug-fix #8 and #9. [But still not #4, #5, nor #7.]
  • At time t2 the decision is taken to begin work on the 2nd feature release of the year. Features/fixes #1 through #11 are automatically swept into it. Shortly thereafter, 16.2 is made available.
  • The process continues as before, such that by the time maintenance release 16.2.3 is made available, features/fixes 1 through 11 and selected features of the mainline (#14, 16, and #17) are included.