mirror of https://github.com/hashicorp/consul
123 lines
6.0 KiB
Markdown
123 lines
6.0 KiB
Markdown
---
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layout: docs
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page_title: Long Term Support (LTS)
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description: >-
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Consul Enterprise offers a Long Term Support (LTS) release program. Learn about benefits and terms, including which versions receive extended support, for how long, and fix eligibility.
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---
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# Long Term Support (LTS)
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<EnterpriseAlert>
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This program requires Consul Enterprise.
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</EnterpriseAlert>
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Consul Enterprise offers annual Long Term Support (LTS) releases starting with version v1.15. LTS releases maintain longer fix eligibility and support larger upgrade jumps.
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This page describes the LTS program, its benefits for Enterprise users, and the support the program includes.
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## Overview
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Many Enterprise organizations want to minimize their operational risk by operating a maintained Consul version that is eligible for critical fixes and does not require frequent upgrades.
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Annual Consul Enterprise LTS releases enable organizations to receive critical fixes without upgrading their major version more than once per year.
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The following table lists the lifecycle for each existing LTS release, including expected end of maintenance (EOM).
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| LTS release | Release date | Estimated EOM date |
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| ----------- | ------------- | --------------------------------- |
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| v1.18 Ent | Feb 27, 2024 | Feb 28, 2026 (v1.24 Ent release) |
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| v1.15 Ent | Feb 23, 2023 | Feb 28, 2025 (v1.21 Ent release) |
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## Release lifecycle
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Consul Enterprise LTS releases are maintained for longer than other Consul releases,
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as described in the following sections.
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### Standard Term Support lifecycle
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All major releases of Consul Enterprise receive _Standard Term Support_ (STS)
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for approximately one year, per HashiCorp's
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[Support Period Policy](https://support.hashicorp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021185113-Support-Period-and-End-of-Life-EOL-Policy).
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With STS, each major release branch is maintained until it is
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three (3) releases from the latest major release.
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For example, Consul v1.14.x is maintained until the release of Consul v1.17.0.
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### Long Term Support lifecycle
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Starting with Consul Enterprise v1.15, the first major release of the calendar year
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receives _Long Term Support_ (LTS) for approximately 2 years.
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The first major release of the calendar year typically occurs in late February.
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An LTS release is maintained until it is six (6) releases from the latest major release.
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For example, Consul Enterprise v1.15.x is maintained until the release of Consul Enterprise v1.21.0.
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During the LTS window, [eligible LTS fixes](#fix-eligibility) are provided through
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a new minor release on the affected LTS release branch.
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## Annual upgrade to next LTS release
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We recommend upgrading your Consul LTS version once per year to the next LTS version
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in order to receive the full benefit of LTS. This upgrade pattern ensures the
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organization is always operating a maintained release with minimal upgrades.
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Only Consul Enterprise LTS versions support direct upgrades to the next 3 major versions,
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enabling direct upgrades from one LTS release to the subsequent LTS release.
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For example, Consul Enterprise v1.15.x supports upgrading directly to Consul Enterprise v1.18.x.
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Because Consul has 3 major version releases per year,
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LTS enables you to catch up on a year's worth of Consul releases in a single upgrade.
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STS releases of Consul support direct upgrades to the next 2 major versions,
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as described in the [standard upgrade instructions](/consul/docs/upgrading/instructions).
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Without LTS, catching up on a year's worth of releases requires two upgrades.
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For example, upgrading from Consul Enterprise v1.14.x to Consul Enterprise v1.17.x
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requires an intermediate upgrade to v1.15.x or v1.16.x.
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## Fix eligibility
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Eligibility for an LTS fix is subject to the following criteria:
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- A non-security bug must be a Severity 1 (Urgent) or Severity 2 (High) issue
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as defined in [HashiCorp Support's Severity Definitions](https://support.hashicorp.com/hc/en-us/articles/115011286028).
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- A security bug (CVE) is considered eligible in accordance with
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HashiCorp's standard practices for security bugs on supported products.
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Refer to the standard
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[Support Period Policy](https://support.hashicorp.com/hc/en-us/articles/360021185113-Support-Period-and-End-of-Life-EOL-Policy)
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for more information.
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- The bug must be present in built artifacts intended for use in production
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created from one of the following HashiCorp repositories:
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- hashicorp/consul-enterprise
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- hashicorp/consul-k8s
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- hashicorp/consul-dataplane
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- The bug must be applicable for at least one of the following
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computer architecture and operating system combinations:
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- linux_386
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- linux_amd64
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- linux_arm
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- linux_arm64
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- windows_386
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- windows_amd64
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Eligibility for a fix does not guarantee that a fix will be issued.
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For example, some fixes may not be technically possible on a given release branch,
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or they may present an undue burden or risk relative to the benefit of the fix.
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HashiCorp may, in its sole discretion, include fixes in a minor release
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on an LTS release branch that do not meet the eligibility criteria above.
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## Version compatibility with dependencies
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Consul integrates with Envoy and Kubernetes releases that are maintained for less time
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than Consul Enterprise LTS.
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HashiCorp will make a reasonable effort to keep each Consul Enterprise LTS release branch
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compatible with a maintained release branch of Envoy and Kubernetes until the LTS release branch
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approaches its end of maintenance.
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For more details on LTS version compatibility with dependencies, refer to the following topics:
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- [Kubernetes version compatibility with Consul](/consul/docs/k8s/compatibility)
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- [Envoy and Consul dataplane version compatibility with Consul](/consul/docs/connect/proxies/envoy)
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