opsi Release scheduling strategy

At uib GmbH, we maintain and publish a wide range of packages to ensure you have access to the latest features and bug fixes. These include server packages like opsiconfd, opsi packages like opsi-script or opsi-client-agent as well as tools like opsi-configed (-portable). In this blog post, we will explain how we schedule releases and where you can find additional information.

Monthly stable release

We plan a stable release once a month, scheduled for the last Wednesday of each month. These stable releases include new features that were previously available in our testing repositories. To ensure the stability of these versions, we implement an internal feature freeze in our testing repositories seven days before the scheduled stable release. Once the stable release is published, a new cycle begins, and we continue working on new features in testing.

Service releases

If we have a broken state or a known major issue in stable, we create a fix by branching off from the last known stable version without introducing new features. Once the fixed version has passed all internal tests, we release it directly to stable as a service release (sometimes referred to as a hotfix). These releases focus solely on essential fixes and do not include any new features.

Where to find packages

You find our packages at different places:

• Server packages at build.opensuse.org. Your Linux package manager is usually configured to check for updates here automatically.
• opsi packages at opsipackages.43.opsi.org. The opsi-package-updater typically fetches updates from this repository.
• Tools at tools.43.opsi.org. These primarily include binaries such as opsi-configed to assist in managing your environment.

Each of these three stable repositories has a corresponding testing repository where we regularly publish new versions. If you want early access to new features, you can use these testing repositories.

Where to find release notes

Every release is announced on our webpage. We provide a rating (low, medium, high) to indicate the urgency of the update. Additionally, you find release notes detailing the most important changes (available in both German and English), along with links to individual package changelogs.

Besides our website, monthly stable releases are also announced in our forum in the “News” section and on our mailing list.

If you are looking for changelogs of a specific package independent of a release, you can find them at changelog.opsi.org.