Keeping customer sites current
This page is for partner owners and technical leads responsible for customer sites after launch. A site that is not updated becomes a security risk and, eventually, an expensive rescue.
The project's commitments
| Commitment | Source |
|---|---|
"Exponential 6.0 is the maintained line. Security fixes are made on the main branch ... and published with the next 6.0.x release." | SECURITY.md |
| 5.x, 4.x, 3.x and older are not supported | SECURITY.md |
| PHP 7.4 to 8.5 are supported for the 6.0.15 line; PHP 7.4 usable without support from 6.0.15 | README, doc/eng-us/install/02-requirements.md |
| "A published tag is never changed" | SECURITY.md |
The full list: Who is the Exponential Foundation?, "The support commitment".
Keep an inventory
Customer site inventory
Site | Exponential version | PHP | Database | Engine | Extensions (versions) | Last upgrade | Next planned
-----|---------------------|-----|----------|--------|-----------------------|--------------|-------------Review it monthly. Any site below the current 6.0.x release or on a PHP version near its end gets a plan.
Maintenance contracts
Offer maintenance with every project. A useful contract states:
- which releases are applied and how fast (security fixes faster than feature releases);
- that each release is tested on staging first (Testing releases before your customers do);
- PHP upgrades as part of the service;
- what is not included (new features, redesigns).
Talking with customers
- Explain upgrades as protection, not as a sale.
- Show the changelog items that matter to them.
- Plan major steps (PHP versions, extension replacements) a year ahead (Release and upgrade planning).
Sites from the eZ Publish era
Many organizations still run sites built on the old code base before it became Exponential. They are partners'
natural customers. The migration chapters doc/eng-us/install/14-migrating-from-4x.md to 17-migration-reference.md
describe the paths.
Related pages
- Testing releases before your customers do
- Security responsibilities of partners
- Release and upgrade planning
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.