Understand the Software Lifecycle

This page describes the HPE Ezmeral Runtime Enterprise lifecycle and defines the lifecycle stages, which are Active, In Maintenance, and End of Maintenance.

Lifecycle Stages

Hewlett Packard Enterprise periodically releases new software. Each HPE Ezmeral Runtime Enterprise release is supported for an amount of time that can vary depending on the new releases that follow it. When new versions are released, older versions are deprecated or discontinued. Each version therefore has its own lifecycle. As shown in the diagram, a release can transition through three lifecycle stages:
  • Active (12 months)
  • In Maintenance (6 months)
  • End of Maintenance


Typically, within six months after a new release, Hewlett Packard Enterprise issues an advisory to indicate the end of maintenance for older versions. Twelve months after the advisory is issued, the In-Maintenance version reaches the End-of-Maintenance stage and is discontinued.

To view the current lifecycle status for every release, see HPE Ezmeral Runtime Enterprise Version Support and Lifecycle Status. The following table describes the lifecycle stages:

Support and the Lifecycle Stages

Support Activity Notes Lifecycle Stage
Active In Maintenance End of Maintenance
Proactive Support (Minor, Maintenance) Includes proactive fixes for security vulnerabilities, critical bugs, and other issues. Yes No No
Reactive Support (Escalation Support) Requires the user to open cases resulting in tactical fixes for critical bugs, where backporting is feasible. Yes Yes1 No
Assisted Support (Usage / Debug Support) Does not include patch fixes. Yes Yes No

1 Includes fixes for critical bugs and CVEs reported to Support. Does not include documentation updates.

HPE Ezmeral Runtime Enterprise Versions

See Software Versions for details.

In HPE Ezmeral Runtime Enterprise interfaces and documentation, versions are expressed as a dot-separated string of numbers having two or three places. Updates and bug fixes result in changes to the major, minor, and maintenance versions of a release:

Notification of Changes in Support for Released Versions

To notify users about changes in HPE Ezmeral Runtime Enterprise support, Hewlett Packard Enterprise issues periodic support advisories. When releases are deprecated or discontinued, users of those releases are encouraged to upgrade to newer versions.

For service advisories, see Support and Other Resources