Release Timeline

Version timeframe, Current, Active LTS, Maintenance

• New Zowe versions will enter current release status for six to nine months to allow consumers of Zowe to test, provide feedback, and adjust to any changes.
• After current release phase, Zowe will move to Active LTS status and will be deemed ready by the community for general use. Active LTS will have additional releases with both fixes and enhancements.
• Following a period of Active LTS, the Zowe version will enter Maintenance for fixes only.
• The combination of Active LTS and Maintenance LTS release is designated as "long-term support”, which provides two guarantees:
  • Critical defects will be fixed. The criteria for what constitutes a critical defect is covered in Release Process.
  • Extenders who achieve Zowe conformance for the long-term support version will not need to modify their product for it to remain functional when the Zowe community provides distributions within the release or modification level boundary within the same version.
• The length of Active LTS may vary but the total time period of Active LTS + Maintenance LTS will be at least 24 months.
• Production applications should only use Active LTS or Maintenance LTS releases due to the contract with extender products remaining functional and the community’s commitment to fix critical defects.