Windows 10 and OnBase Support

[Ben_Schlather]

Impact of the Windows 10 support cycle on OnBase support

Introduction

With changes to Microsoft’s release cycle for Windows 10 resulting in a shorter support lifecycle for each version, many customers and partners have questions about how it will impact their OnBase solutions. This document addresses how the changes made by Microsoft impact the current development and support practices of Hyland.

What has changed?

Microsoft has introduced a new release cadence with Windows 10 called the Semi Annual Channel (SAC). The SAC reduces the security patch and support cycle for versions of the Windows 10 operating system to 30 months. This new release cycle is described by Microsoft in the following location: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet.

Prior to Windows 10, Microsoft previously had very long support cycles for their Windows releases, and the IT world has grown accustomed to these practices. For example, security patching for Windows XP ended after 12 years and security patching for Windows 7 ended after 11 years. It is no surprise that only 30 months of security patching for Windows 10 versions will require some adaptation from the entire IT world.

While this 30-month window can be avoided by taking part in the Long-Term Service Branch (LTSB) offered by Microsoft, not all customers will choose this route because it virtually eliminates new feature availability.

How will this impact Hyland’s support of OnBase?

Hyland does not have plans to change our process for the continued release and support of new versions of OnBase because of the new Microsoft SAC cadence. 

Additionally, as part of our development process, Hyland will continue to address issues related to defect mitigation and support for newer versions of platform dependencies, such as the operating system and database, in the current version of OnBase and one prior release. For example, with the release of OnBase 18, Hyland will address defect and platform issues in OnBase versions 18 and 17.

If there are exceptional circumstances that may require changes to earlier versions of OnBase, such as security events like Heartbleed, Hyland will continue to evaluate the need for critical changes in even earlier versions of OnBase.

How will this impact compatibility of OnBase with Windows 10?

Hyland has a long history of making sure OnBase is compatible with the current version of Windows OS for desktops and servers at the time of each OnBase release. In a worst-case scenario, where a future Windows 10 update introduces an incompatibility causing OnBase to not operate as designed, Hyland will make commercially reasonable attempts to address the incompatibility in the latest release and the prior release.

Microsoft’s technology variations are out of our control, however, Hyland does not expect to encounter incompatibilities with Windows 10 updates. It is possible that OnBase releases may run successfully for many years as Windows 10 updates are routinely released.

The possibility of a support issue will occur if and when an incompatibility is found with a specific Windows 10 update. For older releases of OnBase that are not addressed by Hyland to resolve the incompatibility, there may be limitations or subtle differences imposed by the operating system that cause OnBase to function in unexpected ways. In these situations, Hyland will recommend that all customers only run older releases of OnBase with a version of Windows 10 known to be compatible with it.

If it appears that an issue in OnBase may be caused by an incompatible version of Windows 10, organizations may be asked to validate that the same OnBase issue will occur when running a version of Windows 10 known to be compatible. Hyland will make this request if there is reason to believe that the operating system version is a contributing factor to the issue. If the issue is determined to be related to an incompatible version of Windows 10, organizations may be required to upgrade to the current release of OnBase to resolve the issue and maintain compatibility with Windows 10.