In order to provide longer support windows and more flexibility with VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) updates, we’re making some changes to the VCF support model and release cadence. Previous versions of VCF have followed a 5+2 support model: five (5) years of general support and, in certain cases, with the option to buy an additional two (2) years of Extended Support. Coupled with this, the VCF release model followed a 2-year major release cadence with biannual updates. This would generally result in a new major release every two years followed by updates every six months. In response to customer feedback, we’re modifying the support model and release cadence starting with VCF 9.0.
First, we’re moving from the 5+2 support model described above to a 6+1 model. Therefore, our general expectation going forward will be to provide support for our major releases for six (6) years from that major release and, in certain cases, with the option to purchase an additional year of Extended Support. That’s right: we’re providing an additional year of support availability. We’re also moving to a 3-year major release cadence with minor releases approximately every nine months. This approach continues to give customers four minor releases per major release (e.g. VCF 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3), while giving them more time to upgrade to the latest release.
Our expectation is that initial minor releases will provide 27 months support each, while the last minor release will provide 45 months of support to give customers the flexibility to chart multiple upgrade paths. For further flexibility, customers are able to purchase up to one year of extended support.
Figure 1: VMware Cloud Foundation Release Cadence (source: Broadcom)
The intent of these changes are to provide more predictable release dates, offer longer support periods and provide more flexibility to better fit into customer update windows. The additional year of included support and the new release cadence both provide real value to our customers – not to mention all the new features and innovation included in VCF 9.0 and beyond.
Additional Resources:
Blog: What’s New in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Technical Documentation
