Overview of Release Management
1. Overview of Release Management
Release management can be defined as a process of monitoring and controlling the flow of various changes into an IT infrastructure. Each of the upgrade or update of a configuration point is called a release. It is important to note that there are three major levels of releases that are worth mentioning and these levels are associated with releasing software or hardware into an IT infrastructure. There is the major, minor and emergency release.
The major release often initiates new functions or capabilities. It may accumulate all the various changes from early minor releases. The minor releases integrate a couple of fixes for identified problems into a trusted state or baseline of an item. Emergency releases on the other hand are quick fixes to mend unanticipated problems or momentary measures to avoid the disruption of vital services.
2. Three Types of Release
There are also three kinds of releases that reflect diverse ways of arranging and packaging changes to software or hardware CIs together. These are full release, delta release, and package release. Full release incorporates all the elements of a software or hardware CI, including those that have not been changed. Delta release incorporates all the elements of a software or hardware CI which have changed. Package release on the other hand spins the changes to different CIs into one release.
There are five major steps that are entailed in the process of release management and these are building and configure which entails the assembling of the component of release in a restricted laboratory setting. Test and accept which is done prior to distribution. Here testing by neutral group occurs. The testers can be users, IT staff, or business staff. The main purpose of testing is to validate the release using different methods. The third is schedule and plan which explain rollout of the release. Next is communicating and preparing which involves the preparation of the rollout plan. And lastly, there is the distribution and installation of the software and hardware. All these steps are followed for effective release management.
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