There are two main servicing channels to consider when selecting an appropriate plan for the various devices you manage:
- Semiannual channel: Receive feature updates twice per year, approximately March and September:
- March updates are serviced for 18 months after release.
- September updates are serviced for 30 months after release.
- Long-term servicing channel: Receive feature updates every 2 to 3 years, supported for 10 years (this is ideal for kiosk machines, ATMs, and so on, which don't run Microsoft Office).
So, for example, you could follow an update plan such as this:
|
Deployment ring and servicing channel |
Updates deferred for... |
Explanation |
|
Pre-release via Insider Preview |
No deferment for feature or quality updates |
Release features are currently in development to a select group. |
|
Phase 1 via a semiannual channel (targeted) |
No deferment for feature or quality updates |
Release new features on day one, after Insider builds have run their course. |
|
Phase 2 via a semiannual channel |
90 days for feature updates, 7-10 days for quality updates |
Let phase 1 test out the new release and work through any initial bugs before pushing it out to the rest of the organization (this is ideal for critical systems). |
Now that you understand servicing channels and the types of update that will be sent through them, let's review the tools available to us for managing them.