Brocade Software Reference Manual Software Release Support and Posting Matrices
Broadcom Brocade-SW-Support-RM121
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Chapter 3: Definitions
Supported Software – Supported software is defined as any version of Brocade software that has not reached End-of-Support
(EOS) status. For these versions of software, Broadcom provides full assistance to find the root cause of reported issues up to and
including providing any patches to said software.
Unsupported Software – Unsupported software is defined as any version of Brocade software that has reached End-of-Support
(EOS) status. For these versions of software, as long as the user has valid entitlement, Broadcom will take a support call and
provide limited assistance in determining the root case; Broadcom will not provide engineering assistance or patches, and the user
will be asked to upgrade to a supported version of software.
End-of-Support (EOS) – The date that the specified software release or version level is no longer supported or available from
Broadcom. Releases that are currently supported but are transitioning to unsupported are highlighted in this document ahead of the
EOS date to provide time to schedule upgrades as necessary.
General Availability (GA) – The date that a software release was first posted and made available with support to entitled
Broadcom customers.
Major Release – The second integer of the three-digit software version release number that typically advances when major new
software functional changes are included for new features and/or platform support. For example, the 2 in
FOS v7.2.5b represents the Major Release version.
Latest Major Version – The newest Major Release version level of firmware or software, also referred to as the Current Release
Level.
Established Major Version – The previous Major Release version level of firmware or software, sometimes referred to as One
Release Level Back.
Minimum Major Version – The oldest Major Release version level of FOS firmware that is classified as Supported Software,
sometimes referred to as Two Release Levels Back. SANnav software does not have a designated Minimum Major Version.
Legacy Support and Availability (LSA) Version – An older Major Release version of FOS firmware that continues to be classified
as Supported Software in order to support older hardware platforms that are not capable of upgrading to the Minimum Major
Version or later. LSA versions are supported only for select designated platforms. Note that the published LSA dates for FOS in this
document are across all legacy platforms, but availability of new releases on a FOS version that has reached LSA depends on the
EOL timeline for each individual hardware platform. New releases at the LSA version level may not be made available for a
platform that has reached its FOS EOA date. Refer to individual hardware product EOL notifications for additional details and
information.
FICON Qualified – A firmware or software release that has been specifically tested and certified for use in FICON environments. A
release that was once designated as FICON Qualified but has newer versions that are FICON Qualified on the same code stream
is referred to as Retired FICON Qualified.
Target Path – A recommended version of software that is intended for general use in Brocade Fibre Channel storage area
networks. A specified release of software is identified as Target Path only after it meets well-defined criteria for quality. A version of
software that was once designated as Target Path but has since been replaced by newer versions of Target Path on the same
code stream is referred to as Retired Target Path. For additional information on Target Path software, refer to Appendix A.
Posting Status – The state of availability of a software release on the Broadcom sites. A Posted status means that the software is
available from Broadcom or Broadcom partners for users with valid entitlement. A Not Posted status indicates that the software is
no longer available from Broadcom or Broadcom partners. A Not Posted status does not necessarily indicate that the software
release is no longer supported. If the Posting Status includes (LW), then the release is also posted separately for Lifetime Warranty
platforms for those users who cannot access the standard FOS release for the LW product platform. Not all posted releases are
available for Lifetime Warranty. A posted release that is approaching a date when it will no longer be available for download will
indicate the date it will be removed from Broadcom and Broadcom partner sites.
Platform Specific Download (PSD) – FOS PSD releases are versions of a full FOS release image that can be loaded only on a
single hardware platform, consisting of a single switch model or group of switch models. Unlike traditional FOS release images that
can be installed on any supported Brocade switch and director, FOS PSD images must be downloaded separately for each
platform that the FOS release will be used on. The full list of unique FOS PSD images available for a release and the models that
each PSD image supports are noted in the FOS release notes. Any FOS release listed in this document as Posted is available only
in PSD image form.