Using different RTC client and server versions

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:23:02 +0000, henrik_westrell wrote:

1) Does RTC support using different minor versions of server and client.
For example, 2.0.0.1 server and 2.0.0.0 clients.

The 2.0.0.1 client and server are interoperable.

--
Jared Burns
Jazz Process Team

henrik_westrell wrote:

1) Does RTC support using different minor versions of server and
client.
For example, 2.0.0.1 server and 2.0.0.0 clients.

So far, for both RTC 1.x and RTC 2.x, servers and clients that have the
same major version number can work together. So 2.0.0.1 server and
2.0.0.0 client should be fine. But server and client with different
major version will not work together. So 2.0 server and 1.0 client
wouldn't work.

I don't know if this pattern will continue in the future. It would be
nice if servers could handle clients with a different major version, but
that may be difficult to implement correctly.

2) Some features might require that both the server and client are
upgraded, and some only the server (i guess).

Right. And there are probably some features (or at least bug fixes)
that are client only.

So far, for both RTC 1.x and RTC 2.x, servers and clients that have the
same major version number can work together. So 2.0.0.1 server and
2.0.0.0 client should be fine. But server and client with different
major version will not work together. So 2.0 server and 1.0 client
wouldn't work.

This is good to hear - is there any chance that this sort of information could be included in future release notes (it's not the sort of thing I like to assume)?

I've filed 95351: Clarify version compatibility story in release notes to improve the documentation about version compatibility. You may want to subscribe yourself.

2) Some features might require that both the server and client are
upgraded, and some only the server (i guess).

Right. And there are probably some features (or at least bug fixes)
that are client only.

2.1) How to tell if a new/enhanced/fixed feature requires server or client upgrade ? Or both ?
2.2) Should we install the new server first and then the clients ?

A general RTC upgrade policy would be great ...

2.1) How to tell if a new/enhanced/fixed feature requires server or client upgrade ? Or both ?

For a given feature or defect, if the corresponding work item(s) don't state this explicitly, you can go to the Links tab, select all change sets, choose Open, and see which plug-ins are affected. e.g. 'common' plug-ins affect both client and server, 'client', 'ui', 'ide' plug-ins affect only the client, and 'server' or 'web' plug-ins affect the server. Or just ask in the work item.

But this is a very developer-centric answer. For regular consumers of Jazz/RTC, we don't typically ship single enhancements/fixes separately, so you would typically get the most recent release and upgrade both client and server (and any other deliverables like the build system toolkit). For any enhancements/fixes that we do ship separately, we should provide clear instructions on how to upgrade/install.

2.2) Should we install the new server first and then the clients ?

It depends. For an upgrade where there is a major version different (e.g. 1.0 to 2.0), you need to upgrade both simultaneously. For a minor version upgrade (e.g. 2.0 to 2.0.0.1), since there may be some new features that require server-side support, the server should be upgraded first. But older clients should still work against a newer server, so they can be upgraded as needed.

I've submitted work item 95424, asking that the New&Noteworthy section
indicate whether a given feature requires an upgrade to the client, an
upgrade to the server, or both.

WRT installing the new server or the new clients first, that is
completely up to you. Either order works fine (or you can intermingle
them ... some clients, then the server, then the rest of the clients).

Cheers,
Geoff

henrik_westrell wrote:

2) Some features might require that both the server and client are
upgraded, and some only the server (i guess).

Right. And there are probably some features (or at least bug fixes)

that are client only.

2.1) How to tell if a new/enhanced/fixed feature requires server or
client upgrade ? Or both ?
2.2) Should we install the new server first and then the clients ?

A general RTC upgrade policy would be great ...

Note: My comments below were about a release (such as 2.0.0.1) that is
client/server compatible with the previous release.

For a release that is not client/server compatible with the previous
release, then there is no reason to state whether a given feature
requires an upgrade to the client or the server, because you have to
upgrade both.

Also, for a release that is not client/server compatible with the
previous release, then you can upgrade the clients and servers in
whatever order you want, but at any given time, a given client will only
be able to talk to a version-compatible server.

Cheers,
Geoff

Geoffrey Clemm wrote:

I've submitted work item 95424, asking that the New&Noteworthy section
indicate whether a given feature requires an upgrade to the client, an
upgrade to the server, or both.

WRT installing the new server or the new clients first, that is
completely up to you. Either order works fine (or you can intermingle
them ... some clients, then the server, then the rest of the clients).

Cheers,
Geoff

henrik_westrell wrote:
2) Some features might require that both the server and client are
upgraded, and some only the server (i guess).

Right. And there are probably some features (or at least bug fixes)

that are client only.

2.1) How to tell if a new/enhanced/fixed feature requires server or
client upgrade ? Or both ? 2.2) Should we install the new server
first and then the clients ?
A general RTC upgrade policy would be great ...

The only thing to note here is that while you can use a 2.0/2.0.0.1 RTC Client for Eclipse with an RTC 2.0.0.1 server, only a 2.0.0.1 RTC Client for Visual Studio will work with the same server. The web pages have been updated to make this clearer:

https://jazz.net/downloads/rational-team-concert/releases/2.0.0.1?p=upgrading