What version should I be using? 4.4 or master(4.5)?

[smn]

I know what Mark wants people using. But what are you guys all using in production? The last time I tried using master branch it was buggy. Not production ready imo. That was only a few months ago. But that is where all the development is happening and 4.4 is kind of dead and Mark is constantly pushing for people to be on master branch when he is answering questions.

 

[topogigio]

same question: I'm running 4.4 but I'm planning to move to 4.5 because 4.4 seems "dead".. is this a good idea?

 

[smn]

same question: I'm running 4.4 but I'm planning to move to 4.5 because 4.4 seems "dead".. is this a good idea?

I'm not a fan of calling it 4.5 because there is no 4.5 branch or release on github yet. Only master. When I think of versions I think in terms of github branches and/or releases. Also, 4.5 implies a locked in set of features that only has bug fixes whereas master branch is constantly evolving.

 

[ewdpb]

Welcome to the club. I also would love to know. I also had the same issue. I ended up using master with a lot of reservations: back up daily and have a contingency plan ready for you in case something goes south. Using the master in production always gives me the shivers specially when everytime I look at github there has been a new update in the previous few hours or days. A new stable version doesn't seem to be coming up soon though. So, pick you risk level and go for it. That is my opinion but of course I could be horribly wrong.

 

[smn]

Welcome to the club. I also would love to know. I also had the same issue. I ended up using master with a lot of reservations: back up daily and have a contingency plan ready for you in case something goes south. Using the master in production always gives me the shivers specially when everytime I look at github there has been a new update in the previous few hours or days. A new stable version doesn't seem to be coming up soon though. So, pick you risk level and go for it. That is my opinion but of course I could be horribly wrong.

What I would ideally like to see is a new 4.5 or 4.6 branch created from current master that is consider locked in with only stability and bug fixes. I'm sure Mark has a good reason why he hasn't done that yet but we seem to be at a crossroads where 4.4 is too outdated.

 

[ad5ou]

I’ve been running master branch (4.5) in production for around 2 years with minimal issues. One key to success is to have access to the continuing education sessions/notes/videos. This is where all of the code changes are explained.
The code has been nearly 100% stable for me when upgrading directly after those sessions. There has been a couple of occasions where a bug was noticed directly after (or during) the CE session that required updating again a day or two later.

Mark has mentioned several times they are close to the next release but he has a handful of features he wants completed before releasing 4.6

 

[smn]

I’ve been running master branch (4.5) in production for around 2 years with minimal issues. One key to success is to have access to the continuing education sessions/notes/videos. This is where all of the code changes are explained.
The code has been nearly 100% stable for me when upgrading directly after those sessions. There has been a couple of occasions where a bug was noticed directly after (or during) the CE session that required updating again a day or two later.

Mark has mentioned several times they are close to the next release but he has a handful of features he wants completed before releasing 4.6

The education sessions/notes/videos do not do anything when you updated your software on your production PBX and it suddenly stops working because the software is broken. Since the code can change several times in one day I can guarantee you that can and will happen.

 

[ad5ou]

Like I said, I have had success. The code on a server does not change until you do an upgrade. I would never blindly upgrade any server.

 

[markjcrane]

Some changes for security required a lot of changes. We back ported some critical security fixes but don't have the resources needed to do everything on 4.4. So if you want the best security the answer is 4.5. All focus now is on 4.5 so if you want to use the version with more bugs use 4.4. If you want a version where we fix bugs you want 4.5. Safest thing to do is get setup a test server. Use it for to test the version you are about to update to and then test it until you are confident in it. Then when you have confidence in it then upgrade.

 

[smn]

Some changes for security required a lot of changes. We back ported some critical security fixes but don't have the resources needed to do everything on 4.4. So if you want the best security the answer is 4.5. All focus now is on 4.5 so if you want to use the version with more bugs use 4.4. If you want a version where we fix bugs you want 4.5. Safest thing to do is get setup a test server. Use it for to test the version you are about to update to and then test it until you are confident in it. Then when you have confidence in it then upgrade.

Like you, I don't have the resources to test hundreds of things every time I want to do an update but I understand what you are saying.

 

[markjcrane]

Most of your customers are not using hundreds of things. You should know your customers and have a good idea of what features are the most important to them. Likely its a much smaller list than you mentioned. Ironically people will say hundreds of features and when after upgrading often test less than 5. Version 4.4 has more bugs and security isn't as good. FusionPBX latest 4.5 has less bugs and is more secure. Next continuing education is Thursday 26th March will be talking about the latest bug fixes, security improvements, and features. This is an online event we hold each month that is available to everyone that is supporting the project as FusionPBX members.

 

[PBXMePlz]

What I would ideally like to see is a new 4.5 or 4.6 branch created from current master that is consider locked in with only stability and bug fixes. I'm sure Mark has a good reason why he hasn't done that yet but we seem to be at a crossroads where 4.4 is too outdated.

I recently moved to 4.5, and I like it. Still a couple things they're working on in its early stages, but I think it's important to consider Mark has quite a few deployments of FusionPBX and code changes that broke things would break some of those deployments; many of which are likely loyal customers.
The next thing to note is you don't necessarily have to update, in fact, I wouldn't. Hourly based changes are not the types of updates I want to deal with, more weekly or monthly updates are the type I'm going to be pushing.

To add to this discussion though, I wonder if there are recommended periods of time when FuxionPBX users should consider updating. Windows has patch Tuesday as an example, and I've always used that as a rule of thumb to roll out updates a couple days later to learn from issues that other people may have had from the updates.

 

[markjcrane]

We have had multiple reports from FusionPBX members that they upgrade after the monthly Continuing Education training. During the Continuing Education we talk about what has changed and if there is anything special that is needed to do the upgrade for that month.