Software Release Terminology and Support

Background Information

 RightScale encourages the use of GA software for Production use ONLY. Beta and Alpha products are not tested or considered to be stable enough for Production Environments.

Answer

RightScale software that does not have the marking of Alpha or Beta should be considered GA and ready for production. We often release cutting edge software for technology previews and testing in an Alpha and Beta state.

Terminology:

• alpha - Feature that has undergone simple testing and is expected to change, possibly significantly, before going into "beta" or "general release."  Recommended for early access to new features and prototyping of new deployments/architectures.  Only eligible for limited technical support. Service Level Response times are not applicable to Alpha software.
• beta - Feature that has undergone significant testing and is not expected to significantly change before "general release."  Recommended for non-production deployments.
• general release - Feature that has undergone testing and field experience or is a minor upgrade from prior releases.  Recommended for production upgrade after testing.  (Also known as general availability (GA).)

See also

Release Notes