In news seemingly designed to give me an ulcer, Microsoft is moving Windows Server to Rapid Release.
From the Windows Server blog: "Starting this fall, we plan to deliver two feature updates per year, each spring and fall, aligning to the Windows and Office Semi-annual Channel release cycle."
From this systems administrator's perspective, I do not believe Microsoft has shown that they can deliver the QA on updates necessary for rapid release. Personally, I have been testing Windows 10 since 1507 and I have not seen a trend-line of stable consistency within their updates.
I thought Microsoft would be able to get it together but, anecdotally, Windows 10 updates have been consistently problematic since release. From Office 2016 blocking the installation of cumulative updates on 1607 LTSB, broken and inconsistent removal of AppX packages when following Microsoft's own recommendations, and installation behaviors being documented after the fact like the wholesale reinstallation of AppX packages following build updates, every single month's updates brings me trepidation.
The removal of their QA department 'programmatic testers' seems to be the culprit. From infamous August 2015 update debacle to problems like W10 1703 erroring out on every MDT deployment, this wild inconsistency in monthly update quality has leaked into other Windows branches as well. I have been doing monthly security-only updates with plans to do an annual cumulative update to my templates.
What are other SA's plans about rapid release?
(Score: 2) by frojack on Monday June 19 2017, @02:13AM (3 children)
Two updates per year is "rapid"?
That's down from once a week on patch tuesday, right?
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 19 2017, @02:20AM
When riding the rapids, remember to grab onto the pointy rocks.
(Score: 2) by cmn32480 on Monday June 19 2017, @11:56AM
It was two feature updates per year. The monthly patch Tuesday will (most likely) still exist for security updates.
"It's a dog eat dog world, and I'm wearing Milkbone underwear" - Norm Peterson
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 19 2017, @03:08PM
Are you sure they didn't mean Rabid Release?