December 2018 Summaries

Octopus Server 2018.10 LTS marks the first release in the long-term support program, providing six months of support and recommended for most self-hosted customers. This version, essentially similar to 2018.9, includes features like workers, worker pools, and Kubernetes support without introducing breaking changes. The LTS releases, occurring every three months, are aimed at those prioritizing stability over the latest features, while the fast lane releases, available roughly once a month, include the newest updates for those opting for frequent upgrades. Octopus Cloud users automatically receive these fast lane updates, ensuring early access to new features. The LTS program emphasizes the importance of staying current for optimal performance and security, while also offering support for those who choose not to upgrade immediately. Patches are issued for LTS releases to address critical issues such as security vulnerabilities, with the assurance that installing them will be safer than not upgrading. The program provides flexibility for self-hosted customers to choose between stability and the latest features, with the assurance of continued support regardless of the chosen path.

Octopus Deploy introduces "Spaces," a feature designed to enhance the organization and management of deployments by allowing teams to group projects, environments, machines, and resources into distinct, isolated units called Spaces. This feature addresses the challenges of navigating large-scale deployments by enabling team-specific organization, reducing clutter, and ensuring security through isolation, where projects in different Spaces cannot interact. Spaces are optional and support a gradual transition, ensuring backward compatibility with existing systems, and are integrated with existing licenses, offering different levels of access based on the license type. The initiative aims to simplify deployment management and is set for release in January 2019, following extensive testing and customer feedback.

In a webinar led by Microsoft MVP Jeffrey Palermo, participants are guided on integrating Octopus Deploy with Azure Pipelines to achieve a fully automated and streamlined CI/CD pipeline. The session covers key aspects such as the necessity of Octopus Deploy, its architectural integration with Azure DevOps Services, and the deployment pipeline specifics, including packaging with NuGet. By the conclusion of the webinar, attendees are expected to have a comprehensive understanding of leveraging both tools effectively.