CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Support
CipherTrust Transparent Encryption is an agent that runs in the kernel of an operating system. Due to the nature of the product, CipherTrust Transparent Encryption has many updates per year. On average, there are two to three feature releases per year. These releases contain major and/or minor new features or enhancements, support for new third-party databases or applications, and support for new major or minor versions of operating systems. During the rest of the year, Thales may release an update to CipherTrust Transparent Encryption on an almost weekly basis, in order to roll in new operating system kernel patch support and hot fixes. Following are the details of the CipherTrust Transparent Encryption product lifecycle, as well as the OS support guidelines.
CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Release Types
The following table describes the CipherTrust Transparent Encryption release types:
| CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Release | Major | Service Pack | Cumulative Patch | Hot Fix or New Kernel Support Build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbering | 1.0.0 | 1.1.0 | 1.1.1 | 1.1.0.x |
| Cadence | 3+ Years | 6 Months | As needed | As needed |
| Contents | Major change in functionality | New features, fixes, major or minor OS support | New minor features, fixes, minor OS support | Hot fix or minor OS support, kernel updates if new CipherTrust Transparent Encryption build is needed |
CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Support Phase Definitions
The following table contains the CipherTrust Transparent Encryption support phase definitions:
| Support Phase | Definition | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|
| Active | Period during which Thales customer support assists customers with issues. A maintenance agreement makes the customer eligible for patches, and service packs. | From GA to the start of Continued Support |
| Continued Support | Customer support can be engaged mainly for troubleshooting and workarounds. Thales engineering will fix bugs and provide validation for new OS kernels and new minor OS releases on an as-need basis. However, no additional investment will be made by development and engineering departments. | Begins with the release of the next Service Pack; Ends after 6 months. |
| Extended Support | Support provided on an as-needed basis. An extended maintenance agreement must be in place. Thales will provide bug fixes only. | Only applies to the last Service pack before a Major release. Support time frame begins after Continued Support ends and lasts 6 months. |
CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Life Cycle
Following is a diagram of the CipherTrust Transparent Encryption Life cycle. The version numbers are an example. They are not valid version numbers. The actual release time lines for these versions of CipherTrust Transparent Encryption may be different. In general, there will be two “live” CipherTrust Transparent Encryption versions at a time: one CipherTrust Transparent Encryption version that is in active phase, and one that is in the Continued Support phase. In some cases, a third CipherTrust Transparent Encryption version will also be in the extended support phase. This is to allow customers more time to move to the newer versions.
LTHF = Linux Taxonomy Hot Fix
Linux Taxonomy refers to the qualification of new Linux kernel releases with CTE.
When a cumulative patch is released for a CipherTrust Transparent Encryption version that will be considered as the active CipherTrust Transparent Encryption version, the current active service pack version, and the previous service pack release, continue to be supported for the continued support period. For instance, for the two active CipherTrust Transparent Encryption versions 7.0.0 and 7.1.0, if a cumulative patch for 7.1.1 is released, CipherTrust Transparent Encryption 7.1.1 and CipherTrust Transparent Encryption 7.1.0 would be the supported versions for hot fixes.
