HEIMDAL Agent rollout procedure

This article outlines the lifecycle of a Heimdal Agent update, from initial development to global deployment. Our phased approach ensures that every release meets high standards of stability and security before reaching your production environment.

1. Phase 1: Quality Assurance (QA)
2. Phase 2: Release Candidate (RC)
3. Phase 3: Production (Stable)

PHASE 1: QUALITY ASSURANCE (QA)

Every new feature or enhancement begins with the Development Team. Once the initial code is complete, it is moved into the QA Build.

• Testing: The QA Team performs rigorous functional, regression, and compatibility testing.
• Goal: To identify and resolve any bugs or performance issues in a controlled environment.

PHASE 2: RELEASE CANDIDATE

Once the QA phase is completed, the build graduates to the RC phase. This version is intended for users who wish to test new features before they are widely released.

• Availability: Customers enrolled in the RC program can manually download the latest version via the Guide section of the RC Heimdal Dashboard.
• Rollout Strategy: The RC build is deployed in batches over a 4-week interval.
• Hotfixes: If bugs are reported during this window, the build receives hotfixes, and the version number is incremented.
• Feedback Loop: This phase acts as a "buffer" to ensure real-world stability across diverse hardware configurations.

PHASE 3: PRODUCTION (Stable)

If no issues are reported during the 4-week RC period, the build enters the PRODUCTION phase. This is the official stable release for all Heimdal users.

• Staged Rollout: Similar to the RC phase, the Production rollout occurs in batches over a 4-week interval. This prevents a widespread impact should an unforeseen edge case occur.
• Self-Update: Once the 4-week rollout completes without incident, the version is promoted to the Self-Update mechanism, automatically updating all remaining agents globally.

Rollout Timeline