Maintenance

HCL Commerce Version 9.0 follows the continuous delivery (CD) model, referred to as a '2-plus-1' (2+1) policy. The products under this policy will have technical support for at least 2 years, which starts at the availability of a new product version or release and also offer an optional, fee-based support extension for at least 1 additional year. Fixes and new functions are delivered by using a single easy-to-install Continuous Delivery Update Package.

Releases and implementation lifecycles

HCL Commerce is provided in major, mod pack, and fix pack releases.

Typically, as you increase the time between HCL Commerce implementations, updates to HCL Commerce will become more difficult to implement. Jumps between major releases require migration, and more consideration with regards to tradeoffs and limitations between older and newer features, customizations, and solutions.

Inversely, smaller jumps between updates to HCL Commerce, such as between fix packs or mod packs, contain fewer challenges. These updates generally only include important fixes and improvements to functions that are specifically tailored to users of newer site features and solutions. Consequently, the update path for smaller updates is also much less intensive, requiring you to only rebuild your custom Docker images on newer base images before deploying them.

Release type Representation example Description
Major release Version 9.0 A major release of HCL Commerce contains new site solutions. Older features and solutions that you might rely on in previous releases can be supported, deprecated, or require some level of modification to continue using with a major release.

Major releases often include significant changes to deployment, architectural structure, and customization paradigms that require careful consideration to plan and perform.

To upgrade from one major release to another you must plan and perform a site migration. Follow the topics in this section.
Important: Any previous customizations to your site must be re-applied once migrated, as some site files might be overwritten outside of the scope of the migration documentation. It is a best practice to fully test any site customization post-migration to ensure it is both fully functional and performant in comparison to the previous environment.
Mod pack release Version 9.0.1.0 A mod pack release of HCL Commerce contains new site features and builds upon the introduced major release solutions. In addition, mod packs contain functional, performance, and security-related fixes to HCL Commerce and relied upon third party solutions.

Colloquially these are referred to as releases, as they are delivered on a quarterly, or semi-annual basis.

Updates from one mod pack to another are intended to be far less intensive than between major releases. However, some changes to site functionality do exist between mod releases, and can break site functionality if they are not considered. It is therefore required to review each mod release release notes to ensure that your site remains functioning as expected.

For more information on each mod pack release, see What's new in HCL Commerce Version 9.0.1.x.

To upgrade your site from one mod pack or fix pack release to another mod pack or fix pack release, see:

Continuous Delivery Releases

The following list describes key characteristics of CD Releases:
  • Each new mod pack release is an accumulation of the previous updates, plus new fixes and enhancements. For example, HCL Commerce 9.0.1.3 contains all changes from 9.0.1.1 and 9.0.1.2.
  • A mod pack release is the only mechanism that HCL uses to deliver features and fixes. Interim fixes are not provided.
  • HCL intends to release updates quarterly, or more frequently if security vulnerabilities are identified. The timing and frequency is not guaranteed and can change without notice at the sole discretion of HCL.
  • New features, or enhancements to existing features, that can affect your custom code are disabled by default.
  • HCL Commerce follows the continuous delivery (CD) model, referred to as a '2-plus-1' (2+1) policy. The products under this policy will have technical support for at least 2 years, which starts at the availability of a new product version or release and also offer an optional, fee-based support extension for at least 1 additional year.
  • HCL Commerce 9.0.0.x has ended its maintenance phase and will no longer be supported by HCL. New features will be delivered in version 9.0.1 and later releases.
The following table shows the key differences between releases for HCL Commerce and HCL Commerce Developer.
Comparing packages between runtime and development environments
HCL Commerce runtime HCL Commerce Developer
Delivery format Docker images that you can use to deploy new Docker containers.
To ensure a seamless maintenance update to your runtime environment, follow HCL best practices during development.
  • Do not manually change files (such as editing configurations or updating application code) within a running Docker container. Otherwise, your configurations and code might be lost after you update your environment.
  • Instead, customize code in the HCL Commerce Developer environment and then deploy code into new Docker images. For more information, see Building a custom Docker image from a deployable package.
 Compressed installation .pak file that you can install with IBM Installation Manager. Use this package to update an existing HCL Commerce Developer Version 9 installation.
Download location HCL License and Delivery portal HCL License and Delivery portal
Co-requisite software Update Packages includes fixes to the co-requisite software programs, WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty, IBM HTTP Server, and the UBI 8.8 Linux distributions, which are bundled in the Docker images.

Do not manually apply co-requisite fixes to your runtime environment. Instead, wait for the fix to be included in the official HCL Commerce Update Package. Otherwise, your changes might be overwritten when you apply the next HCL Commerce Update Package. If you decide to manually apply fixes, it is your responsibility to track the changes that you made in your runtime environment. You need to reapply any fixes that are not included in the official Update Package. For information, see Fixes that are included in HCL Commerce releases.

Note: If an Update Package includes fixes to WebSphere Application Server or WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty, it is recommended that you also update the development environment to the same levels to ensure compatibility.
Update Packages do not include fixes to the co-requisite software.

You need to manually apply maintenance to co-requisite software such as WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty, or Rational Application Developer.

Note: If WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty are updated in the Docker containers, it is recommended that you also update your development environment to the same levels to ensure compatibility.
Security fixes Update Packages include the latest security fixes for HCL Commerce and for all corequisite software.
  • For UBI8.8 base operating systems: HCL will perform Docker image security scans and monitor the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposure (CVE) database. If a new UBI 8.8 release that includes fixes to CVE issues, then HCL will update the Docker images with the new version.
  • For WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty, and the IBM Java SDK: HCL will apply any necessary fixes that are announced.
 Update Packages include security fixes to HCL Commerce but do not include security to the co-requisite software.

You need to manually apply security fixes to co-requisite software such as WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty, or Rational Application Developer.

Note: If WebSphere Application Server and WebSphere Application Server V8.5.5 Liberty are updated in the Docker containers, it is recommended that you also update your development environment to the same levels to ensure compatibility.
Installation HCL Commerce production update overview HCL Commerce Developer update overview