SMP software

Objective

SMP releases are supported by default for a period of at least one year starting from the release date of their minor version (i.e., for release X.Y.Z the support expires after one year measured starting from the release date of version X.Y.0). SMP releases labelled as Long-Term Support Arrangement (LTS) are supported for a period of at least two years from the release date of their minor version. The exact expiration dates of the support period are presented in the release notes and in the SMP roadmap. Releases under LTS will be clearly identified. 

The support is limited to critical security patches and major bug fixes. In this context, critical security patches are defined as changes which address major security vulnerabilities within the software; major bugs are defined as bugs which block or prevent effective client transactions. This support is in line with the political and legal characteristics of the CEF Work Programme which entails that clients of the CEF Building Blocks will be supported.

All releases of all eDelivery sample implementations fall under the present Support Arrangement. Backward support is only valid for the previous version and a short grace period is tolerated (6 months – average time between two releases) to upgrade to the newest version. Should the user not upgrade during this grace period, he will not benefit from further software support from eDelivery.

Backward support is valid for core and default plugins. For custom plugins, backward support is provided only from a plugin API perspective, not from a run-time point of view.

As a condition to benefit from existing Support Arrangement, users must not change the source code of the release package of the eDelivery sample implementation.

Should a longer support period be required for a specific release of a component, users may contact the eDelivery Support Team in order to let the eDelivery Organisation Management Board discuss the feasibility of such an extension.

Should a more extensive maintenance or new functionalities be required, users can request for additional services from private sector providers in the market.

Long-Term Support Arrangement

As mentioned above, certain sample implementation releases maybe placed under LTS. The strategic decision of which releases will benefit from LTS is entirely of the eDelivery`s discretion.  Long-term support is commonly defined as an extended software support which focuses on stability over time of the software component, and the predictability and transparency of the release cycle. This arrangement only applies to eDelivery, it does not apply to other building blocks.

The Long-Term Support Arrangement duration is not binding and is subject to potential constraints i.e., but not limited to, the end of the CEF DIGITAL Programme.

Contact information

eDelivery Support Team

By email: CEF-EDELIVERY-SUPPORT@ec.europa.eu

Support Service: 8am to 6pm (Normal EC working Days)