<https://www.freebsd.org/security/#model> begins > Under the current support model, each major version’s stable branch is > explicitly supported for 5 years, while each individual point release is > only supported for three months after the next point release. The table under <https://www.freebsd.org/security/#sup> does not yet show stable/14. So (given what's quoted) the table seems to be outdated, however the table is, at this time, correct. For things within the page to be consistent with each other, now and in the future: * expand what's currently line 110. The phrase "first release" seems suitable: > Under the current support model, each major version’s stable branch is > explicitly supported for 5 years from the first release, while each individual > point release is only supported for three months after the next point release. re@ would you like me to prepare a patch file? Reference ========= From the commit message <https://bz-attachments.freebsd.org/attachment.cgi?id=244852> for bug 273795: > https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-announce/2015-February/001624.html > expressed a minimum of five years from the point X.0-RELEASE is released.
(In reply to Graham Perrin from comment #0) "its first release" sounds better than "the first release". We can first open a review on <https://reviews.freebsd.org/> and ask the release engineering team for advice.
thanks Graham if you're interested in aligning the docs & the latest model update, that would be gratefully received. Phabricator or PR are both easier to review than an attached patch. The latest support announcement URL is: https://lists.freebsd.org/archives/freebsd-announce/2024-July/000143.html
I have submitted a GitHub PR: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-doc/pull/567 From FreeBSD 15, stable branches are supported for 4 not 5 years. Support model's rationale is now spread over 2 announcements.* List EOL for 13/14 separately instead of detailing old support model. The curious can read previous model in linked announcements. Resolve slight ambiguity that "next" minor release triggering 3-month deprecation period is "next from same branch" and not "next in time". Also not all minor versions have a "next" release. Handbook does not use "point release" in upgrading chapter (or elsewhere), so switch terminology to "minor"/"major". This is also consistent with language of 4-year support announcement, and way releng docs split minor releases into "dot-zero" vs "point" but 3-month rule applies to dot-zero releases too, not just "point" ones. * I think retaining both is informative. The later announcement sets the new 4-year support period but mostly focuses on the quarterly release model. The earlier one explains basing the model on branches not point releases and justifies the 3-month rule: although the 5-year support period has changed, this is still where the "meat" of the support policy is set out and contrasted to the previous alternative.
Support model is secteam's territory.
Created attachment 265637 [details] Update support period on security page website/security: Update support model for 15R From FreeBSD 15, stable branches are supported for 4 not 5 years. Support model's rationale is now spread over 2 announcements. List EOL for 13/14 separately instead of detailing old support model. The curious can read the previous model in linked announcements. Resolve slight ambiguity that "next" minor release triggering 3-month deprecation period is "next from same branch" and not "next in time". Also not all minor versions have a "next" release: make clear their support ends when their major version's stable branch reaches EOL. Handbook does not use "point release" in upgrading chapter (or elsewhere), so switch terminology to "minor"/"major". This is more consistent with the language of the 4-year support announcement, but write ".0" as "dot-zero" as in releng docs. Since "dot-zero" releases are distinguished from "point" releases in releng docs, make clear 3-month rule applies to dot-zero releases too. PR: 274197
Given feedback from Pau Amma on GitHub: > Looks good to me, but I think having the security officer(s) > look at it would be good. I don't know what their GitHub > usernames may be though, or even if they have any. I thought it would be better to close the pull request and post a patch here instead. The patch is slightly tweaked from my original GitHub PR. Suggested commit message is the comment above. The proposed text reads: > Each minor or dot-zero release is only supported for three months > after the next minor release within the same major version, or (for > the final minor release) until support for that major version's stable > branch ends. From FreeBSD 15 onward, each stable branch is explicitly > supported for 4 years from its dot-zero release. Support for the stable > branch of FreeBSD 13 ends on April 30, 2026, and for FreeBSD 14 on > November 30, 2028. > This model's rationale is detailed in the official announcements of > https://lists.freebsd.org/archives/freebsd-announce/2024-July/000143.html > [the 4-year support period for stable branches], sent in July 2024, and > https://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-announce/2015-February/001624.html > [the switch to a branch-based support model], sent in February 2015.
I reviewed the suggested patch on the linked pull request already, but this text belongs to the security officer.
Merged this yesterday following LGTM by dch@.
A commit in branch main references this bug: URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/doc/commit/?id=56e5b24d8e91f246e36352ecc023ac86528f9b1e commit 56e5b24d8e91f246e36352ecc023ac86528f9b1e Author: Big Sneaky <bigsneakyduck@gmail.com> AuthorDate: 2025-11-09 01:06:22 +0000 Commit: Alexander Ziaee <ziaee@FreeBSD.org> CommitDate: 2025-12-04 18:31:36 +0000 website/security: Update support model for 15R PR: 274197 Reviewed by: dch Pull Request: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-doc/pull/567 website/content/en/security/_index.adoc | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)