Common Questions About Ignition 7.9 End of LTS

As Ignition 7.9 is nearing the end of its LTS period, we thought it would be nice to share answers to some of the most common questions around this change and what it means for installations and projects that are running 7.9 today.

As you’re probably aware, every other release of Ignition is a Long-Term Support (LTS) release, and the period for that LTS version is 5 years from the original release date of that version.  Ignition 7.7, 7.9, and 8.1 are LTS versions.

When does the LTS period end for 7.9?

On December 12, 2021. 

What does “Support” mean in “Long-Term Support”?

An LTS release is “supported” for 5 years. In this context, we’re talking about support in terms of Ignition development. We will release bug fixes, new features, and security fixes during the LTS period for each LTS release.

Will I continue to get technical support on 7.9 after the LTS period expires?

Yes. The end of the LTS period does not mean that our Support team will stop supporting you and your implementations. As long as you have a normal support contract, Support will continue to answer questions, provide advice, and work to point you in the right direction with issues you may encounter. That said, there will be no additional bug fixes applied to 7.9 after December 12, 2021. If you call into Support with a bug, we’ll certainly work with you to attempt to find a work-around, but we won’t be able to provide bug fixes for 7.9.

Do I need to upgrade?

This will depend on your environment. If you don’t have a need to be running current software, then there may not be a rush to upgrade. There are a few considerations when it comes to this decision that can be major factors, though.

1. Security Updates – No more security updates will be released for 7.9 after the LTS period ends. If you’re running in any environment that requires software to be supported with security updates, you’ll need to update to 8.1 by December 12, 2021.
2. Drivers and Communication – As new devices are released by manufacturers, and new firmware are created, our development efforts to support those will be going into later versions of Ignition. If you’re running 7.9, you may not be able to connect to the latest hardware from your favorite manufacturer.
3. Bug Fixes – After the LTS period ends, no more bug fixes will be applied to 7.9. Any bug fixes applied to later versions of Ignition will only be available in those later versions.

I have more questions!

We’re always happy to talk to you. Please give us a call anytime during our business hours, at 1-800-266-7798 or +1-916-456-1045.