Revision Codes
Each software product and component from DEI has a version number. Be certain to note all version numbers when contacting DEI for technical support.
See DEI Tech Note 0001 for instructions on finding software version numbers as well as the current versions of major software packages.
Distribution packages for products, such as ExpeDat and SyncDat are designated by a three, or five element hierarchical version string.
| Major Revision | . | Feature Revision | Release Letter | [ | Build Type | Build Number | ] |
Software executables and libraries use similar version strings, but have a patch number instead of a release letter.
| Major Revision | . | Feature Revision | . | Patch Number | [ | Build Type | Build Number | ] |
Other components, such as installation scripts and web templates, use date codes to indicate when they were last changed.
What Has Changed
Changes to version codes give you some idea of how large a change has occurred and what you need to consider when upgrading.
Major Revision
Increments to this number indicate substantial changes to the functionality and features of the software. These may include significant alterations to the interface and there may be compatibility issues between major revisions. For the purposes of licensing agreements, major revisions are considered new software and may not be included in your support contract. A major revision number of zero indicates a prototype.
Feature Revision
Feature revisions include significant new features, enhancements, performance improvements, and functional changes. Feature revisions are generally cross-compatible, although some configuration adjustment may be necessary.
Release Letter or Patch Number
Each new official release of a product increments its release letter (A to Z), indicating that some or all of the components have changed. Incremental releases typically involve bug fixes, minor features enhancements, and other small changes. Incremental releases usually have full backwards and cross-compatibility.
Build Type & Build Number
Software under development may be designated as either "a" alpha or "b" beta. Alpha stage software is functional but incomplete and is known to contain bugs and other functional issues. Beta stage software is fully functional, but may contain bugs or require feature enhancements. The build number is incremented for each new build that is released for testing.
Occasionally, you may see other letters at the end of a version string. Those indicate special builds, usually to address platform or customer specific issues.
For example, a version string of 1.2.3b4 would indicate the fourth beta build of the third patch, of the second feature update of the first version of a software executable.
A version string of 1.2Cb4 would indicate the fourth beta build of the third package release, of the second feature update of the first version of a product package.