How updates reach you

1. What an update is

1. An update installs a newer version of the OSERP product on your instance: new features, improvements and fixes.
2. An update never changes your business data or your configuration. Your transactions, masters, approval rules, layouts and settings stay exactly as they were.
3. Some updates also add new optional settings or new defaults. These appear alongside your configuration; they do not replace it.

2. How a new version is prepared

1. Every change to OSERP is built automatically and must pass OSERP's full automated test suite before it can become a release. A version that fails a single test is never released.
2. Every release is digitally signed by OSERP, so your instance can tell a genuine OSERP version from anything else.
3. A new release is first installed on OSERP's own systems and on a small group of instances.
4. It is made available to everyone only after it has run there without problems for a waiting period.
5. If problems appear on the first instances, the release is held automatically and does not reach other businesses.

3. How it reaches your instance, step by step

1. Your instance checks in with OSERP regularly and learns that a newer version is available.
2. If automatic updates are on for your instance (the default), the update is scheduled. Updates are released gradually, a limited number of instances at a time, so any problem is caught early.
3. Before anything changes, a safety copy of your database is taken.
4. The new version is checked to be genuinely from OSERP. Every version is digitally signed by OSERP when it is built, and your instance checks that signature before installing it. A version that fails the check is not installed, and your instance stays exactly as it was.
5. The new version is downloaded and started.
6. OSERP checks that the new version is healthy (it must answer correctly within a few minutes).
7. If it is not healthy, your instance automatically returns to the previous version, and the OSERP team is notified.
8. When the update succeeds, you are informed that your instance is on the new version.

4. What you will notice

1. A short pause of a few seconds to a few minutes while the new version starts. Pages may not respond during that moment; simply retry.
2. New screens or options may appear after the update. Existing screens keep working the way your business set them up.
3. You may receive an email that an update is available or has been installed.

5. What you should do

1. Nothing, in most cases. Updates are designed to need no action from you.
2. Avoid starting long operations (large imports, period closing) at the moment an update notice says your instance is updating.
3. If something looks wrong after an update, contact OSERP support with the screen and time. Your data is protected by the safety copy taken before the update.

6. Security updates

1. A security update fixes a risk to your system. It is installed even where updates normally wait for approval, after the same health checks.
2. You are informed when it has been installed.

7. Choosing when your instance updates

You can ask OSERP support for any of the following. Each one applies to your instance only and can be changed or removed at any time. Choosing them yourself from your portal is being developed.

7.1 Update window

1. What it is. A time in which your instance may install updates, in your own time zone. For example: every night 01:00 to 04:00, or Sunday 02:00 to 05:00 only.
2. How it works.
   • Outside your window, an available update waits; with automatic updates on (the default), it installs the next time your window opens.
   • An update that starts inside the window completes even if the window closes while it runs.
3. Security updates also wait for your window, so nothing restarts during your working hours without your agreement.
4. An update support starts at your request (for example to fix a problem you reported) is carried out when you ask, not held for the window.

7.2 Staying on your current version (hold)

1. What it is. Your instance stays on the version it runs today and is not offered newer versions. It is useful during an audit, a period close or a busy season.
2. Security updates. A hold gives way to a security update after 3 days, so a known risk is never left open for long.
3. When the hold is removed, your instance is offered the newest version again straight away.

7.3 Going back to an earlier version

1. If a new version causes a problem that cannot wait for a fix, support can put your instance back on the version you used before.
2. The same protections apply as for any update: a safety copy of your database first, the signature check, and the health check.
3. Your instance is then held on that earlier version (7.2) until the fix is released, so it is not moved forward again by accident.
4. Your data is not changed by going back. Anything entered after the update stays.

7.4 Early access

1. New versions reach businesses in stages: OSERP's own systems first, then businesses that asked for early access, and then everyone.
2. If you would like to receive new versions earlier, ask support to add your instance to early access. You help OSERP catch problems before they reach other businesses, and every early version still passes the full test suite first.
3. If early access does not suit you any more, ask to be moved back. Your instance then receives versions with everyone else.

8. Questions

1. Can an update delete my data? No. Updates change the software, never your records. A safety copy is taken before every update.
2. Can an update change my approval rules or invoice layout? No. Those are your configuration and are kept as they are.
3. What if the new version does not work? Your instance returns to the previous version automatically.
4. Could someone send my instance a fake update? Your instance installs only versions carrying OSERP's digital signature. Anything else is refused and nothing on your instance changes.
5. Can I stop updates during our year-end close? Yes. Ask support to hold your instance on its current version (section 7.2), and to remove the hold when you are done.
6. Can updates happen only at night? Yes. Ask support for an update window (section 7.1).