Product Lifecycle Clarification - Software
-
Hello!
I started with an Atom D510 home-brew machine many years ago and learned to appreciate the depth of pfSense with that box. When it died suddenly, I switched to an SG-1000. I loved the size and low-cost but that little box was discontinued rather quickly, so I moved on to an SG-2100 when it went EOL.
To my surprise, I updated to current 21.02 on the SG-1000 yesterday with no problem. I've read Netgate's Lifecycle Policy but it's not explicit about when software updates end for these products.
I was (sadly) ready to throw out this box but now I'm thinking I can use it as a VPN gateway. Would that be unwise? How does one know when a Netgate appliance should no longer be used in the field (responsibly)?
Thanks.
-
Yes, as you saw the SG-1000 is not dead!
As far as I know there are no plans to stop building updates for it.It will probably be retired before anything else because if the RAM restrictions and 32bit ARM arch but not for some time.
It would be unwise to continue using it once a major version is released that is not built for it. At that point it will not have current security patches.
Steve
-
Thank you, that was my assumption. In other words, It seems Netgate will continue to build the software for its devices as long as it is reasonably possible. Once the hardware limitations outstrip the demands of the software that is the true end of the road for a specific device.
I suppose it would be wise then to just monitor releases. To that end - is there a matrix somewhere of Netgate appliances supported by a specific versions of pfSense? If not, I think that would really help with buying decisions going forward.
If I can use the SG-1000 for two or three more years, though EOL, I consider it a good investment for the price I paid.
Thanks again for your insight.
-
I'm not aware of anything that shows that specifically. I'll pass that request on, see if we can get something up.
Steve
