HF PanelRelease policy
What HF Panel's version numbers mean, where releases come from, which release gets fixes and how security fixes reach your server.
How HF Panel is released: what a version number tells you, where your server gets new versions from, how long a release gets fixes and how security fixes reach you. To install a new version, see Updating.
Version numbers
Every release has a version number x.y.z, for example 1.0.0. Server Admin › Server › HF Panel updates shows
the Installed and the Newest version.
| Part | Changes when | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| x (major) | the way the server is set up changes, for example 1.0.0 moved the panels and HF Mail from PHP to one program | read the release notes first, take a snapshot, update one server before the rest |
| y (minor) | new features arrive | new screens, settings or software; existing settings keep working |
| z (patch) | fixes only, including security fixes | install soon; nothing to decide |
The updater compares versions part by part, as numbers: 1.10.0 is newer than 1.9.9. It only offers, and only
installs, a version that is newer than the one you have.
Note: an update never installs an older version over a newer one. It stops with "This server already has HF Panel …, newer than … — nothing to do". See Compatibility for going back.
Where releases come from
There is one release line: the newest release. A licensed server gets it from the licence server, which hands it
only to servers with an active licence ("The licence is not valid — updates need an active licence"). The update
server for the command line is https://get.hostfog.io.
Before anything is installed, the release is checked three times:
- the release information must be signed (by the licence server, or with HostFog Ltd's release key on the download server), or the check stops with "The release information … not signed" and nothing changes;
- the downloaded file must match the checksum in that signed information, or it is deleted ("The download does not match its checksum — nothing was changed");
- the server's agent checks the package's own signed list of files again before it runs the update.
Automatic updates
Automatic updates are off on a new server. On HF Panel updates, tick Install new versions automatically at night and click Save to switch them on.
| Automatic updates | What happens every night at 03:20 |
|---|---|
| On | the server checks for a newer release and installs it |
| Off | the server checks for a newer release and emails the administrator once per new version |
When a check fails (the server can't be reached, or the release is not signed), the error is shown on HF Panel updates and nothing is installed.
Which release gets fixes
Only the newest release gets fixes. A fix, a security fix included, ships as a new release with a higher number, usually a new z; there are no separate fix releases for older versions. To have every fix, keep your servers on the newest release, or switch on automatic updates.
Every release of HF Panel supports the operating systems listed in Compatibility while their makers still publish security updates for them.
How security fixes ship
- A security fix in HF Panel itself ships in the next release, as soon as it is ready. Its release notes say that it is a security fix.
- Servers with automatic updates install it the next night. Other servers' administrators get an email and see it on HF Panel updates.
- The operating system's own packages (Nginx, PHP, MariaDB, Postfix …) come from the operating system and are not part of an HF Panel release. The Software updates card on Server & updates shows and installs them.
- Report a security problem to
security@hostfog.io.