Release Rollout and Update Channels

Version Requirement

UpdateChannel is supported only in Alectrona Patch 3.6 and later.

Before 3.6 is installed, changing UpdateChannel has no effect.
To validate the 3.6 release candidate before stable rollout, install alectrona-patch-rc directly.

Alectrona Patch uses an automatic self-update model, with a short validation window before general rollout.

Standard Rollout Process

1. Release notes are published 7 days before broad rollout of the Stable release channel.
2. During that window, you can validate the upcoming release candidate in a test group.
3. After the validation window, production devices on the default channel receive the update automatically.

This is the recommended rollout process for production environments.

Release Notes Feeds

Monitor release announcements using the Patch release notes feeds: RSS, Atom, JSON.

Update Channels

Alectrona Patch has multiple update channels that can be configured via the UpdateChannel preference in the com.alectrona.patch-agent domain. This allows you to control which devices receive updates during the rollout process.

Stable (Default)

The stable channel will always provide the latest stable release and receives updates after the 7-day validation window. Use this for production devices.

Stable Channel App ID

Use the alectrona-patch app ID to install the stable version of Alectrona Patch.

sudo patch install alectrona-patch

Release Candidate

The rc channel is the latest release candidate and receives updates immediately when release notes are published, allowing you to validate new versions during the validation window. Use this for pilot groups.

Release Candidate Channel App ID

Use the alectrona-patch-rc app ID to install the release candidate version of Alectrona Patch.

sudo patch install alectrona-patch-rc

Preview

The preview channel is the latest preview release and receives updates even earlier than rc, potentially including internal testing builds. Use this only for limited internal testing.

Preview Channel App ID

Use the alectrona-patch-preview app ID to install the preview version of Alectrona Patch.

sudo patch install alectrona-patch-preview

Development

The dev channel receives the earliest builds intended for internal development and testing. This channel is not recommended for general use and should only be used for specific testing scenarios.

Development Channel App ID

Use the alectrona-patch-dev app ID only for limited internal testing. Do not use it for production deployment.

sudo patch install alectrona-patch-dev

Self-Update Preferences

Use these settings to control how devices participate in rollout phases across pilot and production groups. Apply them through your MDM profile for consistent behavior across your fleet.

Domain: com.alectrona.patch-agent

Setting	Description
UpdateChannel	Sets the self-update release channel for Alectrona Patch. Valid values are stable (default), rc, preview, and dev. If not configured, stable is used. info Changing UpdateChannel does not downgrade Alectrona Patch. If a newer version is already installed, Patch remains on that version until a newer build is available on the selected channel. danger Use non-stable channels only with pilot/test groups. Do not use preview or dev for broad production rollout. <key>UpdateChannel</key> <string>rc</string>
DisableSelfUpdate	Set to true to disable Alectrona Patch's self-update feature. danger Disabling self-update for an extended period of time is not recommended and can cause Alectrona Patch to stop functioning due to deprecations or changes in our API. note The DisableSelfUpdate key is now configured in the com.alectrona.patch-agent domain. <key>DisableSelfUpdate</key> <false/>