This article provides further clarification about the types of releases and how updates are applied to the client. In this article, you will find the following topics:
Releases
Schoolyear performs frequent releases. This approach is intentional, as exam security requires institutions to always use the most recent version. Only the latest version of Schoolyear can be used, which means that once a new release becomes available, previous versions can no longer be used for exams. Schoolyear distinguishes the following types of releases:
- Planned Releases (to the client)
- Maintenance Releases (to the client)
- Hotfixes (to the client)
- Dashboard-updates (no client-update required)
1. Planned releases
Schoolyear performs planned releases to make new functionality or improvements available. These releases generally take place on the first day of each month. They contain changes that affect the client-side user experience (UI/UX), such as new functionality or interface elements being relocated. Because these types of changes may impact documentation or workflows, they are always announced two weeks prior to the release through Release Notes.
Designated Schoolyear key users will automatically receive these Release Notes. Institutions can request additional contacts to receive Release Notes as well. These contacts can be registered via support@schoolyear.com.
From the moment the Release Notes are sent out, the planned production release will also become available in the BETA environment, allowing institutions to test. Each release will specify which device groups are included. For example, a release may apply only to ChromeOS. The figure below provides a visual representation of the planned release process.
2. Maintenance releases
These releases do not affect the student’s user experience but do require an update to the client. They typically contain security or back-end updates that are critical for exam security and system stability. For this reason, they are deployed to production as quickly as possible.
A Maintenance Release is always deployed outside of availability hours and is documented afterwards in the changelog article on the Help Center. Due to their frequency and the low impact on end users, these releases are not announced in advance.
If a Maintenance Release includes new or improved fraud detection mechanisms, these will not be described in detail, as students also have access to this information.
3. Hotfixes
Hotfixes are required to ensure the correct functioning of Schoolyear or the underlying servers. Schoolyear is aware that unplanned maintenance always carries certain risks. When determining the timing of such maintenance, Schoolyear makes a rational assessment between the severity of the issue being resolved and the potential impact of the maintenance on others. In this assessment, a data breach or security issue takes higher priority than availability or performance.
4. Dashboard releases
These releases involve changes to the Schoolyear Dashboard. They can take place on any day and are documented afterwards in the changelog article. These releases are applied automatically and do not require any client update.
Updating the client
Because releases occur frequently and sometimes without prior announcement, this process has been automated as much as possible. The update process for each device group is defined below.
Windows:
- Schoolyear provides an MSI installer for Windows devices.
- This MSI is installed on a PC either by IT (for managed devices) or by the student on their personal laptop.
- When a new MSI version becomes available, the following process applies on Windows:
- From the moment Schoolyear releases a new MSI, it is automatically downloaded in the background on the PC, but not yet executed. This requires that the device has an active network connection and that Schoolyear has been used on that device at least once before.
- When Schoolyear is launched, the client checks whether the correct version is already installed on the PC.
- If yes: the exam environment can be launched immediately.
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If no: one of the following actions will take place:
- If the latest version has already been downloaded (step 2.1), the client will activate it and update to the most recent version. No admin rights are required for this action.
- If the latest version has not yet been downloaded, the client will download it and then update to the most recent version. No admin rights are required for this action.
- If Schoolyear is not installed at all, the installation will be offered. This scenario does not occur on managed devices. Admin rights are required for installation.
Example: IT installs version 3.8.26 on a PC. At the moment the student starts an exam, the latest available version is 3.9.2. In most cases, version 3.9.2 will already have been downloaded in the background. As soon as the student launches Schoolyear via the onboarding page, version 3.9.2 is activated, and the student completes the exam on this version.
MacOS:
- On macOS, the application is installed once. When an exam is launched, the client checks whether the installed version is still up to date. If a newer update is available, it is downloaded and applied at that moment. The student then performs the exam on the newly updated version.
ChromeOS:
- On ChromeOS, whenever Schoolyear performs an update, it is automatically retrieved and applied when the Chromebook starts. The Chromebook will then restart automatically and launch with the new version. ChromeOS releases occur less frequently than releases for Windows or macOS, as ChromeOS is a more restricted operating system and is only used on managed devices.