Release Management

Best example to describe this lesson is if we look at how programs, including operating systems, gets updated. Whenever a software is released, it would run fine until someone manages to find a bug with it. This is where release management comes into play. The developers then receive word of the bug and program fixes to remove the problem. Depending on the severity of the bug, releases can usually go from minor to major. Usually minor releases are small in file and can quickly be applied without much effort. Major releases on the other hand would usually require that the program be restarted after it has been applied and are usually a requirement to continue using the software. The PlayStation 3 has these kinds of releases for its console. Minor updates are usually optional but the major ones are required and would not allow you to go online until you have updated. Sometimes though, updates can screw up the system too. You'd end up a broken console as the worst case scenario. It would be up to the release management team to assure that they are releasing the correct file and that it fixes rather than destroys.