This article explains what release channels are, how gridX rolls out software updates, and how to manage the release channel for a gateway.
What are release channels?
The release channel controls which software version a gateway receives. gridX uses a staged rollout process — new releases move through channels in sequence before reaching the full fleet, so issues can be caught and contained before they affect all sites.
Each gateway is assigned to one release channel. The channel can be changed from the XENON Dashboard.
What release channels are available?
There are three standard release channels:
Alpha
Alpha gateways run the latest release regularly. This channel is made up of a small selection of gateways opted in by the customer. To roll back an alpha gateway, switch it to the stable or checkpoint channel.
Stable
Stable is the default channel. A release moves to stable after it has been sufficiently monitored on alpha. The stable channel covers the majority of the fleet — expected to be over 90% of gateways. To get the latest release sooner, switch a stable gateway to alpha. To roll back, switch it to the checkpoint channel.
Within stable, releases go through a canary stage before reaching the full stable fleet:
A randomly selected ~10% of stable gateways receive the release first
The release is observed for a full week before rolling out to the remaining stable gateways
Checkpoint
Checkpoint runs the previous stable release, which has been observed for a full month in the field. It is intended for gateways that have rolled back from stable in the case of an incident. The checkpoint channel is expected to cover less than 5% of gateways. Checkpoint is the furthest back a gateway can go — there is no further rollback from this channel. To move forward, switch to stable or alpha.
Custom Releases
Some gateways are assigned to a custom release channel managed by gridX. This channel cannot be changed from the XENON Dashboard. Contact customer support to move a gateway to a different channel.
How are new releases rolled out?
Each regular release spends at least a full week in each channel before advancing to the next. Hotfixes are the exception (see below). The rollout sequence is:
Alpha — a small customer-selected group of gateways receives the release first
Canary — once the release is sufficiently monitored on alpha, it is rolled out to ~10% of stable gateways
Stable — after a full week on canary, it is rolled out to the remaining stable gateways
The checkpoint is updated once a month, on the day of the full stable release, to the previous stable release.
What is the monthly release cycle?
Promotion to stable follows a fixed monthly calendar, so you know in advance when changes reach your sites. Alpha is open throughout the month except for a one-week freeze, which leads into the canary release on the first Monday of the next month.
When | What happens |
Last week of the month | Alpha release freeze for a full week, starting on the last Monday of the month. Alpha gateways stay on the same version so the release can be prepared for stable. |
First Monday | The release is rolled out to the canary stage (~10% of stable gateways). |
Second Monday | The release is rolled out to all stable gateways. The previous stable release moves to checkpoint. |
Rest of the month | Alpha is open. New releases can be deployed to alpha gateways at any time until the next freeze. |
Releases to canary and stable always take place on a Monday. The only exception is public holidays: if the Monday or Tuesday of a release is a public holiday in Germany, the release takes place on the day after the public holiday.
To be included in a cycle, a change must be on alpha before the freeze starts on the last Monday of the month. Changes that are not ready by then wait for the next cycle.
Hotfixes are not affected by the calendar. A hotfix can be deployed to any release channel (alpha, stable, checkpoint) at any time, including during the alpha freeze. A hotfix contains only the fix for the affected version, with no other changes.
How do I change the release channel for a gateway?
The release channel is visible in the Firmware Version panel of each gateway in XENON.
To change the channel:
Click the edit icon next to the current release channel
Select the desired channel from the dropdown — Alpha, Stable, or Checkpoint
Click Save
