Forum Discussion
Standard Release and First Release settings on Admin Portal
I am getting confused with the various update options.
There are a few settings:
* Current Channel and Deferred Channel (4 months) -- I think this setting is for MS Office products, correct?
* First Release vs. Standard Release -- is this only for Sharepoint Online? What components does this cover? (Groups, Planner, Teams, etc?)
* Office Insider - I see this in Office for Mac, Office Insider Fast or Slow. Does this exist for Office in Windows, if so where is the setting? Is this for Office and how does it interact with Current vs. Deferred at the tenant level?
Thanks,
Rob.
Not exactly but it could be open to interpretation, the concept of rings in Office 365 is more how features overall are flighted and validated as they reach general release -
You can see though Office 365 First Release is considered as part of Ring 3, this isn't directly related to Office clients FR, which is on a different cadence.
With the Office 365 Deferred Channel (previously known as Current Branch for Business) is what the bulk of users will be using typically in production. Here is what Microsoft recommend as a best practice for enterprise use
- Agree...deployment rings are not the same as Office 365 deplyment channels that are specific for Office Desktop
Hi RobOK.
Here are the answers to your questions:
* Current Channel and Deferred Channel (4 months) -- This setting determines the initial channel of Office 2016 C2R when you download and install it directly from the Office 365 site. Anyway, you can change subsequently the channel to whatever you want using Group Policy. Also, you can choose the initial channel using configuration.xml if you install using ODT, instead.
* First Release vs. Standard Release -- This is for every service in Office 365 (i.e., say, for the Web UIs). Not for Office 2016.
* Office Insider - A.K.A First Release for Current Channel. Not to be confused with Windows Insider. Again, you can choose it by Group Policy (before or after the installation) or by ODT.
Point one, you are right, it's about Office 365 ProPlus (Office 2016) change management. With the current channel receiving feature updates regularly, typically monthly. The deferred channel only receives monthly security updates & bug fixes with feature updates when a new deferred channel version is released every 4 months or so.
Worth checking out if you need to know more - Overview of update channels for Office 365 ProPlus and Change Management for Office 365 Clients.
From what I gather, that setting will set the default channel end-users are on when they download and install Office 365 ProPlus from the portal
Point two, check out the Set up the Standard or First Release options in Office 365 article for the differences in general. I don't know if there is a list of which components get early access via Tenant FR vs Selective FR. It seems to vary by feature sometimes and isn't entirely clear.
Point three, There is a First Release for Current Channel on Windows split into slow and fast versions. Here is how to install it - How Office 365 commercial customers can get early access to new Office 2016 features. This is independent of the Current vs. Deferred setting. It requires specifying a configuration xml file with either Channel="InsiderFast" or "InsiderSlow".
Some good info here, it is still a little hazy.
[Edited Response - deleted some]
I think there are two different usages of First Release. The first release for Office seems to be controlled from the individual workstation.
The Admin Panel Setting - First Release vs. Standard seems to be only about Sharepoint Online, Exchange Online, and the other Online products (NOT the installed Office clients)
You are on the right track, the First Release for Office is distinct and just relates to getting early access to upcoming Office features. To expand on this there is:
First Release for Deferred Channel Preview the next version of the Deferred Channel, this gives you a four-month window to test application compatibility, prepare you users for new features etc.
First Release for Current Channel which comes in two flavours Slow and Fast - this is the same update channel as those in the Office Insider program receive. This is the most cutting-edge version of Office, which will see new features earlier than any other version.
Office 365 First Release, as you have said, is separate, it enables early access to Office 365 features, which may include SharePoint Online or Exchange Online, as shown below from earlier in the year:
By selecting users for Office 365 First Release, this will also give them access to First Release for Deferred Channel, if they download Office from the portal. A message will be shown pointing this out on the download page - "Your admin has enabled First Release, so you get early access to the latest Office features".
Selecting users for First Release doesn't reconfigure their existing Office installation, as you say that's controlled elsewhere. As has been pointed out that can be done via the deployment and configuration.xml file or via Group Policy.
Edit, here is a slide that explains FR a bit better though it isn't particularly recent -
From MS Ignore 2015
