Release notes for the latest release

Review these release notes for information about supported versions, new features and enhancements, and known issues and workarounds.

Version information

This release relates to IBM® App Connect Operator 12.0.0.

About Long Term Support Cycle-2: This version of the Operator is available as a Long Term Support Cycle-2 (SC2) release. The SC2 release is a replacement for the Long Term Support (LTS) release of IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x, which reaches End of Support (EOS) at the end of 2024. After the initial 12.0.0 release, SC2 releases deliver no new features or enhancements and provide support for fixes only, over a two-year base support period. Therefore, SC2 releases might be preferred for environments where frequent functional updates are not practical and a longer term deployment is desirable.

If you are currently running an LTS release of IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x, or a Continuous Delivery (CD) release of IBM App Connect Operator 11.6.0 or earlier, you can upgrade to this SC2 release. For more information, see New features and enhancements: Support for upgrading from a Long Term Support (LTS) or Continuous Delivery (CD) release.


The support requirements for the IBM App Connect Operator 12.0.0 are as follows:

Option Supported requirement
Deployment platforms
Certified container Based on IBM App Connect Enterprise certified container 12.0.0
Image Contains an image of IBM App Connect Enterprise 12.0.12.2
Installation
  • Compatible with IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.1.0
  • Supported as an independent deployment of IBM App Connect Enterprise certified container to a cluster

New features and enhancements

Supported IBM App Connect Operator channel, and custom resource (or operand) channels or versions

IBM App Connect Operator 12.0.0 is delivered on a v12.0-sc2 Operator channel.

Accompanying versions and licenses are provided for the App Connect Dashboard, App Connect Designer Authoring, Switch Server, Integration Server, and Integration Runtime custom resources (or operands). To create an instance of a 12.0.0-specific version of a custom resource (CR), you must choose both of these options:
  • Subscribe to the 12.0 or 12.0.12 channel for custom resources, or specify a fully qualified version of 12.0.12-r1.
  • Select a 12.0.0-specific license for approval.

In an IBM App Connect Operator 12.0.x SC2 deployment, only the deployed custom resources (or instances) at a version that resolves to 12.0.12-rX adhere to the Support Cycle-2 lifecycle policy. The IBM Cloud Pak foundational services Operator, which is a requirement for implementing identity and access management (IAM) by using Keycloak, must also be at version 4.6.x to adhere to the SC2 policy.

More information:
Included features

The SC2 release of IBM App Connect Operator 12.0.0 includes all the features in the Continuous Delivery (CD) release of IBM App Connect Operator 11.6.0.

More information:
Support for upgrading from a Long Term Support (LTS) or Continuous Delivery (CD) release

You can upgrade your existing IBM App Connect Operator, and your App Connect Dashboard, App Connect Designer, switch server, integration runtime, and integration server instances from the 5.0.x LTS, or 11.6.0 CD release to an SC2 release. The required sequence of steps are provided for reference.

An upgrade from 5.0.x LTS is necessary because IBM App Connect Operator 5.0.x versions reach End of Support at the end of 2024. You might want to consider an upgrade from an 11.6.0 CD release of the Operator if you would like to switch to a release that is maintained only with fixes and minimal updates during the support lifecycle period.

More information: Upgrading from a Long Term Support (LTS) or a Continuous Delivery (CD) release to Long Term Support Cycle-2 (SC2)