Which Version of ND8 "should" you deploy?

Well, the cat's out of the bag. Ed Brill blogged today that Notes 8.0.2 is scheduled for eGA release on August 26, 2008 in English. This is certainly a long-awaited release, as we've seen phenomenal numbers on increased performance enhancements, etc. Plus, this brings the long-awaited release of iNotes Ultralite, which provides support for Safari on the iPhone.

So now we have 8.0, 8.01, 8.02 and 8.5 is around the corner. You may be asking yourself (at least, many of you have asked me) "Which version should I deploy??". GREAT QUESTION! While everyone is different, and each of you should certainly perform your own tests and validations prior to upgrade (read...regular caveats and disclaimers apply), hopefully I can give you a little bit more information about each release to help get you thinking about which is right for you.

UPDATE - Matt Babaian shares the details on the performance improvements in 8.0.2 and how they are applied to 8.5 here!

First, let's talk about the major features in each release:

Notes/Domino 8.0.1
This version is available NOW and has been for some time. It was the first point release, which as we all know usually translates to added stability over the .0 version. Many of you who are early adopters have probably been testing with this version and you may be near completion of your testing.

Notes/Domino 8.0.2
This comes out next week, but provides the MAJOR performance improvements on the client side for the Eclipse configuration.
On the client side:

• Those of you concerned about the load time for the Eclipse client, the amount of memory used when it's running, etc. are happy about this release
• In addition, this brings Office 2007 viewers and
• The all-important iPhone browser support.

On the server side:

• There are a number of bug fixes in this version that many of you 7.x users have been waiting for before testing your 8.0.x server upgrade

Notes/Domino 8.5
While there will be some client-side enhancements for this version, for all intents and purposes this release is ALL about the server.
On the client side:

• Same features as 8.0.2
• Roaming user support for the Eclipse client
• Calendar federation (iCal subscriptions, teamroom calendars, activities/to-do's)
• Notes Share Logon
• Citrix 64-bit support
• Macintosh support
• Ubuntu Linux support
• Eclipse-based Designer client and Xpages!

On the server side:

• Domino Attachment and Object Storage (DAOS)
• Domino Configuration Tuner (DCT)
• Web Application templates
• Dynamic Policies
• and much, much more!

WOW! Lots of great stuff there! So now that you know the highlights, which is right for you? Well, let's jump to 8.0.2 vs. 8.5. The reason I want do do that is this - if you are already testing 8.0.1, chances are you are not going to change your test plans for 8.0.2 - especially if you are almost done with your testing. If you still have time for 8.0.2 in your test plans (read, you are early in testing), then read on!

Deploy Notes/Domino 8.0.2 if...
Let's face it - if you haven't started your Notes client deployment yet, are still fairly early in testing and want to get started or done by the end of the year, you should probably deploy 8.0.2! The performance enhancements alone are SUCH a difference that it's well worth the additional week or so wait to continue (or begin) your testing. We have seen that the amount of time to load Notes has been decreased by 50% - yes, 50% that's AMAZING! And, the amount of RAM used has been decreased by 20-25%. Also, if you have iPhone users or are using Office 2007, this is the release for you!

Deploy Notes/Domino 8.5 if...
If you haven't started your testing of ND8 or are planning on starting later in the year/first of next year, think hard about waiting for 8.5. While this is mostly a server release, there are some show-stoppers on the client side like...Roaming user support! That's a BIG one for my clients who want to roll out a single configuration but use roaming user - and it's there in 8.5. Also, Mac or Ubuntu users - yup - gotta wait for 8.5.

For the most part though, 8.5 is very server focused, and you probably don't need to wait for this release to start your client rollout. I would ask yourself though, about upgrading your servers to 8.0.x before this release. Is it worth it? Remember..8.5 has a different ODS from 8.0.x, and most of the big server features in 8.0.x came with an ODS update - do you really want to go through an ODS update TWICE?? If not, but keeping the server on the same version is compelling to you..upgrade the server, but not the ODS until 8.5 - then do both!

So, think about the following:

• What about deploying Notes 8.0.x clients now with 8.5 server later??

THAT's what is very compelling! You may want to leave your servers where they are, deploy the 8.0.2 client, and then upgrade your servers to 8.5 when it's available. There are 3 main features on the client that require an 8.x server and so won't work (ghosted meetings, message recall and enhanced out of office), but otherwise, you'll get a BIG bang for your buck if you move the clients sooner!

Like I said...a LOT of choices, but that's the great thing about it. You can pick and choose what works best for you and your organization - and make everyone happy!!


Credits
Special thanks go to Dwight Morse for pulling this information together!