Let's talk .NET in non-technical terms and describe it's impact on OneStream Platform v8+ uprades.
.NET is the development platform used by OneStream to build the Platform. Prior to Platform v8.0, OneStream used versions of .NET referred to as .NET Framework versions. The v7.x Platform release used .NET 4.8.
The development of Platform v8.0 used .NET6, referred to as a .NET Core version. The .NET Core versions leverage modern development paradigms and are much faster! OneStream customers upgrading to Platform v8+ are observing performance improvements in memory intensive operations such as Consolidation processing, and several data loading / copying processes.
The modern paradigms of .NET Core had an impact on OneStream Business Rule compilation - older syntax and library references that were not .NET Core compatible failed compilation. This required some minor updates to MP Solutions and customer created Business Rules. No sweat - a one time adjustment with your pre-v8 to v8+ Platform upgrade.
OneStream plans to follow Microsoft's Long Term Support (LTS) release cadence for .NET Core versions - every two years. Platform v8.0 and Platform v8.1 used .NET6. The next two years of releases beginning with Platform v8.2, we will use .NET8. See the chart below:
OneStream customers must ensure all desktop/laptops providing Windows Client access to OneStream have the corresponding version of .NET Desktop Runtime installed. With v8.0 and v8.1, we recommended version 6.0.14 or higher (within the 6,x line). With v8.2 (target late March 2024), we recommend version 8.0.2 or higher (within the 8.x line).
Note: The OneStream Windows Client WILL NOT connect to a v8.0 or v8.1 Server without the existence of a version 6.x of the .NET Desktop Runtime. In other words, a .NET8 Desktop Runtime install isn't 'backwards' compatible. However, .NET8 and .NET6 Desktop runtimes may co-exist together and live in harmony 🙂
See the Microsoft .NET page for support dates and downloads.
Notice that Microsoft has indicated an End-of-Service date for .NET6 at November 2024. After this date, Microsoft will not issue patches for issues related to .NET6. OneStream recommends maintaining compliance with Microsoft's .NET support dates - therefore customers running Platform v8.0 or v8.1 should plan an upgrade to Platform v8.2 or higher by the end of 2024. OneStream is targeting Platform releases in March, July, and November of 2024. Platform upgrades from v8+ to higher versions follow tranditional (simple!) upgrade processes. See the chart below to see the .NET6 End of Service impact:
We hope this information provides you insightful background on all things .NET! If you have further questions or require clarification, feel free to add your comment in a reply below or you can always signup to attend OneStream's v8+ Upgrade Office Hours, staffed by several Subject Matter Experts!
