We’re excited to announce Lightbits software-defined storage v3.15.2, now designated as our latest Long-Term Support (LTS) release. Alongside the new LTS, we’re also releasing Photon v1.2 (our multi-cluster management UI) and Cluster Federation v1.0 GA.
This release set is designed for teams that prefer a less frequent update cadence to minimize operational overhead in production while still benefiting from the latest Lightbits improvements.
LTS vs. STS: which one should you run?
Lightbits maintains two supported release streams so you can align your upgrade cadence with your operational needs. Both LTS and STS releases go through rigorous testing and are supported for production deployments. The main difference is the cadence and how you plan upgrades.
Choose LTS if you prefer fewer updates (3.15.2)
LTS is a strong fit for teams who:
- Prefer a standard version for broad rollout across environments and teams
- Want to reduce the operational load of frequent upgrades
- Plan upgrades on longer, predictable cycles (quarterly or biannual windows, maintenance approvals, etc.)
Choose STS if you prefer a faster update cadence (3.17.1)
STS is ideal for teams who:
- Want access to new capabilities earlier and are comfortable upgrading more frequently
- Prefer staying closer to the newest enhancements on a shorter cadence
- Validate and adopt new functionality continuously as it becomes available
To learn more about how to choose the correct stream, read the blog “Choosing the Right Lightbits Release: LTS vs. STS streams“
Lightbits v3.15.2 LTS: bug fixes and improvements on top of v3.15.1
Lightbits v3.15.2 is a maintenance LTS update that includes bug fixes and incremental improvements on top of v3.15.1. It is intended to provide a smoother operational experience for teams standardizing on the LTS line, along with new capabilities since the last 3.12.5 LTS release.
New capabilities included in 3.15.2 LTS since 3.12.5 LTS:
- Strengthened OpenStack integration, including Quality of Service (QoS), Multi Tenancy support, and Volume Retype
- Up to 259K client connections per cluster, enabling each node to handle thousands of concurrent client I/O connections while gracefully rejecting excess connections
- Smarter lbcli Ask, with session context that supports follow-up questions in the same flow
- Stronger data security with API-driven KEK rotation, enabling cluster root encryption key rotation without downtime or manual intervention (read more about Cluster-level Encryption and KEK Rotation [here])
- Smarter platform operations with an etcd upgrade to v3.5.18, improving security, reliability, and observability to strengthen cluster resilience in large-scale environments
- Numerous security, performance, management, and automation enhancements
Intelligent Cluster Management (Cluster Federation) v1.0 GA
We’re also announcing Cluster Federation v1.0, now GA.
Cluster Federation simplifies fleet-scale operations across multiple Lightbits clusters, enabling teams to manage storage as they grow from “a cluster” to “a distributed fleet.” At a high level, Federation provides:
- A centralized control plane and global view across clusters
- Multi-cluster provisioning workflows
- The foundation for smarter placement and fleet-level operational control
To learn more about Cluster Federation, read the blog “Scaling Software-Defined Storage: Introducing Intelligent Cluster Management (Tech Preview).”
Photon v1.2: usability improvements for multi-cluster management
Photon v1.2 includes several usability improvements, most notably:
- Making the UI workable on small or zoomed displays with scrollbars and preserved dialogs
- Adding cluster UUID visibility on the Clusters page and in the side panel
- Additional UX and UI refinements, including fault-focused color usage, ensuring alert dates are always visible in the side panel to indicate when each alert occurred clearly, and enabling logo to Dashboard navigation
- Various fixes and internal testability improvements
Photon v1.2 can be downloaded from our CloudSmith repository with the following URL:
Replace YOUR_CLOUDSMITH_TOKEN with your CS token:
OVA image
https://dl.lightbitslabs.com/YOUR_CLOUDSMITH_TOKEN/lb-photon/raw/versions/0.15.0-rc0/ubuntu-24.04-photon.ova?accept_eula=1
Or the KVM-based VM
https://dl.lightbitslabs.com/YOUR_TOKEN_HERE/lb-photon/raw/versions/1.2.0-rc0/ubuntu-24.04-photon.tar.gz?accept_eula=1
We encourage you to share your experience and input as we continue enhancing the platform, including future intelligent cluster management capabilities that will help orchestrate and manage multiple clusters.
Join us on the Lightbits User Community Hub to share your experiences and connect with our team.