Canary bases the numbering of its versions upon the year in which it is released. So those releases starting with 18.x.x.xxxxx were released in 2018.

You will notice that each license has a Max Version Year attached to it. This is the maximum year of released versions for which the license is compatible with. For example, if the Max Version Year is 2030, the license is compatible with all versions less than or equal to 30.x.x.xxxxx.*

*Technically, it would only be compatible for versions 24 through 30 as Licensing changed in version 24.

When purchasing Canary for the first time or renewing your annual customer care, a new license is generated that, when applied, extends the Max Version Year to the next year. This then allows you to upgrade the software for another year as versions are released.

In the event of renewing your customer care, this license will be applied automatically if the Canary server has access to the internet. If the server does not have access, the user can:

• pull the license manually using the License Code provided in the Licensing tile and visiting https://canarylabs.com/support and selecting the LICENSING INFO tab, or
• make a remote connection to the Canary server using the Canary Admin client from a machine that has internet access.

If a user tries to upgrade to a version that exceeds the Max Version Year, a warning is thrown in the installer:

"Your license may not support this software version. Please contact your Canary CustomerCare representative or proceed at your own risk."

The user must acknowledge and accept the risk before proceeding as the software will be virtually unusable when the install is complete.