docs: clarify Envoy and dataplane LTS support policy

Update matrices and clarify statements as to when Consul expands support to new major versions of Envoy and Consul dataplane in light of Consul LTS or Envoy EOL status.
hashicorp · Aug 8, 2024 · 5f55c3f · 5f55c3f
1 parent 779d3c3
commit 5f55c3f
Showing 1 changed file with 23 additions and 17 deletions.
diff --git a/website/content/docs/connect/proxies/envoy.mdx b/website/content/docs/connect/proxies/envoy.mdx
@@ -43,10 +43,12 @@ refer to the previous release's version of this page.
 ### Envoy and Consul Client Agent
 
 Every major Consul release initially supports **four major Envoy releases**.
-Standard major Consul releases do not expand that support in minor releases.
 However, [Consul Enterprise Long Term Support (LTS)](/consul/docs/enterprise/long-term-support)
-releases do expand their Envoy version compatibility window in minor releases
-to ensure compatibility with a maintained Envoy version.
+releases expand their Envoy version compatibility window in minor releases to
+ensure compatibility with a maintained Envoy version. Standard (non-LTS) Consul
+Enterprise releases may also expand support to a new major version of Envoy in
+order to receive important security fixes, if the previous major Envoy version
+has reached end-of-life.
 
 Every major Consul release maintains and tests compatibility with specific Envoy
 patch releases to ensure users can benefit from bug and security fixes in Envoy.
@@ -85,18 +87,18 @@ which packages both Envoy and the `consul-dataplane` binary in a single containe
 To enable seamless upgrades, each major version of Consul also supports
 the previous and next Consul dataplane versions.
 
-Compared to standard Consul releases, Consul Enterprise
-[Long Term Support (LTS)](/consul/docs/enterprise/long-term-support)
-releases have the following differences with Consul dataplane compatibility:
-- [Expanded compatibility window](#enterprise-long-term-support-releases):
+Compared to community edition releases, Consul Enterprise releases have
+the following differences with Consul dataplane compatibility:
+- [LTS-Only: Expanded compatibility window](#enterprise-long-term-support-releases):
   Active Consul Enterprise LTS releases expand their Consul dataplane
-  version compatibility window until the LTS release reaches its
-  end of maintenance.
+  version compatibility window to include the version of Consul dataplane
+  aligned with the next Consul LTS release.
 - [Maintained Envoy version](#consul-dataplane-releases-that-span-envoy-major-versions):
-  Major versions of Consul dataplane aligned with a Consul Enterprise LTS version
-  may contain minor version updates that use a new major version of Envoy.
-  These minor version updates are necessary to ensure maintained versions
-  of Consul dataplane use a maintained version of Envoy.
+  Major versions of Consul dataplane aligned with a maintained Consul
+  Enterprise version may contain minor version updates that use a new
+  major version of Envoy. These minor version updates are necessary to
+  ensure that maintained versions of Consul dataplane use a maintained
+  version of Envoy.
 
 #### Standard releases
 
@@ -125,16 +127,20 @@ until the LTS release reaches its end of maintenance.
 
 #### Consul dataplane releases that span Envoy major versions
 
-Major versions of Consul dataplane aligned with a Consul Enterprise LTS version
+Major versions of Consul dataplane aligned with active versions of Consul
 may contain minor version updates that use a new major version of Envoy.
 These minor version updates are necessary to ensure maintained versions
-of Consul dataplane use a maintained version of Envoy.
+of Consul dataplane use a maintained version of Envoy including important
+security fixes.
 
-| `consul-dataplane` Version Range | Associated Consul Enterprise LTS version | Contained Envoy Binary Version |
+| `consul-dataplane` Version Range | Associated Consul Enterprise version     | Contained Envoy Binary Version |
 | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
 | 1.5.0 - 1.5.latest               | 1.18.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.29.x                   |
 | 1.4.0 - 1.4.latest               | 1.18.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.28.x                   |
-| 1.1.9 - 1.1.latest               | 1.15.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.26.x                   |
+| 1.2.0 - 1.2.latest               | 1.18.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.27.x                   |
+| 1.2.0 - 1.2.7                    | 1.18.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.27.x                   |
+| 1.1.11 - 1.1.latest              | 1.15.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.27.x                   |
+| 1.1.9 - 1.1.10                   | 1.15.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.26.x                   |
 | 1.1.0 - 1.1.8                    | 1.15.x Ent                               | Envoy 1.25.x                   |
 
 ## Getting Started