Backport
In software development, a modification of software ( patch ) that is incorporated into an older version of the same software is referred to as backport ( English made-up word from: back -rück; to port - portieren ; German term: Rückportierung ) . This process is part of the maintenance in the process model for software development .
Backporting is usually used to close security gaps that are discovered and closed in newer versions of software, also in older versions. If there are only small modifications in the source code , this process is associated with relatively little effort, since newer versions of software are often derived from the code base of the older version. In the case of more extensive and above all more complex changes, the backport is only possible with a great deal of technical and financial effort and is only carried out if the older version of the software is still widely used.
In the area of Unix -based operating systems, especially Linux distributions , the term backport should be familiar to every ambitious end user. In general, only security-relevant updates are automatically included in package-based distributions. New program versions with changed functionality and other improvements are usually not incorporated into the packages. The main reasons for this procedure are the short release cycles of current versions of the distribution, so that new program versions are included in the distribution relatively quickly and the system stability should not be jeopardized by program updates. In addition, there are many distributions such as B. Debian more experimental, less stable and more mature, as well as stable released release versions. In order to get to new program versions in an uncomplicated manner, separate, often unofficial software sources with specially compiled backports are offered.