1. Purpose of the gate
Sustaining is shared on a platform: a fix or a security update has to reach every product built on it. A maintenance release bundles fixes to the platform's IP, firmware, software and tools into a new maintenance baseline, validates it on the derivatives still supported, and tells each derivative whether it must take the release.
The difficulty is breadth. A fix that is correct for the lead product can break a derivative with a different configuration or an approved deviation. The review checks that the release has been validated on every supported derivative, that the notes and advisories say clearly what changed and who is affected, and that the derivatives that must take it have been told.
The gate criteria are: release validated on supported derivatives; release notes and advisories published; and derivatives that must take the release notified.
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