Database Reference
In-Depth Information
You will also need to pay attention to the
version
of the MongoDB software itself: there
are production releases, previous releases, and development releases. The
production
release indicates that it's the most recent stable version available. When a newer and
generally improved or enhanced version is released, the prior most recent stable version
will be made available as a
previous release
. This designation means the release is stable
and reliable, but it usually has fewer features available in it. Finally, there's the
development
release
. This release is generally referred to as the unstable version. This version is still
in development, and it will include many changes, including significant new features.
Although it has not been fully developed and tested yet, the developers of MongoDB have
made it available to the public to test or otherwise try out.
Understanding the Version Numbers
MongoDB uses the “odd-numbered versions for development releases” approach. In
other words, you can tell by looking at the second part of the version number (also called
the release number) whether a version is a development version or a stable version. If the
second number is even, then it's a
stable
release. If the second number is odd, then it's an
unstable
, or
development
, release.
Let's take a closer look at the three digits included in a version number's three parts,
A, B, and C:
•
A, the first (or leftmost) number: Represents the major version
and only changes when there is a full version upgrade.
•
B, the second (or middle) number: Represents the release
number and indicates whether a version is a development version
or a stable version. If the number is even, the version is stable;
if the number is odd, the version is unstable and considered a
development release.
•
C, the third (or rightmost) number: Represents the revision
number; this is used for bugs and security issues.
For example, at the time of writing, the following versions were available from the
MongoDB website:
•
2.6.5 (Production release)
•
2.4.12 (Previous release)
•
2.7.8 (Development release)
Installing MongoDB on Your System
So far, you've learned which versions of MongoDB are available and—hopefully—were
able to select one. Now you're ready to take a closer look at how to install MongoDB on
your particular system. The two main operating systems for servers at the moment are
based on Linux and Microsoft Windows, so this chapter will walk you through how to
install MongoDB on both of these operating systems, beginning with Linux.
