Hello Tim and Hasan,
not to pre-empt Sophos, just my own remarks and comments.
If we don’t like the auto-upgraded Ver 8, can we go back to Ver 7?
Auto-upgrade is just that - auto-upgrade. When Auto-Update connects to the Sophos Warehouse (download server) it identifies its version in the request. The Warehouse then decides which updates it makes available for the client. There is no option to select a certain version. Thus once the Auto-Upgrade is in effect all v7 clients will receive v8. There is no way to revert to v7 - the Warehouse can't tell if the client has not yet upgraded or has been manually "downgraded" and it will again present v8 on the next update. In theory you can still use v7 but you'd have to manually update the identities (i.e. you may neither use Auto-Update nor Update now as this would always upgrade your installation) and this will only work for up to three months.
When Sophos is planning to auto-upgrade from ver 7 to ver 8?
As you can't "go back" the "switch" is - when necessary - postponed until Sophos is confident that any novel issues in the new version have been satisfactorily addressed (note that this is not completely under Sophos' control as OS/application changes sometimes bring new "challenges").
How long Sophos is going to support Ver 7 after auto-upgrade to Ver 8 is completed?
From the above this question is moot (at least for the HE - customers with the licensed and managed product have the option to stay on a previous version for some months).
Nevertheless, the way it is implemented does not restrict your options:
If you don't have any issues, don't miss the new features and/or prefer a best possible stable version then be patient and just wait
If you have issues with v7 and/or desperately want the new features use the v8 installer. If it turns out to be worse than before you can still go back to v7. Either version is supported and will be continually updated (and receive the same detection identities).
HTH
Christian
