Autodesk Policy on Versioning for InfoWorks ICM and InfoWorks WS Pro

Autodesk Support

Dec 17, 2024


Products and versions covered


Issue:

In the last few years, the version rules and numbering convention have evolved for InfoWorks ICM and InfoWorks WS Pro. This article discusses the numbering conventions used and the rules associated with installation and compatibility.

Solution:

Product Releases vs Update Releases vs Patch releases

Product releases are annual (starting May 2022), Ex: 2023, 2024, 2025

  • Product releases contain new features and cumulative fixes.
  • Product releases may also be referred to using a zero update number – example: 2023.0.

Update releases are published on a regular cadence (about every other month), Ex: 2023.1, 2023.2

  • Update releases may contain new features and fixes.
  • Each Update release supersedes any previous Update releases and patches for the corresponding Product release.
  • InfoWorks Update releases are delivered as Major Updates.
  • Major updates to the same release cannot be installed alongside each other.

Patch releases are published as necessary for high priority fixes, Ex: 2023.2.1

  • Patches are only created for urgent fixes that cannot wait for a planned Update release. These will usually be security related.

Installation Rules

The following rules apply for all releases, although for some historic releases it may not be obvious which is a Product or Update release:

  • Product releases may be installed side by side with other major releases.
    • Ex: Versions 2022.3, 2023.5, and v2024.0 could be installed on the same machine
  • Update & patch releases may be installed without installing the corresponding Major release first.
    • Ex: v2022.3.1 can be installed without first installing v2022.0 or v2022.3
  • Update & patch releases will always replace any release (older or newer) of a corresponding Product release which is already installed. (*) 
    • Ex: 2023.3 cannot be installed alongside v2023.1

(*) From 2025.0 onwards, update & patch releases will only replace releases of matching version installers. Ex: Innovyze version of ICM 2025.1 will replace Innovyze version of ICM 2025.0 but not the Autodesk version of ICM 2025.0.

Accessing InfoWorks ICM Standard & InfoWorks ICM Ultimate from the same installer

InfoWorks ICM Standard and InfoWorks ICM Ultimate can’t be installed concurrently. However, from 2025.0 onwards, both products can be accessed from a single installer. To switch between products, simply change the Target path in the shortcut properties:

  • /ADSK:Ultimate
  • /ADSK:Standard

Historic Releases

Before year 2021, major releases had the version number convention of, for example, 10.0, 10.5, 11.0 released every six months with patch versions released in between major releases. In year 2021, there was a major release every couple of months with the number convention of, for *example 2021.1, 2021.2, 2021.3... Beginning in May of 2022, the Autodesk numbering convention of 2023, 2024, 2025 was adopted with one major release per year with updates (examples: 2023.1, 2023.2) every few months.

There were no releases labeled 2022.

The 2021 series of releases do not follow these rules consistently – several 2021 Update releases were treated as full Releases for the Installation process.
 

Database Updating & Engines

From version 2023.1 of InfoWorks onwards, it is possible to work with databases created in older versions of the software, without performing a database update. It is also possible to create databases for older versions of the software (but not earlier than 2023.0 databases).

The behavior of the software will primarily be driven by the database version in use at the time. Some features available in a newer software release may be unavailable if working with an older database that lacks the necessary information to support the newer features. You may still update the database to enable newer features when working with that database.

Older versions of the software will be unable to open databases with a version that is newer than the software version (as always). It will also not be possible to copy from newer versions into older versions. For instance you cannot copy from a version 2025.0 database into a version 2024.5 database.

Where a newer software version may have behavior updates for the Simulation Engine, the Simulation Engine will emulate the behavior associated with the database version using the Client engine version. This means that it will include any fixes which have been subsequently made. Therefore, only simulation results run from the same Client version and therefore Simulation Engine are likely to be consistent. There are however other factors that influence results replicability and consistency, more information can be found HERE.

This has the following advantages:

  • The user may upgrade the software without updating the database.
  • It is not required for all team members to be working with the same software version.
  • The user only needs the latest version of the software to work with any database version after 2023.0.

Note: when using the Cloud typically only the latest and preceding Simulation Engine version will be available for use. Users will be notified as engines are decommissioned.

Workgroup Data Server Versions

Autodesk recommends that customers always work with the latest version of the Workgroup Data Server, regardless of the version of InfoWorks they are using. The latest Workgroup Data Server is backward compatible with all supported versions of InfoWorks and all database versions.


ICM Agent Versions

Each installed version of InfoWorks ICM comes with its own version of the Simulation Agent, which runs as a Windows service. Only one version of the Agent may be running at a time. If you have multiple versions of ICM installed, the last version to be installed will control the version of the Agent which is running. It is recommended that you always run the latest version of the Agent, as it is backward compatible with all supported versions of InfoWorks.

To change the Agent version, run the Agent Manager for the version you want to use. When this is done, it will automatically detect if a different version is running and offer to switch to the current version. This will require Administrator privileges.
 

WS Agent Versions

The rules for Agent versions in WS Pro are analogous to ICM, except there is a second service for WS Pro called the WS Marshaller. For WS Pro, you should run the Water Supply Server Manager to control the active Agent and Marshaller versions. Again, you will require Administrator privileges for this.



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