> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sambanova.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SambaStack model lifecycle

Models on SambaStack move through a defined set of lifecycle stages, from early release through to retirement. This page explains what each stage means for your workloads, how much notice you receive before a model is retired, and where retirement announcements are published, so you can plan migrations ahead of time.

<Info>
  For assistance during a model migration, or any general questions about this policy, contact your Customer Success Manager or the SambaNova support team at [help@sambanova.ai](mailto:help@sambanova.ai).
</Info>

## Lifecycle stages

Every model available on SambaStack is in one of the following stages. Stage transitions are announced in the SambaStack release notes.

| Stage | Definition | What it means for you |
| :- | :- | :- |
| **Preview** | An early release, delivered as is. A preview model may not include all intended features or deliver optimal performance. Preview models are not governed by SambaNova support SLAs, and are not guaranteed to progress to the **Stable** stage. | Use for experimentation, or for limited production use where you have validated the model for your workload. |
| **Stable** | Fully supported and recommended for new and existing workloads. | No action needed. |
| **Deprecated** | Announced for retirement, with a published earliest retirement date. Deprecated models are supplied as is and do not receive fixes or updates. | Plan and begin migration to a successor model. For the procedure, see [Deploying models and bundles](/docs/en/v2.2.3/sambastack/service-administration/model-deployment/deploying-models-and-bundles/overview). |
| **Retired** | No longer shipped in a SambaStack release, and no longer available in the model artifact repository. | Workloads must be migrated before the published retirement date. |

<Note>
  If you encounter an issue with a deprecated model, SambaNova recommends moving to a supported **Stable** model rather than waiting for a fix. Deprecated models do not receive fixes or updates.
</Note>

### Lifecycle stages and artifact status

Model lifecycle stages and model artifact status are different things. A model can receive enhancements to artifacts such as checkpoints and PEFs that improve capabilities, performance or provide fixes without a change to the model lifecycle stage. The status of artifacts is tracked using the same terminology — `preview`, `stable`, `deprecated` — however a change in artifact status should not be interpreted as a change in the applicable model lifecycle stage.

The field that reports artifact status, its values, and the command that reads it vary by SambaStack release. See the [PEF custom resource reference](/docs/en/v2.2.3/sambastack/service-administration/model-deployment/custom-resources/pef).

## Notice periods

Unless safety or compliance concerns require a faster model retirement, SambaNova will provide the following deprecation and retirement notification periods. Notice is measured from the date of the formal deprecation announcement to the published retirement date.

| Stage | Notice period | Notification |
| :- | :- | :- |
| Preview | Minimum of 60 days | SambaStack release notes |
| Stable | Minimum of 90 days | SambaStack release notes |

Deprecation announcements are repeated in each subsequent release note until the model is retired.

## Deprecation history

No SambaStack model deprecations have been announced.

Stage changes are announced only in the [SambaStack release notes](/docs/en/release-notes/sambastack). To check whether a model you run has changed stage, read the notes for each release you upgrade to.

## Related resources

* [Supported models and bundles](/docs/en/v2.2.3/sambastack/service-administration/model-deployment/supported-models-and-bundles) — the models available in this release.
* [Deprecations and removals](/docs/en/release-notes/sambastack#deprecations-and-removals) — deprecation announcements in the latest SambaStack release notes.
* [SambaNova model deprecations](/docs/en/models/deprecations) — the equivalent policy and record for SambaCloud.