Apelon Announces the Release of DTS 4.9
A practical look at what is changing in DTS 4.9 – from supported platforms and the Windows JRE to dependency updates, Editor refinements, and resolved issues.
Terminology infrastructure has to do two things well: remain dependable for established workflows and keep pace with the technology underneath it. DTS 4.9 is focused on that balance.
Apelon is pleased to announce the release of DTS 4.9, the latest version of our Distributed Terminology System. Rather than changing the core DTS 4 experience, this release modernizes supported deployment environments, refreshes key runtime and third-party components, improves several day-to-day Editor behaviors, and resolves issues across DTS Browser, TQL, Import Wizard, Excel Wizard, Concept Walker, and other components.
The DTS 4.9 Release Notes identify this release for updating production and mission-critical DTS systems. For organizations planning an upgrade, the changes are primarily about keeping the platform current and supportable without disrupting established terminology-management workflows.
Bringing DTS 4.9 onto Newer Infrastructure
One of the most visible changes in DTS 4.9 is an updated set of supported environments. On Windows, DTS 4.9 adds support for Windows Server 2022 while continuing support for Windows 11 Professional and Windows Server 2019. For Linux installations, DTS 4.9 supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and AlmaLinux 8. CentOS is not included within the DTS 4.9 support scope.
Database support is also moving forward. DTS 4.9 adds Microsoft SQL Server 2025 and MySQL 8.4 LTS. Microsoft SQL Server 2019 remains supported in DTS 4.9, but this is the final DTS version planned to support it. Organizations still running SQL Server 2019 should begin planning a move to a newer supported database environment before support is removed in a future release.
On the application-server side, DTS 4.9 supports JBoss EAP 7.4 Update 23 and WildFly 26.1.3.Final. The DTS 4.9 Installation Guide contains the configuration details for each supported environment.
A New JRE for the Windows DTS Editor
DTS 4.9 also changes the Java runtime bundled with the Windows installation. The Oracle Java 8 JRE included with previous DTS Windows installations has been replaced with the Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK 8 JRE.
That distinction is important: the Windows installer includes the Eclipse Temurin OpenJDK 8 JRE for DTS Editor use only. It is not the Java runtime for JBoss EAP or WildFly, and it does not replace or modify existing Java installations on the target machine. Supported Linux installations continue to use the OpenJDK 8 runtime supplied through the operating system package manager.
Keeping the Underlying Stack Current
A substantial part of DTS 4.9 is work that users may not see directly in the interface but that matters for ongoing maintenance and supportability. Log4j has been upgraded to version 2.25.5, SLF4J has been standardized on version 2.0.17, and obsolete or conflicting logging components – including Logback 1.1.9 and related configuration files – have been removed.
Selected third-party libraries have also been updated to current Java 8-compatible versions, including Apache Commons, Jackson, XStream, Gson, XNIO, JUnit, MySQL JDBC, Microsoft SQL Server JDBC, and Apache HttpClient dependencies. These changes are intended to improve the security posture and supportability of DTS while preserving established DTS 4 behavior.
The Module Manager also receives a practical update: its modules server location can now be configured in dtseditor.properties, and HTTPS module URLs can be used.
Small Editor Changes with Practical Benefits
DTS 4.9 includes several targeted DTS Editor improvements intended to make common tasks a little more predictable and easier to work with.
The Search panel now defaults Type Namespace to the selected Search Namespace when performing attribute-type searches. Template Editor dropdown lists now use case-insensitive, alphanumeric sorting by concept name. The About Apelon DTSEditor window has also been updated with the current Apelon logo and expanded Java runtime and vendor reporting.
None of these changes fundamentally alters how the Editor works, but they remove friction in areas that users interact with regularly.
Fixes Across Core DTS Workflows
The release also addresses a broad set of issues across DTS. Some of the more notable fixes include:
- DTS Browser and Uninstall shortcuts that did not display correctly in the Windows Start Menu on supported modern Windows systems, along with RichFaces compatibility-related errors written to JBoss EAP and WildFly server logs during Browser actions.
- TQL issues involving valid FOR statements being rejected and certain queries ending in a period potentially causing an out-of-memory error.
- Multiple Import Wizard issues involving XML filenames with additional periods, parent attribute types, post-import log display, and subset expressions that reference multiple subset filters.
- An Excel Wizard issue in which certain import operations could corrupt the source Excel file or become unresponsive.
- Concept Walker stale-field behavior after logout and login, and a Namespace Profile Editor background error involving Validator fields when no validators were available.
DTS 4.9 also updates Javadoc, tutorial code and text, SQL Server datasource-validation guidance, Linux installation documentation, and documentation for updating the JRE bundled with the Windows installation. Additional minor bug fixes are included as well.
Support Changes to Plan For
Alongside the newly supported environments, DTS 4.9 formally closes out support for several legacy platforms.
Oracle databases are no longer supported in DTS 4.9; DTS 4.8 was the final release that supported Oracle databases. GlassFish application servers are also no longer supported, with DTS 4.8 serving as the final supported release for GlassFish.
Organizations still running DTS on Oracle or GlassFish should plan a migration to a supported configuration. SQL Server 2019 users have a little more runway, but DTS 4.9 is the final version planned to support that database, so migration planning should begin before the next DTS release.
Planning Your DTS 4.9 Upgrade
Before upgrading, review the DTS 4.9 Release Notes and DTS 4.9 Installation Guide for the complete system requirements, supported configurations, known restrictions, and installation guidance relevant to your environment.
To download DTS 4.9, visit the DTS Software Downloads page. The latest release notes, installation guides, and supporting materials are available in the DTS Documentation Center.
If you have questions about DTS 4.9, upgrading an existing environment, or planning a migration from an environment that is no longer supported, contact the Apelon team at support@apelon.com.
