OpenX Ad Server version 2.8 released: improved scalability and easy of use, new plugin framework and integration with OpenX Market, ad revenue optimization.

OpenX Ad Server version 2.8 was released yesterday. Tim Cadogan, OpenX’s CEO, made the announcement on the company blog, where he also detailed the most important news and key benefits of the new release.

With this new version, OpenX users get a lot of new opportunities and features. To name a few:

• OpenX Ad Server 2.8 comes with the OpenX Market plug-in. OpenX Market is an auction based platform that enables site publisers to connect to participating advertisers in real time, and to show ads from the market if it is willing to bid over a floor price that site owners set.
• The new software contains a plug-in framework that enables developers and third parties to add or change functionality in the core product, without having to modify that core.
• Heavy users will notice that the new version employs a new form of storage for the raw ad delivery data, called bucket logging. It was developed to improve the scalability and performance of the software and result in a smaller database footprint.
• The improvements to the user interface will help new users to get to grips with the software more easily, while experienced users will notice that it gives more control, better overview and easier work flow.

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OpenX version 2.6.4 was released yesterday. This upgrade is a fix to a security problem that was reported earlier in the week. The OpenX blog has the full story.

Of course, with security issues it’s always important to upgrade all instances as quickly as possible. Fortunately for users of OpenX 2.6, this is a very simple upgrade, because there are no changes to the layout of the database. Have a look at my procedure for OpenX upgrades. If you don’t want to do the upgrade yourself, I can be of service. Just submit a support request and I’ll get back to you.

Earlier in the week, OpenX version 2.6.3 was released. This upgrade is all about fixing bugs and introducing small enhancements. The OpenX blog has a link to the release notes and there is also a list of the 80+ changes that are part of this upgrade.

I’ve done a dozen upgrades from earlier versions to this one over the last few days, and the upgrade process is pretty smooth, since there are no changes in the database structure this time (unless you’re coming from OpenX 2.4). In any event, it’s always a good idea to follow a proven procedure for OpenX upgrades. If you’re interested, I can also do the upgrade for you. Check out my support request form.

Earlier in the week, an important upgrade to OpenX 2.6 was released. This version 2.6.2 fixes a security issue that was reported a few days ago. Because of this, it’s very important that all users of OpenX 2.6 upgrade their installations. To download the new software, just go to the OpenX download page. I’ve posted a tip about how to do an OpenX upgrade earlier on this blog.

By the way, if you’re still running OpenX 2.4, it had an upgrade too, the most recent version is now 2.4.9, and you can download it from here. It fixes the same security issue.

Update: added link to OpenX blog post announcing this upgrade.