[BEAM-5419] Build multiple versions of the Flink Runner against different Flink versions

• Type: New Feature
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: P2
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 2.10.0
• Component/s: build-system, runner-flink
• Assignee: Maximilian Michels
• Reporter: Maximilian Michels
• Created: 18/Sep/18 11:08
• Updated: 24/Jul/20 19:57
• Resolved: 12/Dec/18 20:52

Description

Following up on a discussion on the mailing list.

We want to keep the Flink version stable across different versions to avoid upgrade pain for long-term users. At the same time, there are users out there with newer Flink clusters and developers also want to utilize new Flink features.

It would be great to build multiple versions of the Flink Runner against different Flink versions.

When the upgrade is as simple as changing the version property in the build script, this should be pretty straight-forward. If not, having a "base version" and applying a patch during the build could be an option. We should avoid duplicating any Runner code.

Issue Links

• Dependency: BEAM-5267 Update Flink Runner to Flink 1.6.x
• Dependent: BEAM-6248 Add Flink 1.7.x build target to Flink Runner
• is related to: BEAM-5418 Add Flink version compatibility table to Runner page
• relates to: BEAM-6230 Document Flink version support policy
• links to: GitHub Pull Request #7229
• links to: GitHub Pull Request #7299