diff --git a/TAG b/TAG
index 2b78db789f5..b105fcd0f22 100644
--- a/TAG
+++ b/TAG
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2.6.2-tb2
+2.6.3-rc1
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 097a15a2af3..ec1cf33c3f6 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2.6.2
+2.6.3
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 1b72be092aa..5ecc85b76e0 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
-daos (2.6.2-4) unstable; urgency=medium
+daos (2.6.3-1) unstable; urgency=medium
+  [ Dalton Bohning ]
+  * First release candidate for 2.6.3
+
+ -- Dalton Bohning <dalton.bohning@hpe.com>  Fri, 24 Jan 2025 09:48:00 -0700
+ 
+ daos (2.6.2-4) unstable; urgency=medium
   [ Brian J. Murrell ]
   * Remove Build-Depends: for UCX as they were obsoleted as of e01970d
 
diff --git a/utils/rpms/daos.spec b/utils/rpms/daos.spec
index 8e1569930be..b3ba01d174e 100644
--- a/utils/rpms/daos.spec
+++ b/utils/rpms/daos.spec
@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@
 %endif
 
 Name:          daos
-Version:       2.6.2
-Release:       5%{?relval}%{?dist}
+Version:       2.6.3
+Release:       1%{?relval}%{?dist}
 Summary:       DAOS Storage Engine
 
 License:       BSD-2-Clause-Patent
@@ -594,6 +594,9 @@ getent passwd daos_agent >/dev/null || useradd -s /sbin/nologin -r -g daos_agent
 # No files in a shim package
 
 %changelog
+* Fri Jan 24 2025 Dalton Bohning <dalton.bohning@hpe.com> 2.6.3-1
+- First release candidate for 2.6.3
+
 * Mon Jan 06 2025 Phillip Henderson <phillip.henderson@intel.com> 2.6.2-5
 - Fix protobuf-c requiremnent for daos-client-tests on Leap.