Versions¶

Kubernetes Versions¶

Kubernetes community releases currently happen approximately three times per year. These are called minor version releases (the y in v1.y.0), and contain new features and bug fixes.

Patch version releases (the z in v1.28.z) are released more frequently, and include minor bug fixes, and patches for critical security vulnerabilities.

Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service supports each minor version for at least 6 months before it transitions to unsupported, giving users enough time to upgrade their clusters. See the table below for currently supported versions and the expected date they become unsupported.

Supported Kubernetes Versions¶

This table documents Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service minor versions, and their supported status. It does not show patch versions, as all patch versions for a supported minor version are supported.

Version	Current Status	Initial Release Date	Unsupported Date
`1.24`	Unsupported	2023-04-05	2024-01-22
`1.25`	Unsupported	2023-04-05	2024-04-18
`1.26`	Supported	2023-09-11	Expected 2024-05-17
`1.27`	Supported	2024-01-22	Expected 2024-07-22
`1.28`	Supported	2024-04-18	Expected 2024-10-28
`1.29`	In development	Expected 2024-05-15	Expected 2025-02-28

Kubernetes Versioning¶

Kubernetes versions follow Semantic Versioning terminology. Versions are expressed as x.y.z, where x is the major version, y is the minor version and z is the patch version.

Version Part	Example	Description
Major	`x` in `x.y.z`	Versions that may make incompatible API changes
Minor	`y` in `x.y.z`	Versions that adds functionality in a backwards compatible manner
Patch	`z` in `x.y.z`	Versions that makes backwards compatible bug fixes

Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service uses Cluster Templates to manage each Kubernetes version, and the matrix of addons that make up our a managed Kubernetes cluster.

Users are able to see the Kubernetes version from the Cluster Template name. For example:

kubernetes-v1.28.9-20240416

The Cluster Template name contains the specific Kubernetes semantic version, and a date in YYYYMMDD format which represents the release date of the template on Catalyst Cloud.

A Cluster Template with the same Kubernetes version and a later release date should always be preferred over an older release date. This is to allow for bug fixes or Operating System upgrades within the same Kubernetes patch version.

For more information, see Kubernetes Releases.

Kubernetes Versions Support Policy¶

Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service supports at least 3 minor versions.

When there is a new minor version released by the Kubernetes project, Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service will work get it certified (passing the CNCF conformance test) and Cluster Templates will be created.

When a new minor version is released, we will update the section Supported Kubernetes Versions with the new version and the expected date it will become unsupported. There are times we will extend this date, and the table will be updated.

An unsupported version means when users ask for support, you will be asked to upgrade your cluster to a supported version first.

Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service create new Cluster Templates when a new Kubernetes patch version is released, or an Operating System updated is available on our cloud. When a new Cluster Template is created, any existing Cluster Templates for the same minor version will be hidden.

For example, when releasing patch version v1.28.9, the Cluster Template for the previous patch version, v1.28.8 will be marked as hidden.

Note

Hiding a patch Cluster Template does not mean it is out of support. It simply means we are motivating customers to always create new clusters using the latest Cluster Template for that supported minor version.

Users should aim to run the latest patch for each minor version to get the latest security and bug fixes.

Note

Catalyst Cloud reserves the right to add/remove a new/existing Cluster Template, if there is a critical issue identified in the version, without further notice.

Finding Available Versions¶

You can find the set of Cluster Templates which are currently available on Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service in the web interface as well as on the command line.

$ openstack coe cluster template list
+--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| uuid                                 | name                              | tags                                                                            |
+--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| 456a5390-67c3-4a89-b1e8-ba8dbf529506 | kubernetes-v1.26.14-prod-20240218 | environment:prod,build_id:20240218,pipeline_id:40826,created_at:20240218T183133 |
| b922a741-099a-4987-bc32-d5f3e3a4beed | kubernetes-v1.27.11-prod-20240218 | environment:prod,build_id:20240218,pipeline_id:40827,created_at:20240218T183254 |
| dafe4576-8de0-4024-a12a-1bc5197b474f | kubernetes-v1.28.9-20240416       | None                                                                            |
+--------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+---------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Upgrading Kubernetes Version¶

When upgrading a cluster to a new version, skipping minor versions is unsupported.

For example, if the current cluster version is v1.28.x, then you cannot upgrade directly to a v1.30.x. You have to upgrade to v1.29.x first, and then perform another upgrade to v1.30.x.

This is in line with the Kubernetes Version Skew policy, and also takes into account the additional components that Catalyst Cloud Kubernetes Service is formed with.

Warning

Catalyst Cloud reserves the right to force a patch version upgrade if there is an urgent critical security vulnerability (CVE rated as HIGH or CRITICAL), and the customer cannot be contacted.