Get support

Google's primary support objective is to resolve production incidents as quickly as possible. Understanding your configuration, analyzing logs and metrics, and collaborating with partners helps us to solve incidents quickly.

Google Cloud offers various support packages to accommodate your support needs. All Google Cloud Support packages include support for Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Enterprise edition and Google Distributed Cloud. If you have an existing Google Cloud Support package, then you already have support for GKE Enterprise and Google Distributed Cloud.

For more information, see the Google Cloud Support documentation.

Requirements for Google Distributed Cloud support

To troubleshoot business-critical incidents effectively:

Support tools

To troubleshoot a Google Distributed Cloud incident, Google Cloud Support relies on three pieces of information:

Your environment configuration

When you open a support case, running the following commands provides key information about your cluster setup:

  • For all your cluster types, run the bmctl check cluster --snapshot command to capture information about Kubernetes and your nodes. Attach the resulting tar file to the support case.

  • For admin, hybrid, and standalone clusters, run the bmctl check cluster command to check the health status of the cluster and nodes. Attach the resulting logs to the support case. They should exist under the bmctl-workspace/[CLUSTER_NAME]/log/check-cluster-[TIMESTAMP] directory.

  • For user clusters, first create a health check YAML file with the cluster name and namespace, and then apply the file in the appropriate admin cluster:

    1. Create a YAML file with the following healthcheck properties. Here is sample content for a cluster named user1 in the cluster-user1 namespace:

      apiVersion: baremetal.cluster.gke.io/v1
kind: HealthCheck
metadata:
  generateName: healthcheck-
  namespace: cluster-user1
spec:
  clusterName: user1

    2. After you create the YAML file, apply the custom resource in the admin cluster that is managing the user cluster with the kubectl command. Here is a sample command using the YAML file created in the previous step. In the sample, the ADMIN_KUBECONFIG variable specifies the path to the admin cluster's kubeconfig file:

      kubectl --kubeconfig ADMIN_KUBECONFIG create -f healthcheck-user1.yaml

      The command returns the following response:

      healthcheck.baremetal.cluster.gke.io/healthcheck-7c4qf created

    3. Wait until the health check job is completed by testing to see if the health check job has finished reconciling. In the previous example case, the health check job name is healthcheck.baremetal.cluster.gke.io/healthcheck-7c4qf. Here is a sample test with the kubectl command that waits 30 minutes for the health check job to complete:

      kubectl --kubeconfig ADMIN_KUBECONFIG wait healthcheck healthcheck-7c4qf \
    -n cluster-user1 --for=condition=Reconciling=False --timeout=30m

      When completed, this command returns:

      healthcheck.baremetal.cluster.gke.io/healthcheck-7c4qf condition met

      You can see the health check job results with the following command:

      kubectl --kubeconfig ADMIN_KUBECONFIG get healthcheck healthcheck-7c4qf \
    -n cluster-user1

      The command returns the following result:

      NAME                PASS   AGE
healthcheck-7c4qf   true   17m

    4. Gather all the health check job pod's logs into a local file with the kubectl command. Here's an example using the previous sample health check job:

      kubectl --kubeconfig ADMIN_KUBECONFIG logs -n cluster-user1 \
    -l baremetal.cluster.gke.io/check-name=healthcheck-7c4qf --tail=-1 > \
    healthcheck-7c4qf.log

Cluster logs

When you create a new Google Distributed Cloud cluster, Cloud Logging agents are enabled by default and scoped only to system-level components. This replicates system-level logs into the Google Cloud project associated with the cluster. System-level logs are from Kubernetes pods in the following namespaces:

  • kube-system
  • gke-system
  • gke-connect
  • istio-system
  • config-management-system
  • gatekeeper-system
  • cnrm-system
  • knative-serving

Logs can be queried from the Cloud Logging console.

For more details, see Logging and Monitoring.

Google Cloud CLI and remote cluster access

If you open a support case, Cloud Customer Care may ask you for remote read-only access to your clusters to help diagnose and resolve issues more effectively. For the support team to have sufficient access to troubleshoot your cluster issue remotely, ensure that you've installed and updated to the latest version of the Google Cloud CLI. The Google Cloud CLI must be at version 401.0.0 or higher to give Cloud Customer Care the needed permissions. We recommend that you update Google Cloud CLI regularly to pick up added permissions and other enhancements.

To install the latest components of the gcloud CLI, use the gcloud components update command. For more information about giving Cloud Customer Care remote read-only access to your clusters, see Google Cloud Support for your registered clusters.

Cluster metrics

In addition to logs, the Cloud Monitoring agent also captures metrics. This replicates system-level metrics into the Google Cloud project associated with the cluster. System-level metrics are from Kubernetes pods running in the same namespaces listed in Logs.

For more details, see Logging and Monitoring.

How we troubleshoot your environment

Here is an example of a typical support incident:

  1. The cluster administrator opens a support case in Google Cloud console or the Google Cloud Support Center, and selects Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Enterprise edition and Google Distributed Cloud as Category and Component, respectively. They enter the information required and attach the output of relevant bmctl commands to the case.

  2. The support case is routed to a Technical Support Engineer specializing in Google Distributed Cloud.

  3. The support engineer examines the contents of the snapshot to gain context of the environment.

  4. The support engineer examines the logs and metrics in the Google Cloud project, entering the support case ID as the business justification, which is logged internally.

  5. The support engineer responds to the case with an assessment and recommendation. The support engineer and the user continue troubleshooting until they come to a resolution.

What does Google support?

Generally, the Cloud Support team supports all software components shipped as part of Google Distributed Cloud and Cloud Service Mesh, Policy Controller, Config Sync, and Config Controller. See the following table for a more complete list of what is and isn't supported:

Google Cloud supported Not supported
Kubernetes and the container runtime Customer choice of load balancer (manual load balancing)
Connect and the Connect Agent Customer code (see Developer Support)
Google Cloud operations, Monitoring, Logging, and agents Customer choice of operating system
Bundled load balancer Physical or virtual server, storage, and network
Ingress controller External DNS, DHCP, and identity systems
GKE Identity Service
Cloud Service Mesh
Policy Controller
Config Sync
Config Controller

Version Support Policy

Support for Google Distributed Cloud follows the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Enterprise edition Version Support Policy. Starting with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Enterprise edition version 1.14, Google supports each Google Distributed Cloud minor version for 12 months after the initial release of the minor version, or until the release of the third subsequent minor version, whichever is longer.

The following table shows the supported and unsupported versions of this product.

Minor version Release date Earliest end of life date Available patches Kubernetes version
1.28 (latest) December 15, 2023 December 15, 2024 1.28.400-gke.77 v1.28.7-gke.1700
1.28.300-gke.131 v1.28.7-gke.1700
1.28.200-gke.118 v1.28.5-gke.1200
1.28.100-gke.146 v1.28.5-gke.1200
1.28.0-gke.435 v1.28.3-gke.700
1.16 August 25, 2023 August 25, 2024 1.16.8 v1.27.12-gke.800
1.16.7 v1.27.10-gke.500
1.16.6 v1.27.9-gke.1200
1.16.5 v1.27.8-gke.1500
1.16.4 v1.27.7-gke.1400
1.16.3 v1.27.6-gke.2500
1.16.2 v1.27.4-gke.1600
1.16.1 v1.27.4-gke.1600
1.16.0 v1.27.4-gke.1600
1.15 April 27, 2023 April 27, 2024 1.15.11 v1.26.13-gke.1100
1.15.10 v1.26.13-gke.400
1.15.9 v1.26.12-gke.1200
1.15.8 v1.26.10-gke.1400
1.15.7 v1.26.9-gke.2400
1.15.6 v1.26.8-gke.200
1.15.5 v1.26.8-gke.200
1.15.4 v1.26.5-gke.2100
1.15.3 v1.26.5-gke.2100
1.15.2 v1.26.5-gke.1200
1.15.1 v1.26.2-gke.1001
1.15.0 v1.26.2-gke.1001
1.14 (unsupported) December 8, 2022 December 8, 2023 1.14.11 v1.25.14-gke.2400
1.14.10 v1.25.14-gke.2400
1.14.9 v1.25.13-gke.200
1.14.8 v1.25.10-gke.2100
1.14.7 v1.25.10-gke.2100
1.14.6 v1.25.10-gke.1200
1.14.5 v1.25.7-gke.1000
1.14.4 v1.25.7-gke.1000
1.14.3 v1.25.6-gke.1000
1.14.2 v1.25.5-gke.1001
1.14.1 v1.25.5-gke.1001
1.14.0 v1.25.3-gke.1400
1.13 (unsupported) September 29, 2022 August 17, 2023 1.13.10 v1.24.14-gke.2100
1.13.9 v1.24.14-gke.1200
1.13.8 v1.24.11-gke.1000
1.13.7 v1.24.11-gke.1000
1.13.6 v1.24.9-gke.2500
1.13.5 v1.24.9-gke.2500
1.13.4 v1.24.9-gke.2500
1.13.3 v1.24.7-gke.1700
1.13.2 v1.24.7-gke.300
1.13.1 v1.24.5-gke.400
1.13.0 v1.24.2-gke.1900
1.12 (unsupported) June 29, 2022 March 29, 2023 1.12.9 v1.23.17-gke.300
1.12.8 v1.23.16-gke.100
1.12.7 v1.23.15-gke.2400
1.12.6 v1.23.13-gke.1700
1.12.5 v1.23.13-gke.1700
1.12.4 v1.23.11-gke.500
1.12.3 v1.23.10-gke.1000
1.12.2 v1.23.5-gke.1505
1.12.1 v1.23.5-gke.1505
1.12.0 v1.23.5-gke.1504
1.11 (unsupported) March 21, 2022 December 21, 2022 1.11.8 v1.22.15-gke.3300
1.11.7 v1.22.14-gke.500
1.11.6 v1.22.8-gke.204
1.11.5 v1.22.8-gke.204
1.11.4 v1.22.8-gke.204
1.11.3 v1.22.8-gke.203
1.11.2 v1.22.8-gke.200
1.11.1 v1.22.8-gke.200
1.11.0 v1.22.8-gke.200
1.10 (unsupported) December 10, 2021 September 10, 2022 1.10.8 v1.21.13-gke.202
1.10.7 v1.21.13-gke.202
1.10.6 v1.21.13-gke.201
1.10.5 v1.21.6-gke.1503
1.10.4 v1.21.6-gke.1503
1.10.3 v1.21.5-gke.1300
1.10.2 v1.21.5-gke.1300
1.10.1 v1.21.5-gke.1200
1.10.0 v1.21.5-gke.1200
1.9 (unsupported) September 23, 2021 June 23, 2022 1.9.8 v1.21.13-gke.200
1.9.7 v1.21.6-gke.1503
1.9.6 v1.21.5-gke.1300
1.9.5 v1.21.5-gke.1300
1.9.4 v1.21.5-gke.1200
1.9.3 v1.21.5-gke.1200
1.9.2 v1.21.4-gke.201
1.9.1 v1.21.4-gke.201
1.9.0 v1.21.4-gke.200
1.8 (unsupported) June 21, 2021 March 21, 2022 1.8.9 v1.20.9-gke.102
1.8.8 v1.20.9-gke.102
1.8.7 v1.20.9-gke.102
1.8.6 v1.20.9-gke.102
1.8.5 v1.20.9-gke.102
1.8.4 v1.20.9-gke.101
1.8.3 v1.20.9-gke.101
1.8.2 v1.20.8-gke.1500
1.8.1 v1.20.5-gke.1301
1.8.0 v1.20.5-gke.1301
1.7 (unsupported) March 25, 2021 December 25, 2021 1.7.7 v1.19.14-gke.2201
1.7.6 v1.19.14-gke.2201
1.7.5 v1.19.14-gke.2201
1.7.4 v1.19.14-gke.400
1.7.3 v1.19.13-gke.100
1.7.2 v1.19.10-gke.1602
1.7.1 v1.19.7-gke.1200
1.7.0 v1.19.7-gke.1200
1.6 (unsupported) November 30, 2020 August 30, 2021 1.6.4 v1.18.20-gke.3000
1.6.3 v1.18.18-gke.100
1.6.2 v1.18.6-gke.6600
1.6.1 v1.18.6-gke.6600
1.6.0 v1.18.6-gke.6600

Supported features

This document lists the availability of features and capabilities for Google Distributed Cloud for supported releases. The table is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but it highlights some of the benefits of upgrading your clusters to the latest supported version.

Features listed as Preview are covered by the Pre-GA Offerings Terms of the Google Cloud Terms of Service. Pre-GA products and features might have limited support, and changes to pre-GA products and features might not be compatible with other pre-GA versions. For more information, see the launch stage descriptions. Preview offerings are intended for use in test environments only.

Features listed as General Availability (GA) are fully supported, open to all customers, and ready for production use.

Feature/capability 1.15 (unsupported) 1.16 1.28 1.29 (latest)
Admin cluster support for multiple user cluster versions - - - Preview
Alerting policies Preview Preview Preview Preview
VM Runtime on Google Distributed Cloud GA GA GA GA
Azure Active Directory (AD) groups GA GA GA GA
BGP-based Load Balancer support for IPv6 GA GA GA GA
Binary Authorization Preview GA GA GA
Bundled load balancing with BGP GA GA GA GA
Cloud Audit Logging GA GA GA GA
Cluster backup and restore CLI support GA GA GA GA
Cluster Certificate Authorities (CAs) rotation GA GA GA GA
Cluster node reset CLI support GA GA GA GA
Cluster upgrade pause and resume - - Preview Preview
containerd container runtime GA GA GA GA
Control group v2 GA GA GA GA
Custom Certificate Authorities - Preview GA GA
Dataplane V2 Direct Server Return (DSR) load balancing forwarding mode - Preview GA GA
Dynamic Flat IP with Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) GA GA GA GA
Egress NAT gateway GA GA GA GA
Flat IPv4 mode (static) GA GA GA GA
Flat IPv6 support (BGP mode) GA GA GA GA
GKE Identity Service v2 - - Preview GA
IPv4/IPv6 Dual Stack GA GA GA GA
KSA support GA GA GA GA
Managed Collector for Google Cloud Managed Service for Prometheus GA GA GA GA
Multi-Cluster Connectivity Preview Preview Preview Preview
Multi-NIC for Pods GA GA GA GA
Network Gateway for GDC Preview Preview Preview Preview
Node problem detector GA GA GA GA
Parallel node upgrades GA GA GA GA
Parallel node pool upgrades Preview GA GA GA
Performance Tuning Operator - Preview Preview Preview
Private registry support for nodes - - - Preview
Registry mirror support GA GA GA GA
Secure computing mode (seccomp) GA GA GA GA
Skip node pool version upgrade - - Preview GA
SR-IOV networking GA GA GA GA
Summary API metrics GA GA GA GA
VPC Service Controls Preview GA GA GA
Worker node pool upgrade rollback - - - Preview
Workload identity GA GA GA GA

Shared Responsibility Model

Running a business-critical production application on Google Distributed Cloud requires multiple parties to carry different responsponsibilities. While not an exhaustive list, the following sections list the roles and responsibilities.

Google responsibilities

  • Maintenance and distribution of the Google Distributed Cloud software package.
  • Notifying users of available upgrades for Google Distributed Cloud, and producing upgrade scripts for the previous version; Google Distributed Cloud supports sequential upgrades only (example: 1.2 → 1.3 → 1.4 and not 1.2 → 1.4).
  • Operating the Connect and Cloud Operations services.
  • Troubleshooting, providing workarounds, and correcting the root cause of any issues related to Google-provided components

User responsibilities

  • Overall system administration for on-premises clusters.
  • Maintaining any application workload deployed on the cluster.
  • Running, maintaining, and patching the data center infrastructure, including networking, servers, operating system, storage, and connectivity to Google Cloud.
  • Running, maintaining, and patching network load balancers if manual load balancer option is chosen.
  • Upgrading Google Distributed Cloud versions regularly.
  • Monitoring of the cluster and applications, and responding to any incidents.
  • Ensuring Cloud Operations agents are deployed to clusters.
  • Providing Google with environmental details for troubleshooting purposes.

Developer Support

Google doesn't provide support specifically for your application workloads. However, we do provide best-effort developer support to ensure your developers can run applications on Google Distributed Cloud. We believe that engaging earlier during development can prevent critical incidents later in the deployment.

This best-effort Developer Support is available to customers with any paid support package and is treated as a P3 priority for an issue blocking a launch, or a P4 priority for general consultation. In this classification, priority level 0 is the highest priority.