Version 1.8. This version is no longer supported. For information about how to upgrade to version 1.9, see Upgrading Anthos on bare metal in the 1.9 documentation. For more information about supported and unsupported versions, see the Version history page in the latest documentation.
You must configure the base operating system of your node machines to use
Google Distributed Cloud. This page contains the steps you need to take to complete the
needed configuration.
For more information about troubleshooting Google Distributed Cloud requirements,
see the known issues.
Before you begin
Ensure you are using a supported version of your operating system.
Google Distributed Cloud supports the following versions for Ubuntu:
18.04.x where x >= 2
20.04
Validate package manager:
sudo apt-get check
The output should show no errors and look similar to the following example:
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-04 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis page details the necessary configurations for Ubuntu operating systems to be compatible with Google Distributed Cloud.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eSupported Ubuntu versions for Google Distributed Cloud include 18.04.x (where x >= 2) and 20.04.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUsers must disable the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) using \u003ccode\u003esudo ufw disable\u003c/code\u003e and verify its status by running \u003ccode\u003esudo ufw status\u003c/code\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud facilitates the installation or upgrade of Docker to version 19.03.13 or later on bare metal machines.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eBefore configuring Docker, all previous versions of Docker should be uninstalled, the package manager should be updated, and then the new Docker version 19.03+ should be installed.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Configuring Ubuntu\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nConfiguring Ubuntu\n------------------\n\nYou must configure the base operating system of your node machines to use\nGoogle Distributed Cloud. This page contains the steps you need to take to complete the\nneeded configuration.\nFor more information about troubleshooting Google Distributed Cloud requirements,\nsee the [known issues](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.8/troubleshooting/known-issues).\n\n### Before you begin\n\nEnsure you are using a supported version of your operating system.\nGoogle Distributed Cloud supports the following versions for Ubuntu:\n\n- 18.04.x where x \\\u003e= 2\n- 20.04\n\nValidate package manager: \n\n sudo apt-get check\n\nThe output should show no errors and look similar to the following example: \n\n # Reading package lists... Done\n # Building dependency tree\n # Reading state information... Done\n\n| **Note:** Starting with Google Distributed Cloud 1.8.2, you aren't required to disable AppArmor. If you are deploying clusters using an earlier Google Distributed Cloud release, see the [instructions to disable AppArmor](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/installing/configure-os/ubuntu#disabling_apparmor).\n\nDisable Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW)\n------------------------------------\n\n1. Disable `ufw`:\n\n sudo ufw disable\n\n2. Check that `ufw` is disabled:\n\n sudo ufw status\n # Status: inactive\n\nConfiguring Docker 19.03+ on your workstation\n---------------------------------------------\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud helps you install Docker on your bare metal machines in the\nfollowing scenarios:\n\n- If your bare metal machines don't have Docker installed, `bmctl` installs 19.03.13 or later.\n- If your bare metal machines have Docker 19.03.5 or earlier installed, `bmctl` upgrades Docker to version 19.03.13 or later.\n\n| **Note:** The workstation running `bmctl` needs non-root user access to Docker to start the temporary bootstrap (kind) cluster during installation. To enable non-root user access to Docker, go to [Manage Docker as a non-root user](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/linux-postinstall/#manage-docker-as-a-non-root-user).\n\nFollow these steps to manually install Docker:\n\n1. Remove any previous Docker version:\n\n sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc\n\n2. Update your package manager:\n\n sudo apt-get update\n\n3. Install Docker 19.03+:\n\n sudo apt-get install \\\n apt-transport-https \\\n ca-certificates \\\n curl \\\n gnupg-agent \\\n software-properties-common \\\n docker.io\n\n4. Verify you are now running version 19.03+:\n\n sudo docker version\n\n5. Compare your output with the following example to ensure the Client and Server versions are 19.03+ :\n\n Client: Docker Engine - Community\n Version: 19.03.13\n ...\n Server: Docker Engine - Community\n Engine:\n Version: 19.03.13"]]
