Version history

This page explains Google Distributed Cloud versioning.

Google Distributed Cloud versions

The following Google Distributed Cloud versions are fully supported, offering the latest patches and updates for security vulnerabilities, exposures, and issues impacting Google Distributed Cloud.

Release 1.29

Version Release date Kubernetes version Node kernel version
1.29.100-gke.248 May 16, 2024 v1.29.4-gke.200 5.15.0.1043.43 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.146 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.29.0-gke.1456 April 29, 2024 v1.29.3-gke.600 5.15.0.1039.38 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.146 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)

For more information, see the following:

Release 1.28

Version Release date Kubernetes version Node kernel version
1.28.500-gke.121 May 9, 2024 v1.28.8-gke.2000 5.15.0.1040.39 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.146 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.28.400-gke.75 April 17, 2024 v1.28.7-gke.1700 5.15.0.1039.38 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.146 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.28.300-gke.123 March 21, 2024 v1.28.4-gke.1400 5.15.0.1037.36 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.146 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.28.200-gke.111 February 26, 2024 v1.28.4-gke.1400 5.15.0.1035.34 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.146 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.28.100-gke.131 January 25, 2024 v1.28.3-gke.1600 5.15.0.1031.30 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.133 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.4974 (Windows)
1.28.0-gke.651 December 18, 2023 v1.28.3-gke.700 5.15.0.1031.30 (ubuntu 22.04), 5.15.133 (cos m105), 10.0.17763.4974 (Windows)

For more information, see the following:

Release 1.16

Version Release date Kubernetes version Node kernel version
1.16.9-gke.40 June 3, 2024 v1.27.13-gke.500 5.15.0.1045.52 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.155 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.5696 (Windows)
1.16.8-gke.19 April 25, 2024 v1.27.12-gke.1000 5.15.0.1040.46 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.146 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.16.7-gke.46 April 9, 2024 v1.27.10-gke.500 5.15.0.1039.45 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.146 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.16.6-gke.40 February 29, 2024 v1.27.8-gke.1500 5.15.0-1036.42 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.146 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.5329 (Windows)
1.16.5-gke.28 January 25, 2024 v1.27.6-gke.2500 5.15.0.1034.40 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.133 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.4974 (Windows)
1.16.4-gke.37 December 18, 2023 v1.27.6-gke.2500 5.15.0-1033.39 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.133 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.4974 (Windows)
1.16.3-gke.45 November 16, 2023 v1.27.4-gke.1600 5.15.0.1031.37 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.133 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.4645 (Windows)
1.16.2-gke.28 October 19, 2023 v1.27.4-gke.1600 5.15.0.1028.33 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.120 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.4645 (Windows)
1.16.1-gke.45 September 29, 2023 v1.27.4-gke.1600 5.15.0.1026.31 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.120 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.4645 (Windows)
1.16.0-gke.669 August 23, 2023 v1.27.4-gke.1600 5.15.0.1024.29 (ubuntu 20.04), 5.15.107 (cos m101), 10.0.17763.4645 (Windows)

For more information, see the following:

To determine whether an upgrade contains security updates, see the release notes and the Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) security bulletins.

Versioning schema

The Google Distributed Cloud version has the form X.Y.Z.-gke.N.

Major version (X)
Major versions introduce backward incompatible changes.
Minor versions (X.Y)
Minor versions generally introduce new functionality. For easier identification of the Kubernetes version for a given release, we are aligning Google Distributed Cloud version numbering with GKE version numbering. This change starts with the December 2023 minor release, which is version 1.28.
Patch versions (X.Y.Z-gke.N)
Patch versions are generally small, and include fixes and security updates. New features aren't generally introduced. Starting with Google Distributed Cloud 1.28, patch release numbers will increment by 100. The suffix -gke.N is the version's release candidate number.

Versioned entities

Each Google Distributed Cloud release includes the following versioned entities:

Entity Description
gkeadm The command-line tool for creating and managing admin workstations. To check the version, run gkeadm version.
Admin workstation OVA

Open virtual appliance (OVA) for the admin workstation. Contains the OS image for the admin workstation along with the cluster bundle and the gkectl command-line tool.

The version number is part of the filename—for example:

gke-on-prem-admin-appliance-vsphere-1.29.100-gke.248.ova

For more information, see the Open Virtualization Format Specification PDF.

gkectl The command-line interface to Google Distributed Cloud. Create and manage clusters, create configuration files, and run preflight checks. Included in the admin workstation OVA. To check the version, run gkectl version.
Cluster bundle

An archive that contains cluster components and the operating system image for cluster nodes. Included in the admin workstation OVA.

The version number is part of the filename—for example:

gke-onprem-vsphere-1.6.1-gke.1.tgz

Version compatibility

Virtualization layer

1.29 1.28 1.16 1.15
Version

vSphere 8.0

vSphere 7.0 Update 2+

vSphere 8.0

vSphere 7.0 Update 2+

vSphere 8.0

vSphere 7.0 Update 2+

vSphere 8.0 (Preview)

vSphere 7.0 Update 2+
Edition vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher

Networking options

1.29 1.28 1.16 1.15
vSphere standard switch Yes Yes Yes Yes
vSphere distributed switch Yes Yes Yes Yes
vSphere NSX-T † Yes ‡ Yes ‡ Yes ‡ Yes ‡

Load balancing options

1.29 1.28 1.16 1.15
F5 BIG-IP #

F5 Big-IP Controller v1.14.0

Compatible with BIG-IP v12.x-v15.x

F5 Big-IP Controller v1.14.0

Compatible with BIG-IP v12.x-v15.x

F5 Big-IP Controller v1.14.0

Compatible with BIG-IP v12.x-v15.x

F5 Big-IP Controller v1.14.0

Compatible with BIG-IP v12.x-v15.x
Manual load balancing mode Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bundled load balancer (Google provided) Yes Yes Yes Yes

Storage options

1.29 1.28 1.16 1.15
vSAN (optional)

vSAN 8.0

vSAN 8.0

vSAN 8.0

vSAN 8.0
vSphere-compatible storage (SAN/DAS/SDS) Yes Yes Yes Yes
Storage DRS Manual Mode Manual Mode Manual Mode Manual Mode
CSI storage providers See GDCV Ready storage partners.

Notes

* vSphere Enterprise is the recommended edition.

† NSX-V is not supported.

‡ The minimum supported version of NSX-T is 2.4.2. Support includes node networking for inter-node communication. Pod networking, ingress, and NSX-T CNI integration are not supported. NSX-V is not supported.

# For an up-to-date compatibility matrix for F5, see Releases and versioning.