Version history

This page explains Anthos clusters on VMware (GKE on-prem) versioning.

Versioning schema

The Anthos clusters on VMware 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.
Patch versions (X.Y.Z-gke.N)
Patch versions are generally small, and include fixes and security updates. New features aren't generally introduced. -gke.N is the version's release candidate number.

Anthos clusters on VMware versions

The following Anthos clusters on VMware versions are fully supported, offering the latest patches and updates for security vulnerabilities, exposures, and issues impacting Anthos clusters on VMware. For more details, see the release notes.

VersionRelease dateDownloadsDocumentation
1.16.0-gke.669 August 23, 2023 1.16 Downloads 1.16 docs
1.15.4-gke.37 September 1, 2023 1.15 Downloads 1.15 docs
1.15.3-gke.47 August 10, 2023 1.15 Downloads 1.15 docs
1.15.2-gke.44 July 10, 2023 1.15 Downloads 1.15 docs
1.15.1-gke.40 June 1, 2023 1.15 Downloads 1.15 docs
1.15.0-gke.581 May 2, 2023 1.15 Downloads 1.15 docs
1.14.7-gke.42 August 17, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.6-gke.23 July 6, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.5-gke.41 June 14, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.4-gke.54 May 1, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.3-gke.25 April 3, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.2-gke.37 March 7, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.1-gke.39 January 31, 2023 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs
1.14.0-gke.430 December 21, 2022 1.14 Downloads 1.14 docs

Kubernetes and node kernel versions

For each Anthos clusters on VMware version, the following table shows the Kubernetes version, the Linux kernel version and the latest qualified Windows kernel version for the cluster nodes:

Anthos clusters on VMware version Kubernetes version Node kernel version
1.16.0-gke.669 1.27.4-gke.1600 5.15.0.1024.29 (ubuntu), 5.15.107 (cos), 10.0.17763.4645 (Windows)
1.15.4-gke.37 1.26.7-gke.2500 5.15.0.1025.30 (ubuntu), 5.15.120 (cos), 10.0.17763.4645 (windows)
1.15.3-gke.47 1.26.5-gke.2100 5.15.0.1024.29 (ubuntu), 5.15.107 (cos), 10.0.17763.4645 (windows)
1.15.2-gke.44 1.26.2-gke.1001 5.15.0.1021.26 (ubuntu), 5.15.107 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.15.1-gke.40 1.26.2-gke.1001 5.15.0.1019.24 (ubuntu), 5.15.107 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.15.0-gke.581 1.26.2-gke.1001 5.15.0.1017.22 (ubuntu), 5.15.89 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.14.7-gke.42 v1.25.10-gke.2100 5.15.0.1024.29 (ubuntu), 5.15.120 (cos), 10.0.17763.4645 (windows)
1.14.6-gke.23 v1.25.10-gke.1200 5.15.0.1019.24 (ubuntu), 5.15.89 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.14.5-gke.41 v1.25.8-gke.1500 5.15.0.1019.24 (ubuntu), 5.15.89 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.14.4-gke.54 v1.25.8-gke.1500 5.15.0.1017.22 (ubuntu), 5.15.89 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.14.3-gke.25 v1.25.5-gke.100 5.15.0.1016.21 (ubuntu), 5.15.89 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.14.2-gke.37 v1.25.5-gke.100 5.15.0.1015.19 (ubuntu), 5.15.65 (cos), 10.0.17763.3887 (windows)
1.14.1-gke.39 v1.25.5-gke.100 5.15.0.1012.16 (ubuntu), 5.15.65 (cos), 10.0.17763.3650 (windows)
1.14.0-gke.430 v1.25.5-gke.100 5.15.0.1008.12 (ubuntu), 5.15.65 (cos), 10.0.17763.3650 (windows)

Versioned entities

Each Anthos clusters on VMware 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-1.6.1-gke.1.ova

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

gkectl The command-line interface to Anthos clusters on VMware. 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

Security updates

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

Version compatibility

Virtualization layer

1.16 1.15 1.14 1.13 1.12
Version

vSphere 8.0

vSphere 7.0 Update 2+

vSphere 8.0 (Preview)

vSphere 7.0 Update 2+

vSphere 7.0 Update 1+

vSphere 7.0 Update 1+

vSphere 6.7 Update 3+

vSphere 7.0 Update 1+
Edition vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher vSphere Standard * or higher

Networking options

1.16 1.15 1.14 1.13 1.12
vSphere standard switch Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
vSphere distributed switch Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
vSphere NSX-T † Yes ‡ Yes ‡ Yes ‡ Yes ‡ Yes ‡

Load balancing options

1.16 1.15 1.14 1.13 1.12
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

F5 Big-IP Controller v1.14.0

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

Storage options

1.16 1.15 1.14 1.13 1.12
vSAN (optional)

vSAN 8.0

vSAN 8.0

vSAN 7.0 Update 1+

vSAN 7.0 Update 1+

vSAN 6.7 Update 3+

vSAN 7.0 Update 1+
vSphere-compatible storage (SAN/DAS/SDS) Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Storage DRS No No No No No
CSI storage providers See Anthos 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.