This page describes the support policies for operating system (OS) images on Compute Engine.
Support options
The following support options are available on Google Cloud.
Basic support
If you have basic support, you can post questions related to your OS in the Google Cloud Community forums for Compute Engine.
Standard, Extended, or Premium support
If you have a paid support service (Standard, Extended, or Premium support), review the policy for the license type to understand the support model that applies.
Support policy by license type
On Google Cloud the following license types are available for your OS images:
- Pay-as-you-go (PAYG)/ On-demand: you pay Google Cloud a license fee to use this OS image. For support policy, see Support policy for PAYG/On-demand OS images.
- Bring your own license (BYOL)/Bring your own subscription (BYOS): you pay a subscription or other license fee directly to the OS vendor. For support policy, see Support policy for BYOS/BYOL OS images.
- Free: you don't pay a license fee to use this OS image. For support policy, see Support policy for free OS images.
For some operating systems, multiple license types might be available. To manage the licenses that are attached to your operating systems, see View and append license.
Support policy for PAYG/On-demand licenses
If you have a paid support service with Google Cloud, the following support policies apply to any OS that use a PAYG/On-demand license.
The following support policy applies to all lifecycle stages.
| Operating system | Google Cloud Support policy | Additional resources |
|---|---|---|
|
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the
guest environment and offers
guidance on how to resolve any issues identified that are
within scope. If needed, Google Cloud Support engages directly with the OS vendor to help resolve the issue. |
For more information about support for each of these OS, review the
following: |
|
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the
guest environment and offers
guidance on how to resolve any issues identified that are
within scope. However, if the issue is identified to be associated with the Ubuntu Pro OS, you will need to contact Canonical. |
Ubuntu Pro FAQ |
Support policy for BYOS/BYOL licenses
If you have a paid support service with Google Cloud, the following support policies apply to any OS that use a BYOS/BYOL license.
The following support policy applies to all lifecycle stages.
| Operating system | Google Cloud Support policy | Additional resources |
|---|---|---|
|
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the
guest environment and offers
guidance on how to resolve any issues identified that are
within scope. However, if the issue is identified to be associated with the OS itself, you will need to contact the OS vendor that you purchased the image license from. |
For more information about support for each of these OS, review the
following: |
Support policy for free licenses
If you have a paid support service with Google Cloud, the following support policies apply to any OS that use a free license.
The following support policy applies to all lifecycle stages.
| Operating system | Google Cloud Support policy | Additional resources |
|---|---|---|
|
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the
guest environment and offers
guidance on how to resolve any issues identified that are
within scope. If needed, Google Cloud Support engages directly with CIQ to help resolve the issue. |
N/A |
|
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the
guest environment and offers
guidance on how to resolve any issues identified. However, if the issue is identified to be associated with the OS itself, you will need to use the community support options that are available for this OS. |
For more information about community support for each of these OS,
review the following: |
Support scope
Google Cloud Support troubleshoots the guest environment and offers guidance on how to resolve any issues identified. Review the following sections to see what issues are within scope for support.
Within scope for support
The following issues are within scope for Google Cloud Support:
- Issues with Google Cloud products and services.
Issues with OS image configurations that are in the following category:
- Configurations that are part of the default settings from the OS vendor.
- Configurations that are done by Google Cloud. See the Image configuration section on the Operating system details page.
Issues with agents and packages installed by Google Cloud. See Guest environment.
Out-of-scope for support
The following issues are not supported by Google Cloud Support:
- Issues with OS images that have substantial modifications or
optimizations. These include but are not limited to:
- Operating systems where the kernel is replaced
- Operating systems where the init system is replaced
- Operating systems with third-party kernel modules
- Issues with user-installed applications
- Issues that can't be replicated or reproduced in a generic environment
What's next
- Learn more about OS image lifecycle.