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OS Patching

Palette deploys Kubernetes clusters using pre-built VM images. The operating system (OS) on these images is the latest patch version when building the image for the supported major-minor streams. For example, if Ubuntu 18.04 is selected for the OS layer during provisioning, the OS on the cluster nodes might be using 18.04.3 LTE, assuming that was the latest version available at the time the VM image was built. However, newer versions continue to be published in the upstream repositories as improvements, bug fixes, and security patches are released.

OS Patching allows the operating system on the running cluster nodes to be updated to the latest patch version so that it is up-to-date with the latest fixes. Assume Ubuntu 18.04.4 LTE and 18.04.5 LTE are released over time to fix important security issues. The OS Patching operation will identify 18.04.5 as the latest version and upgrade it on the cluster nodes.

The following options are available for OS patching:

  • Patch OS on boot
  • Enable scheduled patching
  • Patch OS on-demand

You can use a combination of these options to patch the operating system to the latest version. For example, you can patch OS on boot, set up scheduled patching every month, and also perform on-demand patches at any given point in time.

Patch OS on Boot​

During the cluster creation, while configuring the cluster, you can select Patch OS on boot. In this case, the operating system on all cluster nodes will be updated to the latest when the cluster VMs are initially deployed.

Prerequisites​

  • A cluster profile in Palette.

Instructions​

  1. Log in to Palette.

  2. From the left Main Menu, click Cluster. And then, click Create Cluster. Proceed in the cluster creation wizard until you reach the Settings step.

    For more information on cluster creation, refer to the Clusters section and any page that is relevant to your choice of cloud provider.

  3. In the Setting step, click on the Manage machines tab, and select the checkbox for Patch OS on boot and Reboot if required.

    The Reboot if required option allows your nodes to reboot if an OS patch requires a reboot. If you do not select this option, your node will not be able to reboot even if a patch requires it and the respective patch may not succeed.

  4. Finish cluster creation and deploy your cluster.

Validate​

  1. Log in to Palette.

  2. Click on the cluster you patched to view cluster details.

  3. Click on the Nodes tab of the cluster details page. You can find the current OS version and when the most recent patch was applied.

    FieldDescription
    Last Applied Patch TimeThe date and time of the last OS patch.
    Patched VersionThe latest patched version.

Enable Scheduled Patching​

Palette also supports OS patching through a schedule. The patching schedule can be set initially when creating a cluster and at any given point later.

Prerequisites​

  • A cluster profile in Palette.

Instructions​

  1. Log in to Palette.

  2. Navigate to the Main Menu and click on Clusters.

  3. Click on the cluster for which you want to enable scheduled patching to view its details.

  4. In the upper-right corner, click on Settings and select Cluster settings. And then, click on the Machine Management tab.

  5. Select a patching schedule in the OS Patching Schedule field, and then select the Reboot if required checkbox.

    The Reboot if required option allows your nodes to reboot if an OS patch requires a reboot. If you do not select this option, your node will not be able to reboot even if a patch requires it and the respective patch may not succeed.

Validate​

  1. Log in to Palette.

  2. Click on the cluster you patched to view cluster details.

  3. Click on the Nodes tab of cluster details page. You can find the current OS version and when the most recent patch was applied.

    FieldDescription
    Last Applied Patch TimeThe date and time of the last OS patch.
    Patched VersionThe latest patched version.

Perform On-Demand Patching​

You can request an on-demand OS patch after creating a cluster. This option allows you to you to perform immediate updates.

Limitations​

  • This operation is not available for existing Kubernetes clusters imported into Palette.
  • This operation is not available for managed Kubernetes Services such as EKS and AKS.
    • For EKS clusters, you can trigger OS updates from Palette. This would request AWS to update cluster node groups to the latest patch version.

Prerequisite​

  • An active cluster in Palette.

Instructions​

  1. Log in to Palette.

  2. From the left Main Menu, click Cluster. Select the cluster you want to patch to view cluster details.

  3. In the upper-right corner, click on Settings and select On-Demand Update. This will trigger an OS update immediately if a newer version is available.

Validate​

  1. Log in to Palette.

  2. Click on the cluster you patched to view cluster details.

  3. Click on the Nodes tab of the cluster details page. You can find the current OS version and when the most recent patch was applied.

    FieldDescription
    Last Applied Patch TimeThe date and time of the last OS patch.
    Patched VersionThe latest patched version.