Cloud Container image updates are coming this week
Beginning this week, we’re going to automatically update all Cloud Containers running older image versions. This post explains the process, and why older images are becoming a problem.
When we launched the Cloud Container platform in 2016 it was built on the latest stable Ubuntu OS available, 14.04 Trusty. As part of our commitment to never stop improving reliability, stability and security we’ve been keeping up with newer releases by creating images on Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial and, since the beginning of this year, Ubuntu 20.04 Focal. All infrastructure, as well as Cloud Containers with Server Management, have since been updated.
Automatic Cloud Container image updates are part of our optional Server Management service. For unmanaged Cloud Containers, updating images has been up to each user. But some older images are starting to create issues, which is why we’re becoming more proactive. (If you want your images kept up to date before issues arise in the future, talk to us about Server Management.)
As an example, on the 30th of September 2021 we saw the expiry of a Let’s Encrypt root certificate, which caused some disruption on the oldest versions of our Cloud Container images. We urgently rolled out a patch to get it sorted, but this is becoming a trend with software packages losing support as operating systems start reaching End of Life. To prevent similar issues from popping up, we want to take this opportunity to make sure that all Cloud Containers are up to date.
Updating Your Cloud Container Images
A full list of the Cloud Containers can be found within our Control Panel. Any Cloud Containers with a newer image version available will have an "NV" icon highlighted next to them which can be updated by following these steps to swap the image.
"NV" appears alongside the image description of containers with a newer version available.
While we roll out the updates this week, you’ll have the option to rollback if for some reason you find that your container isn’t working as expected. Before rolling back, it would be worth checking the log files that can be found under the /container/logs/ directory. These logs should have useful information to help you identify whether the issue is something that can be quickly fixed on the new image version.
Rolling Back
Rolling your container's version back is simple enough, you just follow the same method used to update the image. The only difference is, when you select the "Container Image" drop-down, you will see the previous image version listed. Do note however that this rollback feature will only be present for 7 days from when you first update the image.
If you do run into any issues and have to rollback, please get in touch via email at support@sitehost.co.nz, or phone us on 0800 484 537.
These essential updates allow you to keep your Cloud Containers as secure and stable as possible, so we thank you for your understanding.