Operating system details

This page provides general operating system (OS) details and featuresupport for theOS imagesthat are available on Compute Engine.

Some OS images are customized specifically to run onCompute Engine and have notable differences from the standard imagesthat come directly from the operating system vendors. These differences arealso covered for each OS.

For information about how support and maintenance is provided for theseOS images on Compute Engine, based on support package, license type,and image lifecycle stage, seeSupport and maintenance policy for OS images.

CentOS

Caution: CentOS operating systems have reachedtheir end of development and support. For more information,seeCentOS EOS guidance.

CentOS Linux is a free operating system that is derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Google Cloud builds and supports the CentOS images available for Compute Engine. There is no license fee for using CentOS with Compute Engine.

CentOS Stream is a distribution that is continuously delivered and tracks just ahead of RHEL development. CentOS Stream is positioned as a midstream development platform between Fedora Linux and RHEL.

Automatic updates

By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using thednf-automatic tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

  • Thednf-automatic tool does not upgrade VMs between major versions of the operating system.
  • The upgrade tool is configured to only apply updates marked by the vendor as security updates.
  • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
Image configuration

The CentOS Stream images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard CentOS Stream images:

Account configuration

  • There are no local users configured with passwords.

Bootloader configuration

  • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.

Network configuration

  • IPv6 is enabled.
  • The SSH server configuration is set up as follows:
    • Password authentication is disabled.
    • To prevent SSH disconnections,ServerAliveInterval andClientAliveInterval are set to 7 minutes.
    • Root login is disabled.
  • /etc/udev/rules.d/75-persistent-net-generator.rules is disabled.
  • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules is removed.
  • By default, all traffic is allowed through the guest firewall because theVPC firewall rules overrides the guest firewallrules. The guest firewall rules remains enabled and can be configured through normal CentOS methods.
  • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

Package system and repository configuration

  • Google Cloud repositories are enabled to install packages for the Compute Engineguest environment and theGoogle Cloud CLI.
    • Repositories are set to use the CentOS default mirror network.
      • Automatic updates are configured as follows:
        • For CentOS Stream, automatic updates are enabled by usingdnf automatic.
        • For all versions, theupdate_cmd property is set tosecurity.However, by default CentOS does not offer security tagged repositories.

      Storage configuration

      • By default, images are 20 GB. This is the recommended minimum size.
      • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFIpartition to support booting onUEFI.
      • The floppy module is disabled because there is no floppy disk controller on Compute Engine .

      Time configuration

      • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

      GA CentOS versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      CentOS Stream 10centos-cloudcentos-stream-10centos-stream-10-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, and G4GAJanuary 1, 2030
      CentOS Stream 9centos-cloudcentos-stream-9centos-stream-9-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, and G4GAMay 31, 2027

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      CentOS Stream 10YesYesYesNoYesYes
      CentOS Stream 9YesYesYesNoYesYes

      * If a multiple NIC VM is created using this OS image, the VM might lose network connectivity after rebooting. This happens if one of these NICs uses a non-VirtIO interface. For more information, seeknown issues.

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      CentOS Stream 10Yes*YesYesYes†
      CentOS Stream 9Yes*YesYesYes†

      * This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.
      † Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      CentOS Stream 10YesYesYesYes
      CentOS Stream 9YesYesYesYes

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      CentOS Stream 10*YesYesYes
      CentOS Stream 9*YesYesYes

      # Only available with certain machine series.
      ** This OS image has predictable network interface names disabled. Newer image families may have a different network interface naming scheme.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      CentOS Stream 10NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      CentOS Stream 9NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      CentOS Stream 10YesYesYesYesYes
      CentOS Stream 9YesYesYesYesYes

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      CentOS Stream 10YesYesYes
      CentOS Stream 9YesYesYes

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      CentOS Stream 10Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/centos-cloud/global/licenses/centos-stream-10
      CentOS Stream 9Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/centos-cloud/global/licenses/centos-stream-9

      End of support CentOS versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

      Expand to view end-of-support versions

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      CentOS Stream 8centos-cloudcentos-stream-8N/AN1EOSMay 2024
      CentOS 8centos-cloudcentos-8N/AN1EOSDec 2021
      CentOS 7centos-cloudcentos-7N/AN1EOSJune 30, 2024
      CentOS 6centos-cloudcentos-6N/AN1EOSNov 30, 2020

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      CentOS Stream 8YesYesYesNoNoYes
      CentOS 8YesYesYesNoNoYes
      CentOS 7YesYesYes*NoNoYes*
      CentOS 6YesYesNoNoNoYes

      * If a multiple NIC VM is created using this OS image, the VM might lose network connectivity after rebooting. This happens if one of these NICs uses a non-VirtIO interface. For more information, seeknown issues.

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      CentOS Stream 8YesNoNoNo
      CentOS 8YesNoNoNo
      CentOS 7YesNoNoNo
      CentOS 6NoNoNoNo

      * This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.
      † Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      CentOS Stream 8YesYesYesYes
      CentOS 8YesYesYesYes
      CentOS 7YesYesYesYes
      CentOS 6YesNoNoNo

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      CentOS Stream 8*NoNoNo
      CentOS 8*NoNoNo
      CentOS 7*NoNoNo
      CentOS 6*NoNoNo

      # Only available with certain machine series.
      ** This OS image has predictable network interface names disabled. Newer image families may have a different network interface naming scheme.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      CentOS Stream 8EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      CentOS 8EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      CentOS 7EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      CentOS 6NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      CentOS Stream 8YesYesYesYesYes
      CentOS 8YesYesYesYesYes
      CentOS 7YesYesYesYesYes
      CentOS 6NoNoNoNoNo

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      CentOS Stream 8NoNoNo
      CentOS 8NoNoNo
      CentOS 7YesYesYes
      CentOS 6YesYesYes

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      CentOS Stream 8Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/centos-cloud/global/licenses/centos-stream-8
      CentOS 8Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/centos-cloud/global/licenses/centos-8
      CentOS 7Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/centos-cloud/global/licenses/centos-7
      CentOS 6Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/centos-cloud/global/licenses/centos-6

      Container-Optimized OS (COS)

      Container-Optimized OS from Google is an operating system image for your Compute Engine instances that is optimized for running Docker containers. Google Cloud builds and supports the Container-Optimized OS images available for Compute Engine. There is no license fee for using Container-Optimized OS with Compute Engine.

      For more information about Container-Optimized OS, see the Container-Optimized OSoverview orrelease notes.

      Automatic updates

      This operating system can be configured to install security updates by usingAutomatic updates. On versions 117 and later, automatic updates are disabled by default. On versions 113 and earlier, automatic updates are enabled by default.

      The automatic updates have the following behaviors:

      • They don't upgrade instances between major versions of the operating system.
      • They might require reboots to take effect. These reboots don't happen automatically.
      Image configuration

      Network configuration

      • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

      GA COS versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      COS 125 LTScos-cloudcos-125-ltscos-arm64-125-ltsAll except G2GASeptember 2027
      COS 121 LTScos-cloudcos-121-ltscos-arm64-121-ltsAll except A4X Max, G2GAMarch 2027
      COS 117 LTScos-cloudcos-117-ltscos-arm64-117-ltsAll except A4X Max, G4, G2GASeptember 2026
      COS 113 LTScos-cloudcos-113-ltscos-arm64-113-ltsAll except A4X, G4, G2GAApril 2026

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      COS 125 LTSYesYesYesYesYesYes
      COS 121 LTSYesYesYesYesYesYes
      COS 117 LTSYesYesYesYesYesYes
      COS 113 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      COS 125 LTSYesYesYesYes
      COS 121 LTSYesYesYesYes
      COS 117 LTSYesYesYesYes
      COS 113 LTSYesYesYesNo

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      COS 125 LTSYesNoYesYes
      COS 121 LTSYesNoYesYes
      COS 117 LTSYesNoYesYes
      COS 113 LTSYesNoYesYes

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      COS 125 LTSYesYesYes
      COS 121 LTSYesYesYes
      COS 117 LTSYesYesYes
      COS 113 LTSYesYesYes

      # Only available with certain machine series.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      Note:Monitoring of GPU metrics is not available for GPUs running on VMs that use Container-Optimized OS.

      For G2 VMs, the current default driver for Container-Optimized OS, don't support L4 GPUs runningon G2 machine types. You might be able to install a supported version, seeG2 limitations.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      COS 125 LTSYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 121 LTSNoYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 117 LTSNoYesYesYesYesYesNoNoYes
      COS 113 LTSNoNoYesYesYesYesNoNoYes

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      COS 125 LTSYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 121 LTSYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 117 LTSYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 113 LTSYesYesYesNoYes

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      COS 125 LTSNoNoNo
      COS 121 LTSNoNoNo
      COS 117 LTSNoNoNo
      COS 113 LTSNoNoNo

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      COS 125 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/cos-cloud/global/licenses/cos
      COS 121 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/cos-cloud/global/licenses/cos
      COS 117 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/cos-cloud/global/licenses/cos
      COS 113 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/cos-cloud/global/licenses/cos

      End of support COS versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

      Expand to view end-of-support versions

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      COS 109 LTScos-cloudcos-109-ltscos-arm64-109-ltsAll except A4X, G4, G2, X4, C4A-metalEOLSeptember 2025
      COS 105 LTSN/AN/AN/AAll except A4, G2, X4, C3-metal, C4A-metalEOSMarch 2025
      COS 101 LTSN/AN/AN/AN/AEOSSeptember 2024

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      COS 109 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
      COS 105 LTSYesYesYesNoNoYes
      COS 101 LTSYesYesYesNoNoYes

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      COS 109 LTSYesYesYesNo
      COS 105 LTSYesYesYesNo
      COS 101 LTSYesYesYesNo

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      COS 109 LTSYesNoYesYes
      COS 105 LTSYesNoYesYes
      COS 101 LTSYesNoYesYes

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      COS 109 LTSYesYesYes
      COS 105 LTSYesYesYes
      COS 101 LTSYesYesYes

      # Only available with certain machine series.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      Note:Monitoring of GPU metrics is not available for GPUs running on VMs that use Container-Optimized OS.

      For G2 VMs, the current default driver for Container-Optimized OS, don't support L4 GPUs runningon G2 machine types. You might be able to install a supported version, seeG2 limitations.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      COS 109 LTSNoNoYesYesYesYesNoNoYes
      COS 105 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      COS 101 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      COS 109 LTSYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 105 LTSYesYesYesNoYes
      COS 101 LTSYesYesYesNoYes

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      COS 109 LTSNoNoNo
      COS 105 LTSNoNoNo
      COS 101 LTSNoNoNo

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      COS 109 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/cos-cloud/global/licenses/cos
      COS 105 LTSFreeEOS
      COS 101 LTSFreeEOS

      Debian

      Debian is a free operating system offered by theDebian community. Google Cloud builds and supports the Debian images available for Compute Engine. There is no license fee for using Debian with Compute Engine.

      Automatic updates

      By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using the DebianUnattendedUpgrades tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

      • TheUnattendedUpgrades tool does not upgrade VMs between major versions of the operating system.
      • TheUnattendedUpgrades tool is configured to only automatically apply updates obtained from the Debian security repository.
      • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
      Image configuration

      The Debian image build configuration is available in anopen source GitHub repository.

      Debian images are always built with the latest Debian packages which reflect the most recentDebian point release.

      The Debian images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard Debian images:

      Account configuration

      • There are no local users configured with passwords.

      Bootloader configuration

      • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.
      • To allow SCSI block multi-queue usage,scsi_mod.use_blk_mq is enabled.

      Network configuration

      • IPv6 is enabled.
      • The SSH server configuration is set up as follows:
        • Password authentication is disabled.
        • Root login is disabled.
      • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules is removed.
      • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

      Package system and repository configuration

      • Google Cloud repositories are enabled to install packages for the Compute Engineguest environment and theGoogle Cloud CLI. The guest environment packages and the Google Cloud CLI packages are installed and enabled by default.
      • The APT sources are set to use the Debian CDN.
      • TheUnattended-upgrades package is installed and configured to download and install Debian security updates daily. This can be configured or disabled by changing the values in/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades and/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02periodic.
      • Thecloud-initramfs-growroot package is removed and replaced with the Google supportedgce-disk-expand package.
      • Thelinux-image-cloud-amd64 kernel is installed instead of the generic Debian kernel.
      • Thehaveged package is installed to provide entropy.
      • (Debian 13 only) Thegce-configs-trixie package is installed to enable VM serial port logging and ssh-in-browser, which requires additional configuration due to systemd updates in Debian 13.
      • (Debian 13 only) Thegce-configs-trixie package also provides thegoogle-keyring.gpg key installed to/etc/apt/keyrings to comply withupdated repository authentication guidance. The/etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-cloud.list file uses this key to authenticate againstGoogle Cloud repositories.

      Storage configuration

      • Images are 10 GB by default.
      • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFI partition to support booting onUEFI. There is also an MBR boot block to support BIOS.
      • The floppy module is disabled because there is no floppy disk controller on Compute Engine.

      Time configuration

      • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

      GA Debian versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      Debian 13debian-clouddebian-13debian-13-arm64All except A4X Max, A4XGAJune 30, 2030
      Debian 12debian-clouddebian-12debian-12-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, X4, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3-metalGAJune 30, 2028
      Debian 11debian-clouddebian-11N/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, G4, A4, A3 Ultra, X4, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3-metalGAAugust 31, 2026

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      Debian 13YesYesYesNoYesYes
      Debian 12YesYesYesNoNoYes
      Debian 11YesYesYesNoNoYes

      * This OS image supports NVMe but does not include all optimizations for NVMe.

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      Debian 13YesYesYesNo
      Debian 12YesYesNoNo
      Debian 11YesYesNoNo

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      Debian 13YesYesYesYes
      Debian 12YesYesYesYes
      Debian 11YesYesYesYes

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      Debian 13YesYesYes†
      Debian 12YesYesYes†
      Debian 11YesNo*Yes†

      * You canupdate the gVNIC driver to the latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitations section of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".
      † Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. For more information, seeJumbo frames.
      # Only available with certain machine series.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      Debian 13NoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
      Debian 12NoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
      Debian 11NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      Debian 13YesYesYesYesYes
      Debian 12YesYesYesYesYes
      Debian 11YesYesYesYesYes

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      Debian 13NoNoNo
      Debian 12NoNoNo
      Debian 11YesYesYes

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      Debian 13Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/debian-cloud/global/licenses/debian-13-trixie
      Debian 12Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/debian-cloud/global/licenses/debian-12-bookworm
      Debian 11Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/debian-cloud/global/licenses/debian-11-bullseye

      End of support Debian versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

      Expand to view end-of-support versions

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      Debian 11 ArmN/AN/AN/AN/AEOSAugust 15, 2024
      Debian 10N/AN/AN/AN/AEOSJune 30, 2024

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      Debian 11 ArmYesYesYesNoNoYes
      Debian 10YesYesNoNoNoYes

      * This OS image supports NVMe but does not include all optimizations for NVMe.

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      Debian 11 ArmYesYesNoNo
      Debian 10YesNoNoNo

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      Debian 11 ArmYesYesYesYes
      Debian 10YesYesYesNo

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      Debian 11 ArmEOSEOSEOS
      Debian 10NoNoYes†

      * You canupdate the gVNIC driver to the latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitations section of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".
      † Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. For more information, seeJumbo frames.
      # Only available with certain machine series.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      Debian 11 ArmEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      Debian 10EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      Debian 11 ArmYesYesYesYesYes
      Debian 10YesYesYesYesYes

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      Debian 11 ArmYesYesYes
      Debian 10YesYesYes

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      Debian 11 ArmEOSEOS
      Debian 10EOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/debian-cloud/global/licenses/debian-10-buster

      Fedora CoreOS

      Fedora CoreOS is a distribution that provides features that are needed to run moderninfrastructure stacks. Fedora CoreOS uses Linux containers to manage your servicesat a higher level of abstraction. Google Cloud provides Fedora CoreOSimages built and supported by Fedora. There is no license fee for using Fedora CoreOSwith Compute Engine.

      Automatic updates

      By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using the FedoraCoreOSautomatic update tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

      • These automatic updates from the operating system vendor do not upgrade instances between major versions of the operating system.
      • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
      Image configuration

      Network configuration

      • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

      GA Fedora CoreOS versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      Fedora CoreOS Stablefedora-coreos-cloudfedora-coreos-stablefedora-coreos-stable-arm64All exceptGPU machine typesGARolling
      Fedora CoreOS Testingfedora-coreos-cloudfedora-coreos-testingfedora-coreos-testing-arm64All exceptGPU machine typesGARolling
      Fedora CoreOS Nextfedora-coreos-cloudfedora-coreos-nextfedora-coreos-next-arm64All exceptGPU machine typesGARolling

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      Fedora CoreOS StableYesYesYesNoYesYes
      Fedora CoreOS TestingYesYesYesNoYesYes
      Fedora CoreOS NextYesYesYesNoYesYes

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      Fedora CoreOS StableYes*YesYesYes
      Fedora CoreOS TestingYes*YesYesYes
      Fedora CoreOS NextYes*YesYesYes

      *This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      Fedora CoreOS StableNoNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS TestingNoNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS NextNoNoNoNo

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      Fedora CoreOS StableYesYesYes
      Fedora CoreOS TestingYesYesYes
      Fedora CoreOS NextYesYesYes

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G2 (L4)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)N1+GPU
      Fedora CoreOS StableNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS TestingNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS NextNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      Fedora CoreOS StableNoNoNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS TestingNoNoNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS NextNoNoNoNoNo

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      Fedora CoreOS StableNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS TestingNoNoNo
      Fedora CoreOS NextNoNoNo

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      Fedora CoreOS StableFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/fedora-coreos-cloud/global/licenses/fedora-coreos-stable
      Fedora CoreOS TestingFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/fedora-coreos-cloud/global/licenses/fedora-coreos-testing
      Fedora CoreOS NextFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/fedora-coreos-cloud/global/licenses/fedora-coreos-next

      Oracle Linux

      Oracle Linuxis a Linux operating system (OS) provided by Oracle with everything required to deploy, optimize, and manage applications on-premises, in the cloud, and at the edge.

      Oracle builds and supports the Oracle Linux images available for Compute Engine. There is nolicense fee for using Oracle Linux with Compute Engine. Oracle is responsible for ensuring thatOracle Linux works with Google Cloud features and that security updates are maintained. Forissues related to Oracle Linux, you must consult community resources or get enterprise-levelsupport directly from Oracle.

      For more information on Oracle Linux visitOracle's document library for Oracle Linux.

      Automatic updates

      By default, Oracle Linux images don't automatically install security updates. To configure automatic security updates, run the following commands:

         sudo dnf install -y dnf-automatic   sudo sed -i 's/upgrade_type =.*/upgrade_type = security/' /etc/dnf/automatic.conf   sudo sed -i 's/apply_updates =.*/apply_updates = yes/' /etc/dnf/automatic.conf   sudo systemctl enable dnf-automatic.timer   sudo systemctl start dnf-automatic.timer

      Automatic updates have the following behaviors:

      • dnf-automatic doesn't upgrade VMs between major versions of the operating system.
      • The upgrade tool only applies updates marked by Oracle as security updates.
      • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots don't happen automatically.

      Image configuration

      The Oracle Linux images that are provided by Compute Engine reflect the most recent point release. Currently you cannot pin a VM to a point release. These images have the following differences in configuration from standard Oracle Linux images:

      Account configuration

      • There are no local users configured with passwords.

      Bootloader configuration

      • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.
      • The I/O scheduler is set tonoop.

      Network configuration

      • IPv6 is enabled.
      • The SSH server configuration is set up as follows:
        • Password authentication is disabled.
        • To prevent SSH disconnections,ServerAliveIntervalandClientAliveInterval are set to 7 minutes.
        • Root login is disabled.
      • /etc/udev/rules.d/75-persistent-net-generator.rules is disabled.
      • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules is removed.
      • By default, all traffic is allowed through the guest firewall because theVPC firewall rules overrides the guest firewallrules. The guest firewall rules remains enabled and can be configured through normal Oracle Linux methods.
      • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

      Package system and repository configuration

      Storage configuration

      • By default, images are 20 GB. This is the recommended minimum size.
      • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFIpartition to support booting onUEFI.

      Time configuration

      • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

      GA Oracle Linux versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      Oracle Linux 10oracle-linux-cloudoracle-linux-10oracle-linux-10-arm64N2, N4, N4D, C3, C3-metal, C4, N2D, C2D, C3D, M3 and T2AGAJun 2035
      Oracle Linux 9oracle-linux-cloudoracle-linux-9oracle-linux-9-arm64N2, N4, N4D, C3, C3-metal, C4, N2D, C2D, C3D, M3 and T2AGAJun 2032
      Oracle Linux 8oracle-linux-cloudoracle-linux-8oracle-linux-8-arm64N2, N4, N4D, C3, C4, N2D, C2D, C3D, M3 and T2AGAJul 2029

      Interfaces

      Oracle Linux images use theUnbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK)by default. The interface support listed in the table applies to images that use theUEK. You can optionallyconfigure Oracle Linux images to use the Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK),which is additionally installed on Oracle Linux images. If you use the RHCK,Oracle Linux images support the same interfaces as the corresponding Red HatEnterprise Linux (RHEL) listed in theRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)section of this document.

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      Oracle Linux 10YesYesYesNoYesYes
      Oracle Linux 9YesYesYesNoYesYes
      Oracle Linux 8YesYesYesNoNoYes

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      Oracle Linux 10YesYesNoNo
      Oracle Linux 9YesYesNoNo
      Oracle Linux 8YesYesNoNo

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      Oracle Linux 10YesNoYesYes
      Oracle Linux 9YesNoYesYes
      Oracle Linux 8YesNoYesYes

      gcloud CLI is not pre-installed in the images, however the Google Cloud SDK repository is setup. To install gcloud CLI you can run this command:dnf install -y google-cloud-cli --enablerepo google-cloud-sdk

      Networking features

      Oracle Linux images use theUnbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK)by default. The networking features support listed in the table applies to images that use theUEK. You can optionallyconfigure Oracle Linux images to use the Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK),which is additionally installed on Oracle Linux images. If you use the RHCK,Oracle Linux images support the same networking features as the corresponding Red HatEnterprise Linux (RHEL) listed in theRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)section of this document.

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      Oracle Linux 10YesNoYes
      Oracle Linux 9YesNoYes
      Oracle Linux 8YesNoYes

      # Only available with certain machine series.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

      Oracle Linux images use theUnbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) by default. The GPU support listed in the table applies to images that use the UEK. You can optionallyconfigure Oracle Linux images to use the Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK), which is additionally installed on Oracle Linux images. If you use the RHCK, Oracle Linux images support the same GPUs as the corresponding Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) listed in theRed Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) section of this document.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      Oracle Linux 10NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
      Oracle Linux 9NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
      Oracle Linux 8NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      Oracle Linux 10YesYesYesYesNo
      Oracle Linux 9YesYesYesYesNo
      Oracle Linux 8YesYesYesYesNo

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      Oracle Linux 10YesNoNo
      Oracle Linux 9YesNoNo
      Oracle Linux 8YesNoNo

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      Oracle Linux 10Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/oracle-linux-cloud/global/licenses/oracle-linux-10
      Oracle Linux 9Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/oracle-linux-cloud/global/licenses/oracle-linux-9
      Oracle Linux 8Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/oracle-linux-cloud/global/licenses/oracle-linux-8

      Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)

      Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is an open-source Linux operating system that provides both server and desktop operating systems. Google Cloud builds and supports the RHEL OS images available for Compute Engine, including select images pre-configured with Logical Volume Manager (LVM) partitioning.

      RHEL images arepremium resources that incuradditional fees to use.If you want to use an existing RHEL subscription, you can use theRed Hat Cloud Access feature.

      The Red Hat Knowledgebase provides you with access to articles, solutions, product documentation,and community discussions. The Red Hat Knowledgebaseis available as a single-sign-on (SSO) option through the Google Cloud console. SeeAccess Red Hat Knowledgebase.

      Red Hat provides Extended Update Support (EUS) for specific minor releases of RHEL. EUS extends the support duration for these point releases, offering security updates and critical fixes for up to 2 years after the initial release. For more information, see theRed Hat EUS Overview.

      To view a list of frequently asked questions when running RHEL on Compute Engine, seeRed Hat Enterprise Linux FAQ.

      Note: For compliance with Red Hat licensingrequirements, Google reports to Red Hat your billing entity name, region, country, SKU and totalhours of usage.
      Automatic updates

      By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using the RHELyum-cron (RHEL 7) ordnf automatic (RHEL 8+) tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

      • These automatic updates from the operating system vendor do not upgrade instances between major versions of the operating system.
      • Starting with RHEL 7, the operating system is also configured to only apply updates marked by the vendor as security updates.
      • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
      Image configuration

      The RHEL image build configuration is available in anopen source GitHub repository.

      RHEL images are always built with the latest RHEL packages, which reflect the most recent point release. Currently, you cannot pin a VM to a point release.

      RHEL for SAP images are tagged to the specific point release they are built for as supported by Red Hat.

      The RHEL images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard RHEL images:

      Account configuration

      • There are no local users configured with passwords.

      Bootloader configuration

      • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.
      • The I/O scheduler is set tonoop.

      EUS configuration

      • Before the RHEL EUS version becomes EOL, it will need to be upgraded to the EUS version. You can check your current EUS version by running the following command:
          cat /etc/dnf/vars/releasever
      • To lock the RHEL to the new point release version, run the following command:
          echo \"VERSION\" | sudo tee /etc/dnf/vars/releasever

        ReplaceVERSION with the version in the format ofmajor.minor.For example, for version 9.6 specify9.6.

      • To upgrade to the next RHEL EUS version, run the following command:
          sudo dnf -y --releasever=VERSION upgrade

        ReplaceVERSION with the version in the format ofmajor.minor.For example, for version 9.6 specify9.6.

      Logical Volume Manager (LVM) configuration

      • LVM-enabled RHEL images include a predefined partitioning scheme:
        • EFI system partition: 200 MB for bootloader files.
        • /boot partition: 1 GB (XFS filesystem) for kernel images and boot-related
          • files.
        • LVM Physical Volume: A single LVM Physical Volume (PV) uses most of the disk space. This PV belongs to a Volume Group namedrootvg.
      • Within therootvg Volume Group, the following Logical Volumes (LVs) arecreated by default:
        LV nameMount pointDefault sizeFilesystem
        rootlv/2.0 GBXFS
        usrlv/usr10.0 GBXFS
        varlv/var8.0 GBXFS
        tmplv/tmp2.0 GBXFS
        homelv/home1.0 GBXFS
        • Unallocated space: The remaining space on the disk withinrootvg is leftunallocated. This lets you create new Logical Volumes or extend theexisting ones as needed. The minimum recommended disk size for these imagesis 50GB.
      • Key differences from standard RHEL images:
        • No automatic disk expansion: Unlike standard Compute Engine RHEL images, the LVM imagesdo not include thegce-disk-expand package. When you resize the boot disk in the Google Cloud console or by usinggcloud, the underlying Physical Volume and Volume Group see the additional space, but the Logical Volumes (such asrootlv orusrlv) don't automatically grow. You must use standard LVM commands to use the new space.
        • LVM tools: Thelvm2 package is installed by default, providing all necessary command-line tools (pvcreate,vgcreate,lvcreate,lvextend,resize2fs,xfs_growfs, etc.).
        • Filesystem layout: The root filesystem and other system directories like/usr,/var are on separate Logical Volumes, as detailed in the Logical Volumes table.

      Network configuration

      • IPv6 is enabled.
      • The SSH server configuration is set up as follows:
        • Password authentication is disabled.
        • To prevent SSH disconnections,ServerAliveInterval andClientAliveInterval are set to 7 minutes.
        • Root login is disabled.
      • /etc/udev/rules.d/75-persistent-net-generator.rules is disabled.
      • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rulesis removed.
      • By default, all traffic is allowed through the guest firewall because theVPC firewall rules overrides the guest firewallrules. The guest firewall rules remains enabled and can be configured through normal RHEL methods.
      • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

      Package and repository configuration

      • Google Cloud repositories are enabled to install packages for the Compute Engineguest environment and theGoogle Cloud CLI.
      • RHEL for SAP yum vars are set to peg the client to the supported RHEL for SAP point release.
      • Compute Engine offers Red Hat Update Infrastructure (RHUI) servers for on-demandRHEL images. If your VMs don't have external IP addresses assigned, they canuse Private Google Access. This access lets them reach the RHUI servers at35.190.247.13and2600:1901:0:292d:: for package updates. You must ensure thatfirewall rules permit egress to these IP addresses. For networks that don'thave a default route to the internet, you must create a custom route fordestination35.190.247.13/32 to the default internetgateway next hop. For more information about Private Google Access, seePrivate Google Access.
      • If you're unable to get updatesfrom the Red Hat Update Infrastructure (RHUI) servers, the RHUI client package might need to beupdated. To update to the latest RHUI client package, run the following command:
          dnf -y -q update 'google-rhui-client*'
      • The GoogleRHUI client package, which contains the configuration neededto access RHEL content, is installed.
      • The Red Hatsubscription-manager package is removed because it is not used for pay as you go images.
      • Automatic updates are enabled as follows:
        • For RHEL 8+, by usingdnf automatic.
        • For all versions, theupdate_cmd property is set tosecurity.

      Storage configuration

      • By default, images are 20 GB. This is the recommended minimum size.
      • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFI partition to support booting onUEFI.

      Time configuration

      • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

      GA RHEL versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyLVM x86 image family#LVM Arm image family#Machine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      RHEL 10rhel-cloudrhel-10rhel-10-arm64rhel-10-lvmrhel-10-lvm-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAMay 2035
      RHEL 9rhel-cloudrhel-9rhel-9-arm64rhel-9-lvmrhel-9-lvm-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAMay 2032
      RHEL 8rhel-cloudrhel-8rhel-8-arm64rhel-8-lvmrhel-8-lvm-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, N4A, X4, C4A-metalGAMay 2029
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-9-6-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4AGAMay 2029
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-9-4-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGAApril 2028
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-9-2-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, X4, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3-metalGAMay 2027
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-9-0-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, X4, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3-metalGAMay 2026
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-8-10-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGAMay 2029
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-8-8-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, X4, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3-metalGAMay 2027
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPrhel-sap-cloudrhel-8-6-sap-haN/AN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, X4, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3-metalGAMay 2026
      RHEL 10.0 EUSrhel-cloudrhel-10-0-eusrhel-10-0-eus-arm64N/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAMay 2027
      RHEL 9.6 EUSrhel-cloudrhel-9-6-eusrhel-9-6-eus-arm64N/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAMay 2027
      RHEL 9.4 EUSrhel-cloudrhel-9-4-eusrhel-9-4-eus-arm64N/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAMay 2026

      *EOS: End of support.

      †ELS: To use this OS image, you must have a subscription or an Extended Life CycleSupport (ELS) Add-On. You can append the ELS Add-On to your RHEL 6 VMs asdescribed inAppend RHEL ELS licenses.

      #LVM: Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is a disk management tool that abstracts physical storage into volume groups, allowing you to span file systems across multiple disks and resize them dynamically. For detailed information, see the officialRed Hat LVM documentation.

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      RHEL 10YesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9YesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 8YesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
      RHEL 10.0 EUSYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 EUSYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 EUSYesYesYesNoYesYes

      *This OS image supports NVMe but does not include all optimizations for NVMe.

      #If a multiple NIC VM is created using this OS image, the VM might lose network connectivity after rebooting. This happens if one of these NICs uses a non-VirtIO interface. Seeknown issues.

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      RHEL 10Yes*YesYesYes†
      RHEL 9Yes*YesYesYes†
      RHEL 8Yes*YesYesNo
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPYesYesNoNo
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPYesYesNoNo
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPYesYesNoNo
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPYesYesNoNo
      RHEL 10.0 EUSYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 EUSYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 EUSYesYesYesYes

      * This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.
      † Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      RHEL 10YesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9YesYesYesYes
      RHEL 8YesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 10.0 EUSYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 EUSYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 EUSYesYesYesYes

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      RHEL 10*YesYesYes
      RHEL 9*YesYesYes
      RHEL 8*YesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.2 for SAP*YesYesYes
      RHEL 9.0 for SAP*YesNo*Yes†
      RHEL 8.10 for SAP*YesYesYes
      RHEL 8.8 for SAP*YesYesYes
      RHEL 8.6 for SAP*YesNo*Yes
      RHEL 10.0 EUSYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 EUSYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 EUSYesYesYes

      *You canupdate the gVNIC driver tothe latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitationssection of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".

      †Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. Formore information, seeJumbo frames.

      #Only available with certain machine series.

      **This OS image has predictable network interface names disabled. Newer image familiesmay have a different network interface naming scheme.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on ageneral-purpose N1 machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      RHEL 10NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 8NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 10.0 EUSNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 EUSNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
      RHEL 9.4 EUSNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      RHEL 10YesYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9YesYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 8YesYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 10.0 EUSYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 9.6 EUSYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 9.4 EUSYesYesYesYesNo

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      RHEL 10YesYesYes
      RHEL 9YesYesYes
      RHEL 8YesYesYes
      RHEL 9.6 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 9.4 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 9.2 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 9.0 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.10 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.8 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.6 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 10.0 EUSNoNoNo
      RHEL 9.6 EUSNoNoNo
      RHEL 9.4 EUSNoNoNo

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      RHEL 10
      • On-demand (Default)
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-10-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-10-byos
      RHEL 9
      • On-demand (Default)
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-byos
      RHEL 8
      • On-demand (Default)
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-byos
      RHEL 9.6 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap-byos
      RHEL 9.4 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap-byos
      RHEL 9.2 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap-byos
      RHEL 9.0 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-sap-byos
      RHEL 8.10 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap-byos
      RHEL 8.8 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap-byos
      RHEL 8.6 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap-byos
      RHEL 10.0 EUS
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-10-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-10-byos
      RHEL 9.6 EUS
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-byos
      RHEL 9.4 EUS
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-9-byos

      †ELS: To use this OS image, you must have a subscription or an Extended Life CycleSupport (ELS) Add-On. You can append the ELS Add-On to your RHEL 6 VMs as described inAppend RHEL ELS licenses.

      End of support RHEL versions

      The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

      Expand to view end-of-support versions

      General information

      OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyLVM x86 image family#LVM Arm image family#Machine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
      RHEL 7N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AAll except C4 with 288 vCPUs, G4EOS*
      ELS†      		June 2024 (ELS ends June 2028)
      RHEL 6N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AEOS*November 2020 (ELS ends June 30, 2024)
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AEOS*May 2025
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AEOS*April 2024
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/AEOS*
      ELS†      		June 2024 (ELS ends June 2028)

      *EOS: End of support.

      †ELS: To use this OS image, you must have a subscription or an Extended Life CycleSupport (ELS) Add-On. You can append the ELS Add-On to your RHEL 6 VMs asdescribed inAppend RHEL ELS licenses.

      #LVM: Logical Volume Manager (LVM) is a disk management tool that abstracts physical storage into volume groups, allowing you to span file systems across multiple disks and resize them dynamically. For detailed information, see the officialRed Hat LVM documentation.

      Interfaces

      OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
      RHEL 7YesYesYes#NoNoYes#
      RHEL 6YesYes*NoNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPYesYesYes#NoNoYes#

      *This OS image supports NVMe but does not include all optimizations for NVMe.

      #If a multiple NIC VM is created using this OS image, the VM might lose network connectivity after rebooting. This happens if one of these NICs uses a non-VirtIO interface. Seeknown issues.

      Security features

      OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
      RHEL 7YesNoNoNo
      RHEL 6NoNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPYesNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPYesNoNoNo
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPYesNoNoNo

      * This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.
      † Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

      User space features

      OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
      RHEL 7YesYesYesYes
      RHEL 6NoNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPYesYesYesYes

      Networking features

      OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
      RHEL 7*YesNo*Yes†
      RHEL 6*EOSEOSEOS
      RHEL 8.4 for SAP*YesNo*Yes†
      RHEL 8.2 for SAP*YesNo*Yes†
      RHEL 7.9 for SAP*YesNo*Yes†

      *You canupdate the gVNIC driver tothe latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitationssection of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".

      †Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. Formore information, seeJumbo frames.

      #Only available with certain machine series.

      **This OS image has predictable network interface names disabled. Newer image familiesmay have a different network interface naming scheme.

      GPU support

      N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on ageneral-purpose N1 machine family.

      For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

      OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
      RHEL 7EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      RHEL 6EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

      VM Manager

      OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
      RHEL 7YesYesYesYesYes
      RHEL 6NoNoNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPYesYesYesYesNo

      Import

      For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

      OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
      RHEL 7YesYesYes
      RHEL 6YesYesYes
      RHEL 8.4 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 8.2 for SAPNoNoNo
      RHEL 7.9 for SAPNoNoNo

      License

      OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
      RHEL 7
      • On-demand (Default)
      • ELS†

      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-7-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-7-els
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-7-byos
      RHEL 6
      • On-demand (Default)
      • ELS†
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-6-server
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-6-els
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-6-byos
      RHEL 8.4 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap-byos
      RHEL 8.2 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-8-sap-byos
      RHEL 7.9 for SAP
      • On-demand
      • BYOS
      • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rhel-sap-cloud/global/licenses/rhel-7-sap
      • N/A

      †ELS: To use this OS image, you must have a subscription or an Extended Life CycleSupport (ELS) Add-On. You can append the ELS Add-On to your RHEL 6 VMs as described inAppend RHEL ELS licenses.

      Rocky Linux

      Rocky Linux is a free, open, community enterprise operating system designed to be 100% bug-for-bug compatible with Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Google Cloud builds and supports the Rocky Linux images available for Compute Engine. There is no license fee for using Rocky Linux with Compute Engine.

      The following three versions of Rocky Linux operating systems are available on Compute Engine:

      • A fully open source version
      • A version optimized for Google Cloud: this version has the suffix-optimized-gcp and is pre-configured to use the latest version of the Google virtual network interface (gVNIC).
      • An accelerated version for GPU workloads: this version has the suffix-optimized-gcp-nvidia-* which is built off of the-optimized-gcp version and includes the indicated version of the NVIDIA driver.
      Automatic updates

      By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using thednf-automatic tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

      • dnf-automatic does not upgrade VMs between major versions of the operating system.
      • The upgrade tool is configured to only apply updates marked by the vendor as security updates.
      • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
      Image configuration

      Rocky Linux images are built and maintained byCIQ. Rocky Linux images are always built with the latest Rocky Linux packages which reflect the most recent Rocky Linux point release. The Rocky Linux images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard Rocky Linux images:

      Account configuration

      • There are no local users configured with passwords.

      Bootloader configuration

      • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.

      Network configuration

      • IPv6 is enabled.
      • The SSH server configuration is set up as follows:
        • Password authentication is disabled.
        • To prevent SSH disconnections,ServerAliveIntervalandClientAliveInterval are set to 7 minutes.
        • Root login is disabled.
      • /etc/udev/rules.d/75-persistent-net-generator.rules is disabled.
      • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules is removed.
      • By default, all traffic is allowed through the guest firewall because theVPC firewall rules overrides the guest firewallrules. The guest firewall rules remains enabled and can be configured through normal Rocky Linux methods.
      • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

      Package system and repository configuration

      • Google Cloud repositories are enabled to install packages for the Compute Engineguest environment and theGoogle Cloud CLI.
        • For the Google Cloud optimized and accelerated versions of the Rocky Linux images, the GitLabCIQ SIG/Cloud Next repository is enabled. This repository provides a Linux kernel version specifically designed to work best with Google Cloud hardware.
        • For the accelerated version of the Rocky Linux image, the GitLabCIQ SIG/Cloud Next Nonfree repository is also enabled. This repository provides the proprietary drivers necessary for the system to fully utilize the GPU hardware.
        • Repositories are set to use the Rocky Linux default mirror network.
          • The PowerTools repository is enabled.
        • Automatic updates are configured as follows:
          • Automatic updates are enabled by usingdnf automatic.
          • For all versions, theupdate_cmd property is set tosecurity. However, by default Rocky Linux does not offer security tagged repositories.

        Storage configuration

        • By default, images are 20 GB.
        • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFIpartition to support booting onUEFI.
        • The floppy module is disabled because there is no floppy disk controller on Compute Engine .

        Time configuration

        • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

        64k page size kernel configuration for ARM

        CIQ SIG/Cloud Next now provides a 64k page size kernelkernel-64k for ARM architecture,along with kernel modules (kmods) built specifically for it. If you installkernel-64k ona system with existing SIG/Cloud Next (SCN) kmods, the corresponding 64k-compatible kmods areautomatically installed alongside them. After rebooting into the 64k kernel, the kmods are availableand functional.

        This kernel is validated on theC4A machine series with thekmod-idpf-irdma kernel module, which provides an updated IDPF driver for HPC workloads.

        • How to enable the 64k page size kernel

          Before you enable the 64k kernel, ensure that the CIQ SIG/Cloud Next repository is enabled (set to1) at the default priority-1 by running the following command:

           grep -E '^\[|^priority=|^enabled=' /etc/yum.repos.d/ciq-sigcloud-next.repo

          Installing thekernel-64k package doesn't set it as the default kernel. To set the 64k kernel as the default, run the following commands:

          k=$(echo /boot/vmlinuz*64k)grubby --set-default=$k \--update-kernel=$k \--args="crashkernel=2G-:640M"

        • Limitations

          Non-default kernels, includingkernel-64k, undergo less kmod testing than the default kernel. You should validate your specific workloads on this kernel.

        GA Rocky Linux versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

        General information

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Rocky Linux 10rocky-linux-cloudrocky-linux-10rocky-linux-10-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 UltraGAMay 2035
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google Cloudrocky-linux-cloudrocky-linux-10-optimized-gcprocky-linux-10-optimized-gcp-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 UltraGAMay 2035
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-10-optimized-gcp-nvidia-580rocky-linux-10-optimized-gcp-nvidia-580-arm64A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAMay 2035
        Rocky Linux 9rocky-linux-cloudrocky-linux-9rocky-linux-9-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 UltraGAMay 2032
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google Cloudrocky-linux-cloudrocky-linux-9-optimized-gcprocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 UltraGAMay 2032
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp-nvidia-580rocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp-nvidia-580-arm64A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAAug 2028
        Rocky Linux 8rocky-linux-cloudrocky-linux-8N/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 Ultra, T2A, N4A, C4A, X4GAMay 2029
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google Cloudrocky-linux-cloudrocky-linux-8-optimized-gcprocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 Ultra, X4GAMay 2029
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp-nvidia-580rocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp-nvidia-580-arm64A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAAug 2028

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Rocky Linux 10YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes*YesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes*YesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes*YesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNoYesYes

        * Supported, but not installed by default. You must install thekmod-idpf-irdma package in the guest environment before using Cloud RDMA.

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        Rocky Linux 10YesYesYesYes*
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes*
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 9YesYesYesYes*
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes*
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 8YesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNo

        * Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Rocky Linux 10YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYes

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Rocky Linux 10YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9*YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google Cloud*YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8*YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google Cloud*YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes

        # Only available with certain machine series.
        ** This OS image has predictable network interface names disabled. Newer image families may have a different network interface naming scheme.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        The Rocky Linux 8 and 9 Accelerated OS images are optimized for supporting yourartificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workloads. To learn more about how theseimages are optimized for these workloads, seeOperating systems in theAI Hypercomputer documentation.

        Important: If you use an "Accelerated" OS version that supports your GPU, you don't need toinstall GPU drivers.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Rocky Linux 10NoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudNoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 9NoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudNoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 8NoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudNoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Rocky Linux 10YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        Rocky Linux 10YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580NoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 9YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580NoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 8YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Rocky Linux 10Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-10
        Rocky Linux 10 optimized for Google CloudFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-10-optimized-gcp
        Rocky Linux 10 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-10-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-10-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-580
        Rocky Linux 9Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9
        Rocky Linux 9 optimized for Google CloudFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-580
        Rocky Linux 8Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8
        Rocky Linux 8 optimized for Google CloudFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-580

        End of support Rocky Linux versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

        Expand to view end-of-support versions

        General information

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp-nvidia-570rocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp-nvidia-570-arm64A4X, A4, A3 UltraEOLJan 27, 2026
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp-nvidia-550N/AA3 UltraEOLJune 2025
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp-nvidia-570N/AA4, A3 UltraEOLJan 27, 2026
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550rocky-linux-accelerator-cloudrocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp-nvidia-550N/AA3 UltraEOLJune 2025

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNoYesYes

        * Supported, but not installed by default. You must install thekmod-idpf-irdma package in the guest environment before using Cloud RDMA.

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNo
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNo

        * Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesYes

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes

        # Only available with certain machine series.
        ** This OS image has predictable network interface names disabled. Newer image families may have a different network interface naming scheme.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        The Rocky Linux 8 and 9 Accelerated OS images are optimized for supporting yourartificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workloads. To learn more about how theseimages are optimized for these workloads, seeOperating systems in theAI Hypercomputer documentation.

        Important: If you use an "Accelerated" OS version that supports your GPU, you don't need toinstall GPU drivers.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570NoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550NoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570NoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550NoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570NoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550NoNoNo
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-570
        Rocky Linux 9 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-9-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-550
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-570
        Rocky Linux 8 Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550Free
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-optimized-gcp
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/rocky-linux-8-accelerated
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/rocky-linux-accelerator-cloud/global/licenses/nvidia-550

        SQL Server on Linux

        Microsoft SQL Server can be used on Linux-based VMs or images with an on-demand license. Google does not provide pre-configured images for SQL Server on Linux.

        Microsoft SQL Server images are not supported for VMs created on theN4A machine series,C4A machine series, and theT2A machine series.

        License

        To use on-demand / pay-as-you-go (PAYG) licenses for Microsoft SQL Server on a Linux VM or image, seeAdd a SQL Server license to an existing Linux server.

        VersionLicense typeLicense
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Enterprise on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2022-enterprise-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Standard on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2022-standard-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Web on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2022-web-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Enterprise on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2019-enterprise-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Standard on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2019-standard-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Web on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2019-web-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Enterprise on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-enterprise-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Standard on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-standard-on-linux
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Web on LinuxOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/linux-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-web-on-linux

        SQL Server on Windows

        Microsoft SQL Server images are similar to the standard Windows Serveroperating system images, but they include Microsoft SQL Server preinstalled.

        Microsoft SQL Server images are not supported for VMs created on theC4A machine series and theT2A machine series.Using a Microsoft SQL Server Windows image with a bare metal instance isn'tsupported.

        Automatic updates

        By default, this operating system is configured to "Auto download and schedule the install" for Microsoft updates. To configure Windows Server automatic updates, see Configure Automatic Updates.

        Image configuration

        General information

        To use Microsoft SQL Server on a Windows VM with an on-demand / pay-as-you-go (PAYG) license, seeAdd a SQL Server license to an existing Windows server.

        VersionImage projectImage familyLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022windows-sql-cloud sql-web-2022-win-2025
        sql-web-2022-win-2022
        sql-web-2022-win-2019
        sql-std-2022-win-2025
        sql-std-2022-win-2022
        sql-std-2022-win-2019
        sql-ent-2022-win-2025
        sql-ent-2022-win-2022
        sql-ent-2022-win-2019        		GAJan 11, 2033
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019windows-sql-cloud sql-web-2019-win-2025
        sql-web-2019-win-2022
        sql-web-2019-win-2019
        sql-std-2019-win-2025
        sql-std-2019-win-2022
        sql-std-2019-win-2019
        sql-ent-2019-win-2025
        sql-ent-2019-win-2022
        sql-ent-2019-win-2019        		GAJan 8, 2030
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017windows-sql-cloud sql-web-2017-win-2025
        sql-web-2017-win-2022
        sql-web-2017-win-2019
        sql-web-2017-win-2016
        sql-std-2017-win-2025
        sql-std-2017-win-2022
        sql-std-2017-win-2019
        sql-std-2017-win-2016
        sql-exp-2017-win-2019
        sql-exp-2017-win-2016
        sql-ent-2017-win-2025
        sql-ent-2017-win-2022
        sql-ent-2017-win-2019
        sql-ent-2017-win-2016        		GAOct 12, 2027
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016windows-sql-cloud sql-web-2016-win-2019
        sql-web-2016-win-2016
        sql-std-2016-win-2019
        sql-std-2016-win-2016
        sql-ent-2016-win-2019
        sql-ent-2016-win-2016        		GAJul 14, 2026
        Microsoft SQL Server 2014EOSEOSEOSJul 9, 2024

        SQL Server edition support

        EditionsEnterpriseStandardWebExpress
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016
        Microsoft SQL Server 2014EOSEOSEOSEOS

        Windows Server version support

        VersionWindows 2016Windows 2019Windows 2022Windows 2025
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 Web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 Express
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Web

        License

        VersionLicense typeLicense
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 EnterpriseOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2022-enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 StandardOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2022-standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2022 WebOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2022-web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 EnterpriseOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2019-enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 StandardOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2019-standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2019 WebOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2019-web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 EnterpriseOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 StandardOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 WebOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2017 ExpressOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2017-express
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016 EnterpriseOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2016-enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016 StandardOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2016-standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2016 WebOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2016-web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2014 EnterpriseEOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2014-enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2014 StandardEOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2014-standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2014 WebEOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2014-web
        Microsoft SQL Server 2012 EnterpriseEOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2012-enterprise
        Microsoft SQL Server 2012 StandardEOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2012-standard
        Microsoft SQL Server 2012 WebEOShttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-sql-cloud/global/licenses/sql-server-2012-web

        SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES)

        SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), a versatile server operating system for deploying highly available enterprise-class IT services in mixed IT environments with improved performance and reduced risk.

        SUSE builds and supports the SUSE images available for Compute Engine. SUSE images arepremium resources that incur additional fees to use.

        To view a list of frequently asked questions when running SLES on Compute Engine, seeSUSE Linux Enterprise Server FAQ.

        Note: For compliance with SUSE licensing requirements, Google reports to SUSE your billing entity name, region, country, SKU, and total hours of usage.
        Automatic updates

        This operating system is not configured to install updates by default. For more information about configuring automatic updates for SLES, seeSUSE documentation.

        Image configuration

        SLES and SLES for SAP images are built and maintained by SUSE.SLES images are built with the latest SLES packages reflected in their release.

        The SUSE images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard SUSE images:

        Account configuration

        • There are no local users configured with passwords.

        Network configuration

        • IPv6 is enabled.
        • The SSH server configuration is set to disable password authentication.
        • SLES does not use predictive network interface naming. In the grub kernel command-line arguments,net.ifnames=0 is set. Therefore, network interfaces use the traditional ethN naming, with the default interface always beingeth0.
        • VMs based on Google-provided Linux images get their interface MTUfrom the attached VPC MTU. VMs based on custom images or olderLinux images may have their MTU's hardcoded. In these cases, you have to changethe setting yourself if you want to connect the interface to a network with an MTU other than1460. For more information about network and interface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

        Package system and repository configuration

        • Theguest environment for Compute Engine packages are installed from the packages that aresupplied by SUSE.
        • SLES instances register with a SUSE run SMT service for Compute Engine and areconfigured to use SUSE regional mirrors in Compute Engine.

        Storage configuration

        • Images are 10 GB by default.
        • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFI partition to support booting onUEFI. There is also an MBR boot block to support BIOS.
        • The floppy module is disabled because there is no floppy disk controller on Compute Engine.
        • Starting with SLES 16, the default file system for the root partition (/) is Btrfs, changing from the previous default of XFS. For more information, seeSUSE file system documentation.

        Time configuration

        • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

        GA SLES versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

        General information

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        SLES 16.0suse-cloudsles-16sles-16-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GADec 2030
        SLES 15 SP7suse-cloudsles-15sles-15-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAJul 2034
        SLES 15 SP6suse-cloudsles-15sles-15-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GADec 2028
        SLES 16.0 for SAPsuse-sap-cloudsles-16-sapN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGANov 2030
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPsuse-sap-cloudsles-15-sp7-sapN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGAJul 2031
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPsuse-sap-cloudsles-15-sp6-sapN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGADec 2028
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPsuse-sap-cloudsles-15-sp5-sapN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGADec 2027
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPsuse-sap-cloudsles-15-sp4-sapN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalGADec 2026
        SLES 15 SP5suse-byos-cloudN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4BYOS w/ LTSSDec 2027
        SLES 15 SP4suse-byos-cloudN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metalBYOS w/ LTSSDec 2026
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPsuse-sap-cloudsles-12-sp5-sapN/AAll except T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, H4D, A4, A4X, A4X Max, G4, G2, X4, Z3-metalBYOS w/ LTSSOct 2027

        *BYOS with LTSS: Support for this operating system is only offered through theLong Term Service Pack Support (LTSS)that is available when using BYOS licenses from SUSE.

        †ESPOS:Extended Service Pack Overlay Supportimages are set to deprecated 6 months before their EOS date. Deprecated images are still availablefor use.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        SLES 16.0YesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7YesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6YesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 16.0 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5YesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4YesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        SLES 16.0Yes*YesYesYes†
        SLES 15 SP7Yes*YesYesYes†
        SLES 15 SP6Yes*YesYesYes†
        SLES 16.0 for SAPYesYesYesNo
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPYesYesYesNo
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPYesYesYesNo
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPYesYesYesNo
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPYesYesYesNo
        SLES 15 SP5Yes*YesYesNo
        SLES 15 SP4Yes*YesNoNo
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPYesNoNoNo

        * This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.
        † Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        SLES 16.0Yes*NoNoYes
        SLES 15 SP7Yes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6Yes*NoYesYes
        SLES 16.0 for SAPYes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPYes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPYes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPYes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPYes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5Yes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4Yes*NoYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPYes*NoYesYes

        *This OS image doesn't support custom hostnames. For more information seeCustom Hostnames.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        SLES 16.0YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6YesYesYes
        SLES 16.0 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4YesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPYesYesYes

        *You canupdate the gVNIC driver tothe latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitationssection of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".

        †Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. Formore information, seeJumbo frames.

        #Only available with certain machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1machine family.

        Note: V100 GPUs aren't supported on SLES.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        SLES 16.0NoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7NoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6NoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 16.0 for SAPNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5NoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4NoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPNoNoYesYesYesNoNoYes

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        SLES 16.0YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 16.0 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        SLES 16.0YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6YesYesYes
        SLES 16.0 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP5YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP4YesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAPYesYesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        SLES 16.0
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-16
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-16-byos
        SLES 15 SP7
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP6
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 16.0 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-16
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-16-byos
        SLES 15 SP7 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP6 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP5 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP4 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP5
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP4
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 12 SP5 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-12
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-12-byos

        *BYOS with LTSS: Support for this operating system is only offered through theLong Term Service Pack Support (LTSS)that is available when using BYOS licenses from SUSE.

        End of support SLES versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

        Expand to view end-of-support versions

        General information

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        SLES 15 SP3suse-byos-cloudN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, X4, Z3-metalEOLDec 2025
        SLES 15 SP2suse-byos-cloudN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C3-metal, X4EOLDec 2024
        SLES 15 SP1N/AN/AN/AN/AEOSJan 2024
        SLES 12 SP5suse-cloudsles-12N/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C3-metal, G2, X4EOLOct 2024
        SLES 12 SP4N/AN/AN/AN/AEOSJune 2023
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPsuse-byos-cloudN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, X4, Z3-metalEOLDec 2025
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPsuse-byos-cloudN/AN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, T2A, N4A, C3-metal, C4A-metal, X4EOLDec 2024
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPN/AN/AN/AN/AEOSJan 2024
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPN/AN/AN/AN/AEOSJune 2023

        *BYOS with LTSS: Support for this operating system is only offered through theLong Term Service Pack Support (LTSS)that is available when using BYOS licenses from SUSE.

        †ESPOS:Extended Service Pack Overlay Supportimages are set to deprecated 6 months before their EOS date. Deprecated images are still availablefor use.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        SLES 15 SP3YesYesYesNoNoYes
        SLES 15 SP2YesYesYesNoNoYes
        SLES 15 SP1YesYesNoNoNoYes
        SLES 12 SP5YesYesYesNoNoYes
        SLES 12 SP4YesYesNoNoNoNo
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPYesYesYesNoNoYes
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPYesYesNoNoNoYes
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPYesYesNoNoNoYes

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        SLES 15 SP3YesYesNoNo
        SLES 15 SP2YesYesNoNo
        SLES 15 SP1YesYesNoNo
        SLES 12 SP5YesNoNoNo
        SLES 12 SP4YesNoNoNo
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPYesYesNoNo
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPYesYesNoNo
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPYesNoNoNo
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPNoNoNoNo

        * This OS image doesn't support Secure Boot on ARM64.
        † Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        SLES 15 SP3Yes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2Yes*NoYesNo
        SLES 15 SP1Yes*NoYesNo
        SLES 12 SP5Yes*NoYesYes
        SLES 12 SP4Yes*NoYesNo
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPYes*NoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPYes*NoYesNo
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPYes*NoYesNo
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPYes*NoYesNo

        *This OS image doesn't support custom hostnames. For more information seeCustom Hostnames.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        SLES 15 SP3YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2YesNo*Yes†
        SLES 15 SP1NoNoYes†
        SLES 12 SP5YesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP4NoNoYes†
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPYesNo*Yes†
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPNoNoYes†
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPNoNoYes†

        *You canupdate the gVNIC driver tothe latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitationssection of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".

        †Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. Formore information, seeJumbo frames.

        #Only available with certain machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1machine family.

        Note: V100 GPUs aren't supported on SLES.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        SLES 15 SP3NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2NoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP1EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        SLES 12 SP5EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        SLES 12 SP4EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        SLES 15 SP3YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP1NoYesYesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5YesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP4NoYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPYesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        SLES 15 SP3YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2YesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP1YesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP5YesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP4NoNoNo
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAPYesYesYes
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAPNoNoNo

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        SLES 15 SP3
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP2
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP1
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-15-byos
        SLES 12 SP5
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-cloud/global/licenses/sles-12
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-12-byos
        SLES 12 SP4
        • EOS
        • N/A
        SLES 15 SP3 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP2 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 15 SP1 for SAP
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOS
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-sap-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/suse-byos-cloud/global/licenses/sles-sap-15-byos
        SLES 12 SP4 for SAP
        • EOS
        • N/A

        *BYOS with LTSS: Support for this operating system is only offered through theLong Term Service Pack Support (LTSS)that is available when using BYOS licenses from SUSE.

        Ubuntu LTS

        Ubuntu is a free operating system developed and supported byCanonical.

        UbuntuLong Term Support (LTS)images receive bug fixes and security updates for five years after theirrelease date. LTS images can run on your instances for several yearswithout having to upgrade to a newer release.

        UbuntuMinimal images are supported the same as Ubuntu LTS images.

        Regular (non LTS) Ubuntu images are supported for 9 months from their release date. To continue to use a regular Ubuntu image, you will have to upgrade to the next regular Ubuntu release or LTS release after the support cycle ends to receive fixes and updates. Compute Engine recommends using Ubuntu LTS images unless you require features or software packages that are not yet included in an LTS release. If your instances run Ubuntu releases that are no longer supported,upgrade to a supported Ubuntu release.

        Automatic updates

        By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using the UbuntuAutomaticSecurityUpdates tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

        • TheAutomaticSecurityUpdates tool does not upgrade VMs between major versions of the operating system.
        • TheAutomaticSecurityUpdates tool is configured to only automatically apply updates obtained from the Ubuntu security repository.
        • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
        Image configuration

        Ubuntu images are built and maintained by Canonical. Ubuntu images are always built with the latestUbuntu packages which reflect the most recent Ubuntu point release.

        The Ubuntu images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard Ubuntu images:

        Account configuration

        • There are no local users configured with passwords.

        Bootloader configuration

        • Ubuntu usescloud-init to do some boot time initialization. Thecloud.cfg file is configured for Compute Engine and enables only thecloud-init modules that are used.
        • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.
        • To allow SCSI block multi-queue usage,scsi_mod.use_blk_mq is enabled.

        Network configuration

        • IPv6 is enabled.
        • The SSH server configuration is set to disable password authentication.
        • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules is removed.

        Package system and repository configuration

        • Theguest environmentfor Compute Engine packages are installed from theUbuntu supplied packages.
        • For Ubuntu 18.04+, theGoogle Cloud CLI is installed and maintained as a snap package.
        • The APT sources are set to use the Ubuntu Compute Engine mirrors viacloud-init.
        • TheUnattended-upgradespackage is installed and configured to download and install Debian security updates daily. Thiscan be configured or disabled by changing the values in/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgradesand/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02periodic.
        • Thelinux-image-gcp kernel is used instead of the generic Ubuntu kernel.The Google Cloud kernel reflects the latest rollingHWE kernelfor Ubuntu LTS.

        Storage configuration

        • Images are 10 GB by default.
        • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFI partition to support booting onUEFI. There is also an MBR boot block to support BIOS.
        • The floppy module is disabled because there is no floppy disk controller on Compute Engine.

        Time configuration

        • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

        GA Ubuntu LTS versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

        General information

        For information about non LTS Ubuntu releases, see theUbuntu release wiki.

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSubuntu-os-cloudubuntu-2404-lts-amd64ubuntu-2404-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAJune 2029 (ESM April 2034)
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580ubuntu-os-accelerator-imagesubuntu-accelerator-2404-amd64-with-nvidia-580ubuntu-accelerator-2404-arm64-with-nvidia-580A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAJune 2029 (ESM April 2034)
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570ubuntu-os-accelerator-imagesubuntu-accelerator-2404-amd64-with-nvidia-570ubuntu-accelerator-2404-arm64-with-nvidia-570A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAJune 2029 (ESM April 2034)
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSubuntu-os-cloudubuntu-2204-ltsubuntu-2204-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAApril 2027 (ESM April 2032)
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580ubuntu-os-accelerator-imagesubuntu-accelerator-2204-amd64-with-nvidia-580ubuntu-accelerator-2204-arm64-with-nvidia-580A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAApril 2027 (ESM April 2032)
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570ubuntu-os-accelerator-imagesubuntu-accelerator-2204-amd64-with-nvidia-570ubuntu-accelerator-2204-arm64-with-nvidia-570A4X, A4, A3 UltraGAApril 2027 (ESM April 2032)

        *Ubuntu ESM: You can apply your existingESM subscription to the Google provided OS image. The image that is provided by Google Cloud contains enhancements that might not be included if you bring your own OS image.
        †Ubuntu Pro: To continue using Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04 LTS images,upgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNoYesYes

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSYesYesYesYes†
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSYesYesYesYes†
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesNo

        * Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Yes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570Yes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Yes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570Yes*YesYesYes

        * This OS image doesn't support custom hostnames. For more information, seeCustom Hostnames.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes

        * You canupdate the gVNIC driver to the latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitations section of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".
        † Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. For more information, seeJumbo frames.
        # Only available with certain machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        The Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 LTS Accelerated OS images are optimized for supporting your artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workloads. To learn more about how these images are optimized for these workloads, seeAccelerator OS images in the AI Hypercomputer documentation.

        Important: If you use an "Accelerated" OS version that supports your GPU, youdon't need toinstall GPU drivers.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570NoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570NoYesYesYesNoNoNoNoNo

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570YesYesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2404-lts
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2404-lts
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2404-lts
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2204-lts
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 580Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2204-lts
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 570Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2204-lts

        *Ubuntu ESM: You can apply your existingESM subscription to the Google provided OS image. The image that is provided by Google Cloud contains enhancements that might not be included if you bring your own OS image.
        †Ubuntu Pro: To continue using Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04 LTS images, you mustupgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro.

        End of support Ubuntu LTS versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

        Expand to view end-of-support versions

        General information

        For information about non LTS Ubuntu releases, see theUbuntu release wiki.

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550ubuntu-os-accelerator-imagesubuntu-accelerator-2404-amd64-with-nvidia-550ubuntu-accelerator-2404-arm64-with-nvidia-550A3 UltraEOLJune 2025
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550ubuntu-os-accelerator-imagesubuntu-accelerator-2204-amd64-with-nvidia-550ubuntu-accelerator-2204-arm64-with-nvidia-550A3 UltraEOLJune 2025
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSubuntu-os-cloudubuntu-2004-ltsubuntu-2004-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3 UltraEOLMay 2025 (ESM May 2030)
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSUbuntu ESM* / Ubuntu Pro†May 2023 (ESM April 2028)
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSUbuntu ESM* / Ubuntu Pro†April 2021 (ESM April 2026)
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSApril 2024

        *Ubuntu ESM: You can apply your existingESM subscription to the Google provided OS image. The image that is provided by Google Cloud contains enhancements that might not be included if you bring your own OS image.
        †Ubuntu Pro: To continue using Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04 LTS images,upgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSYesYesYesNoNoYes
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSYesNoYesNoNoYes
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSYesNoNoNoNoYes

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSYesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSYesYesNoNo
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSYesNoNoNo
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSNoNoNoNo

        * Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550Yes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550Yes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSYes*YesNoNo

        * This OS image doesn't support custom hostnames. For more information, seeCustom Hostnames.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSYesNo*Yes†
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSNoNoYes†

        * You canupdate the gVNIC driver to the latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitations section of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".
        † Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. For more information, seeJumbo frames.
        # Only available with certain machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        The Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 LTS Accelerated OS images are optimized for supporting your artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) workloads. To learn more about how these images are optimized for these workloads, seeAccelerator OS images in the AI Hypercomputer documentation.

        Important: If you use an "Accelerated" OS version that supports your GPU, youdon't need toinstall GPU drivers.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550NoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550NoNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNo
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSNoNoNoNoYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSNoEOSEOS
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSNoEOSEOS
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSNoNoNoNoNo

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550YesYesYes
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSYesYesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Ubuntu 24.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2404-lts
        Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Accelerated with NVIDIA driver version 550Freehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2204-lts
        Ubuntu 20.04 LTSFreehttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-2004-lts
        Ubuntu 18.04 LTSUbuntu ESM* / Ubuntu Pro†EOS
        Ubuntu 16.04 LTSUbuntu ESM* / Ubuntu Pro†EOS
        Ubuntu 14.04 LTSUbuntu ESM*EOS

        *Ubuntu ESM: You can apply your existingESM subscription to the Google provided OS image. The image that is provided by Google Cloud contains enhancements that might not be included if you bring your own OS image.
        †Ubuntu Pro: To continue using Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04 LTS images, you mustupgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro.

        Ubuntu Pro

        Ubuntu Pro is a premium operating system developed and supported byCanonical.

        Ubuntu Pro images running on Compute Engine receive bug fixes and security updates for 10 years after their release date, along with access toUbuntu ESM. For Ubuntu 16.04, security updates and ESM are available for 8 years.

        Ubuntu Pro images are premium resources that incur additional fees to use. For information about Ubuntu Pro license cost, see theUbuntu Pro pricing page. An Ubuntu Pro image running on Compute Engine has an on-demand license and does not require an additional Ubuntu Pro subscription.

        To view a list of frequently asked questions when running Ubuntu Pro on Compute Engine, seeUbuntu Pro FAQ.

        Note: For compliance with Canonical licensing requirements, Google reports to Canonical your billing entity name, region, country, SKU, and total hours of usage.
        Automatic updates

        By default, this operating system is configured to install security updates by using the UbuntuAutomaticSecurityUpdates tool. The updates have the following behaviors:

        • TheAutomaticSecurityUpdates tool does not upgrade VMs between major versions of the operating system.
        • TheAutomaticSecurityUpdates tool is configured to only automatically apply updates obtained from the Ubuntu security repository.
        • Some updates require reboots to take effect. These reboots do not happen automatically.
        Image configuration

        Ubuntu Pro images are built and maintained by Canonical. Ubuntu Pro images are always built with the latestUbuntu packages which reflect the most recent Ubuntu point release.

        The Ubuntu Pro images that are provided by Compute Engine, have the following differences in configuration from standard Ubuntu images:

        Account configuration

        • There are no local users configured with passwords.

        Bootloader configuration

        • Ubuntu usescloud-init to do some boot time initialization. Thecloud.cfg file is configured for Compute Engine and enables only thecloud-init modules that are used.
        • To force faster boot times, the boot timeout in the grub configuration is set to0.
        • To allow SCSI block multi-queue usage,scsi_mod.use_blk_mq is enabled.

        Network configuration

        • IPv6 is enabled.
        • The SSH server configuration is set to disable password authentication.
        • To prevent MAC addresses from persisting,/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules is removed.

        Package system and repository configuration

        • Theguest environmentfor Compute Engine packages are installed from theUbuntu supplied packages.
        • TheGoogle Cloud CLI is installed and maintained as a snap package.
        • The APT sources are set to use the Ubuntu Compute Engine mirrors viacloud-init.
        • TheUnattended-upgradespackage is installed and configured to download and install Debian security updates daily. Thiscan be configured or disabled by changing the values in/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgradesand/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02periodic.
        • Thelinux-image-gcp kernel is used instead of the generic Ubuntu kernel.The Google Cloud kernel reflects the latest rollingHWE kernelfor Ubuntu LTS.

        Storage configuration

        • Images are 10 GB by default.
        • The partition table isGPT, and there is anEFI partition to support booting onUEFI. There is also an MBR boot block to support BIOS.
        • Ubuntu usescloud-init to do some boot time initialization. Thecloud.cfg file is configured for Compute Engine and enables only thecloud-init modules that are used.
        • There are no local users configured with passwords.
        • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.
        • The floppy module is disabled because there is no floppy disk controller on Compute Engine.

        Time configuration

        • The NTP server is set to use the Compute Engine metadata server.

        GA Ubuntu Pro versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

        General information

        For information about upgrading from Ubuntu LTS to Ubuntu Pro, seeUpgrade from Ubuntu to Ubuntu Pro.

        OS versionImage projectx86 image familyArm image familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSubuntu-os-pro-cloudubuntu-pro-2404-lts-amd64ubuntu-pro-2404-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4GAApril 2034
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSubuntu-os-pro-cloudubuntu-pro-2204-ltsubuntu-pro-2204-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4GAApril 2032
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSubuntu-os-pro-cloudubuntu-pro-2004-ltsubuntu-pro-2004-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4GAApril 2030
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSubuntu-os-pro-cloudubuntu-pro-1804-ltsubuntu-pro-1804-lts-arm64All except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, C4-metal, C4A, C4A-metal, C3-metal, C4D-metal, X4, Z3-metalGAApril 2028
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSubuntu-os-pro-cloudubuntu-pro-1604-ltsN/AAll except A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, T2A, C4A, C3-metal, C4-metal, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, X4, Z3-metalGAApril 2026

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSYesYesYesNoNoYes
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSYesYes*YesNoNoYes

        *This OS image supports NVMe but doesn't support the hot-plugging of NVMe drives.Hot-plugging is the process of adding or removing a device while the system is running.

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM SEVConfidential VM SEV-SNPConfidential VM Intel TDX
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSYesYesYesYes†
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSYesYesYesYes†
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSYesYesYesNo
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSYesYesNoNo
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSYesNoNoNo

        * Intel TDX isn't supported on ARM64 for this OS image.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSYes*YesYesYes

        * This OS image doesn't support custom hostnames. For more information, seeCustom Hostnames.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSYesNo*Yes†

        * You canupdate the gVNIC driver to the latest version to enable network egress bandwidths of 200 Gbps. For more information, see theRequirements and limitations section of "Configure per VM Tier_1 networking performance".
        † Fully supported with VirtIO, but requires an updated driver to use with gVNIC. For more information, seeJumbo frames.
        # Only available with certain machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSNoNoNoYesYesYesNoYesYes

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSYesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual applianceImport machine image
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSNoNoNo
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSNoNoNo
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSNoNoNo
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSNoNoNo
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSNoNoNo

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Ubuntu Pro 24.04 LTSOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-pro-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-pro-2404-lts
        Ubuntu Pro 22.04 LTSOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-pro-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-pro-2204-lts
        Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTSOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-pro-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-pro-2004-lts
        Ubuntu Pro 18.04 LTSOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-pro-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-pro-1804-lts
        Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTSOn-demandhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/ubuntu-os-pro-cloud/global/licenses/ubuntu-pro-1604-lts

        Windows client

        Google doesn't provide Windows client images. You must bring your own Windows client images.

        Windows client images can't be used with bare metal instances. Also, Windowsclient images aren't supported forN4A machine series,C4A machine series, andT2A machine series VMs.

        Automatic updates

        The Windows client update settings determine how versions of Windows client use Windows Updates. To configure Windows automatic updates, see Configure Automatic Updates.

        Storage

        Google doesn't test theVSS agent on any client images.

        GA Windows client versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

        General information

        OS versionLifecycle stageEOS date
        Windows 11 25h2 x64GAOct 2028
        Windows 11 24h2 x64GAOct 2027
        Windows 11 23h2 x64**GANov 2026

        *Lifecycle stage: Google Cloud Support typically coincides with Extended Support EndDate. For information about the end of support (EOS) date for each of the operating systems in thetable below, see theMicrosoft Lifecycle Policy.

        **Windows 11: vTPM and Secure Boot must be enabled. Due to CPUrequirements, N1 and M1sole-tenant node types are not recommended.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Windows 11 25h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 11 24h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 11 23h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM support
        Windows 11 25h2 x64Yes**No
        Windows 11 24h2 x64Yes**No
        Windows 11 23h2 x64Yes**No

        **Windows 11: vTPM and Secure Boot must be enabled. Due to CPUrequirements, N1 and M1sole-tenant node types are not recommended.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Windows 11 25h2 x64No*No†NoNo^
        Windows 11 24h2 x64No*No†NoNo^
        Windows 11 23h2 x64No*No†NoYes‡

        *Guest environment: For this OS, the guest environment can be manuallyinstalled. To install the guest environment, seeInstall the guest environment.

        †gcloud CLI: For this OS, the gcloud CLI can be manuallyinstalled. To install the gcloud CLI, seeInstall the gcloud CLI.

        ‡Suspend and resume: For this OS, some power policy configurations areincompatible with suspend and resume. For more information, seetroubleshooting VM suspension.

        ^Suspend and resume: Suspend and resume for Windows 11 24h2 x64 & Windows 1125h2 x64 isn't supported. This is aknown issue and a fix is in progress.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Windows 11 25h2 x64YesYesYes
        Windows 11 24h2 x64YesYesYes
        Windows 11 23h2 x64YesYesYes

        *Only available withsupported machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        Note:a2-megagpu-16g machine types are notsupported on Windows. When using A100 GPUs with Windows operating systems, choose a different A2machine type.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Windows 11 25h2 x64NoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
        Windows 11 24h2 x64NoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
        Windows 11 23h2 x64NoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes

        *For this Windows client version, NVIDIA V100 GPUs are not supported.

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Windows 11 25h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 11 24h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 11 23h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual appliance
        Windows 11 25h2 x64YesYes
        Windows 11 24h2 x64YesYes
        Windows 11 23h2 x64YesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Windows 11 25h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-11-x64-byol
        Windows 11 24h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-11-x64-byol
        Windows 11 23h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-11-x64-byol

        End of support Windows client versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

        Expand to view end-of-support versions

        General information

        OS versionLifecycle stageEOS date
        Windows 11 22h2 x64**EOSOct 2025
        Windows 11 21h2 x64**EOSOct 2024
        Windows 10 22h2 x64EOSOct 2025
        Windows 10 22h2 x86EOSOct 2025
        Windows 10 21h2 x64EOSJune 2024
        Windows 10 21h2 x86EOSJune 2024
        Windows 8.1 x64EOSJan 2023
        Windows 8.1 x86EOSJan 2023

        *Lifecycle stage: Google Cloud Support typically coincides with Extended Support EndDate. For information about the end of support (EOS) date for each of the operating systems in thetable below, see theMicrosoft Lifecycle Policy.

        **Windows 11: vTPM and Secure Boot must be enabled. Due to CPUrequirements, N1 and M1sole-tenant node types are not recommended.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Windows 11 22h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 11 21h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 10 22h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 10 22h2 x86YesNoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x86YesNoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 8.1 x64YesYesYesNoNoNo
        Windows 8.1 x86YesNoNoNoNoNo

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM support
        Windows 11 22h2 x64Yes**No
        Windows 11 21h2 x64Yes**No
        Windows 10 22h2 x64YesNo
        Windows 10 22h2 x86NoNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x64YesNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x86NoNo
        Windows 8.1 x64NoNo
        Windows 8.1 x86NoNo

        **Windows 11: vTPM and Secure Boot must be enabled. Due to CPUrequirements, N1 and M1sole-tenant node types are not recommended.

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Windows 11 22h2 x64No*No†NoYes‡
        Windows 11 21h2 x64No*No†NoYes‡
        Windows 10 22h2 x64No*No†NoYes‡
        Windows 10 22h2 x86No*No†NoNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x64No*No†NoYes‡
        Windows 10 21h2 x86No*No†NoNo
        Windows 8.1 x64NoNo†NoNo
        Windows 8.1 x86NoNo†NoNo

        *Guest environment: For this OS, the guest environment can be manuallyinstalled. To install the guest environment, seeInstall the guest environment.

        †gcloud CLI: For this OS, the gcloud CLI can be manuallyinstalled. To install the gcloud CLI, seeInstall the gcloud CLI.

        ‡Suspend and resume: For this OS, some power policy configurations areincompatible with suspend and resume. For more information, seetroubleshooting VM suspension.

        ^Suspend and resume: Suspend and resume for Windows 11 24h2 x64 & Windows 1125h2 x64 isn't supported. This is aknown issue and a fix is in progress.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Windows 11 22h2 x64YesYesYes
        Windows 11 21h2 x64YesYesYes
        Windows 10 22h2 x64YesYesYes
        Windows 10 22h2 x86NoNoYes
        Windows 10 21h2 x64YesYesYes
        Windows 10 21h2 x86NoNoYes
        Windows 8.1 x64NoNoYes
        Windows 8.1 x86NoNoYes

        *Only available withsupported machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        Note:a2-megagpu-16g machine types are notsupported on Windows. When using A100 GPUs with Windows operating systems, choose a different A2machine type.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Windows 11 22h2 x64NoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
        Windows 11 21h2 x64EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        Windows 10 22h2 x64NoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
        Windows 10 22h2 x86NoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
        Windows 10 21h2 x64EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        Windows 10 21h2 x86EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        Windows 8.1 x64EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS
        Windows 8.1 x86EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

        *For this Windows client version, NVIDIA V100 GPUs are not supported.

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Windows 11 22h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 11 21h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 10 22h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 10 22h2 x86NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 10 21h2 x86NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 8.1 x64NoNoNoNoNo
        Windows 8.1 x86NoNoNoNoNo

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual appliance
        Windows 11 22h2 x64YesYes
        Windows 11 21h2 x64YesYes
        Windows 10 22h2 x64YesYes
        Windows 10 22h2 x86YesYes
        Windows 10 21h2 x64YesYes
        Windows 10 21h2 x86YesYes
        Windows 8.1 x64YesYes
        Windows 8.1 x86YesYes

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Windows 11 22h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-11-x64-byol
        Windows 11 21h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-11-x64-byol
        Windows 10 22h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-10-x64-byol
        Windows 10 22h2 x86BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-10-x86-byol
        Windows 10 21h2 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-10-x64-byol
        Windows 10 21h2 x86BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-10-x86-byol
        Windows 8.1 x64BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-8-x64-byol
        Windows 8.1 x86BYOLhttps://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-8-x86-byol

        Windows Server

        Windows Server images arepremium resources that incur additional fees to use. Google Cloud builds and supports the Windows Server images available for Compute Engine.

        Windows server images can't be used with bare metal instances.

        To bring your own Windows license (BYOL), you must either import an existing image, or you mustbuild a custom image.

        Automatic updates

        By default, this operating system is configured to "Auto download and schedule the install" for Microsoft updates. To configure Windows Server automatic updates, see Configure Automatic Updates.

        Image configuration

        Windows Server images are built with the latest updates, but have the following differences in configuration from standard Windows Server images:

        Account configuration

        • The Administrator account is disabled.
        • User passwords must be at least eight characters long.
        • TheLocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy property is enabled to grant access to administrative file shares.

        Activation configuration

        • Windows Server images can't activate without a network connection tokms.windows.googlecloud.com, and stop functioning if they don't authenticate within 30 days. Make sure to [allow access in your VPC network](/compute/docs/instances/windows/creating-managing-windows-instances#kms-server).
        • A KMS client key is installed and the KMS client is set to activate by using the Compute Engine KMS servers.

        Bootloader configuration

        • BootStatusPolicy is set toIgnoreAllFailures.
        • Emergency Management Services (EMS) redirection is enabled on the COM2 port. For more information, seebootcfg ems.

        Network configuration

        • The Compute Engine metadata server is added to thehosts file, which is typically in the%WinDir%\System32\drivers\etc directory.
        • The Windows firewall is open to allow communication with the Compute Engine metadata server.
        • TCP KeepAliveTime is set to 5 minutes.
        • Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD) is disabled.
        • The NetKVM adapter is set to use DHCP.
        • Remote Desktop (RDP) is enabled and the associated Windows firewall ports opened.
        • WinRM over HTTPS is configured using a self signed certificate and the associated Windows firewall ports are open.
        • Windows images provided by Google have a hardcoded MTU. For more information about network andinterface MTU, see themaximum transmission unit overview.

        Package system and Windows Update

        • Windows Server images update automatically according to the default update schedule for Windows Server.
        • To install packages for theguest environment, Google Cloud repositories are enabled.
        • To manage Compute Engine component packages for Windows,GooGet is installed, which you can configure to update packages automatically.
        • TheGoogle Cloud CLI is installed with its own Python 2.7 environment. Google Cloud CLI works with project service accounts, instance scopes, and works in PowerShell and the standard command-line environment.
        • To boot Windows on Compute Engine,Compute Engine drivers are installed.
        • PowerShell v5 and v7 are installed.

        Power configuration

        • Power settings are changed to never turn off the monitor.

        Storage configuration

        • The partition table is GPT, and there is an EFI partition to support booting on UEFI.
        • The paging file is set to a static size of 1 GB.
        • TheEnableQueryAccessAlignment property is enabled for the VioSCSI driver.

        Time configuration

        • TheRealTimeIsUniversal registry key is set. The BIOS is a UTC clock, and is not set to the local time.
        • The time zone is set to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
        • NTP is set to sync to the Compute Engine metadata server.

        GA Windows Server versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in General Availability (GA).

        General information

        OS versionImage projectImage familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Windows Server 2025windows-cloudwindows-2025
        windows-2025-core        		All except T2A, N4A, C4A, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C4-metal, C3-metal, Z3, A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3, X4GAOct 10, 2034
        Windows Server 2022windows-cloudwindows-2022
        windows-2022-core        		All except T2A, N4A, C4A, C4-metal, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C3-metal, Z3, A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3, X4GAOct 14, 2031
        Windows Server 2019windows-cloudwindows-2019
        windows-2019-core        		All except T2A, N4A, C4A, C4-metal, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C3-metal, Z3, A4X Max, A4X, A4, G4, A3, X4GAJan 9, 2029
        Windows Server 2016windows-cloudwindows-2016
        windows-2016-core        		All except T2A, N4A, C4A, C4-metal, C4A-metal, C4D-metal, C3-metal, Z3, A4X Max, A4X, A4, A3, G4, G2, X4GAJan 12, 2027

        *Lifecycle stage: Google Cloud Support typically coincides withExtended Support End Date. Forinformation about the end of support (EOS) date for each of the operating systems in the previoustable, see theMicrosoft Lifecycle Policy.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeVSS agentGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Windows Server 2025YesYesYesYesNoNoYes
        Windows Server 2022YesYesYesYesNoNoYes
        Windows Server 2019YesYesYesYesNoNoYes
        Windows Server 2016YesYesYesYesNoNoYes

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM support
        Windows Server 2025YesNo
        Windows Server 2022YesNo
        Windows Server 2019YesNo
        Windows Server 2016YesNo

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Windows Server 2025YesYesNoNo†
        Windows Server 2022YesYesNoYes*
        Windows Server 2019YesYesNoYes*
        Windows Server 2016YesYesNoYes*

        *For this OS, some power policy configurations are incompatible with suspend and resume. For more information, see troubleshooting VM suspension.

        †Not currently supported due to a known issue.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Windows Server 2025YesYesYes
        Windows Server 2022YesYesYes
        Windows Server 2019YesYesYes
        Windows Server 2016YesYesYes

        *Only available withsupported machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        Limitations

        • You can't use Windows operating systems with thea2-megagpu-16g machine type.When using A100 GPUs with a Windows operating system, choose a different A2 machine type.
        • You can't use Windows operating systems ong4-standard-384 machine types.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Windows Server 2025NoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYes
        Windows Server 2022NoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYes
        Windows Server 2019NoNoNoNoNoYesNoYesYes
        Windows Server 2016NoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoYes

        *For this Windows client version, NVIDIA V100 GPUs are not supported.

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Windows Server 2025YesYesYesYesYes
        Windows Server 2022YesYesYesYesYes
        Windows Server 2019YesYesYesYesYes
        Windows Server 2016YesYesYesYesYes

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual appliance
        Windows Server 2025YesYes
        Windows Server 2022YesYes
        Windows Server 2019YesYes
        Windows Server 2016YesYes

        *Self-import is available.

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Windows Server 2025
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOL1
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2025-dc
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2025-byol
        Windows Server 2022
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOL1
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2022-dc
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2022-byol
        Windows Server 2019
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOL1
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2019-dc
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2019-byol
        Windows Server 2016
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOL1
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2016-dc
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2016-byol

        1See the notes onBring Your Own License (BYOL) for Microsoft Licensing.

        End of support Windows Server versions

        The following section summarizes feature support for versions of this OS that are in end of support.

        Expand to view end-of-support versions

        General information

        OS versionImage projectImage familyMachine seriesLifecycle stageEOS and image deprecation date
        Windows Server 2012 R2N/AN/AOnly C2, C2D, E2, M1, M2, N1, N2, N2DEOSOct 10, 2023
        Windows Server 2012N/AN/AOnly C2, C2D, E2, M1, M2, N1, N2, N2DEOSOct 10, 2023

        *Lifecycle stage: Google Cloud Support typically coincides withExtended Support End Date. Forinformation about the end of support (EOS) date for each of the operating systems in the previoustable, see theMicrosoft Lifecycle Policy.

        Interfaces

        OS versionSCSINVMeVSS agentGoogle Virtual NIC (gVNIC)IRDMAIDPFMultiple network interfaces
        Windows Server 2012 R2YesYesYesYesNoNoYes
        Windows Server 2012YesNoNoNoNoNoYes

        Security features

        OS versionShielded VMConfidential VM support
        Windows Server 2012 R2YesNo
        Windows Server 2012NoNo

        User space features

        OS versionGuest environment installedgcloud CLI installedOS Login supportedSuspend and resume supported
        Windows Server 2012 R2YesYesNoNo
        Windows Server 2012YesYesNoNo

        *For this OS, some power policy configurations are incompatible with suspend and resume. For more information, see troubleshooting VM suspension.

        †Not currently supported due to a known issue.

        Networking features

        OS versionTier_1 networking*200 Gbps network bandwidth*Jumbo frames/MTU
        Windows Server 2012 R2YesYesYes
        Windows Server 2012NoNoNo

        *Only available withsupported machine series.

        GPU support

        N1+GPU denotes support for NVIDIA T4, V100, P100, or P4 GPUs running on a general-purpose N1 machine family.

        Limitations

        • You can't use Windows operating systems with thea2-megagpu-16g machine type.When using A100 GPUs with a Windows operating system, choose a different A2 machine type.
        • You can't use Windows operating systems ong4-standard-384 machine types.

        For more information about GPU requirements and recommended OSes, seechoosing an OS for instances with attached GPUs.

        OS versionA4X Max (GB300)A4X (GB200)A4 (B200)A3 (H200)A3 (H100)A2 (A100)G4 (RTX PRO 6000)G2 (L4)N1+GPU
        Windows Server 2012 R2NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYes
        Windows Server 2012EOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOSEOS

        *For this Windows client version, NVIDIA V100 GPUs are not supported.

        VM Manager

        OS versionOS Config agent preinstalledOS inventoryOS policiesPatchVulnerability reports
        Windows Server 2012 R2YesYesYesYesNo
        Windows Server 2012NoNoNoNoNo

        Import

        For operating system support information on migrating VMs using Migrate to Virtual Machines, seesupported operating systems.

        OS versionImport diskImport virtual appliance
        Windows Server 2012 R2YesYes
        Windows Server 2012YesYes

        *Self-import is available.

        License

        For version tracking, Rocky Linux accelerated images include three licenses:

        • A license for the base Rocky Linux optimized OS.
        • A license to designate the image as an accelerated image.
        • A license for the NVIDIA driver.
        OS versionLicense typeLicense URL
        Windows Server 2012 R2
        • On-demand (Default)
        • BYOL1
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2012-r2-dc
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2012-r2-byol
        Windows Server 2012
        • BYOL1
        • https://www.googleapis.com/compute/v1/projects/windows-cloud/global/licenses/windows-server-2012-byol

        1See the notes onBring Your Own License (BYOL) for Microsoft Licensing.

        Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under theCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, and code samples are licensed under theApache 2.0 License. For details, see theGoogle Developers Site Policies. Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

        Last updated 2026-02-18 UTC.