vSphere Kubernetes Support Lifecycle
As outlined in our Specific Program Documentation and as detailed through the Broadcom Product Lifecycle Tool, each version of VMware vSphere Kubernetes release (VKr) (formerly known as Tanzu Kubernetes release or TKr) has its own support lifecycle which is independent of VCF or Broadcom’s standard policy.
We expect and encourage customers to plan vSphere Kubernetes release (VKr) upgrade activities so that they complete before a version reaches End of Service. Staying current is important to ensure the best possible experience for you and your workloads.
However, we recognize that 2024 has been an unusual year for us and understand that creates challenges. Keeping pace with new releases of Kubernetes would typically mean three releases per year. To catch up to the community, we instead delivered five releases this year: v1.27, v1.28, v1.29, v1.30, and v1.31.
Limited Extension for End of Service of Kubernetes 1.26 and 1.27
VKr minor version 1.26 and minor version v1.27 are scheduled for end of service on November 28, 2024 and January 28, 2025 respectively. We are pleased to announce a limited extension to this end of support dates for the sole purpose of allowing our consumers additional time to upgrade to the latest supported version of VKr .
To ensure a smooth and predictable path, we are also extending support for some subsequent versions to produce the following schedule, where one version reaches end of service every second month:
The sole purpose of these limited extensions is to enable customers to get the support they need to upgrade to a supported version. We will not deliver patches beyond the final releases produced by the community, and therefore strongly recommend that customers upgrade to subsequent supported versions.
As previously shared, the last supported version of Kubernetes on VCF 4.x (vCenter 7.x) will be version 1.28. Customers using the vSphere Kubernetes Service should plan to move to vCenter 8.x prior to the End of Service for Kubernetes v1.28 on May 28, 2025.
End of Service for future versions
Just as 2024 involved the release of more versions than would be typical, 2025 will involve more End of Service milestones than is typical, and we hope this revised schedule helps. However, this is a one time exception and we do not anticipate extension of future versions. Lifecycle dates for VKr releases can be found in the Broadcom Product Lifecycle Page.
What are the next steps?
If any of your workload clusters are using Kubernetes version v1.25 or older: you should plan your upgrade immediately. These versions have already reached the end of service.
For all of your workload clusters, plan your upgrade cadence for 2025 to stay ahead of these revised end of service dates. Please reach out to the support teams if you have any questions.
