15 Compatibility and support conditions #
15.1 Support information #
The term "support" refers to two distinct concepts: a) technical enablement of a feature or combination of, for example, host and container, and b) enterprise support as delivered by SUSE to SUSE customers. Enterprise support requires a subscription for SUSE products according to https://www.suse.com/products/terms_and_conditions.pdf. Technical enablement is described below.
15.1.1 Support for SLES hosts #
Consult the following support and compatibility matrix to make sure that the desired host system and container combination is compatible and supported.
| Host ↓ Container image → | SLES 12 | SLES 15 |
|---|---|---|
SLES 12 SP5 | ✓ | ❋ |
SLES 15 | ✓ | ✓ |
SLE Micro | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ Fully supported
❋ Limited support (see the Limited support note)
SUSE provides limited support for SLES PRODUCT-GA-based containers running on SLES 12 SP5 hosts due to the fact that containerized applications can make system calls not available in the host’s kernel. To avoid potential risks and compatibility problems, SUSE recommends using the same Service Pack release for both containers and hosts.
BCIs support the following architectures: X86-64, AARCH64, POWER, and ZSERIES. Container architecture must match the architecture of the host. Mismatching container and host scenarios are not supported.
In most scenarios, all SLE containers are expected to be interoperable if the application or its dependencies do not interact directly with kernel version-specific data structures (ioctl, /proc, /sys, routing, iptables, nftables, eBPF, etc.) or modules (KVM, OVS, SystemTap, etc.). Support for ioctl and access to /proc is limited to the most common scenarios needed by unprivileged users.
15.1.2 Support for non-SLES hosts #
While SUSE-based containers are fully supported, issues in the host environment must be handled by the host environment vendor. SUSE supports components that are part of the SUSE base containers. Packages from SUSE repositories are also supported. Additional components and applications in the containers are not covered by SUSE support. A SLE subscription is required for building derived containers.
Containers based on SLES 12 SP5 and SLES 15 (all service packs) are supported according to their official lifecycles and the following table.
The following third-party container host platforms are supported.
| Container host platform | Container runtime | Support status |
|---|---|---|
Rancher Kubernetes Engine (RKE) | docker | ✓ |
Rancher Kubernetes Engine 2 (RKE2) | containerd | ✓ |
K3S | containerd | ✓ |
Red Hat OpenShift | cri-o | ✓ |
Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | containerd | ✓ |
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) | containerd | ❋ |
Amazon Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes (EKS) | containerd | ✓ |
✓ Fully compatible and fully supported
❋ Workload specific: fully supported but compatibility depends on type of container (privileged or unprivileged) and on the application interactions (direct with kernel-version-specific data structures, kernel-version-specific modules, etc.)
Refer to the Rancher Support Matrix for more information regarding support for Rancher-related products.
15.2 Support plans #
There are three guiding principles of SUSE container support.
The container image lifecycle follows the lifecycle of the related products.
For example, SLES 15 SP4 container images follow the SLES 15 SP4 lifecycle.
Container release status also matches the status of the related product.
For example, if SLES 15 SP4 is in Alpha, Beta, RC, or GA stage, the related containers have the same release status.
Containers are built using the packages from the related products.
For example, SLES 15 SP4 container images are built using the same packages as the main SLES 15 SP4 release.
For further information, refer to the Product Support Lifecycle page and the documentation available for specific container images on SUSE Registry.
Container images can have different support status, and they can have limited support. Refer to the appropriate SUSE Registry page for the further information about a specific container image.
15.3 Containers and host environments support overview #
The following support options are valid for SLES containers on SUSE host environments.
Containers and host environments delivered by SUSE are fully supported. This also applies to all products under support, including both general support and Long Term Service Pack Support (LTSS).
Partner containers and host environments with a joint engineering collaboration agreement are fully supported. This applies to both the container and host environment as well as all products under support (both general and LTSS) covered by the agreement.
While SUSE-based containers are fully supported, issues in the host environment must be handled by the host environment vendor. SUSE supports components that come from the SUSE base containers. Packages from SUSE repositories are also supported. Additional components and applications in the containers are not covered by SUSE support. No subscription is required for building derived containers based on the content of the SLE BCIs or the SLE BCI Repository. To build containers that include packages from the full SLE universe, you need a subscription that grants you access to the repositories containing these packages.
Any container and host environment not mentioned above has limited support. Details can be discussed with the SUSE Support Team responsible for triaging the issue and recommending alternative solutions. In any other case, issues in the host environment must be handled by the host environment vendor.
15.4 Technology previews #
Container images labeled as Tech Preview are provided by SUSE to give you an opportunity to test new technologies within your environment and share your feedback. If you test a technology preview, contact your SUSE representative to share your experiences and use cases. Your input is helpful for future development.
Technology previews come with the following limitations:
Technology previews can be functionally incomplete, unstable, and not suitable for production use.
Technology previews are not supported.
Technology previews can be available only for specific hardware architectures.
Specifics and functionality of technology previews are subject to change. As a result, upgrading to subsequent releases of a technology preview may not be possible and may require a fresh installation.
Technology previews can be canceled at any time. For example, if SUSE discovers that a preview does not meet the customer or market needs, or it does not comply with enterprise standards. SUSE does not commit to providing a supported version of such technologies in the future.
Container images are labeled as Tech Preview and are marked as such at registry.suse.com. Additionally, container images that are technology previews include the com.suse.supportlevel="techpreview" label in the container image metadata. You can check whether the metadata includes the label using the docker inspect command, or an appropriate command in other container runtimes.