Version 1.10. This version is no longer supported. For information about how to upgrade to version 1.11, see Upgrading Anthos on bare metal in the 1.11 documentation. For more information about supported and unsupported versions, see the Version history page in the latest documentation.
You must configure the base operating system of your node machines to use
Google Distributed Cloud. This page contains the steps you need to take to complete the
needed configuration.
For more information about troubleshooting Google Distributed Cloud requirements,
see the known issues.
Before you begin
Ensure you are using a supported version of your operating system.
Google Distributed Cloud supports the following versions for Ubuntu:
18.04
20.04
Validate package manager:
sudo apt-get check
The output should show no errors and look similar to the following example:
Compare your output with the following example to ensure the Client and Server versions are 19.03+ :
Client: Docker Engine - Community
Version: 19.03.13
...
Server: Docker Engine - Community
Engine:
Version: 19.03.13
Set up time synchronization
Time synchronization consists of setting the clocks on your node machines, using
a designated external time reference. Time synchronization is important for
time-sentive cluster activities, such as event logging and metrics collection.
The kernel of your node machine controls the clock in containers that run on the
node. To ensure proper time synchronization, install a network time protocol
(NTP) service on your machines, using any of the available services:
chrony, systemd-timesyncd,
ntp, or ntpdate. Run timedatectl to verify the system clock is
synchronized. The output of timedatectl should contain the following status:
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-25 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eThis page details the necessary configurations for node machines' base operating systems to use Google Distributed Cloud.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eSupported Ubuntu versions for Google Distributed Cloud are 18.04 and 20.04, and you should validate that your package manager has no errors.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUncomplicated Firewall (UFW) must be disabled on the node machines, and you must also verify the \u003ccode\u003eufw\u003c/code\u003e status is inactive.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDocker version 19.03 or later is required, and \u003ccode\u003ebmctl\u003c/code\u003e will install or upgrade to it, but manual installation steps are provided if needed.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTime synchronization via a network time protocol (NTP) service like \u003ccode\u003echrony\u003c/code\u003e or \u003ccode\u003esystemd-timesyncd\u003c/code\u003e is essential for time-sensitive cluster functions, with verification through the \u003ccode\u003etimedatectl\u003c/code\u003e command.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,[]]