Google Distributed Cloud node pools also support
Container-Optimized OS. Container-Optimized OS on Google Distributed Cloud
supports kdump for
debugging kernel issues.
Google Distributed Cloud offers the following node image options for your cluster:
New Google Distributed Cloud versions sometimes introduce a new Kubernetes version
for clusters. Version changes are announced in
Release notes. To learn which
Kubernetes version your cluster runs, see
Versions.
Preinstalled tools
The node OS has the following tools preinstalled: arpingcloud-utils,
conntrack, logrotate, prips, and systemd-container.
The node OS has the debug-toolbox container image preinstalled.
debug-toolbox includes several packages for debugging node issues. You run
an accompanying shell script, toolbox, to unpack and run the
debug-toolbox container.
Learn about the toolbox script.
Networking
As of version 1.1.0-gke.6, the node OS default networking configuration is
disabled to support static IP allocation.
[[["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."],[],[],null,["# Node image\n\nThis page describes the node operating system (node OS) image that runs on\nGoogle Distributed Cloud (software only) for VMware cluster nodes.\n\nCluster nodes run ubuntu_containerd by default. The image is similar to\n[Google Kubernetes Engine's Ubuntu node image](/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/node-images).\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud node pools also support\n[Container-Optimized OS](/container-optimized-os/docs/concepts/features-and-benefits). Container-Optimized OS on Google Distributed Cloud\nsupports [kdump](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kdump_(Linux)) for\ndebugging kernel issues.\n\nGoogle Distributed Cloud offers the following node image options for your cluster: \n\n### 1.16\n\n### 1.28\n\n### 1.29\n\nKubernetes version\n------------------\n\nNew Google Distributed Cloud versions sometimes introduce a new Kubernetes version\nfor clusters. Version changes are announced in\n[Release notes](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/vmware/docs/release-notes). To learn which\nKubernetes version your cluster runs, see\n[Versions](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/vmware/docs/version-history).\n\nPreinstalled tools\n------------------\n\n- The node OS has the following tools preinstalled: `arping` `cloud-utils`, `conntrack`, `logrotate`, `prips`, and `systemd-container`.\n- The node OS has the `debug-toolbox` container image preinstalled. `debug-toolbox` includes several packages for debugging node issues. You run an accompanying shell script, `toolbox`, to unpack and run the `debug-toolbox` container. [Learn about the `toolbox` script](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/vmware/docs/troubleshooting/toolbox).\n\nNetworking\n----------\n\nAs of version 1.1.0-gke.6, the node OS default networking configuration is\ndisabled to support static IP allocation.\n\nSecurity\n--------\n\nSee [node security](/kubernetes-engine/distributed-cloud/vmware/docs/concepts/security#node_security)."]]
