Upgrade the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance - ApsaraDB RDS

ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and Serverless ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances support automatic and manual minor engine version upgrades. Upgrades provide the latest version with performance improvements, new features, and security fixes to ensure the continuous optimization and security of your database service.

For MySQL (including Serverless), minor kernel updates are detailed in the AliSQL kernel release notes.

For instructions on upgrading other engines, see the following documents:

Version statuses

Offline: A kernel version is marked as offline if it has known critical bugs or has been expired for more than one year. You cannot purchase new instances that run an offline version.
Expired: A kernel version is marked as expired if its expiration date has passed. For information about the expiration dates of kernel versions, see AliSQL kernel release notes.
Stable: All versions that are not offline or expired are considered stable.

Introduction to minor engine version upgrade

Warning

Automatic upgrades are a supplementary feature that does not guarantee all instances are immediately upgraded to the latest minor engine version. To avoid potential risks from outdated kernel versions, check the kernel version status on the Basic Information page of your instance and upgrade the minor engine version promptly. If you cancel a system-initiated upgrade task or fail to upgrade to the latest stable version after receiving an upgrade prompt in the console, you are responsible for any resulting business interruptions, data loss, or other consequences. For more information, see the Terms of Service.

Automatic upgrade: ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and Serverless ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances are set to automatically upgrade the minor engine version by default. You can view the automatic upgrade settings on the Basic Information page. If the minor engine version of your instance is not the latest, the system periodically creates a maintenance task to upgrade the instance. The automatic upgrade runs within the maintenance window that you set.
Note
- The system sends notifications about upgrade tasks through channels such as text messages and emails. To receive these notifications, you must subscribe to Cloud Database Failure or O&M Notification in the Message Center and set your contact information.
- You can cancel or reschedule system-initiated maintenance tasks at any time. For more information, see Scheduled Events.
Manual upgrade: On the Basic Information page of your instance, you can change the upgrade setting to Manual Upgrade. If the kernel version of your instance has critical bugs, is expired, or is offline, the system will still push an O&M task to upgrade the kernel version, even for instances set to manual upgrade.

Impacts

Upgrading the minor engine version may cause an instance switchover. For information about the impacts of an instance switchover, see Impacts of an instance switchover.

Automatic upgrades are performed during the maintenance window that you set. You can change the maintenance window on the Basic Information page of your instance.

Run the manual upgrade during off-peak hours and ensure that your application has an automatic reconnection mechanism. You must configure automatic reconnection in your application code.

Usage notes

Outdated kernel versions may pose risks, such as business interruptions and data loss. You should upgrade your minor engine version regularly or when you receive a maintenance notification from Alibaba Cloud.
If your primary instance has read-only instances and their minor engine version is older than the target version, the system upgrades the read-only instances first, and then upgrades the primary instance.
If the kernel version of an instance is offline or not in the maintenance list, the system automatically upgrades it to the latest minor engine version during an instance upgrade, specification change, or hardware upgrade by Alibaba Cloud.
You cannot downgrade the minor engine version after an upgrade.
After you upgrade the minor version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or Serverless ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL Basic Edition instance, the Backup Usage on the Basic Information page may be displayed as 0. This returns to normal after the next scheduled backup is complete.
Upgrade tasks are not automatically pushed to newly purchased instances. To upgrade to the latest version, you can upgrade the minor engine version on the Basic Information page of the instance.
You cannot cancel the upgrade process after it starts. If the upgrade fails, all changes are rolled back, and the instance retains its previous engine version and metadata.
When a kernel version meets the conditions for being offline, its status is set to offline, regardless of whether it is still within its lifecycle.

Upgrade risks

Risk	Description
.NET connection	If you upgrade your instance to version 20230630 (official MySQL 8.0.31) or later, you may encounter risks when using a .NET connection. For more information, see .NET compatibility issue.
Compatibility	Upgrading to version 20210930 or later may trigger a PHP compatibility issue. If this issue occurs, retry the connection.
Inconsistent database behavior	Some minor version upgrades can lead to inconsistent database behavior. For example, when you upgrade to official MySQL 8.0.19 or later, the `widths` attribute for integer types is deprecated and no longer displayed. For more information, see the official MySQL documentation. RDS maintains consistency with the official version regarding behavioral changes caused by upgrades.

Modify automatic upgrade settings

Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.
In the Configuration Information section, click Settings for Automated Update of Minor Engine Version.
Select Automatic Upgrade or Manual Upgrade, and then click OK.

Manually upgrade the minor engine version

Go to the Instances page. In the top navigation bar, select the region in which the RDS instance resides. Then, find the RDS instance and click the ID of the instance.
In the Configuration Information section, click Upgrade Minor Engine Version.
Note
If this button is not displayed, the kernel is already the latest version.
In the dialog box, select a version under Upgradeable To, select an Upgrade Time, and click OK.

View upgrade progress and history

To view the upgrade progress or the history of minor version upgrades, log on to the task list in the RDS console to view task details. The details include the task type, status, progress, and start and end times. The task list page supports querying tasks from the last 30 days only, including both automatic and manual upgrades. For more information, see Task list for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

FAQ

Q: What methods are available for upgrading the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance?

A: You can upgrade the minor engine version in two ways: automatic upgrade and manual upgrade.

Q: Can I roll back a minor engine version upgrade for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance?

A: No. Minor engine version upgrades for RDS for MySQL are performed via an in-place rolling process and cannot be rolled back.

Q: How do I change the upgrade method between automatic and manual for the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance?

A: For more information, see Modify automatic upgrade settings.

Q: Can I cancel a minor engine version upgrade after it has started?

A: No, you cannot cancel the upgrade. If the upgrade fails, all changes are rolled back, and the instance retains its previous engine version and metadata.

Q: Why does the version number not change (SELECT @@version) after a minor engine version upgrade?

A: The upgrade applies to the AliSQL kernel minor version, not the MySQL engine version. You can run the show variables like '%rds_release_date%' command to query your AliSQL kernel minor version.

Q: Can I only upgrade one version at a time when upgrading the minor engine version?

A: You can upgrade to any available minor version. The available versions are displayed in the console.

Q: What are the impacts of upgrading the minor engine version? Why does an instance switchover occur? Are there other critical risks?

A: To ensure business stability, the upgrade follows a standby-first approach. After the standby instance is upgraded, the service automatically switches over to it. There are no other critical risks. For information about the impacts of an instance switchover, see Impacts of an instance switchover.

Q: When I upgrade the minor engine version of a primary instance, are the minor engine versions of its read-only instances automatically upgraded?

A: If your primary instance has read-only instances and their minor engine version is older than the target version, the system upgrades the read-only instances first, and then upgrades the primary instance. If there are multiple read-only instances, they are upgraded sequentially, not at the same time.

Q: I changed the specifications of my ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance. Why was the minor engine version also upgraded?

A: If the kernel version of an instance is offline or not in the maintenance list, the system automatically upgrades it to the latest minor engine version during an instance upgrade, specification change, or hardware upgrade by Alibaba Cloud.

Q: How can I view the progress and history of minor engine version upgrades for my ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance?

A: For more information, see View upgrade progress and history.

Q: I have enabled automatic minor engine version upgrades. Why has my instance not been upgraded automatically?

A: An automatic upgrade may not have occurred for one of the following reasons:

If your instance uses the classic network, it cannot be automatically upgraded. You must switch the network type from classic network to VPC.
The proxy minor version is too old. You must upgrade the proxy minor version first.
Automatic upgrades are scheduled maintenance tasks. The system does not immediately upgrade an instance as soon as a new version is released.

Q: Can I use OpenAPI to upgrade the minor engine version and configure the upgrade policy?

A: Yes, you can. For more information, see Related API operations.

Q: I cannot upgrade the minor engine version for an instance in the classic network. When I try to switch to a VPC, there is no eligible vSwitch in the target zone. How do I create a VPC, and is there a fee?

A: Creating a VPC is free. For more information about switching from the classic network to a VPC, see Change the network type of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

Q: Can I choose not to upgrade the minor engine version? What are the impacts?

A: Yes, you can. It is not mandatory. However, we strongly recommend that you upgrade the minor engine version regularly. If you continue to use an old version, you cannot use new features, obtain security patches for known vulnerabilities, or benefit from official performance optimizations.

Related API operations

API operation	Description
UpgradeDBInstanceKernelVersion	Upgrades the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
ModifyDBInstanceAutoUpgradeMinorVersion	Sets the minor engine version upgrade policy to automatic or manual.

References

AliSQL kernel release notes