Different generations of ECS instance families use different processors. This affects which operating systems are officially supported. This topic describes the supported operating systems for Intel instance types and related known issues. We recommend that you select an officially supported operating system version.
Operating system support for different generations of instance types
The following table describes the processors used by different generations of instance types and their officially supported operating systems. When you create a new ECS instance, select the latest version of a supported operating system.
Alibaba Cloud also provides operating system versions that are not officially supported. Using an older operating system might cause performance degradation or other issues. You must evaluate and assume the potential risks. For more information about known issues, see the following table.
Instance type generation | Instance family range | Processor | Officially supported operating systems | Known issues |
9th-generation Intel instance types | Intel® Xeon® 6 processor with Performance-cores (P-cores) |
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8th-generation Intel instance types | 4th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors (Sapphire Rapids) 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors (Emerald Rapids) |
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Intel general-purpose computing instance types | Supports multi-generation processor platforms. Compatible with Intel® Xeon® 6 processors and 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors (Emerald Rapids). |
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For more information, see Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors and Windows Processor Requirements.
Recommendations for selecting an operating system for an Intel instance type
When you purchase an Intel instance type, use one of the officially supported operating system versions listed in this topic. If you must use a different operating system version for specific reasons, do one of the following:
Select a different supported instance type.
Search for and use the target operating system from community images. For more information, see Create an instance from a community image.
When you create an ECS instance, if you cannot find certain images, such as custom images, during image selection, see Why are some images not visible when I create an ECS instance?.
Some new features of the Sapphire Rapids processors for Intel instance types are not fully supported by older operating systems. If you use an operating system that is not officially supported on an Intel instance type, you are responsible for evaluating and assuming the potential risks. Select an operating system version based on your application's requirements.