Update the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance

Overview

• Auto: When a new minor engine version is released, Alibaba Cloud pushes a notification to you. In addition, ApsaraDB RDS automatically updates your RDS instance to the new minor engine version during the specified maintenance window. You can log on to the ApsaraDB RDS console and go to the Basic Information page to view the Minor Version Upgrade Mode. For more information, see Set the maintenance window of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.
• Manual: When the lifecycle of the minor engine version that is run on your RDS instance ends, Alibaba Cloud pushes a notification to you. The notification states that you must update your RDS instance to the latest stable minor engine version within one month. In most cases, the lifecycle of a minor engine version spans one year. You can manually update the minor engine version on the Basic Information page of the ApsaraDB RDS console. For more information, see the "Update the minor engine version" section of this topic.
  Note After the lifecycle of a minor engine version ends, the minor engine version is no longer available.

Precautions

• When you upgrade or change the specifications of your RDS instance, ApsaraDB RDS automatically updates the minor engine version to improve performance and stability. This applies if the minor engine version of your RDS instance expires or is no longer maintained.
• An update to the minor engine version triggers a restart of your RDS instance. During the restart process, a transient connection error of about 30 seconds may occur. The time when the restart is triggered varies based on the value of the Upgrade Time parameter. You can set this parameter to Upgrade Immediately or Switch Within Maintenance Window. We recommend that you update the minor engine version of your RDS instance during off-peak hours. Otherwise, make sure that your application is configured to automatically reconnect to your RDS instance.
• After you update the minor engine version of your RDS instance, you cannot revoke the update.
• After you update the minor engine version of your RDS instance, the Backup Size on the Basic Information page of the ApsaraDB RDS console may be displayed as 0. After the next scheduled backup is complete, this error is automatically fixed.

Configure the minor engine version update mode

1. Go to the Basic Information page.
   1. Log on to the ApsaraDB for RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances. In the top navigation bar, select the region where your RDS instance resides.
      
   2. Find your RDS instance and click its ID.
2. In the Configuration Information section of the page, click Configure to the right of Minor Version Upgrade Mode.
3. Select the Auto or Manual update mode and click OK.
   

Update the minor engine version

1. Go to the Basic Information page.
   1. Log on to the ApsaraDB for RDS console. In the left-side navigation pane, click Instances. In the top navigation bar, select the region where your RDS instance resides.
      
   2. Find your RDS instance and click its ID.
2. In the Configuration Information section of the page, click Upgrade Kernel Version.
   Note If you cannot find Upgrade Kernel Version, you are using the latest minor engine version.
3. In the dialog box that appears, specify the Upgrade Time parameter and click OK.
   

FAQ

• After I update the minor engine version of my RDS instance, why does the SELECT @@version statement still return the minor engine version that I used before the update?

  The SELECT @@version statement returns the minor version of Alibaba Cloud. If you want to query the minor engine version of your RDS instance, run the show variables like '%rds_release_date%' command.

• Is each update targeted only for the next minor engine version?

  No, each update is targeted for the latest minor engine version.

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