ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL supports both automatic and manual updates to the minor engine version of your RDS instance. These updates increase performance, unveil new features, and fix known issues.

For more information about the minor engine versions of ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL, see Release notes of minor AliSQL versions.

For more information about how to update the minor engine version of an RDS instance that runs a different database engine, see the following topics:

Benefits

  • 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

  • If the minor engine version is outdated, the workloads of your RDS instance may be interrupted. We recommend that you update the minor engine version of your RDS instance on a regular basis or after you receive a notification from Alibaba Cloud.
  • 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 This applies if the minor engine version of your RDS instance expires or is no longer maintained.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 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 upgrade mode

  1. Visit the RDS instance list, select a region above, and click the target instance ID.
  2. In the Configuration Information section of the Basic Information page, click Configure to the right of Minor Version Upgrade Mode.
  3. Select the Auto or Manual update mode and click OK.
    Set Minor Version Upgrade Mode dialog box

Update the minor engine version

  1. Visit the RDS instance list, select a region above, and click the target instance ID.
  2. In the Configuration Information section of the page, click Upgrade Kernel Version.
    Note If you cannot find Upgrade Kernel Version, the minor engine version that you are using is the latest 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. You need to execute the show variables like '%rds_release_date%' statement to view the minor version of your RDS instance.

  • When I update the minor engine version of my RDS instance, is the version updated only to the next minor engine version?

    No, the minor engine version of your RDS instance is automatically updated to the latest version.

Related operations

Operation Description
Update minor engine version Updates the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS instance.