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

You can upgrade the minor engine version of your ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL Serverless instance automatically or manually. Upgrading gives you the latest performance improvements, features, and security fixes to keep your database service optimized and secure.

For information about minor engine version updates for ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL Serverless instances, see AliSQL Release Notes.

To upgrade the minor engine version for other database engines, see the following topics:

Version statuses

Offline: A minor engine version is taken offline if it has critical defects or has been expired for more than one year. After a version is set to offline, you cannot create new instances that use this version.
Expired: A minor engine version expires after its specified date. For the expiration dates of minor engine versions, see AliSQL Release Notes.
Stable: All versions that are not offline or expired are stable.

Features

Warning

The automatic upgrade feature is a supplementary tool and does not guarantee that all instances are immediately upgraded to the latest minor engine version. You can check the status of your minor engine version on the Basic Information page of your instance and perform an upgrade promptly to avoid potential risks associated with outdated versions. If you cancel a system-initiated upgrade task or fail to upgrade to the latest stable version after you receive an upgrade notification 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: By default, ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL and ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL Serverless instances are set to automatically upgrade the minor engine version. When your instance runs a version that is not the latest, the system periodically schedules an upgrade task. The system primarily sends notifications for unstable versions. The system may not notify you if a minor version has no known stability or security issues. You can check the settings for the automatic upgrade on the Basic Information page. The upgrade runs within the maintenance window that you configure.
Note
- The system sends notifications about upgrade tasks through channels such as SMS and email. To receive these notifications, subscribe to Cloud Database Failure or O&M Notification in the Message Center and configure your contact information.
- You can cancel or reschedule system-initiated maintenance tasks at any time. For more information, see Scheduled Events.
Manual upgrade: You can change the upgrade setting to Manual Upgrade on the Basic Information page of your instance. If the current minor engine version of your instance has critical defects, is expired, or is offline, the system still schedules an upgrade, even if the instance is set for manual upgrades.

Impacts

Upgrading the minor engine version may cause an instance switchover. For more information about the impacts of an instance switchover, see Impacts of an instance switchover.
Automatic upgrades run within the maintenance window that you configure. You can change the maintenance window on the Basic Information page of your instance.
Perform manual upgrades during off-peak hours. You must also ensure your application code includes an automatic reconnection mechanism.

Usage notes

Outdated minor engine versions can pose risks such as service interruptions and data loss. We recommend that you upgrade your minor engine version regularly or after you receive an O&M notification from Alibaba Cloud.
If a primary instance has read-only instances running a version older than the target version, the system upgrades the read-only instances before it upgrades the primary instance.
If the minor engine version of an instance is offline or no longer maintained, the system automatically upgrades the instance to the latest minor engine version when you perform an instance upgrade or specification change, or when Alibaba Cloud upgrades the underlying hardware.
You cannot downgrade the minor engine version after an upgrade.
After you upgrade the minor version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL or ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL Serverless Basic Edition instance, on the Basic Information page of the instance, the Backup Usage may be displayed as 0 and is automatically restored after the next scheduled backup is complete.
The system does not push upgrade tasks to newly created instances. To upgrade to the latest version, you can manually upgrade the minor engine version from the Basic Information page.
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 minor engine version meets the criteria to be taken offline, its status changes to offline, regardless of whether it is still within its support lifecycle.

Upgrade risks

Risk	Description
.NET connection risk	If you upgrade your instance to version 20230630 (based on official MySQL 8.0.31) or later, you may encounter issues with .NET connections. For more information, see .NET compatibility issue.
Compatibility risk	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 cause inconsistent database behavior. For example, when you upgrade to a version based on 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. ApsaraDB RDS handles behavioral inconsistencies that result from upgrades in the same way as the official MySQL version.

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, find Minor Version Auto Upgrade and click Settings.
Select Automatic Upgrade or Manual Upgrade and 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 you do not see this button, the minor engine version is up to date.
In the dialog box that appears, select a version from the Upgradeable To list, select an Upgrade Time, and click OK.

View upgrade progress and history

To view the progress of an ongoing upgrade or the history of minor version upgrades, go to the Tasks page in the ApsaraDB RDS console. You can view details for each task, including the task type, status, progress, start time, and end time. The Tasks page only displays tasks from the last 30 days, including both automatic and manual upgrades. For more information, see Task list for an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance.

FAQ

Q: What methods can I use to upgrade the minor engine version of an ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance?

A: You can use an automatic upgrade or a 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 switch between automatic and manual upgrades 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 starts?

A: No. 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.

Q: After an upgrade, why does the version returned by SELECT @@version remain unchanged?

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

Q: Can I only upgrade one version at a time?

A: No. You can upgrade to any of the available newer minor versions. The available versions are displayed in the console.

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

A: To ensure service stability, the upgrade is performed on the secondary instance first. After the upgrade, the system switches your workloads to the secondary instance. No other critical risks are involved. For more 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 its read-only instances also upgraded?

A: Yes. If a primary instance has read-only instances running a version older than the target version, the system upgrades the read-only instances before it upgrades the primary instance. If multiple read-only instances exist, the system upgrades them one by one, not concurrently.

Q: I performed a specification change on my ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instance, and its minor engine version was also upgraded. Why?

A: If the minor engine version of an instance is offline or no longer maintained, the system automatically upgrades the instance to the latest minor engine version when you perform a specification change, or when Alibaba Cloud upgrades the underlying hardware.

Q: How do 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 enabled automatic upgrades, but my instance has not been upgraded. Why?

A: An automatic upgrade might not occur for one of the following reasons:

The instance is in a classic network. Automatic upgrades are not supported in the classic network. You must switch the network type to a VPC.
The proxy version is too old. You must upgrade the proxy version first.
Automatic upgrades are scheduled maintenance tasks. The system does not immediately perform an upgrade as soon as a new version is released.

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

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

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

A: Creating a VPC is free of charge. For more information about switching from the classic network to a VPC, see Change the network type.

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

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

Related APIs

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

References

AliSQL Release Notes