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Longhorn v1.6.0
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@innobead innobead released this 01 Feb 13:32
· 25 commits to v1.6.x since this release
v1.6.0
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Longhorn v1.6.0 Release Notes

This latest version of Longhorn introduces several features, enhancements, and bug fixes that are intended to improve system quality and the overall user experience. Highlights include new V2 Data Engine features, platform-agnostic deployment, node maintenance, and improvements to stability, performance, and resilience.

The Longhorn team appreciates your contributions and anticipates receiving feedback regarding this release.

Note:
For more information about release-related terminology, see Releases.

Primary Highlights

New V2 Data Engine Features

Although the V2 Data Engine is still considered a preview feature in this release, the core functions have been significantly enhanced. For example, you can now seamlessly perform volume backup and restore operations between the V1 and V2 Data Engines, paving the way for volume migration between the two data engines in the future.

The Longhorn team will continue to develop features for the V1 Data Engine and to prepare the V2 Data Engine for use in all types of environments.

Platform-Agnostic Deployment

Longhorn is designed to seamlessly operate on general-purpose Linux distributions, and on certain container-optimized systems such as SLE Micro. In response to numerous requests, v1.6.0 was enhanced to allow installation of Longhorn components on Talos, which is a secure, immutable, and minimal Kubernetes OS. v1.6.0 also includes OKD support, which was contributed by community member @ArthurVardevanyan.

The Longhorn team is committed to making Longhorn an adaptive storage solution and anticipates receiving feedback regarding your preferred platforms.

Space Efficiency

Starting with v1.6.0, Longhorn allows you to configure the maximum snapshot count and the maximum aggregate snapshot size for all volumes and for specific volumes. Both settings, whether applied globally or individually, aid in space estimation and management. Earlier Longhorn versions do not provide mechanisms for controlling or predicting the quantity and size of volume snapshots.

GitOps Friendly

Longhorn has been validated with popular GitOps solutions, including Flux, Argo CD, and Fleet. Future releases will include enhancements that further solidify Longhorn's status as a GitOps-aware storage solution.

Data Protection

Longhorn now supports block volume encryption, which is particularly beneficial in virtualization use cases such as Harvester and KubeVirt.

Node Maintenance

v1.6.0 includes two new node drain policy options: Block For Eviction and Block For Eviction If Contains Last Replica. Both options allow automatic eviction and relocation of healthy replicas from draining nodes (before the nodes are cordoned).

The Longhorn team recommends enabling these options only during planned maintenance to minimize impact on data movement. For more information about the advantages and disavantages of all options, see Node Drain Policy Recommendations in the Longhorn documentation.

Backing Image Management

Longhorn now allows you to create and restore backups of backing images, which can streamline the management of backing images across clusters. This feature is particularly beneficial in virtualization use cases such as Harvester and KubeVirt.

Installation

Ensure that your cluster is running Kubernetes v1.21 or later before installing Longhorn v1.6.0.

You can install Longhorn using a variety of tools, including Rancher, Kubectl, and Helm. For more information about installation methods and requirements, see Quick Installation in the Longhorn documentation.

Upgrade

Ensure that your cluster is running Kubernetes v1.21 or later before upgrading from Longhorn v1.5.x to v1.6.0.

Longhorn only allows upgrades from supported versions. For more information about upgrade paths and procedures, see Upgrade in the Longhorn documentation.

Deprecation & Incompatibilities

For information about important changes, including feature incompatibility, deprecation, and removal, see Important Notes in the Longhorn documentation.

Post-Release Known Issues

For information about issues identified after this release, see Release-Known-Issues.

Resolved Issues

Highlights

Features

Improvements

Bug Fixes

Performance

  • [FEATURE] Increase read bandwidth of v2 volume from all downstream replicas 5759 - @derekbit @chriscchien
  • [TASK] Add 1.5 performance benchmark to performance benchmark WIKI page 6203 - @derekbit

Miscellaneous

Contributors

Contributors

innobead, sfackler, and 25 other contributors
Assets 6