VPC Instance Metadata API change log

For all version dates

Instance cluster network attachments. If a virtual server instance has cluster network attachments, retrieving the instance now includes a cluster_network_attachments property in the response. Additionally, you can retrieve an instance cluster network attachment for additional details on the instance's cluster network attachments. For more information, see the VPC API change log.

For all version dates

Enhancements in support of catalog offering plans. When retrieving an instance that was provisioned with a billed catalog offering, the new catalog_offering.plan.crn property provides the associated billing plan. For more information, see Provisioning instances with IBM Cloud billable catalog offering in the VPC API change log.

For all version dates

Virtual network interface protocol state filtering mode. When listing and retrieving a virtual network interface, the new protocol_state_filtering_mode property denotes the protocol state filtering mode used for this virtual network interface. If the value is auto, protocol state packet filtering is enabled or disabled based on the virtual network interface's target resource type. For more information, see Virtual network interfaces protocol state filtering in the VPC API change log.

This release introduces the following updates for accounts that have been granted special approval to preview these features:

Confidential computing capabilities. If Intel® Software Guard Extensions are enabled on an instance or instance template, you can view the new confidential_compute_mode property, which indicates that confidential compute mode is enabled for this virtual server instance. For more information, see the VPC API change log.

Secure boot capabilities. If secure boot is enabled on an instance or instance template, you can view the new enable_secure_boot property when retrieving an instance. This property indicates if secure boot is enabled for this virtual server instance. For more information, see the VPC API change log.

For all version dates

Reservations for Virtual Servers for VPC. You can now purchase a capacity reservation for a specified instance profile in a specified zone. When retrieving an instance, the new reservation and reservation_affinity properties indicate the reservation and reservation affinity policy in effect for the virtual server instance. The new health_state property indicates the instance's overall health state, while an accompanying health_reasons property indicates the reason for any unhealthy health states, such as a failed reservation.

For more information, see the API change log and Provisioning reserved capacity for VPC.

For all version dates

Reservations for Virtual Servers for VPC. Accounts that have been granted special approval to preview this feature can now purchase a capacity reservation for a specified instance profile in a specified zone. When retrieving an instance, the new reservation and reservation_affinity properties indicate the reservation and reservation affinity policy in effect for the virtual server instance. The new health_state property indicates the instance's overall health state, while an accompanying health_reasons property indicates the reason for any unhealthy health states, such as a failed reservation.

For more information, see the API change log and Provisioning reserved capacity for VPC.

This feature is now generally available. See the 26 March 2024 announcement.

For all version dates

Virtual network interface support. Accounts that have been granted special approval can preview a new feature that expands the support for virtual network interfaces. You can now list and view an instance's network attachments, and you can list and view virtual network interfaces targeting the instance. For compatibility with existing clients, an instance with virtual network interfaces now includes a read-only representation of its network attachments and virtual network interfaces as legacy network interface child resources. For more information, see the API change log, and learn about support for old API clients.

For all version dates

Non-uniform memory access (NUMA) awareness on instances. When retrieving an instance, the new numa_count property indicates the number of NUMA nodes on which a virtual server instance is provisioned. For more information, see Next generation instance profiles. See also Non-uniform memory access (NUMA) awareness on dedicated hosts and instances in the VPC API change log.

For all version dates

Instance identity certificates. You can now use the instance identity access token and a certificate signing request (CSR) to create an instance identity certificate. For more information, see Generating an instance identity certificate by using an instance identity access token. Instance identity certificates are used when the traffic between an authorized client and the mounted file share is encrypted in transit.

For all version dates

Extended SSH key encryption. The type property now includes ed25519 when listing and retrieving public SSH keys. For more information, see Getting started with SSH keys. See also Extended SSH key encryption in the VPC API change log.

For all version dates

VPC instance metadata new endpoint URL. You can now use the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) api.metadata.cloud.ibm.com for the metadata service endpoint. The FQDN resolves to the link-local IP address 169.254.169.254 without requiring the application of special configurations. For more information, see Endpoint URLs in the VPC Instance Metadata API.

VPC instance metadata communication protocol and hop limit. You can now view the communication protocol and hop limit for IP response packets used by the VPC Instance Metadata service. When you retrieve the instance, the new protocol and response_hop_limit properties will be shown. For more information, see Configure the instance metadata service.

For all version dates

Sharing images across an enterprise account. If a virtual server instance was provisioned from a catalog offering, retrieving the instance metadata will now include a catalog_offering property in the response. For more information, see the Virtual Private Cloud Instance Metadata API.

See also the tutorial Onboarding a virtual server image for VPC and the Import offering method in the Catalog Management API.