Windows Server Container cross-version host compatibility about windows-containers

[brasmith-ms]

Hi all, thank you for this perspective! This is something that we have been aware of for a some time now and are in the midst of working on a solution to fix it.

I want to note that patch-level versions are compatible with one another, and this is mostly an issue across major versions. Security patches also apply to both user and kernel mode binaries and thus need to be updated accordingly (hence the requirement to rebuild container images). If you have run across scenarios where this is not the case, feel free to contact me directly.

I understand the desire to decouple the container version from the host OS and ensure stronger levels of compatibility. We are working hard to push in this direction. I will keep this thread updated with our progress as we move forward.

[biiiipy]

This is one of those issues, that will seriously hinder the usage of windows containers. It's a huge issue for us.
This is not a issue only to those that stick to LTSC versions until the end of (extended) support (or universe's heat death), and those places are exactly the ones that don't adopt new tech like containers.

[msftbot]

This issue has been open for 30 days with no updates.
@brasmith-ms, please provide an update or close this issue.

[msftbot]

This issue has been open for 30 days with no updates.
@brasmith-ms, please provide an update or close this issue.

[msftbot]

This issue has been open for 30 days with no updates.
@brasmith-ms, please provide an update or close this issue.

[msftbot]

This issue has been open for 30 days with no updates.
@brasmith-ms, please provide an update or close this issue.

[msftbot]

This issue has been open for 30 days with no updates.
@brasmith-ms, please provide an update or close this issue.

[msftbot]

This issue has been open for 90 days with no updates.
@brasmith-ms, please provide an update or close this issue.

[brasmith-ms]

Hi folks, just wanted to update this thread on our progress here. This is absolutely a high priority item and we are working on adding support for it in the future. This is a top issue for Windows containers and we are listening closely to your feedback on this. Cross-version compatibility demands a lot from the fundamental design of the Windows OS and enabling support for this is by no means trivial. Because of this it's likely that cross-version compatibility will not be supported for WS2019 images, and we will release communications on our plan for WS2022 and onwards as we get closer to a solution.

For now I'm going to close this issue, but we will continue to work hard on it and release communications on the subject when ready. As always, feel free to reach out to me with specific concerns.