Amazon GameLift Linux Server FAQ

General

• 1) When is Amazon GameLift retiring support for Amazon Linux (AL1) operating system?

  Amazon GameLift will retire support for AL1 operating system on December 31, 2023 which is the official end of support date mentioned on the Amazon Linux AMI FAQs page. All new Amazon GameLift customers will only be able to use Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or Amazon Linux 2023 as the Linux operating systems to create game server builds and fleets. Existing Amazon GameLift customers that already have active AL1 fleets will be able to select Amazon Linux (AL1) or Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or the latest Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023) operating systems when uploading new builds and creating new fleets, until December 31, 2023.
  

• 2) What is End of Support (EOS) of an Operating System (OS)?

  EOS is the end stage of an OS lifecycle after which it is no longer updated or patched for any known security vulnerability by the maintainer of the operating system software. Operating systems, like any software, are updated to newer versions leaving the older versions in maintenance for some time, before finally reaching a stage where the provider no longer supports them, known as the End of Support (EOS).
  

• 3) Can I submit a request to extend the AL1 End of Support date of December 31, 2023?

  No. In order to help Amazon GameLift customers maintain secure game server runtime environments after December 31, 2023, we require all customers to migrate to either Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023) by December 31, 2023.
  

• 4) How do I know if I am running an Amazon Linux (AL1) fleet?

  You can log in to your Amazon GameLift console and look for the attribute “Operating system” under the Build Details section of the fleet as shown below. Alternatively, you can call the DescribeFleetAttributes API to retrieve the value of the OS found in the “Operating system” parameter of the response. For more details, check the API reference page. If you see “AMAZON_LINUX” in either the console view or the API response, you are currently using AL1 in your fleets and will need to upgrade to either Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023).
  

  

• 5) How does End of Support affect my existing games running on Amazon GameLift?

  If you are an existing Amazon GameLift customer with active fleets running on Amazon Linux (AL1) as of April 20, 2023, you can continue to create new fleets or update existing ones with AL1 until the End of Support date on December 31, 2023. Starting January 1, 2024, Amazon Linux (AL1) will no longer be accepted as valid build parameter at the time of creating new game server builds via the Amazon GameLift console or the CreateBuild CLI command. This means you will not be able to create new fleets using AL1 as the target OS. Amazon GameLift will automatically terminate any fleets that are still running AL1 starting January 1, 2024.
  

• 6) My Amazon GameLift fleets are using Amazon Linux (AL1); how can I upgrade to the newer versions of Amazon Linux i.e., Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023)?

  You can follow these steps to migrate your fleets from AL1 to AL2 or AL2023.

  • Review your fleets. Check if you have existing fleets running on Amazon Linux. See FAQ # 4 for how to determine if you are using AL1 in your fleets.
  • Create a new build. Create and upload your existing game server binary and choose the new target OS i.e., “AMAZON_LINUX_2” for AL2 or “AMAZON_LINUX_2023” for AL2023 as the operating system. If there are any errors uploading your build, follow these steps:
  • • Review the changes between AL1 and the new target operating systems. For more information on AL2 and the architectural differences with AL1, see AL2 FAQs. For more information on AL2023, see the AL2023 FAQ page.
    • Update your game server build and install script. Make required changes to your game server build and install.sh script to work with the new target OS. For more information about install scripts and game server builds, see package your game build files.
    • Upload your new build and install script. Upload your new game server build and install.sh script to Amazon GameLift. For more information, see Create an Amazon GameLift build.

  • Create a test fleet with the new build. To create a new test fleet, see Create an Amazon GameLift managed fleet. We recommend this step to ensure there are no errors in initializing your game server and activating the fleet. 
  • Review fleet events for errors. If there are errors during fleet creation, you can look for the error messages on the Events tab on the Fleets dashboard as shown below. For troubleshooting common fleet creation errors, see Troubleshooting fleet creation issues. 
    

  

  • (Optional) Update your game server build. If you encountered errors during build or fleet creation, fix and update your install scripts until your fleet activates and the game server launches as expected.
  • (Optional) Create test game sessions. After your test fleet is active, set your backend service to target your new fleet. We recommend that you create test game sessions to verify game client connectivity. For more information about game client integration, see Integrate your game client.
  • Migrate your game server traffic to your new production fleet. If you have a game in production serving live player traffic, you can use Amazon GameLift queues and aliases to migrate players from your AL1 to your new AL2 or AL2023 fleets. For more information, see Queue best practices.

   

   

• 7) I only use Amazon GameLift FleetIQ and manage my own game server hosting on EC2, does this End of Support affect me as well?

  Yes. The End of Support for Amazon Linux (AL1) affects all instances that run on this OS regardless of if you are using Amazon GameLift (managed service) or FleetIQ. If you are using Amazon GameLift FleetIQ you will need to make sure your AL1 EC2 instances are updated to use either Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023) by December 31, 2023 to ensure that you can continue to operate a secure game server runtime environment and receive regular software updates.
  

• 8) I am new to Amazon GameLift and exploring it to host my game, which Linux operating system should I use?

  If you are new to Amazon GameLift, you can choose between Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) and Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023) as the Linux operating system options to create your game server builds and fleets.
  

• 9) Will there be a change in the pricing to run game servers on either Amazon Linux 2 (AL2) or Amazon Linux 2023 (AL2023)?

  No. For detailed pricing options please visit https://aws.amazon.com/gamelift/pricing/
  

• 10) Will Amazon GameLift terminate fleets if I am not able to migrate my game to the newer Amazon Linux OS by January 1, 2024?

  Yes. Amazon GameLift will scale down and terminate any remaining active fleets running on AL1, starting January 1, 2024.
  

• 11) What are the support channels available if I need any help with my game server migration?

  Amazon GameLift Enterprise customers can leverage their account team for technical support. Customers can also reach out to the Amazon GameLift Support by logging in the console and creating a ticket by specifying AWS/GameLift/Customer Support – Migrations as Category/Type/Item.