# X86-64-v2 CPU requirement for KOTS components

**URL:** <https://community.replicated.com/t/x86-64-v2-cpu-requirement-for-kots-components/1616>\
**Category:** Supporting your customers\
**Tags:** kots, kurl, embedded-cluster\
**Created:** [May 7, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://community.replicated.com/t/x86-64-v2-cpu-requirement-for-kots-components/1616 "2026-05-07T03:28:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![GerardNguyen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.replicated.com/gerardnguyen/32/828_2.png) [@GerardNguyen](https://community.replicated.com/u/GerardNguyen)\
**Post date:** [May 7, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://community.replicated.com/t/x86-64-v2-cpu-requirement-for-kots-components/1616/1 "2026-05-07T03:28:44Z")

</div>

## Background

From KOTS `v1.104.4`, KOTS and its components require the **x86-64-v2** instruction set. This is enforced at runtime by `glibc` in the container base images.

Affected components: images `kotsadm`, `kotsadm-migrations`

* * *

## Symptom

`kotsadm` pod stuck in `Init:CrashLoopBackOff`. Check the logs in init containers, e.g. with `restore-data`:

```bash
kubectl logs -n default kotsadm-0 -c restore-data
# Fatal glibc error: CPU does not support x86-64-v2

```

* * *

## Embedded Cluster vs kURL

**Embedded Cluster** - the host preflight catches this before installation:

```auto
Required x86-64-v2 CPU features are missing. If using a hypervisor,
ensure it is configured to expose the necessary CPU features.

```

Resolve the CPU configuration before retrying.

**kURL** - no equivalent preflight check. The installer completes successfully but KOTS pods will fail after the fact. This commonly surfaces after upgrading to a newer kURL installer spec that pulls a more recent KOTS version. Verify x86-64-v2 support on the host _before_ running the upgrade.

* * *

## Verify the host

```bash
/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 --help | grep x86-64-v2

```

If the host supports x86-64-v2, you’ll see it listed with `(supported, searched)`:

```auto
x86-64-v2 (supported, searched)

```

If it shows `(not supported)` or is absent, the CPU configuration needs to be updated.

* * *

## Remediation

The host CPU must support x86-64-v2. If running on a hypervisor, ensure the VM is configured to expose the host CPU’s native instruction set rather than an emulated baseline. Consult your hypervisor documentation for how to enable CPU passthrough or set the CPU model to Haswell or newer.

After updating the CPU configuration, re-run the kURL or Embedded Cluster installation.