Create Kubernetes Cluster on vCloud Director with Kublr

Introduction

Purpose

This page provide users with a quick overview on how to create a VMware vCloud Director cluster.

Objectives

Deploy simple 1 master and 2 work node Kubernetes cluster for demo purposes.

Before you get started

First download and install Kublr-in-a-box at https://kublr.com/demo. Kublr support vCloud Director 9.x.

Prerequisites

System requirements for the cluster nodes

1. x86 64-bit hardware
2. At least 4Gb of RAM per master node and per work node
3. At least 32Gb in sum for work nodes if you plan deploying Kublr Platform
4. Supported OS on nodes: Ubuntu 16.04 LTS and above, RHEL 7.4 and above
5. Root access to each node
6. Nodes are connected in your network and Kublr-in-a-box configured IP is accessible from these nodes (ping)
7. 100Mb stable internet connection

Prepare Virtual Machine Template in vCloud Director

Next, prepare a VM template:

1. vAppTemplate must contain exactly one VM
2. It must be one of supported linux distributives (Ubuntu/Debian/RHEL/CentOS and etc)
3. open-vm-tools package must be installed
4. Guest OS Customization must be enabled in VM properties

More details are available in vCloud Director documentation

Creating VMware vCloud Director Cluster in Kublr

Powered by Kublr, Vanilla Kubernetes Cluster does not include any advanced Kublr features, suitable for running workloads.

See some cluster parameters description here.

To add a new cluster:

1. On the left menu, click Clusters.

2. Click Add Cluster. The Select Installation Type dialog is displayed.

3. In the Select Installation Type dialog, click Cluster.

4. Click Continue Setup. The ADD CLUSTER dialog is displayed.

5. In the ADD CLUSTER dialog, set Provider to “VMware vCloud Director”.

6. From the Credentials list, select previously created VMware vCloud Director credentials.

   If credentials were not created previously, use Add New Credentials.

7. Specify Cluster Name.

8. Select Virtual Data Center.

9. Select Kublr Agent.

10. Select Kubernetes Version.

11. If necessary, expand the Advanced Options and set them.

12. Scroll to the Network Configuration section.

13. In the Network Type, select one of the available types:

    • Organization Network - for this type also select the appropriate network from the Organization Network list.
    • vApp Network (NAT)

14. Click the INSTANCES step.

15. Use the Master Configuration section.

16. Specify the parameters of the master node(s) of your cluster as described below.

17. From the Masters list, select the number of master nodes.

18. Set Master X: IP for each node.

19. For 3 and 5 master nodes configuration, optionally specify Load Balancer Address.

20. Select VM Template from the list (If you don’t have template, please create one as specified here.)

21. Set:

    • Number of CPUs cores to use per VM.
    • Amount of RAM in GB to use per VM.

22. If necessary, expand the Advanced Options and set them.

23. Scroll to the Instance Group section (default name group1).

24. Specify the parameters of the work node(s) in your group as described below.

25. Select IP Address Allocation Mode.

26. Enter number of Nodes to be provisioned in the node group.

27. Select VM Template from the list (If you don’t have template, please create one as specified here.)

28. Set:

    • Number of CPUs cores to use per VM.
    • Amount of RAM in GB to use per VM.

29. If necessary, set your own name for the instance group.

Note You can also clone or delete the current instance group, or add another one.

1. If necessary, expand the Advanced Options and set them.

2. Optionally, click the FEATURES step.

3. If necessary, add features to your cluster, specifying parameters under:

   • Ingress Controller
   • Self-Hosted Logging
   • Self-Hosted Monitoring

4. Click the REVIEW & CREATE step.

5. Review your cluster parameters.

6. At the bottom of the dialog, click CONFIRM AND INSTALL.

   A notification is displayed “Your cluster is being created. It might take a few minutes.”

7. In the notification window, click OK.

   Your new cluster page is displayed on the Events tab showing the cluster creation progress.

Congratulations! You’ve just deployed a vCloud Director cluster in Kublr.