In IONOS Managed Kubernetes, a Public Node Pool provides a foundation for hosting applications and services that require external accessibility over the internet. These node pools consist of worker nodes that are exposed to the public network, enabling them to interact with external clients and services.

You can create Kubernetes clusters for Public Node Pools using the Configuration Management Tools or directly using the IONOS Cloud API.

Features

The key features related to Public Node Pools include:

• External Accessibility: Public Node Pools are designed to host workloads that need to be accessed from outside the Kubernetes cluster. This can include web applications, APIs, and other services that require internet connectivity.

• Load Balancing: Load balancers are used with IONOS Public Node Pools to distribute incoming traffic across multiple nodes. This helps to achieve high availability, scalability, and efficient resource utilization.

• Security: The Implementation of proper network policies, firewall rules, and user groups helps IONOS Public Node Pools mitigate potential risks and help in the protection of sensitive data.

• Scaling: The ability to dynamically scale the number of nodes in a Public Node Pool is crucial for handling varying levels of incoming traffic. This scalability ensures optimal performance during peak usage periods.

• Public Cloud Integration: Public Node Pools seamlessly integrate with IONOS Cloud services.

• Monitoring and Logging: Robust monitoring and logging solutions are essential for tracking the performance and health of applications hosted in Public Node Pools. This includes metrics related to traffic, resource utilization, and potential security incidents.

Kubernetes is organized in clusters and node pools. The node pools are created in the context of a cluster. The servers belonging to the node pool are provisioned into the Virtual Data Center (VDC). All servers within a node pool are identical in their configuration.

Nodes, also known as worker nodes, are the servers in your data center that are managed by Kubernetes and constitute your node pools. All Resources managed by Kubernetes in your data centers will be displayed by the DCD as read-only.

You can see, inspect, and position the managed resources as per your requirements. However, the specifications of the resources are locked for manual interactions to avoid undesirable results. To modify the managed resources, use the Kubernetes Manager. You can manage the following resource types based on your deployed pods and configurations:

• Servers

• Network Interface Card (NIC)

• Local Area Network (LAN)

• IP addresses

The Inspector for Managed Resources allows easy navigation between the data centers, clusters, and node pools in the Kubernetes Manager. Here, you can:

• Switch to the Kubernetes Manager and show the respective node pool.

• Download the kubeconfig to access the cluster.

• List all nodes in the data center belonging to the same node pool.

Cluster Status

All operations related to the infrastructure of clusters can be performed using the Kubernetes Manager, including cluster and node creation and scaling of node pools. The status of a cluster is indicated by different statuses.

Node Pool Status

All operations related to the infrastructure of node pools can be performed using the Kubernetes Manager. The status of a node pool is indicated by different statuses.

The release schedule outlines the timeline for Kubernetes versions, updates, availability, and the deployment of new features within the Managed Kubernetes environment. It also provides an estimated release and End of Life (EOL) schedule.

The Managed Kubernetes release schedule provides the following information:

• Kubernetes Version: This refers to a specific release of the Kubernetes, which includes updates, enhancements, and bug fixes.

• Kubernetes Release Date: The date when a specific version of the Kubernetes software is released, making it available for users to download and deploy.

• Availability Date: This is an estimate of the version release of the new feature that becomes accessible or ready for use.

• Kubernetes End of Life (EOL): The date when a specific version or release of Kubernetes reaches the end of its official support and maintenance period, after which it no longer receives updates, security patches, or bug fixes from the Kubernetes community or its maintainers. These versions may still be available in the Managed Kubernetes product but will soon be removed from the available versions.

• End of Life (EOL): The point in time when the Managed Kubernetes product reaches the end of its official support period, after which it will no longer receive updates, patches, or technical assistance.

facilitates the fully automated setup of Kubernetes clusters. Using Managed Kubernetes, several clusters can be quickly and easily deployed. For example, you can use it on the go to set up staging environments and then delete them if required. Managed Kubernetes simplifies and supports the automation of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines that help in testing and deployment.

IONOS Managed Kubernetes offers the following:

• Automatic updates and security fixes.

• Version and upgrade provisioning.

• Highly available and geo-redundant control plane.

• Full cluster administrator level access to .

Supported Versions

Both Public and Private Node Pools support the same Kubernetes versions.

Components of Managed Kubernetes

The architecture of Managed Kubernetes includes the following main components that collectively provide a streamlined and efficient environment for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications.

• Control Plane: The control plane runs several key components, including the API server, scheduler, and controller manager. It is responsible for managing the cluster and its components, coordinates the scheduling and deployment of applications, monitors the health of the cluster, and enforces desired state management.

• Cluster: A cluster is a group of computing resources that are connected and managed as a single entity. It is the foundation of the Kubernetes platform and provides the environment for deploying, running, and managing containerized applications. Clusters can span multiple node pools that may be provisioned in different virtual data centers and across locations. For example, you can create a cluster consisting of multiple node pools where each pool is in a different location and achieve geo-redundancy. Each cluster consists of a control plane and a set of worker nodes.

• Node: A single (physical or virtual) machine in a cluster is part of the larger Kubernetes ecosystem. Each node is responsible for running containers, which are the encapsulated application units in Kubernetes. These nodes work together to manage and run containerized applications.

• Node Pool: A node pool is a group of nodes within a cluster with the same configuration. Nodes are the compute resources where applications run. All Kubernetes worker nodes are organized in node pools. All nodes within a node pool are identical in setup. The nodes of a pool are provisioned into virtual data centers at a location of your choice, and you can freely specify the properties of all the nodes at once before creation.

• kubectl: The command-line tool for interacting with Kubernetes clusters that serves as a powerful and versatile interface for managing and deploying applications on Kubernetes. With kubectl, you can perform various operations such as creating, updating, and deleting resources in a Kubernetes cluster.

• Kubeconfig: The kubeconfig file is a configuration file used by the Kubernetes command-line tool (kubectl) to authenticate and access a Kubernetes cluster. It contains information about the cluster, user credentials, and other settings.

• etcd: etcd is a distributed key-value store that is used as the primary data store for Kubernetes. It is responsible for storing the configuration data that represents the state of the cluster. This includes information about nodes in the cluster, configurations, and the current status of various resources.

The illustration shows the key components of the Managed Kubernetes.

In IONOS Managed Kubernetes, a Private Node Pool is a dedicated set of nodes within a Kubernetes cluster that is isolated for the exclusive use of a specific user, application, or organization. Private node pools of a cluster are deployed in a private network behind a NAT Gateway to enable connectivity from the nodes to the public internet but not vice-versa.

You can create Kubernetes clusters for Private Node Pools using the Configuration Management Tools or directly using the IONOS Cloud API. By using IONOS Kubernetes clusters for Private Node Pools, you can ensure the network traffic between your nodes and Kubernetes service stays on your private network only.

Features

The key features related to Private Node Pools include:

• Customized Configurations: The ability to customize networking configurations and define subnets provides flexibility to align the infrastructure with user-specific requirements.

• Isolation of Resources: Private Node Pools provide isolation of resources that improves the performance and reduces the risk of interference from external entities. The isolation of resources within a dedicated, private network environment.

• Security: The additional layer of security added by Private Node Pools ensures that nodes are only accessible within a private network. This helps in protecting sensitive data and applications from external threats.

• Scalability: The Private Node Pools are designed to be flexible and scalable based on your needs. This ensures that the resources are utilized efficiently, and you can adapt to varying levels of demand.