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Creating Highly Available Clusters with kubeadm

This page explains two different approaches to setting up a highly available Kubernetes cluster using kubeadm:

• With stacked masters. This approach requires less infrastructure. etcd members and control plane nodes are co-located.
• With an external etcd cluster. This approach requires more infrastructure. The control plane nodes and etcd members are separated.

Your clusters must run Kubernetes version 1.11 or later. You should also be aware that setting up HA clusters with kubeadm is still experimental. You might encounter issues with upgrading your clusters, for example. We encourage you to try either approach, and provide feedback.

Caution: This page does not address running your cluster on a cloud provider. In a cloud environment, neither approach documented here works with Service objects of type LoadBalancer, or with dynamic PersistentVolumes.

• Before you begin
• First steps for both methods
• Stacked control plane nodes
• External etcd
• Common tasks after bootstrapping control plane

Before you begin

For both methods you need this infrastructure:

• Three machines that meet kubeadm’s minimum requirements for the masters
• Three machines that meet kubeadm’s minimum requirements for the workers
• Full network connectivity between all machines in the cluster (public or private network is fine)
• SSH access from one device to all nodes in the system
• sudo privileges on all machines

For the external etcd cluster only, you also need:

• Three additional machines for etcd members

Note: The following examples run Calico as the Pod networking provider. If you run another networking provider, make sure to replace any default values as needed.

First steps for both methods

Note: All commands in this guide on any control plane or etcd node should be run as root.

• Find your pod CIDR. For details, see the CNI network documentation. The example uses Calico, so the pod CIDR is 192.168.0.0/16.

Configure SSH

1. Enable ssh-agent on your main device that has access to all other nodes in the system:

    eval $(ssh-agent)
   

2. Add your SSH identity to the session:

    ssh-add ~/.ssh/path_to_private_key
   

3. SSH between nodes to check that the connection is working correctly.

   • When you SSH to any node, make sure to add the -A flag:

     ssh -A 10.0.0.7
   

   • When using sudo on any node, make sure to preserve the environment so SSH forwarding works:

     sudo -E -s
   

Create load balancer for kube-apiserver

Note: There are many configurations for load balancers. The following example is only one option. Your cluster requirements may need a different configuration.

1. Create a kube-apiserver load balancer with a name that resolves to DNS.

   • In a cloud environment you should place your control plane nodes behind a TCP forwarding load balancer. This load balancer distributes traffic to all healthy control plane nodes in its target list. The health check for an apiserver is a TCP check on the port the kube-apiserver listens on (default value :6443).

   • It is not recommended to use an IP address directly in a cloud environment.

   • The load balancer must be able to communicate with all control plane nodes on the apiserver port. It must also allow incoming traffic on its listening port.

2. Add the first control plane nodes to the load balancer and test the connection:

   nc -v LOAD_BALANCER_IP PORT

   • A connection refused error is expected because the apiserver is not yet running. A timeout, however, means the load balancer cannot communicate with the control plane node. If a timeout occurs, reconfigure the load balancer to communicate with the control plane node.

3. Add the remaining control plane nodes to the load balancer target group.

Stacked control plane nodes

Bootstrap the first stacked control plane node

1. Create a kubeadm-config.yaml template file:

   apiVersion: kubeadm.k8s.io/v1alpha2
   kind: MasterConfiguration
   kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x
   apiServerCertSANs:
   - "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS"
   api:
       controlPlaneEndpoint: "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS:LOAD_BALANCER_PORT"
   etcd:
     local:
       extraArgs:
         listen-client-urls: "https://127.0.0.1:2379,https://CP0_IP:2379"
         advertise-client-urls: "https://CP0_IP:2379"
         listen-peer-urls: "https://CP0_IP:2380"
         initial-advertise-peer-urls: "https://CP0_IP:2380"
         initial-cluster: "CP0_HOSTNAME=https://CP0_IP:2380"
       serverCertSANs:
         - CP0_HOSTNAME
         - CP0_IP
       peerCertSANs:
         - CP0_HOSTNAME
         - CP0_IP
   networking:
       # This CIDR is a Calico default. Substitute or remove for your CNI provider.
       podSubnet: "192.168.0.0/16"
   

2. Replace x in kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x with the latest available version. For example: kubernetesVersion: v1.11.1

3. Replace the following variables in the template with the appropriate values for your cluster:

   • LOAD_BALANCER_DNS
   • LOAD_BALANCER_PORT
   • CP0_HOSTNAME
   • CP0_IP

4. Run kubeadm init --config kubeadm-config.yaml

Copy required files to other control plane nodes

The following certificates and other required files were created when you ran kubeadm init. Copy these files to your other control plane nodes:

• /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.key
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.key
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.pub
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.key
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.key

Copy the admin kubeconfig to the other control plane nodes:

• /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf

In the following example, replace CONTROL_PLANE_IPS with the IP addresses of the other control plane nodes.

USER=ubuntu # customizable
CONTROL_PLANE_IPS="10.0.0.7 10.0.0.8"
for host in ${CONTROL_PLANE_IPS}; do
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.crt "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.key "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.key "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.pub "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.crt "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.key "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt "${USER}"@$host:etcd-ca.crt
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.key "${USER}"@$host:etcd-ca.key
    scp /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf "${USER}"@$host:
done

Note: Remember that your config may differ from this example.

Add the second stacked control plane node

1. Create a second, different kubeadm-config.yaml template file:

   apiVersion: kubeadm.k8s.io/v1alpha2
   kind: MasterConfiguration
   kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x
   apiServerCertSANs:
   - "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS"
   api:
       controlPlaneEndpoint: "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS:LOAD_BALANCER_PORT"
   etcd:
     local:
       extraArgs:
         listen-client-urls: "https://127.0.0.1:2379,https://CP1_IP:2379"
         advertise-client-urls: "https://CP1_IP:2379"
         listen-peer-urls: "https://CP1_IP:2380"
         initial-advertise-peer-urls: "https://CP1_IP:2380"
         initial-cluster: "CP0_HOSTNAME=https://CP0_IP:2380,CP1_HOSTNAME=https://CP1_IP:2380"
         initial-cluster-state: existing
       serverCertSANs:
         - CP1_HOSTNAME
         - CP1_IP
       peerCertSANs:
         - CP1_HOSTNAME
         - CP1_IP
   networking:
       # This CIDR is a calico default. Substitute or remove for your CNI provider.
       podSubnet: "192.168.0.0/16"
   

2. Replace x in kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x with the latest available version. For example: kubernetesVersion: v1.11.1

3. Replace the following variables in the template with the appropriate values for your cluster:

   • LOAD_BALANCER_DNS
   • LOAD_BALANCER_PORT
   • CP0_HOSTNAME
   • CP0_IP
   • CP1_HOSTNAME
   • CP1_IP

4. Move the copied files to the correct locations:

     USER=ubuntu # customizable
     mkdir -p /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd
     mv /home/${USER}/ca.crt /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/ca.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/sa.pub /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/sa.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/front-proxy-ca.crt /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/front-proxy-ca.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/etcd-ca.crt /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt
     mv /home/${USER}/etcd-ca.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.key
     mv /home/${USER}/admin.conf /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf

5. Run the kubeadm phase commands to bootstrap the kubelet:

     kubeadm alpha phase certs all --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase kubelet config write-to-disk --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase kubelet write-env-file --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase kubeconfig kubelet --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     systemctl start kubelet

6. Run the commands to add the node to the etcd cluster:

     export CP0_IP=10.0.0.7
     export CP0_HOSTNAME=cp0
     export CP1_IP=10.0.0.8
     export CP1_HOSTNAME=cp1
   
     export KUBECONFIG=/etc/kubernetes/admin.conf 
     kubectl exec -n kube-system etcd-${CP0_HOSTNAME} -- etcdctl --ca-file /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt --cert-file /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/peer.crt --key-file /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/peer.key --endpoints=https://${CP0_IP}:2379 member add ${CP1_HOSTNAME} https://${CP1_IP}:2380
     kubeadm alpha phase etcd local --config kubeadm-config.yaml

   • This command causes the etcd cluster to become unavailable for a brief period, after the node is added to the running cluster, and before the new node is joined to the etcd cluster.

7. Deploy the control plane components and mark the node as a master:

     kubeadm alpha phase kubeconfig all --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase controlplane all --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase mark-master --config kubeadm-config.yaml

Add the third stacked control plane node

1. Create a third, different kubeadm-config.yaml template file:

   apiVersion: kubeadm.k8s.io/v1alpha2
   kind: MasterConfiguration
   kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x
   apiServerCertSANs:
   - "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS"
   api:
       controlPlaneEndpoint: "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS:LOAD_BALANCER_PORT"
   etcd:
     local:
       extraArgs:
         listen-client-urls: "https://127.0.0.1:2379,https://CP2_IP:2379"
         advertise-client-urls: "https://CP2_IP:2379"
         listen-peer-urls: "https://CP2_IP:2380"
         initial-advertise-peer-urls: "https://CP2_IP:2380"
         initial-cluster: "CP0_HOSTNAME=https://CP0_IP:2380,CP1_HOSTNAME=https://CP1_IP:2380,CP2_HOSTNAME=https://CP2_IP:2380"
         initial-cluster-state: existing
       serverCertSANs:
         - CP2_HOSTNAME
         - CP2_IP
       peerCertSANs:
         - CP2_HOSTNAME
         - CP2_IP
   networking:
       # This CIDR is a calico default. Substitute or remove for your CNI provider.
       podSubnet: "192.168.0.0/16"
   

2. Replace x in kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x with the latest available version. For example: kubernetesVersion: v1.11.1

3. Replace the following variables in the template with the appropriate values for your cluster:

   • LOAD_BALANCER_DNS
   • LOAD_BALANCER_PORT
   • CP0_HOSTNAME
   • CP0_IP
   • CP1_HOSTNAME
   • CP1_IP
   • CP2_HOSTNAME
   • CP2_IP

4. Move the copied files to the correct locations:

     USER=ubuntu # customizable
     mkdir -p /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd
     mv /home/${USER}/ca.crt /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/ca.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/sa.pub /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/sa.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/front-proxy-ca.crt /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/front-proxy-ca.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/
     mv /home/${USER}/etcd-ca.crt /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt
     mv /home/${USER}/etcd-ca.key /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.key
     mv /home/${USER}/admin.conf /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf

5. Run the kubeadm phase commands to bootstrap the kubelet:

     kubeadm alpha phase certs all --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase kubelet config write-to-disk --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase kubelet write-env-file --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase kubeconfig kubelet --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     systemctl start kubelet

6. Run the commands to add the node to the etcd cluster:

     export CP0_IP=10.0.0.7
     export CP0_HOSTNAME=cp0
     export CP2_IP=10.0.0.9
     export CP2_HOSTNAME=cp2
   
     export KUBECONFIG=/etc/kubernetes/admin.conf 
     kubectl exec -n kube-system etcd-${CP0_HOSTNAME} -- etcdctl --ca-file /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt --cert-file /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/peer.crt --key-file /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/peer.key --endpoints=https://${CP0_IP}:2379 member add ${CP2_HOSTNAME} https://${CP2_IP}:2380
     kubeadm alpha phase etcd local --config kubeadm-config.yaml

7. Deploy the control plane components and mark the node as a master:

     kubeadm alpha phase kubeconfig all --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase controlplane all --config kubeadm-config.yaml
     kubeadm alpha phase mark-master --config kubeadm-config.yaml

External etcd

Set up the cluster

• Follow these instructions to set up the etcd cluster.

Copy required files to other control plane nodes

The following certificates were created when you created the cluster. Copy them to your other control plane nodes:

• /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.key

In the following example, replace USER and CONTROL_PLANE_HOSTS values with values for your environment.

USER=ubuntu
CONTROL_PLANE_HOSTS="10.0.0.7 10.0.0.8 10.0.0.9"
for host in $CONTROL_PLANE_HOSTS; do
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.crt "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.key "${USER}"@$host:
done

Set up the first control plane node

1. Create a kubeadm-config.yaml template file:

   apiVersion: kubeadm.k8s.io/v1alpha2
   kind: MasterConfiguration
   kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x
   apiServerCertSANs:
   - "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS"
   api:
       controlPlaneEndpoint: "LOAD_BALANCER_DNS:LOAD_BALANCER_PORT"
   etcd:
       external:
           endpoints:
           - https://ETCD_0_IP:2379
           - https://ETCD_1_IP:2379
           - https://ETCD_2_IP:2379
           caFile: /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt
           certFile: /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.crt
           keyFile: /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.key
   networking:
       # This CIDR is a calico default. Substitute or remove for your CNI provider.
       podSubnet: "192.168.0.0/16"
   

2. Replace x in kubernetesVersion: v1.11.x with the latest available version. For example: kubernetesVersion: v1.11.1

3. Replace the following variables in the template with the appropriate values for your cluster:

   • LOAD_BALANCER_DNS
   • LOAD_BALANCER_PORT
   • ETCD_0_IP
   • ETCD_1_IP
   • ETCD_2_IP

4. Run kubeadm init --config kubeadm-config.yaml

Copy required files to the correct locations

The following certificates and other required files were created when you ran kubeadm init. Copy these files to your other control plane nodes:

• /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.key
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.key
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.pub
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.crt
• /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.key

In the following example, replace the list of CONTROL_PLANE_IPS values with the IP addresses of the other control plane nodes.

USER=ubuntu # customizable
CONTROL_PLANE_IPS="10.0.0.7 10.0.0.8"
for host in ${CONTROL_PLANE_IPS}; do
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.crt "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.key "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.key "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.pub "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.crt "${USER}"@$host:
    scp /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.key "${USER}"@$host:
done

Note: Remember that your config may differ from this example.

Set up the other control plane nodes

1. Verify the location of the copied files. Your /etc/kubernetes directory should look like this:

   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.crt
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver-etcd-client.key
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.crt
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.key
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.crt
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/front-proxy-ca.key
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.key
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/sa.pub
   • /etc/kubernetes/pki/etcd/ca.crt

2. Run kubeadm init --config kubeadm-config.yaml on each control plane node, where kubeadm-config.yaml is the file you already created.

Common tasks after bootstrapping control plane

Install a pod network

Follow these instructions to install the pod network. Make sure this corresponds to whichever pod CIDR you provided in the master configuration file.

Install workers

Each worker node can now be joined to the cluster with the command returned from any of the kubeadm init commands.