Creating a Windows MachineSet object on vSphere

You can create a Windows MachineSet object to serve a specific purpose in your OKD cluster on VMware vSphere. For example, you might create infrastructure Windows machine sets and related machines so that you can move supporting Windows workloads to the new Windows machines.

Prerequisites

  • You installed the Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) using Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM).

  • You are using a supported Windows Server as the operating system image with the Docker-formatted container runtime add-on enabled.

Currently, the Docker-formatted container runtime is used in Windows nodes. Kubernetes is deprecating Docker as a container runtime; you can reference the Kubernetes documentation for more information on Docker deprecation. Containerd will be the new supported container runtime for Windows nodes in a future release of Kubernetes.

Machine API overview

The Machine API is a combination of primary resources that are based on the upstream Cluster API project and custom OKD resources.

For OKD 4.10 clusters, the Machine API performs all node host provisioning management actions after the cluster installation finishes. Because of this system, OKD 4.10 offers an elastic, dynamic provisioning method on top of public or private cloud infrastructure.

The two primary resources are:

Machines

A fundamental unit that describes the host for a node. A machine has a providerSpec specification, which describes the types of compute nodes that are offered for different cloud platforms. For example, a machine type for a worker node on Amazon Web Services (AWS) might define a specific machine type and required metadata.

Machine sets

MachineSet resources are groups of machines. Machine sets are to machines as replica sets are to pods. If you need more machines or must scale them down, you change the replicas field on the machine set to meet your compute need.

The following custom resources add more capabilities to your cluster:

Machine autoscaler

The MachineAutoscaler resource automatically scales machines in a cloud. You can set the minimum and maximum scaling boundaries for nodes in a specified machine set, and the machine autoscaler maintains that range of nodes. The MachineAutoscaler object takes effect after a ClusterAutoscaler object exists. Both ClusterAutoscaler and MachineAutoscaler resources are made available by the ClusterAutoscalerOperator object.

Cluster autoscaler

This resource is based on the upstream cluster autoscaler project. In the OKD implementation, it is integrated with the Machine API by extending the machine set API. You can set cluster-wide scaling limits for resources such as cores, nodes, memory, GPU, and so on. You can set the priority so that the cluster prioritizes pods so that new nodes are not brought online for less important pods. You can also set the scaling policy so that you can scale up nodes but not scale them down.

Machine health check

The MachineHealthCheck resource detects when a machine is unhealthy, deletes it, and, on supported platforms, makes a new machine.

In OKD version 3.11, you could not roll out a multi-zone architecture easily because the cluster did not manage machine provisioning. Beginning with OKD version 4.1, this process is easier. Each machine set is scoped to a single zone, so the installation program sends out machine sets across availability zones on your behalf. And then because your compute is dynamic, and in the face of a zone failure, you always have a zone for when you must rebalance your machines. In global Azure regions that do not have multiple availability zones, you can use availability sets to ensure high availability. The autoscaler provides best-effort balancing over the life of a cluster.

Preparing your vSphere environment for Windows container workloads

You must prepare your vSphere environment for Windows container workloads by creating the vSphere Windows VM golden image and enabling communication with the internal API server for the WMCO.

Creating the vSphere Windows VM golden image

Create a vSphere Windows virtual machine (VM) golden image.

Prerequisites

  • You have created a private/public key pair, which is used to configure key-based authentication in the OpenSSH server. The private key must also be configured in the Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) namespace. This is required to allow the WMCO to communicate with the Windows VM. See the “Configuring a secret for the Windows Machine Config Operator” section for more details.

You must use Microsoft PowerShell commands in several cases when creating your Windows VM. PowerShell commands in this guide are distinguished by the PS C:\> prefix.

Procedure

  1. Create a new VM in the vSphere client using the Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel (SAC): Windows Server 20H2 ISO image that includes the Microsoft patch KB4565351. This patch is required to set the VXLAN UDP port, which is required for clusters installed on vSphere. See the VMware documentation for more information.

    The virtual hardware version for your VM must meet the infrastructure requirements for OKD. For more information, see the “VMware vSphere infrastructure requirements” section in the OKD documentation. Also, you can refer to VMware’s documentation on virtual machine hardware versions.

  2. Install and configure VMware Tools version 11.0.6 or greater on the Windows VM. See the VMware Tools documentation for more information.

  3. After installing VMware Tools on the Windows VM, verify the following:

    1. The C:\ProgramData\VMware\VMware Tools\tools.conf file exists with the following entry:

      1. exclude-nics=

      If the tools.conf file does not exist, create it with the exclude-nics option uncommented and set as an empty value.

      This entry ensures the cloned vNIC generated on the Windows VM by the hybrid-overlay is not ignored.

    2. The Windows VM has a valid IP address in vCenter:

      1. C:\> ipconfig

    3. The VMTools Windows service is running:

      1. PS C:\> Get-Service -Name VMTools | Select Status, StartType

  4. Install and configure the OpenSSH Server on the Windows VM. See Microsoft’s documentation on installing OpenSSH for more details.

  5. Set up SSH access for an administrative user. See Microsoft’s documentation on the Administrative user to do this.

    The public key used in the instructions must correspond to the private key you create later in the WMCO namespace that holds your secret. See the “Configuring a secret for the Windows Machine Config Operator” section for more details.

  6. Install the docker container runtime on your Windows VM following the Microsoft documentation.

  7. You must create a new firewall rule in the Windows VM that allows incoming connections for container logs. Run the following PowerShell command to create the firewall rule on TCP port 10250:

    1. PS C:\> New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "ContainerLogsPort" -LocalPort 10250 -Enabled True -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -Action Allow -EdgeTraversalPolicy Allow

  8. Clone the Windows VM so it is a reusable image. Follow the VMware documentation on how to clone an existing virtual machine for more details.

  9. In the cloned Windows VM, run the Windows Sysprep tool:

    1. C:\> C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:<path_to_unattend.xml> (1)
    1Specify the path to your unattend.xml file.

    There is a limit on how many times you can run the sysprep command on a Windows image. Consult Microsoft’s documentation for more information.

    An example unattend.xml is provided, which maintains all the changes needed for the WMCO. You must modify this example; it cannot be used directly.

    Example unattend.xml

    1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    2. <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    3.    <settings pass="specialize">
    4.       <component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
    5.          <InputLocale>0409:00000409</InputLocale>
    6.          <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
    7.          <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
    8.          <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
    9.          <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
    10.       </component>
    11.       <component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-Security-SPP-UX" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
    12.          <SkipAutoActivation>true</SkipAutoActivation>
    13.       </component>
    14.       <component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-SQMApi" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
    15.          <CEIPEnabled>0</CEIPEnabled>
    16.       </component>
    17.       <component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
    18.          <ComputerName>winhost</ComputerName> (1)
    19.       </component>
    20.    </settings>
    21.    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
    22.       <component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
    23.          <AutoLogon>
    24.             <Enabled>false</Enabled> (2)
    25.          </AutoLogon>
    26.          <OOBE>
    27.             <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
    28.             <HideLocalAccountScreen>true</HideLocalAccountScreen>
    29.             <HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>
    30.             <HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
    31.             <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
    32.             <NetworkLocation>Work</NetworkLocation>
    33.             <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
    34.             <SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE>
    35.             <SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE>
    36.          </OOBE>
    37.          <RegisteredOrganization>Organization</RegisteredOrganization>
    38.          <RegisteredOwner>Owner</RegisteredOwner>
    39.          <DisableAutoDaylightTimeSet>false</DisableAutoDaylightTimeSet>
    40.          <TimeZone>Eastern Standard Time</TimeZone>
    41.          <UserAccounts>
    42.             <AdministratorPassword>
    43.                <Value>MyPassword</Value> (3)
    44.                <PlainText>true</PlainText>
    45.             </AdministratorPassword>
    46.          </UserAccounts>
    47.       </component>
    48.    </settings>
    49. </unattend>
    1Specify the ComputerName, which must follow the Kubernetes’ names specification. These specifications also apply to Guest OS customization performed on the resulting template while creating new VMs.
    2Disable the automatic logon to avoid the security issue of leaving an open terminal with Administrator privileges at boot. This is the default value and must not be changed.
    3Replace the MyPassword placeholder with the password for the Administrator account. This prevents the built-in Administrator account from having a blank password by default. Follow Microsoft’s best practices for choosing a password.

    After the Sysprep tool has completed, the Windows VM will power off. You must not use or power on this VM anymore.

  10. Convert the Windows VM to a template in vCenter.

Additional resources

Enabling communication with the internal API server for the WMCO on vSphere

The Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) downloads the Ignition config files from the internal API server endpoint. You must enable communication with the internal API server so that your Windows virtual machine (VM) can download the Ignition config files, and the kubelet on the configured VM can only communicate with the internal API server.

Prerequisites

  • You have installed a cluster on vSphere.

Procedure

  • Add a new DNS entry for api-int.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> that points to the external API server URL api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>. This can be a CNAME or an additional A record.

The external API endpoint was already created as part of the initial cluster installation on vSphere.

Sample YAML for a Windows MachineSet object on vSphere

This sample YAML defines a Windows MachineSet object running on VMware vSphere that the Windows Machine Config Operator (WMCO) can react upon.

  1. apiVersion: machine.openshift.io/v1beta1
  2. kind: MachineSet
  3. metadata:
  4.   labels:
  5.     machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: <infrastructure_id> (1)
  6.   name: <windows_machine_set_name> (2)
  7.   namespace: openshift-machine-api
  8. spec:
  9.   replicas: 1
  10.   selector:
  11.     matchLabels:
  12.       machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: <infrastructure_id> (1)
  13.       machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: <windows_machine_set_name> (2)
  14.   template:
  15.     metadata:
  16.       labels:
  17.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: <infrastructure_id> (1)
  18.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-role: worker
  19.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-type: worker
  20.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: <windows_machine_set_name> (2)
  21.         machine.openshift.io/os-id: Windows (3)
  22.     spec:
  23.       metadata:
  24.         labels:
  25.           node-role.kubernetes.io/worker: "" (4)
  26.       providerSpec:
  27.         value:
  28.           apiVersion: vsphereprovider.openshift.io/v1beta1
  29.           credentialsSecret:
  30.             name: vsphere-cloud-credentials
  31.           diskGiB: 128 (5)
  32.           kind: VSphereMachineProviderSpec
  33.           memoryMiB: 16384
  34.           network:
  35.             devices:
  36.             - networkName: "<vm_network_name>" (6)
  37.           numCPUs: 4
  38.           numCoresPerSocket: 1
  39.           snapshot: ""
  40.           template: <windows_vm_template_name> (7)
  41.           userDataSecret:
  42.             name: windows-user-data (8)
  43.           workspace:
  44.              datacenter: <vcenter_datacenter_name> (9)
  45.              datastore: <vcenter_datastore_name> (10)
  46.              folder: <vcenter_vm_folder_path> (11)
  47.              resourcePool: <vsphere_resource_pool> (12)
  48.              server: <vcenter_server_ip> (13)
1Specify the infrastructure ID that is based on the cluster ID that you set when you provisioned the cluster. You can obtain the infrastructure ID by running the following command:
  1. $ oc get -o jsonpath=’{.status.infrastructureName}{“\n”}’ infrastructure cluster
2Specify the Windows machine set name. The machine set name cannot be more than 9 characters long, due to the way machine names are generated in vSphere.
3Configure the machine set as a Windows machine.
4Configure the Windows node as a compute machine.
5Specify the size of the vSphere Virtual Machine Disk (VMDK).

This parameter does not set the size of the Windows partition. You can resize the Windows partition by using the unattend.xml file or by creating the vSphere Windows virtual machine (VM) golden image with the required disk size.

6Specify the vSphere VM network to deploy the machine set to. This VM network must be where other Linux compute machines reside in the cluster.
7Specify the full path of the Windows vSphere VM template to use, such as golden-images/windows-server-template. The name must be unique.

Do not specify the original VM template. The VM template must remain off and must be cloned for new Windows machines. Starting the VM template configures the VM template as a VM on the platform, which prevents it from being used as a template that machine sets can apply configurations to.

8The windows-user-data is created by the WMCO when the first Windows machine is configured. After that, the windows-user-data is available for all subsequent machine sets to consume.
9Specify the vCenter Datacenter to deploy the machine set on.
10Specify the vCenter Datastore to deploy the machine set on.
11Specify the path to the vSphere VM folder in vCenter, such as /dc1/vm/user-inst-5ddjd.
12Optional: Specify the vSphere resource pool for your Windows VMs.
13Specify the vCenter server IP or fully qualified domain name.

Creating a machine set

In addition to the ones created by the installation program, you can create your own machine sets to dynamically manage the machine compute resources for specific workloads of your choice.

Prerequisites

  • Deploy an OKD cluster.

  • Install the OpenShift CLI (oc).

  • Log in to oc as a user with cluster-admin permission.

Procedure

  1. Create a new YAML file that contains the machine set custom resource (CR) sample and is named <file_name>.yaml.

    Ensure that you set the <clusterID> and <role> parameter values.

    1. If you are not sure which value to set for a specific field, you can check an existing machine set from your cluster:

      1. $ oc get machinesets -n openshift-machine-api

      Example output

      1. NAME                                DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AVAILABLE   AGE
      2. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1a   1         1         1       1           55m
      3. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1b   1         1         1       1           55m
      4. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1c   1         1         1       1           55m
      5. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1d   0         0                             55m
      6. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1e   0         0                             55m
      7. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1f   0         0                             55m

    2. Check values of a specific machine set:

      1. $ oc get machineset <machineset_name> -n \
      2.      openshift-machine-api -o yaml

      Example output

      1. ...
      2. template:
      3.     metadata:
      4.       labels:
      5.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: agl030519-vplxk (1)
      6.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-role: worker (2)
      7.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-type: worker
      8.         machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1a
      1The cluster ID.
      2A default node label.

  2. Create the new MachineSet CR:

    1. $ oc create -f <file_name>.yaml

  3. View the list of machine sets:

    1. $ oc get machineset -n openshift-machine-api

    Example output

    1. NAME                                      DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AVAILABLE   AGE
    2. agl030519-vplxk-windows-worker-us-east-1a    1         1         1       1        11m
    3. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1a            1         1         1       1        55m
    4. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1b            1         1         1       1        55m
    5. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1c            1         1         1       1        55m
    6. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1d            0         0                          55m
    7. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1e            0         0                          55m
    8. agl030519-vplxk-worker-us-east-1f            0         0                          55m

    When the new machine set is available, the DESIRED and CURRENT values match. If the machine set is not available, wait a few minutes and run the command again.

Additional resources

  • For more information on managing machine sets, see the Machine management section.