Design, install, and configure Kubernetes clusters with proper security and high availability (25% of exam).
This domain covers managing role-based access control (RBAC), preparing underlying infrastructure for installing a Kubernetes cluster, creating and managing Kubernetes clusters using kubeadm, managing the lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters, implementing and configuring a highly-available control plane, using Helm and Kustomize to install cluster components, understanding extension interfaces (CNI, CSI, CRI), and understanding CRDs, installing and configuring operators.
5 minutes
5 Questions
In the context of the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam, Cluster Architecture, Installation, and Configuration is a foundational domain accounting for approximately 25% of the curriculum. It focuses on understanding the internal mechanics of Kubernetes and the practical skills required to bootstrap and maintain a cluster.
Cluster Architecture requires a deep understanding of the two primary components: the Control Plane and Worker Nodes. The Control Plane manages the cluster state and includes the kube-apiserver (the frontend for the API), etcd (a highly available key-value store for cluster data), the kube-scheduler (which assigns pods to nodes), and the kube-controller-manager. Worker nodes run the actual applications and host the kubelet (the primary node agent), kube-proxy (network rules), and the Container Runtime (e.g., containerd or CRI-O).
Installation and Configuration tests your ability to build a cluster from scratch, primarily using the kubeadm tool. You must demonstrate proficiency in initializing the control plane, joining worker nodes, and configuring a Highly Available (HA) cluster. This domain also covers cluster maintenance, specifically the process of upgrading the Kubernetes version on both control plane and worker nodes without disrupting workloads.
Furthermore, this section mandates knowledge of etcd management. Administrators must know how to take snapshot backups of the etcd database and restore them to recover the cluster state in disaster scenarios. Finally, it involves managing configuration details, such as setting up Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and generating KubeConfig files to secure and control access to the cluster.In the context of the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam, Cluster Architecture, Installation, and Configuration is a foundational domain accounting for approximately 25% of the curriculum. It focuses on understanding the internal mechanics of Kubernetes and the practical skills required …