Inception-of-Things (IoT) - System Administration with K3d and K3s

This project implements a complete Kubernetes-based infrastructure using K3d and K3s, with GitLab integration for CI/CD capabilities.

Table of Contents

1. Project Overview
2. Architecture
3. Prerequisites
4. Part 3: K3d and K3s Setup
5. Bonus: GitLab Integration
6. Usage Guide
7. Troubleshooting
8. Cleanup

Project Overview

This project consists of two main parts:

1. Part 3: Setting up a local Kubernetes cluster using K3d and K3s
2. Bonus: Integrating GitLab for CI/CD capabilities

Key Features

• Local Kubernetes cluster using K3d
• K3s lightweight Kubernetes distribution
• Argo CD for GitOps
• GitLab for source code management and CI/CD
• Automated deployment scripts
• Comprehensive monitoring and logging

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Local Development                    │
│                                                         │
│  ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐  │
│  │  K3d        │    │  GitLab     │    │  Argo CD    │  │
│  │  Cluster    │◄──►│  Instance   │◄──►│  Server     │  │
│  └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘    └─────────────┘  │
│                                                         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop
• kubectl
• Helm
• K3d
• Git
• Sufficient system resources (recommended: 8GB RAM, 4 CPU cores)

Part 3: K3d and K3s Setup

Directory Structure

p3/
├── scripts/
│   ├── install.sh          # Main installation script
│   ├── setup_k3d.sh        # K3d cluster setup
│   ├── setup_k3s.sh        # K3s installation
│   └── setup_networking.sh # Network configuration
├── confs/
│   └── k3d-config.yaml     # K3d configuration
├── Makefile                # Automation commands
└── README.md              # Documentation

Installation Steps

1. Setup K3d Cluster

   cd p3
   make setup-k3d

   This creates a local K3d cluster with:

   • 3 worker nodes
   • Custom networking
   • Load balancer
   • Ingress controller

2. Install K3s

   make setup-k3s

   Installs K3s on the cluster with:

   • Lightweight Kubernetes distribution
   • Built-in container runtime
   • Automatic TLS management

3. Configure Networking

   make setup-networking

   Sets up:

   • Network policies
   • Service mesh
   • Ingress rules

4. Deploy Applications

   make deploy

   Deploys:

   • Argo CD
   • Monitoring stack
   • Sample applications

Accessing the Cluster

1. Argo CD

   make argocd-info

   • URL: http://localhost:8080
   • Username: admin
   • Password: (generated during installation)

2. Cluster Status

   make status

   Shows:

   • Node status
   • Pod status
   • Service status

Bonus: GitLab Integration

Directory Structure

bonus/
├── scripts/
│   └── install.sh      # GitLab installation script
├── confs/              # Configuration files
├── Makefile           # Automation commands
└── README.md          # Documentation

Installation Steps

1. Install GitLab

   cd bonus
   make install

   This:

   • Installs Helm (if not present)
   • Adds GitLab Helm repository
   • Creates GitLab namespace
   • Installs GitLab components
   • Sets up port forwarding

2. Access GitLab

   make gitlab-info

   • URL: http://localhost:8080
   • Username: root
   • Password: (generated during installation)

Integration with Argo CD

1. Create a new project in GitLab
2. Configure Argo CD to use GitLab repository:
   • Update repository URL
   • Configure authentication
   • Set up webhooks

Usage Guide

Common Commands

Part 3 Commands

make setup-k3d          # Setup K3d cluster
make setup-k3s          # Install K3s
make setup-networking   # Configure networking
make deploy            # Deploy applications
make status            # Check cluster status
make argocd-info       # Show Argo CD credentials

Bonus Commands

make install           # Install GitLab
make status           # Check GitLab status
make gitlab-info      # Show GitLab credentials
make gitlab-port-forward # Start port forwarding

Monitoring

1. Cluster Monitoring

   kubectl get nodes
   kubectl get pods -A
   kubectl get svc -A

2. Application Monitoring

   • Argo CD dashboard
   • GitLab monitoring
   • Kubernetes dashboard

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. K3d Cluster Issues

   k3d cluster list
   k3d cluster start
   k3d cluster stop

2. GitLab Issues

   make check-gitlab
   make gitlab-port-forward

3. Network Issues

   kubectl get networkpolicies -A
   kubectl get ingress -A

Logs

# K3d logs
k3d cluster logs

# GitLab logs
kubectl logs -n gitlab -l app=gitlab

# Argo CD logs
kubectl logs -n argocd -l app.kubernetes.io/name=argocd-server

Cleanup

Full Cleanup

# Part 3 cleanup
cd p3
make clean

# Bonus cleanup
cd bonus
make clean

Partial Cleanup

# Clean K3d cluster
k3d cluster delete

# Clean GitLab
kubectl delete namespace gitlab
helm uninstall gitlab -n gitlab

Security Considerations

1. Cluster Security

   • Network policies
   • RBAC configuration
   • TLS management
   • Secret management

2. GitLab Security

   • Change default passwords
   • Configure access controls
   • Set up SSL
   • Regular updates

3. Argo CD Security

   • Secure repository access
   • Configure authentication
   • Set up webhook security

Performance Optimization

1. Resource Management

   • Monitor resource usage
   • Adjust resource limits
   • Configure persistence
   • Optimize networking

2. Best Practices

   • Regular backups
   • Monitoring setup
   • Log management
   • Update procedures

Maintenance

Regular Tasks

1. Update Kubernetes components
2. Monitor resource usage
3. Check security patches
4. Backup configurations
5. Review logs

Backup and Recovery

1. Export configurations
2. Backup persistent data
3. Document procedures
4. Test recovery process