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Create and Manage IPAM Node Pools

You can create and manage additional node pools for a Private Cloud Gateway (PCG) deployed in VMware vSphere. By default, a PCG is created with a single node pool definition based on the values provided during the installation process. The default node pool created during the installation is reserved for the PCG cluster and cannot be used by other clusters. A secondary IP Address Management (IPAM) node pool is also required if you selected static placement during the PCG installation process.

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Other private cloud providers, such as MAAS and OpenStack, do not have the ability for you to create additional node pools. You can manage where compute nodes are deployed using the native placement capabilities provided by the private cloud provider, such as tags, availability zones, or regions. Unlike VMware vSphere, these other private cloud providers natively support IPAM and DHCP.

You can create additional node pools to meet the requirements of your workloads, such as defining different node pools for different workloads, better managing the IP address utilization, or providing additional capacity. You can assign additional IPAM node pools when deploying a VMware vSphere cluster with a static IP network. This guide provides instructions on how to create an IPAM node pool for a PCG deployed in a VMware vSphere environment.

Prerequisites​

  • A PCG is installed, active, and in a healthy state. Refer to Deploy a PCG for instructions on how to install a PCG.

  • Tenant administrator access.

  • An IP address range or subnet available for the node pool.

Create a PCG Node Pool​

  1. Log in to Palette as a tenant administrator.

  2. From the left main menu, select Tenant Settings.

  3. In the Infrastructure section, select Private Cloud Gateways.

  4. Select the PCG for which you want to create a node pool.

  5. From the PCG details page, select the IP Address Management (IPAM) tab.

  6. Select Add New Pool.

  7. The Create IP Pool dialogue appears. Complete the necessary fields.

    FieldDescription
    NameA unique name for the node pool.
    Network TypeChoose between Range or Subnet. Each option has different input requirements. Refer to the Range or Subnet section to learn more.
    GatewayThe gateway IP address for the node pool.
    Nameserver addressesThe IP addresses of the nameservers for the node pool.
    Nameserver search suffixThe search suffix for the domain supported by the nameservers. This field is optional.
    Restrict to a single clusterIf enabled, the node pool will be restricted to a single cluster. Additional clusters will require creating more node pools.
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    The number of IP addresses assigned to each node pool must be at least three more than the total number of control plane and worker nodes that will be assigned to the node pool. At the start of cluster deployment, three IPs are immediately reserved: one for the Cluster API (CAPI) bootstrap VM, one for the Kubernetes API load balancer, and one for pool-level repaves.

    If you do not have a sufficient number of IP addresses available, the cluster cannot be deployed. As an example, if you plan to use the node pool for a cluster with one control plane and three worker nodes, you must have at least seven IP addresses available.

    Range​

    If you select Range as the Network Type, you must provide the following information:

    FieldDescription
    IP Start rangeThe starting IP address for the node pool.
    IP End rangeThe ending IP address for the node pool.
    Network PrefixThe network prefix for the node pool. For example, /18.

    Subnet​

    If you select Subnet as the Network Type, you must provide the following information:

    FieldDescription
    SubnetThe subnet for the node pool in CIDR format. For example, 10.10.100.0/24.
    Network PrefixThe network prefix for the node pool. For example, /18.

  8. Select Confirm to create the node pool.

Validate​

Use the following steps to validate that the node pool was created.

  1. Log in to Palette as a tenant administrator.

  2. From the left main menu, select Tenant Settings.

  3. In the Infrastructure section, select Private Cloud Gateways.

  4. Select the PCG for which you want to create a node pool.

  5. From the PCG details page, select the IP Address Management (IPAM) tab.

  6. The new node pool should be listed in the Node Pools section.

To use the new node pool, you will need to create a VMware vSphere cluster with a static IP network and assign the node pool when configuring the cluster control plane and worker nodes.