#Infrastructure Resources for Huawei DCS

#Overview

Before creating clusters on Huawei DCS, you need to configure infrastructure resources including cloud credentials, IP pools, and machine templates.

You can manage infrastructure resources using either the web UI or YAML manifests. The web UI provides a guided interface with validation, while YAML offers automation capabilities.

On Huawei DCS, the IP pool also carries any disks that must survive VM replacement. This includes the platform-required /var/cpaas disk.

#Cloud Credentials

Cloud credentials store the DCS platform access information required for cluster operations.

#Using the Web UI

#Prerequisites

Before creating a cloud credential, verify the following DCS platform requirements:

User Configuration:

• User Type: Must be Interface interconnection user
• Role: Must be administrator

Password Policy: Navigate to System Management → Rights Management → Rights Management Policy and verify:

• Policy: Whether to modify the password of an interface interconnection user upon password resetting and first login
• Value: Must be set to No

If set to Yes, the user's password will be forced to change upon first login, breaking authentication and causing cluster creation failures.

#Creating a Cloud Credential

Navigation: Clusters → Cloud Credentials → Create Cloud Credential → Select Huawei DCS

Form Fields:

Validation Rules:

• Name must be 1-63 characters, containing only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens, and must start and end with a letter or number
• DCS Endpoint must be a valid URL format starting with http:// or https://

#Managing Cloud Credentials

Viewing Credentials: Navigate to Clusters → Cloud Credentials to view all configured credentials with their type, creation time, and creator.

Updating Credentials: Click Update on a credential to modify the Display Name. Password updates are not supported in the current version (planned for a future release).

Deleting Credentials: Click Delete to remove a credential. Confirm the deletion in the dialog.

#Using YAML

Create a Secret resource to store DCS authentication information:

apiVersion: v1
data:
  authUser: <base64-encoded-auth-user>
  authKey: <base64-encoded-auth-key>
  endpoint: <base64-encoded-endpoint>
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: <auth-secret-name>
  namespace: cpaas-system
type: Opaque

Parameter Descriptions:

Example:

# Encode credentials
echo -n "admin" | base64
echo -n "your-password" | base64
echo -n "https://dcs.example.com:7443" | base64

# Apply the Secret
kubectl apply -f dcs-secret.yaml -n cpaas-system

#IP Pools

IP pools define the network configuration (IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, DNS) for cluster nodes. Each pool can contain multiple node entries, and each node can have multiple network interface configurations.

For DCS persistent disks, each IP entry can also declare persistentDisk items. These disks are bound to the IP slot instead of the VM lifecycle, so they can be detached from an old VM and reattached to a replacement VM during rolling upgrades. Use this mechanism for the platform-required /var/cpaas disk and for any other node-local data that must survive delete-recreate operations. Since DCS provider v1.0.16, this persistentDisk declaration is supported through YAML only.

#Using the Web UI

#Prerequisites

• Cloud Credential has been created

#Creating an IP Pool

Navigation: Clusters → Virtual Machine → IP Pools → Create IP Pool → Select Credential

Form Structure:

The IP Pool form consists of a list of Pools. Each Pool represents one node and contains:

1. Node IP (required, exactly one per Pool)
2. Additional NIC IPs (optional, multiple per Pool)

Node IP Fields:

Additional NIC IPs Fields:

Validation Rules:

• IP addresses must be unique within the same IP Pool
• IP addresses must be valid IPv4 format
• Subnet mask must be valid format
• IP address must be within the configured subnet range
• Gateway must be a valid IPv4 address within the subnet range

Tips:

• At least one node entry is required
• Exactly one Node IP configuration is required per node
• Additional NIC IPs are optional for multi-NIC scenarios (e.g., storage network separation)

#Managing IP Pools

Viewing Pools: Navigate to Clusters → Virtual Machine → IP Pools to view all configured pools with their node IPs and creation time.

Updating Pools: Click Update to add or remove node entries and modify network configurations.

Deleting Pools: Click Delete to remove a pool. Confirm the deletion in the dialog.

#Using YAML

Create a DCSIpHostnamePool resource:

apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: DCSIpHostnamePool
metadata:
  name: <iphostname-pool-name>
  namespace: cpaas-system
spec:
  pool:
  - ip: "<ip-1>"
    mask: "<mask>"
    gateway: "<gateway>"
    dns: "<dns>"
    hostname: "<hostname-1>"
    machineName: "<machine-name-1>"
  - ip: "<ip-2>"
    mask: "<mask>"
    gateway: "<gateway>"
    dns: "<dns>"
    hostname: "<hostname-2>"
    machineName: "<machine-name-2>"
  - ip: "<ip-3>"
    mask: "<mask>"
    gateway: "<gateway>"
    dns: "<dns>"
    hostname: "<hostname-3>"
    machineName: "<machine-name-3>"

Parameter Descriptions:

#Persistent Disks in the IP Pool

Declare upgrade-preserved disks in DCSIpHostnamePool.spec.pool[].persistentDisk, not in DCSMachineTemplate.

Since DCS provider v1.0.16, YAML is the only supported way to declare these persistent disks.

• Use the IP entry to bind each persistent disk to a fixed (ip, slot) identity.
• Use this model for the platform-required /var/cpaas disk.
• Keep DCSMachineTemplate focused on the system disk and any template-local disks that may be recreated with the VM.
• When a replacement VM boots, the guest disk setup script checks for an existing filesystem. If one already exists, it skips formatting and mounts the disk directly.
• Pool-managed persistent disks require one-by-one replacement. Keep KubeadmControlPlane.spec.rolloutStrategy.rollingUpdate.maxSurge = 0 and MachineDeployment.spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxSurge = 0 when you rely on this feature.

If you plan to use persistent disks, ensure the DCS VM template is 4.2.1 or later because safe shutdown and disk detach depend on guest tools inside the guest OS.

Example:

apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: DCSIpHostnamePool
metadata:
  name: <iphostname-pool-name>
  namespace: cpaas-system
spec:
  pool:
  - ip: "<ip-1>"
    mask: "<mask>"
    gateway: "<gateway>"
    dns: "<dns>"
    hostname: "<hostname-1>"
    machineName: "<machine-name-1>"
    persistentDisk:
    - slot: 0
      quantityGB: 40
      datastoreClusterName: <datastore-cluster-name>
      path: /var/cpaas
      format: xfs
      mountOptions:
      - defaults

Persistent disk field descriptions:

Update rules:

• You can append new persistentDisk entries to an existing IP slot. The controller attaches the newly added disk to the running VM on the DCS side, but it does not format or mount the disk inside the guest OS. Guest formatting and mounting take effect only after the VM is replaced and the replacement VM runs the generated disk setup during bootstrap.
• Do not delete existing persistentDisk entries from the spec. The webhook rejects removal.
• Treat format, options, and pciType as immutable after creation.
• Treat quantityGB and datastore changes as rollout-sensitive changes. The webhook performs best-effort platform validation when the pool carries a cluster label.
• Treat path and mountOptions changes as guest-side changes that take effect on replacement machines during rolling updates.

#Machine Templates

Machine templates define the virtual machine specifications (VM template, CPU, memory, disk, network) for cluster nodes. Each machine template has a Type that determines its usage:

• Control Plane: For control plane nodes
• Worker Node: For worker nodes

#Using the Web UI

#Prerequisites

• IP Pool has been created
• VM Template has been created in the DCS platform using MicroOS image
• ConfigMap YAML has been applied to the global cluster

VM Template and ConfigMap:

Each MicroOS release includes a ConfigMap YAML that maps VM templates to Kubernetes versions. Apply this YAML before creating machine templates:

apiVersion: v1
data:
  corednsTag: 1.12.4-v4.2.3
  etcdTag: v3.5.21-251117
  kubernetesVersion: v1.33.6
  vmImageVersion: MicroOS-5.5-v4.2.0
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  labels:
    cpaas.io/dcs-vm-template: microos5.5-4.2.0
    cpaas.io/distribution-version: v4.2.0
    cpaas.io/kubernetes-version: v1.33
  name: 420-dcs-vm-template
  namespace: cpaas-system

Important: The cpaas.io/dcs-vm-template label value must match the VM template name in the DCS platform.

#Creating a Machine Template

Navigation: Clusters → Virtual Machine → Machine Templates → Create Machine Template → Select Credential

Form Fields:

Disk Configuration:

The disk configuration varies by template type.

Control Plane Required Disks:

Worker Node Required Disks:

You may add additional disks, but must retain all mandatory disks listed above.

Disk Field Descriptions:

VM Template Selection Tip:

#Managing Machine Templates

Viewing Templates: Navigate to Clusters → Virtual Machine → Machine Templates to view all templates with their VM Template Name, Resource, Location, Specs, and IP Pool.

Updating Templates: Click Update to modify specifications. Note that the Name field cannot be changed after creation.

Deleting Templates: Click Delete to remove a template. Confirm the deletion in the dialog.

#Using YAML

Create a DCSMachineTemplate resource:

apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: DCSMachineTemplate
metadata:
  name: <machine-template-name>
  namespace: cpaas-system
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      vmTemplateName: <vm-template-name>
      location:
        type: folder
        name: <folder-name>
      resource: # Optional, if not specified, uses template defaults
        type: cluster # cluster | host
        name: <cluster-name>
      vmConfig:
        dvSwitchName: <dv-switch-name> # Optional
        portGroupName: <port-group-name> # Optional
        dcsMachineCpuSpec:
          quantity: <cpu-cores>
        dcsMachineMemorySpec: # MB
          quantity: <memory-mb>
        dcsMachineDiskSpec: # GB
        - quantity: 0
          datastoreClusterName: <datastore-cluster-name>
          systemVolume: true
        - quantity: 100
          datastoreClusterName: <datastore-cluster-name>
          path: /var/lib/kubelet
          format: xfs
        - quantity: 100
          datastoreClusterName: <datastore-cluster-name>
          path: /var/lib/containerd
          format: xfs
        - quantity: 10
          datastoreClusterName: <datastore-cluster-name>
          path: /var/lib/etcd
          format: xfs
      ipHostPoolRef:
        name: <iphostname-pool-name>

Parameter Descriptions:

*Required when parent object is specified

#Resource Relationships

Infrastructure resources have the following dependency relationships:

Cloud Credential
    ↓
IP Pool
    (network settings + persistent disk declarations)
    ↓
Machine Template → references IP Pool
    ↓
Cluster Creation

Resource Reusability:

• One Cloud Credential can be used for multiple clusters
• Multiple IP Pools can be created for different network segments
• Multiple Machine Templates can be created for different node types and specifications

#Next Steps

After configuring infrastructure resources:

• Create a Cluster
• Manage Node Pools
• Upgrade Clusters