{"id":67876,"date":"2022-10-14T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-14T09:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=67876"},"modified":"2022-10-14T09:00:45","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T09:00:45","slug":"can-kubernetes-help-solve-automation-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=67876","title":{"rendered":"Can Kubernetes help solve automation challenges?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden\">Can Kubernetes help solve automation challenges?<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden\"><a title=\"View user profile.\" href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/users\/romdalf\" class=\"username\">Rom Adams<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden\">Fri, 10\/14\/2022 &#8211; 03:00<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>I started my automation journey when I adopted Gentoo Linux as my primary operating system in 2002. Twenty years later, automation is not yet a done deal. When I meet with customers and partners, they share automation wins within teams, but they also describe the challenges to achieving similar success at an organizational level.<\/p>\n<p>Most IT organizations have the ability to provision a virtual machine end to end, reducing what used to be a four-week lead time to just five minutes. That level of automation is itself a complex workflow, requiring networking (IP address management, DNS, proxy, networking zones, and so on), identity access management, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/topics\/virtualization\/what-is-a-hypervisor?intcmp=7013a000002qLH8AAM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hypervisor<\/a>, storage, backup, updating the operating system, applying the latest configuration files, monitoring, security and hardening, and compliance benchmarking. Wow!<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not easy to address the business need for high velocity, scaling, and on-demand automation. For instance, consider the classic webshop or an online government service to file tax returns. The workload has well-defined peaks that need to be absorbed.<\/p>\n<p>A common approach for handling such a load is having an oversized server farm, ready to be used by a specialized team of IT professionals, monitoring the seasonal influx of customers or citizens. Everybody wants a just-in-time deployment of an entire stack. They want infrastructure running workloads within the context of a hybrid cloud scenario, using the model of &#8220;build-consume-trash&#8221; to optimize costs while benefiting from infinite elasticity.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, everybody wants the utopian &#8220;cloud experience.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"embedded-resource-list callout-float-right\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item\">More on Kubernetes<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-links field--type-link field--label-hidden field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/topics\/containers\/what-is-kubernetes?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">What is Kubernetes?<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/services\/training\/do080-deploying-containerized-applications-technical-overview?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">Free online course: Containers, Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift technical over\u2026<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/engage\/kubernetes-containers-storage-s-201911201051?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">eBook: Storage Patterns for Kubernetes<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/engage\/openshift-storage-testdrive-20170718?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">Test drive OpenShift hands-on<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/resources\/managing-containers-kubernetes-openshift-technology-detail?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">An introduction to enterprise Kubernetes<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/enterprisersproject.com\/article\/2017\/10\/how-explain-kubernetes-plain-english?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">How to explain Kubernetes in plain terms<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/downloads\/kubernetes-raspberry-pi?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">eBook: Running Kubernetes on your Raspberry Pi homelab<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/downloads\/kubernetes-cheat-sheet?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">Kubernetes cheat sheet<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/downloads\/kubernetes-sysadmin?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">eBook: A guide to Kubernetes for SREs and sysadmins<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/tags\/kubernetes?intcmp=7016000000127cYAAQ\">Latest Kubernetes articles<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Can the cloud really deliver?<\/h2>\n<p>All is not lost, thanks mainly to the way <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redhat.com\/en\/topics\/containers\/what-is-kubernetes?intcmp=7013a000002qLH8AAM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kubernetes<\/a> has been designed. The exponential adoption of Kubernetes fuels innovation, displacing standard legacy practices for managing platforms and applications. Kubernetes requires the use of Everything-as-Code (EaC) to define the desired state of all resources, from simple compute nodes to TLS certificates. Kubernetes compels the use of three major design constructs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A standard interface to reduce integration friction between internal and external components<\/li>\n<li>An API-first and API-only approach to standardize the CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations of all its components<\/li>\n<li>Use of <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/article\/21\/9\/yaml-cheat-sheet\">YAML<\/a> as a common language to define all desired states of these components in a simple and readable way<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These three key components are essentially the same requirements for choosing an automation platform, at least if you want to ease adoption by cross-functional teams. This also blurs the separation of duties between teams, helping to improve collaboration across silos, which is a good thing!<\/p>\n<p>As a matter of fact, customers and partners adopting Kubernetes are ramping up to a state of hyper-automation. Kubernetes organically drives teams to adopt multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/resources\/devops\" target=\"blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DevOps foundations and practices<\/a>\u2014like EaC, <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/life\/16\/7\/stumbling-git\">version control with Git<\/a>, peer reviews, <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/article\/21\/3\/devops-documentation\">documentation as code<\/a>\u2014and encourages cross-functional collaboration. These practices help mature a team&#8217;s automation skills, and they help a team get a good start in GitOps and CI\/CD pipelines dealing with both application lifecycle <i>and<\/i> infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2>Making automation a reality<\/h2>\n<p>You read that right! The entire stack for complex systems like a webshop or government reporting can be defined in clear, understandable, universal terms that can be executed on any on-prem or cloud provider. An autoscaler with custom metrics can be defined to trigger a just-in-time deployment of your desired stack to address the influx of customers or citizens during seasonal peaks. When metrics are back to normal, and cloud compute resources don&#8217;t have a reason to exist anymore, you trash them and return to regular operations, with a set of core assets on-prem taking over the business until the next surge.<\/p>\n<h2>The chicken and the egg paradox<\/h2>\n<p>Considering Kubernetes and cloud-native patterns, automation is a must. But it raises an important question: Can an organization adopt Kubernetes before addressing the automation strategy?<\/p>\n<p>It might seem that starting with Kubernetes could inspire better automation, but that&#8217;s not a foregone conclusion. A tool is not an answer to the problem of skills, practices, and culture. However, a well-designed platform can be a catalyst for learning, change, and cross-functional collaboration within an IT organization.<\/p>\n<h2>Get started with Kubernetes<\/h2>\n<p>Even if you feel you missed the automation train, don&#8217;t be afraid to start with Kubernetes on an easy, uncomplicated stack. Embrace the simplicity of this fantastic orchestrator and iterate with more complex needs once you&#8217;ve <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/article\/17\/11\/getting-started-kubernetes\">mastered the initial steps<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-article-subhead field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<p>Automation at the organization level has been an elusive goal, but Kubernetes might be able to change all that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-lead-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<article class=\"media media--type-image media--view-mode-caption\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item\">  <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/gears_devops_learn_troubleshooting_lightbulb_tips_520.png\" width=\"520\" height=\"292\" alt=\"Tips and gears turning\" title=\"Tips and gears turning\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden caption field__item\"><span class=\"caption__byline\">Image by: <\/span><\/p>\n<p>opensource.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/tags\/kubernetes\" hreflang=\"en\">Kubernetes<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/tags\/cloud\" hreflang=\"en\">Cloud<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"field__item\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/tags\/automation\" hreflang=\"en\">Automation<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"hidden field field--name-field-listicle-title field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item\">What to read next<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-default-license field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item\"><a rel=\"license\" href=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\/\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creative Commons License\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/cc-by-sa--13.png\" title=\"This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.\"><\/a>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.<\/div>\n<section class=\"field field--name-field-comments field--type-comment field--label-hidden comment-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"comments__count\">\n<div class=\"login\"><a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/user\/register?absolute=1\">Register<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/opensource.com\/user\/login?current=\/rss.xml&amp;absolute=1\">Login<\/a> to post a comment.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wpematico_credit\"><small>Powered by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wpematico.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WPeMatico<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can Kubernetes help solve automation challenges? Rom Adams Fri, 10\/14\/2022 &#8211; 03:00 I started my automation journey when I adopted Gentoo Linux as my primary operating system in 2002. Twenty years later, automation is not yet a done deal. When I meet with customers and partners, they share automation wins within teams, but they also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67877,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[307],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-source"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/67877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=67876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=67876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}