Automation Workflow
The complete automation journey from bare-metal servers to production-ready Kubernetes infrastructure.
Workflow Overview
Our automation workflow transforms bare-metal servers into a fully functional Kubernetes cluster through a series of carefully orchestrated steps. The entire process is designed to be repeatable, idempotent, and require zero manual intervention.
Phase 1: Provisioning
Bare-metal OS installation
Phase 2: Configuration
System hardening and setup
Phase 3: Deployment
Kubernetes cluster creation
Detailed Workflow Steps
Step 1: Provisioning Server Setup
Deploy and configure the provisioning server with all required network services.
- • Run Ansible playbook to configure DHCP, TFTP, and HTTP services
- • Download and prepare Ubuntu installation media
- • Generate cloud-init configuration files
- • Configure network boot settings and PXE menu
Step 2: Bare-Metal Server Provisioning
Power on bare-metal servers and let them automatically install Ubuntu via PXE boot.
- • Server performs PXE network boot
- • DHCP assigns IP and boot configuration
- • TFTP delivers bootloader and kernel
- • HTTP serves installation media and cloud-init configs
- • Ubuntu installs automatically with predefined settings
- • Server reboots into freshly installed OS
Step 3: Base System Configuration
Prepare the freshly installed servers for Kubernetes deployment.
- • Apply security hardening configurations
- • Configure network settings and firewall rules
- • Install required system packages and dependencies
- • Set up NTP time synchronization
- • Configure kernel parameters for Kubernetes
- • Disable swap and enable required kernel modules
Step 4: Container Runtime Installation
Install and configure containerd as the container runtime.
- • Install containerd and required plugins
- • Configure runtime settings and cgroup drivers
- • Set up container image registry mirrors
- • Enable and start containerd service
Step 5: Kubernetes Components Installation
Install kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl on all nodes.
- • Add Kubernetes package repositories
- • Install specific Kubernetes version
- • Configure kubelet service
- • Hold packages to prevent automatic updates
Step 6: Kubernetes Cluster Initialization
Bootstrap the Kubernetes control plane and join worker nodes.
- • Initialize first control plane node with kubeadm
- • Install pod network plugin (Calico)
- • Join additional control plane nodes (HA setup)
- • Join worker nodes to the cluster
- • Verify cluster health and node status
Step 7: Storage Layer Deployment
Deploy Rook Ceph for distributed storage across the cluster.
- • Deploy Rook operator
- • Create Ceph cluster configuration
- • Configure storage pools and replication
- • Create storage classes for dynamic provisioning
- • Verify Ceph cluster health
Step 8: Additional Services
Deploy supporting services and operational tools.
- • Install MetalLB for load balancing
- • Deploy Ingress controller
- • Set up monitoring with Prometheus
- • Configure centralized logging
- • Install cluster autoscaler (if needed)
Total Deployment Time
From bare-metal to production cluster
Manual interventions required
Repeatable and consistent
The entire workflow is fully automated and can be executed repeatedly to create identical clusters. Infrastructure as Code principles ensure consistency and version control of all configurations.