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Add doc on how to configure Kubelet with a file
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mtaufen committed Sep 29, 2017
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70 changes: 70 additions & 0 deletions docs/tasks/administer-cluster/kubelet-config-file.md
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---
approvers:
- mtaufen
- dawnchen
title: Set Kubelet parameters via a config file
---

{% capture overview %}
{% include feature-state-alpha.md %}

As of Kubernetes 1.8, a subset of the Kubelet's configuration parameters may be
set via an on-disk config file, as a substitute for command-line flags. In the
future, most of the existing command-line flags will be deprecated in favor of
providing parameters via a config file, which simplifies node deployment.

{% endcapture %}

{% capture prerequisites %}

- A v1.8 or higher Kubelet binary must be installed.

{% endcapture %}

{% capture steps %}

## Create the config file

The subset of the Kubelet's configuration that can be configured via a file
is defined by the `KubeletConfiguration` struct
[here (v1alpha1)](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/pkg/kubelet/apis/kubeletconfig/v1alpha1/types.go).
The configuration file must be a JSON or YAML representation of the parameters
in this struct. Note that that this structure, and thus the config file API,
is still considured alpha and is not subject to stability gurarantees.

Create a file named `kubelet` in its own directory and make sure the directory
and file are both readable by the Kubelet. You should write your intended
Kubelet configuration in this `kubelet` file.

For a trick to generate a configuration file from a live node, see
[Reconfigure a Node's Kubelet in a Live Cluster](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/reconfigure-kubelet).

## Start a Kubelet process configured via the config file

Start the Kubelet with the `KubeletConfigFile` feature gate enabled and the
Kubelet's `--init-config-dir` flag set to the location of the directory
containing the `kubelet` file. The Kubelet will then load the parameters defined
by `KubeletConfiguration` from the `kubelet` file, rather than from their
associated command-line flags.

{% endcapture %}

{% capture discussion %}

## Relationship to Dynamic Kubelet Config

If you are using the [Dynamic Kubelet Configuration](https://github.com/kubernetes/features/issues/281)
feature, the configuration provided via `--init-config-dir` will be considered
the "last known good" configuration by the automatic rollback mechanism.

Note that the layout of the files in the `--init-conifg-dir` mirrors the layout
of data in the ConfigMaps used for Dynamic Kubelet Config; the file names are
the same as the keys of the ConfigMap, and the file contents are JSON or YAML
representations of the same structures. Today, the only pair is
`kubelet:KubeletConfiguration`, though more may emerge in the future.
See [Reconfigure a Node's Kubelet in a Live Cluster](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/reconfigure-kubelet)
for more information.

{% endcapture %}

{% include templates/task.md %}
13 changes: 7 additions & 6 deletions docs/tasks/administer-cluster/reconfigure-kubelet.md
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Expand Up @@ -89,12 +89,13 @@ and debug issues. The compromise, however, is that you must start with knowledge
of the existing configuration to ensure that you only change the fields you
intend to change.

In the future, the Kubelet will be bootstrapped from a file on disk, and you
will simply edit a copy of this file (which, as a best practice, should live in
version control) while creating the first Kubelet ConfigMap. Today, however, the
Kubelet is still bootstrapped with command-line flags. Fortunately, there is a
dirty trick you can use to generate a config file containing a Node's current
configuration. The trick involves hitting the Kubelet server's `configz`
In the future, the Kubelet will be bootstrapped from a file on disk
(see [Set Kubelet parameters via a config file](/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/kubelet-config-file)),
and you will simply edit a copy of this file (which, as a best practice, should
live in version control) while creating the first Kubelet ConfigMap. Today,
however, the Kubelet is still bootstrapped with command-line flags. Fortunately,
there is a dirty trick you can use to generate a config file containing a Node's
current configuration. The trick involves hitting the Kubelet server's `configz`
endpoint via the kubectl proxy. This endpoint, in its current implementation, is
intended to be used only as a debugging aid, which is part of why this is a
dirty trick. There is ongoing work to improve the endpoint, and in the future
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