Kubernetes NFS

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Kubernetes NFS

An Overview

Kubernetes or K8s is a free, non-proprietary platform that is capable of providing amenities and services required for deploying, operating, and scaling containers in a containerized environment. Kubernetes also provides administrative competencies to manage containers in the cloud environment. Kubernetes Storage plays a vital part while orchestrating in this sort of environment. Kubernetes Storage aids administrators involved in storage departments by permitting them to sustain several procedures of persistent and non-persistent in a cluster environment. This gives an opportunity to generate assets for dynamic storage. This kind of asset can set out several variants of applications. Kubernetes Storage structure, if run appropriately, has the capacity to arrange storage for various applications that too with negligible administrative expenses.

The storage assets within the Kubernetes cluster can be impeccably accessed through any containerized applications with the help of Kubernetes Storage. One such way of accessing storage resources is the Network File Service (NFS). This file protocol is extensively used for transferring files in the Kubernetes environments so that multiple users can access the same files simultaneously. The NFS protocol has made the data transferring process a lot easier in Kubernetes.

Several use cases like forming data for constructing analytics results, database facilities, data annals, database documentation, etc. can be achieved by Kubernetes NFS. NFS along with Kubernetes pods are useful to create a set up for a Kubernetes Persistent Volume and for transferring data and libraries among containers and other Kubernetes pods.

In today’s article, we’ll briefly talk about Kubernetes NFS, the benefits of using NFS in Kubernetes cluster, and two quick methods that will guide how to initiate NFS file transferring straight from a container inside a Kubernetes pod.

What do you mean by Kubernetes Volumes and Kubernetes NFS?

The Kubernetes Volumes are vague storing entities that possess several nodes within the Kubernetes Cluster. These volumes permit the clustered nodes to write, deliver and transfer information among them. Volumes are considered as the rudimentary units of Kubernetes clusters that arrange storage for containers. A volume shares its belongings for everybody and in Kubernetes, it backs all sorts of storage plugins, such as native storage devices, cloud storing facilities, and network file systems (NFS). The primary responsibility of these plugins is to give entry permits to the storage amenities and platforms. In this article, we will mostly talk about the most significant plugin i.e., the network file system.

The Network File System (NFS) is a customary practice that is commonly known for transferring data and information in a containerized environment and also enabling multiple users to gain access to the same file simultaneously. However, another benefit of NFS is that it allows users to mount any storage devices to appraise it as a local drive. K8s also permits users to mount the Volume units to appraise it as a local disk drive inside the Kubernetes container. The NFS integration is very purposeful and hands in the way of transferring the legacy application to K8s. There are many situations where data is being accessed by the legacy code by the use of the network file system. Users can create their own storing plugins to give provision to other new storage structures. However, users can get direct access to Volumes through Kubernetes pods or via any persistent volumes.

How to obtain the acquaintance of data in Kubernetes via the Network File System (NFS)?

As mentioned earlier, NFS provides simultaneous entry to each of its hosts. In Kubernetes NFS, there is no need for the user to create a layout for the storage volume with the help of an Operating File System. The acquaintance of data can be earned in two ways via the Network File System (NFS) in Kubernetes.

  1. Ephemeral NFS Volume – This way enables you to unite with the NFS storage that you are already attached with.
  1. Persistent Volume with NFS – This way permits you to form a separate cluster for managing resources within the Kubernetes cluster which is accessed through the NFS.

What are the advantages of having NFS in the Kubernetes Cluster?

Network File System is a very crucial storage plugin in the Kubernetes cluster that enables the user to transfer file systems. NFS also helps to generate new storage parameters for various mounting purposes and are also accountable for reshaping the NFS persistent volumes dynamically.

Here are the advantages of having an NFS server for Kubernetes:

Use Prevailing Storage

To mount the prevailing Volumes that are at present in use, or on-premises, or in the cloud.

Perseverance and Determination

Since the Kubernetes volumes are ephemeral, they can be worn out in the absence of their parent pods. For this reason, an NFS volume is required to be defined inside the pod definitions.

The data that is saved in the container of an NFS volume will be kept in the associated storage device, even in the absence of the pod or when the pod shuts down. There is a second way of outlining a Kubernetes Persistent Volume that exposes the data through the interface of an NFS.

Transfer data

Another important perk of having the NFS Volumes is that they can transfer data among the Kubernetes containers, be it to the similar pod or different pods. With this, more people can acquire the service of the Kubernetes data.

Concurrent Mounting

The NFS server possesses a special feature that allows them to arrange access permission to multiple nodes at the same time. The multiple nodes can also concurrently read and write the same NFS Volume in the Kubernetes Cluster.

How to Mount an Ephemeral NFS Share on a Kubernetes Container?

To mount an NFS share on the Kubernetes Container from a prevailing NFS server, at first you need to augment an NFS Volume to the pod definition file. The below-mentioned will guide you to mount the NFS share:

1. Definition of your Pod

Go to the pod YAML file, slot in the following instructions and commands inside the definition of container (Replace the text in bold with the data you want to incorporate):

volumeMounts:

– name: your-nfs-volume

mountPath: /var/your-destination

Now define the volume as being instructed below (Replace the text in bold with the data you want to incorporate):

volumes:

– name: your-nfs-volume

nfs:

server: nfs-server.yourdomain.com

path:/path/to/shared-folder

2. Deployment of the Pod

Build the pod and make sure that the process of its deployment is done perfectly. Here is the command for deploying:

$ kubectl create -f your-pod-definition.yaml

$ kubectl get pods

3. Verification of the NFS Share

With the help of the below command, check if the pertinent container has been mounted perfectly and the NFS share is working correctly.

$ kubectl exec -it your-pod-definition sh

/ #

/ # mount | grep nfs-server.yourdomain.com

How to initiate an NFS Persistent Volume?

Besides the pod definition technique, there is another technique of adding the Kubernetes NFS integration. In that way, you need to initiate an NFS Persistent Volume inside the Kubernetes cluster. The NFS Persistent Volumes are managed inside the Kubernetes. Follow the below commands and instructions properly to a whole application that protects information to an NFS Persistent Volume.

Try using the below commands on Azure.

1. Explain the NFS Service

Use the below code to explain and define the NFS service.

$ kubectl create -f examples/staging/volumes/nfs/provisioner/nfs-server-gce-pv.yaml

2. Generate an NFS Server and Service

Use the below directives to build the NFS Server from the explanation of the NFS amenity and depict them. When you’re finished with this, verify if the deployment of the pods has been done accurately.

$ kubectl create -f examples/staging/volumes/nfs/nfs-server-rc.yaml

$ kubectl create -f examples/staging/volumes/nfs/nfs-server-service.yaml

$ kubectl get pods -l role=nfs-server.

3. Generate the Persistent Volume Claim

With the help of the below command, try finding the cluster IP of the server that you’re in:

$ kubectl describe services nfs-server

Now, manage the coding for the NFS Persistent Volume and substitute the prevent IP with the precise one.

4. Generate the Persistent Volume

With the help of the below command, set up the persistent volume that acquires the services of NFS.

$ kubectl create -f examples/staging/volumes/nfs/nfs-pv.yaml

$ kubectl create -f examples/staging/volumes/nfs/nfs-pvc.yaml

Conclusion

From the above study, we can conclude that using NFS can be a pretty good solution for shared storage as it is easier to maintain and more versatile than any other layout, like iSCSI. We have also seen how accounting for an NFS protocol aids in forming new storage volumes when there is high demand.

We can easily execute, deploy, and command NFS for the Kubernetes environment with the assistance of NetApp Trident and Cloud Volumes ONTAP. If you use NetApp Trident as the accountant of Kubernetes NFS, then it will provide you some sort of bonus reimbursements that you probably won’t get anywhere. One example of using Trident is its capability to rescale any NFS persistent volumes dynamically. The dynamic NFS accounting will also help to exemplify the Persistent Volume objects in the Kubernetes clusters. If you combine this with the data storing results of Cloud Volumes ONTAP, then it will give an optimal result for both Kubernetes and NFS. Few examples of ONTAP’s storage solutions are its ability to store data, volume replicating, and data duplication. In addition to this, provisioning of Kubernetes NFS can also help in multiple-node accessing. And for pre-provision storage purposes, Kubernetes attributes an intangible technique of storing information for which you don’t need manual cluster management.

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