2V0-71.23 VMware Tanzu for Kubernetes Operations Professional Questions and Answers

The object in Kubernetes used to grant permissions to a cluster-wide resource is ClusterRoleBinding. A ClusterRoleBinding is a cluster-scoped object that grants permissions defined in a ClusterRole to one or more subjects, such as users, groups, or service accounts5. A ClusterRole is a cluster-scoped object that defines a set of permissions on cluster-scoped resources (like nodes) or namespaced resources (like pods) across all namespaces5. For example, a ClusterRoleBinding can be used to allow a particular user to run kubectl get pods --all-namespaces by granting them the permissions defined in a ClusterRole that allows listing pods in any namespace6. References: Using RBAC Authorization | Kubernetes, Cluster Roles and Cluster Roles Binding in Kubernetes | ANOTE.DEV

Three capabilities that are supported by VMware Aria Operations for Applications (formerly VMware Tanzu Observability) are:

• Unified log management: Users can browse logs to troubleshoot their issues, for example, if they notice anomalies on their metrics charts or see that a service on the application map has large latency value. Users can also drill into related logs directly from charts, alerts, and traces2.
• Event tracing: Users can work with a service map, examine traces and spans, and drill down into problem areas in their code. Users can also view traces and spans from a single source of truth across logs, metrics, and traces1.
• Out-of-the-box and user-configurable dashboards: Users can visualize their data based on query results in various chart types (such as line plot, point plot, table, pie chart, etc.) and organize them in dashboards. Users can also interact with charts and dashboards in real time, such as zoom in, zoom out, change the time window, change the focus, and so on1.

References: VMware Aria Operations for Applications Documentation, VMware Aria Operations for Applications

The role of the Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service is to provision Kubernetes clusters that integrate with the underlying vSphere Namespace resources and Supervisor Services. The Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service is a component of vSphere with Tanzu that provides self-service lifecycle management of Tanzu Kubernetes clusters3. A Tanzu Kubernetes cluster is an opinionated installation of Kubernetes that runs on top of the Supervisor Cluster and inherits its capabilities, such as storage integration, pod networking, load balancing, authentication, and authorization4. The Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service exposes three layers of controllers to manage the lifecycle of a Tanzu Kubernetes cluster: Cluster API, Virtual Machine Service, and Tanzu Kubernetes Release Service3. References: Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service Architecture - VMware Docs, What Is a Tanzu Kubernetes Cluster? - VMware Docs

VMware vSphere 8 is the version of VMware vSphere that introduces the capability for provisioning a workload cluster using a cluster class (ClusterClass) from VMware Tanzu Mission Control. ClusterClass is a feature of Cluster API that allows users to define a reusable cluster configuration template and use it to create consistent clusters with a predefined shape and size. Tanzu Mission Control leverages ClusterClass to enable users to create Tanzu Kubernetes clusters in vSphere with Tanzu using a default cluster class. The default cluster class specifies the number of control plane nodes, worker nodes, and the resources allocated to each node. To use ClusterClass with Tanzu Mission Control, the vSphere environment must be running version 8.0 or later, and the Supervisor Cluster must be upgraded from vSphere 7.0U3.

The other options are incorrect because:

• VMware vCenter Server 6.7 Update 3 is not a version of VMware vSphere, but rather a version of VMware vCenter Server, which is the centralized management platform for vSphere environments. VMware vCenter Server 6.7 Update 3 does not support ClusterClass or Tanzu Mission Control.
• VMware vSphere 6.7 is an older version of VMware vSphere that does not support ClusterClass or Tanzu Mission Control. VMware vSphere 6.7 reached end of general support on October 15, 2022.
• VMware is not a version of VMware vSphere, but rather the name of the company that develops and sells VMware vSphere and other products.

References: [Introducing ClusterClass and Managed Topologies in Cluster API], [Provision a Cluster in vSphere with Tanzu using a Cluster Class], [A First Look at ClusterClass Deployments using Tanzu Kubernetes Grid 2.0], [VMware vCenter Server 6.7 Update 3 Release Notes], [VMware Product Lifecycle Matrix]

Two statements about the NSX Advanced Load Balancer are correct:

• It can be configured as the VIP endpoint for the management cluster on vSphere. The VIP endpoint is the IP address that clients use to access the Kubernetes API server on the management cluster. By default, this IP address is assigned by DHCP, but it can also be configured manually or by using a load balancer. Using a load balancer provides high availability and scalability for the VIP endpoint. NSX Advanced Load Balancer can be used as the load balancer provider for the VIP endpoint by creating a virtual service that points to the control plane nodes of the management cluster5.
• It can be configured as a load balancer for workloads in the clusters that are deployed on vSphere. Workload clusters are Kubernetes clusters that run user workloads on vSphere with Tanzu. Workload clusters require a load balancer to expose services of type LoadBalancer to external clients. NSX Advanced Load Balancer can be used as the load balancer provider for workload clusters by deploying an Avi Kubernetes Service (AKS) pod on each cluster node. The AKS pod acts as an ingress controller that communicates with the NSX Advanced Load Balancer Controller and creates virtual services for each service of type LoadBalancer6.

The other options are incorrect because:

• It can only be used if Antrea CNI is installed on the workload cluster is false. Antrea is one of the supported Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins for workload clusters on vSphere with Tanzu, but it is not mandatory to use it with NSX Advanced Load Balancer. Other CNI plugins, such as Calico or Flannel, can also work with NSX Advanced Load Balancer7.
• It only supports the service type LoadBalancer is false. NSX Advanced Load Balancer supports other service types as well, such as ClusterIP and NodePort. These service types can be used to expose services within or across clusters without requiring an external load balancer8.
• It is natively integrated with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Amazon Web Services EC2 deployments is false. NSX Advanced Load Balancer is not natively integrated with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Amazon Web Services EC2 deployments. Tanzu Kubernetes Grid on AWS uses the AWS Elastic Load Balancing service as the default load balancer provider for both management and workload clusters9.

References: Configure the VIP Endpoint for the Management Cluster, Deploy and Configure NSX Advanced Load Balancer as a Load Balancer for Workload Clusters, Supported CNI Plugins, Service Types, Load Balancing on AWS

Two package management tools that can be used to configure and install applications on Kubernetes are:

• Carvel. Carvel is a set of tools that provides a simple, composable, and flexible way to manage Kubernetes configuration, packaging, and deployment. Carvel includes tools such as kapp, which applies and tracks Kubernetes resources in a cluster; ytt, which allows templating YAML files; kbld, which builds and pushes images to registries; kpack, which automates image builds from source code; and vendir, which syncs files from different sources into a single directory. Carvel is integrated with VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and can be used to deploy and manage applications on Tanzu clusters.
• Helm. Helm is a tool that helps users define, install, and upgrade complex Kubernetes applications using charts. Charts are packages of pre-configured Kubernetes resources that can be customized with values. Helm uses a client-server architecture with a command line tool called helm and an in-cluster component called Tiller. Helm can be used to deploy applications from the official Helm charts repository or from custom charts created by users or vendors. Helm is also integrated with VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid and can be used to deploy and manage applications on Tanzu clusters.

References: : https://carvel.dev/ : https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Tanzu-Kubernetes-Grid/1.6/vmware-tanzu-kubernetes-grid-16/GUID-tkg-carvel.html : https://helm.sh/ : https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Tanzu-Kubernetes-Grid/1.6/vmware-tanzu-kubernetes-grid-16/GUID-tkg-helm.html

VMware Tanzu Mission Control and Tanzu CLI package plugin are two methods that can be used to install Fluent Bit on a VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid cluster. VMware Tanzu Mission Control is a centralized management platform for Kubernetes clusters across different environments. It allows users to install Fluent Bit on any attached cluster from the web console or the CLI, and configure the output plugins for log forwarding. Tanzu CLI package plugin is a command-line tool that enables users to interact with VMware Tanzu packages and services. It allows users to install Fluent Bit from a package repository on any standalone management or workload cluster, and configure the output plugins for log forwarding. References: Install Fluent Bit for Log Forwarding - VMware Docs, Implement Log Forwarding with Fluent Bit - VMware Docs

To visualize API connectivity and enable API protection in VMware Tanzu Service Mesh, the administrator needs to perform two steps:

• Activate API Discovery for the Global Namespace. This allows Tanzu Service Mesh to automatically discover the APIs signatures between microservices running inside or outside the mesh. API Discovery creates a custom API schema for each API that is close to OpenAPI spec 3.0. Tanzu Service Mesh graph renders the detected APIs in the Enforcing mode by default, which means that any new API is considered as a violated API unless accepted by the administrator1
• Create API Security Policy for the Global Namespace. This allows the administrator to block or allow layer 4 and layer 7 traffic, as well as create granular policies that provide API and data segmentation, OWASP 10 attack defense, schema validation, geofencing, data compliance, and egress controls. The administrator can create the API Security policy through the Tanzu Service Mesh Console UI or by using the Tanzu Service Mesh API Explorer2

References: 1: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Tanzu-Service-Mesh/services/tanzu-service-mesh-enterprise/GUID-E6FB9FB3-FDB3-4D2B-B5CB-614608EEF537.html  2: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Tanzu-Service-Mesh/services/tanzu-service-mesh-enterprise/GUID-5B635420-3BD2-4EC1-B67E-2015F991A91C.html

The type of policy that can be used to enforce the container controls is image security. Image security policies allow users to define rules for validating container images before they are deployed on clusters. Users can specify image names, tags, signatures, or digests to whitelist or blacklist images based on their source and integrity. Users can also enable or disable image scanning for vulnerabilities and configure the severity threshold for admission decisions. References: Image Security Policy - VMware Docs, Image Policy - VMware Docs

The key benefit of Tanzu Service Mesh Autoscaler feature is to autoscale microservices that meet changing levels of demand based on metrics, such as CPU or memory usage. These metrics are available to Tanzu Service Mesh without needing additional code changes or metrics plugins1. Tanzu Service Mesh Autoscaler supports configuring an autoscaling policy for services inside a global namespace through the UI or API, or using a Kubernetes custom resource definition (CRD) for services directly in cluster namespaces2. Tanzu Service Mesh Autoscaler also supports two modes: performance mode, where services are scaled up but not down, and efficiency mode, where services are scaled up and down to optimize resource utilization2. References: VMware Aria Operations for Applications, Tanzu Service Mesh Service Autoscaling Overview - VMware Docs

VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid supports StorageClass objects for different storage types, provisioned by Kubernetes internal (“in-tree”) or external (“out-of-tree”) plug-ins. Two of the supported storage types are vSphere Cloud Native Storage (CNS) and Amazon EBS. vSphere Cloud Native Storage (CNS) is a vSphere feature that provides persistent storage for Kubernetes clusters running on vSphere 6.7 or later. CNS integrates with the vSphere Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver to dynamically provision persistent volumes backed by First Class Disks on a datastore1. Amazon EBS is a block storage service that provides persistent storage for Amazon EC2 instances. EBS volumes can be attached to EC2 instances as block devices, and can be used to create persistent volumes for Kubernetes clusters running on AWS2. Both CNS and EBS support dynamic provisioning of persistent volumes using StorageClass objects with the provisioner field set to csi.vsphere.vmware.com and kubernetes.io/aws-ebs respectively12. References: Back Up and Restore Cluster Workloads - VMware Docs, Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) - Amazon Web Services

A tool that can be used to backup and restore workloads on clusters provisioned by the VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service is the Velero Plugin for VMware vSphere. The Velero Plugin for VMware vSphere is an extension of Velero, an open source tool that performs backup and restore of Kubernetes resources and persistent volumes5. The plugin leverages the snapshot capabilities of vSphere to create backups of Kubernetes workloads running on vSphere-managed infrastructure, such as VMware Cloud on AWS or VMware Cloud on Dell EMC5. The plugin also supports restoring backups to the same or different clusters, as well as migrating workloads across clusters5. References: Velero Plugin for VMware vSphere Documentation

VMware Tanzu Mission Control (TMC) is a centralized management platform for consistently operating and securing your Kubernetes infrastructure and modern applications across multiple teams and clouds1. TMC provides a catalog of curated open-source software packages that you can deploy to your clusters with a few clicks2. To deploy an application to a Kubernetes cluster using TMC catalog, you need to follow these steps3:

• From the TMC Console, navigate to Catalog.
• Select the package that you want to install from the list of available packages. You can filter the packages by name, provider, or category.
• Click Install Package to start the installation wizard.
• On the Installation Settings page, specify the following information:
• Click Install to confirm the installation settings and start the installation process.
• Wait for the installation to complete. You can monitor the progress and status of the installation on the Package Instances page.

The other options are incorrect because:

• From the TMC Console, in Catalog, from Available Tanzu Packages, specify the target cluster and the package to install is false. There is no such option as Available Tanzu Packages in the TMC Console. The correct option is Install Package.
• Using the Tanzu CLI, enter the command tanzu package install is false. The Tanzu CLI is a command-line tool that allows you to interact with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters and packages4. It is not related to TMC or its catalog.
• Using the TMC CLI, enter the command tmc cluster tanzupackage create is false. There is no such command as tmc cluster tanzupackage create in the TMC CLI. The TMC CLI is a command-line tool that allows you to interact with TMC and its resources5. It does not support installing packages from the catalog.

References: VMware Tanzu Mission Control Overview, Catalog Overview, Install a Package from Catalog, Tanzu CLI Overview, TMC CLI Overview

The Tanzu package CLI plugin is a tool that allows users to install and manage Tanzu packages on their clusters. Tanzu packages are Kubernetes resources that encapsulate the deployment and configuration of software components, such as Contour, Prometheus, Grafana, and more1. The Tanzu package CLI plugin is intended only for CLI-managed packages, which are packages that users can install and update manually using the Tanzu CLI commands2. The Tanzu package CLI plugin cannot be used to install or manage auto-managed packages, which are packages that are automatically installed and updated by Tanzu Kubernetes Grid as part of the cluster lifecycle2.

The other options are incorrect because:

• It cannot be used to add additional package repositories apart from tanzu-standard is false. The Tanzu package CLI plugin can be used to add, list, update, or delete package repositories, which are sources of Tanzu packages3. Users can add custom package repositories or use the default tanzu-standard repository that comes with Tanzu Kubernetes Grid4.
• It can be used to manage packages in public repositories is false. The Tanzu package CLI plugin can only be used to manage packages in the repositories that are added to the target cluster3. Users cannot use the Tanzu package CLI plugin to manage packages in public repositories that are not added to the cluster.
• It can be used to install auto-managed packages is false. As mentioned above, the Tanzu package CLI plugin cannot be used to install or manage auto-managed packages.

References: Tanzu Packages, Tanzu Package Types, tanzu package repository, Add a Package Repository

A NetworkPolicy is a Kubernetes object that controls what traffic is allowed to and from selected pods and network endpoints6. NetworkPolicy objects contain the following information:

• The pods that are affected by this policy (the pod selector)
• The traffic that is allowed for these pods (the ingress and egress rules)
• The network entities that are allowed or denied for this traffic (the selectors and IP blocks)

By default, all pods in a cluster can communicate with each other and with any external network endpoint. A NetworkPolicy allows you to restrict this behavior by defining rules for pod isolation and network access. A NetworkPolicy is enforced by a network plugin that supports it6.

The other options are incorrect because:

• An Ingress is a Kubernetes object that manages external access to services in a cluster, typically HTTP7. It does not control what traffic is allowed to and from selected pods and network endpoints.
• A PodSecurityPolicy is a Kubernetes object that controls security-sensitive aspects of pod specification, such as running as privileged or using host networking8. It does not control what traffic is allowed to and from selected pods and network endpoints.
• A Secret is a Kubernetes object that stores sensitive information, such as passwords or keys, in an encrypted form9. It does not control what traffic is allowed to and from selected pods and network endpoints.

References: Network Policies, Ingress, Pod Security Policies, Secrets