MSPs CSPs kubernetes kamaji storage

Trident, Kubes, and Containers: NetApp reference architecture

Managing multiple Kubernetes clusters can be resource-intensive and complex, especially for service providers, hosting companies, or large enterprises. An effective strategy to streamline operations and optimize resources involves integrating Kamaji by CLASTIX with NetApp's Trident.

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 Dario Tranchitella

Kamaji revolutionizes Kubernetes control plane management by hosting multiple control planes as pods within a centralized management cluster. This architecture known as Hosted Control Plane allows for the orchestration of numerous tenant clusters without the need for dedicated machines for each control plane, significantly reducing hardware requirements and operational overhead.

By centralizing control plane management, organizations can achieve:

  • Resource Optimization: Running multiple control planes on a single node minimizes the hardware footprint, leading to better utilization of processing power and memory.

  • Simplified Operations: Centralized management streamlines monitoring, logging, and governance of tenant clusters, making it easier to maintain and scale Kubernetes environments.

  • Cost Efficiency: Reducing the number of dedicated machines lowers infrastructure and maintenance costs, contributing to a more sustainable and economical operation.

Can we achieve the same regarding Storage, a hot topic for cluster administrators?

Seamless Storage Integration with NetApp Trident

NetApp Trident is an open-source storage orchestrator designed to provision and manage storage resources for Kubernetes workloads. When integrated with Kamaji, Trident enhances the storage capabilities of tenant clusters by providing:

  • Dynamic Provisioning: Trident automates the provisioning of persistent storage, ensuring that applications have access to the necessary resources without manual intervention.

  • Advanced Data Management: Leveraging NetApp's ONTAP technology, Trident offers robust data protection, high availability, and seamless scalability for stateful applications.

  • Multi-Tenancy Support: Trident's compatibility with Kamaji enables a true multi-tenant environment, where each tenant cluster can securely access and manage its own storage resources.

To explore Trident's features and deployment guides, visit the official NetApp Trident page.

Implementing the Kamaji and Trident Integration

Integrating Kamaji and Trident involves setting up a centralized management cluster with Kamaji to host tenant control planes and deploying Trident to manage storage provisioning for these tenant clusters. This setup ensures that each tenant has isolated control planes and dedicated storage resources, all managed efficiently from a central point.

Trident and Kamaji architecture

For a detailed, step-by-step guide on implementing this integration, refer to the following resource:

This guide provides comprehensive instructions to help you deploy a scalable, multi-tenant Kubernetes environment using Kamaji and Trident.

Conclusion

The integration of Kamaji and NetApp Trident offers a robust solution for managing multiple Kubernetes clusters efficiently. By centralizing control plane management and automating storage provisioning, organizations can achieve significant resource optimization, operational simplicity, and cost savings. Embracing this approach empowers service providers and enterprises to deliver scalable and reliable Kubernetes services to their users.

CLASTIX has helped several businesses provide resilient and persistent storage for Kubernetes architectures powered by NetApp: feel free to get in touch with our experts for a 30-minute demo!