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1. Provision your Cluster

② Connect to your Data →

Overview

A Cluster is a resilient Kubernetes based system, tailored for edge computing, consisting of edge computers or virtual machines with the Kelvin software installed. Designed to operate in Edge environments without internet connectivity, it provides a robust framework to deploy, manage, and monitor Kelvin SmartApps™, Docker Apps and Connections, ensuring optimal performance and streamlined operations.

There are two ways to setup a Cluster:

  • Create K3S Cluster: Kelvin provides a provision script to automatically setup a K3S Kubernetes cluster on a Linux bare metal system or within a Virtual Machine.
  • Import Kubernetes Cluster: Kelvin provides the yaml definitions to import an existing Kubernetes cluster that is hosted in a cloud provider (AKS, EKS, GKE, etc.) or setup within a pre-existing Kubernetes cluster.

Cluster Setup Options

Kelvin uses K3s, a lightweight, production-grade Kubernetes distribution, to simplify cluster installation and maintenance.

Info

This guide shows how to provision a K3s cluster using only the Kelvin UI.

Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Actual CPUs and RAM requirements will depend heavily on the requirements and quantity of Kelvin SmartApps™ and Connections that you want to deploy.

Resource hungry apps or deploying tens or hundreds of Kelvin SmartApp™ will require more resources.

In general we give you here the minimum and recommended requirements to get started.

Component Minimum Recommended
CPU 2 cores 4 cores
RAM 4 GB 8 GB
Disk 25 GB SSD 50+ GB SSD
OS Ubuntu 20.04+ Ubuntu 22.04

Hostname Uniqueness

Make sure each node has a unique hostname.

Architecture Support

Architecture Supported
x86_64 Yes
arm64/aarch64 Confirm with Kelvin support as some pre-built Kelvin Connections are not available for the arm64

Networking & Firewall

If your cluster uses more than one node, the Main Node must have a static IP address.

Below are the firewall port requirements:

Description Port Type Port No. Comments
Server / Main Node TCP 443, 5000, 6443 Ensure stateful firewall or allow return traffic.
Worker Nodes TCP 443, 5000 Not required for single-node Docker setup.
UDP 8472 Optional, used for multi-node setups.
Kelvin SmartApp™ Services TCP/UDP 30000 - 32767 Required if deploying SmartApps needing local access.
Asset Protocols TCP/UDP Vendor-specific Refer to asset documentation.

Cluster Firewall Ports

Info

Place allow rules above any general deny rules in the firewall.

Provisioning the Cluster Using Kelvin UI

  1. Log into the Kelvin UI.

  2. Navigate to Clusters.

  3. Click Register Cluster.

  4. Select the K3S option.

    Step 1 - Register K3s

  5. In the next step, enter a Display Name.

    The Name ID will auto-fill but you can change it if required.

    Field Description
    Display Name Any readable name (e.g. "Factory Node A")
    Name ID Auto-generated lowercase ID (e.g. factory-node-a)

    Step 2 - Name the Cluster

  6. Click Register.

Install the Cluster on the Edge System

After registering, a script will be shown. Run this script on the edge machine:

bash <(curl -sfS https://<your-kelvin-url>/provision) --service-account <token>

Step 3 - Copy Script

Now we go to your edge device and login to the operating system terminal.

Paste the script above into the terminal of your edge device and enter the sudo password when asked.

Note

During the setup you will need internet access for your edge device.

Provision Running

Everything is now automatic and the full script will be downloaded from the Kelvin Platform. You only need to wait for the script to finish.

Provision Finished

When it is finished, return to the Clusters page on the Kelvin UI.

Your cluster will start with a status of Pending and finally turn to Running when completed.

Warning

In the next two screenshots, these show you how the Cluster information will look like in the UI, though the names are not related to the Cluster we have created in this Quick Start guide.

Cluster Running

You can inspect the actual nodes of the Cluster by clicking on the Cluster name then click on the Nodes tab:

Node

From this page you can also add additional nodes to your cluster.

The process is the same where you setup your computer or virtual machine and run a command in your terminal.

Nodes Tab

Done

You have successfully provisioned a Kelvin K3s Cluster.

Next Steps

Now that your cluster is ready, you can:

  • Deploy Kelvin SmartApps
  • Deploy Docker Apps
  • Connect to data sources

② Connect to your Data →