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Managed Kubernetes Engine

This document provides an overview of the NetActuate Managed Kubernetes Engine, how clusters are created, what options are available, and how customers can access and operate their clusters once deployed.

Intro

Overview​

NetActuate Managed Kubernetes allows you to deploy production-grade Kubernetes clusters directly on NetActuate infrastructure. Clusters are deployed into the POP (location) of your choice and run on standard NetActuate virtual machines.

Key characteristics:

  • Fully managed Kubernetes control plane
  • Optional high availability (HA) control plane
  • Customer-defined worker node sizing and scaling
  • Native integration with NetActuate networking and monitoring
  • You are billed only for worker nodes, not the control plane

Creating a Kubernetes Cluster​

Navigate to:

Infrastructure → Kubernetes → Add Cluster

You will be guided through a multi-step cluster creation workflow.

Create Cluster

Step 1: Cluster Configuration​

CPU Type​

Select the CPU class for worker nodes (for example, General Compute).

Server Location​

Choose the geographic region and specific POP where the cluster will be deployed (for example, ATL – Atlanta, GA).

Cluster Name​

Provide a friendly name for your cluster. This name will be used throughout the UI and in your kubeconfig.

Kubernetes Version​

Select the Kubernetes version to deploy. The latest stable version is selected by default.

Optional Features​

  • Install Kubernetes Dashboard Deploys the official Kubernetes Dashboard into the cluster for UI-based cluster inspection.

  • Enable High Availability Enables a highly available control plane by running multiple control plane pods across the platform. This improves resilience and availability of the Kubernetes API.

Control Plane Replicas (HA only)​

When High Availability is enabled, you may select the number of control plane replicas (typically 3).

Worker Nodes

Step 2: Initial Worker Node Pool​

Worker Node Count​

  • Minimum # of Worker Nodes – Required
  • Maximum # of Worker Nodes – Optional (used for future autoscaling)

Billing Cycle​

Choose usage-based (hourly) billing.

Node Sizing (Per Node)​

Configure the resources for each worker node:

  • RAM (GB)
  • CPU (vCPU)
  • Disk (GB)

The estimated monthly price is calculated automatically based on your selections.

⚠️ Only worker nodes are billed. Control plane resources are included.

Tagging

Step 3: Tagging (Optional)​

Assign an existing tag or create a new one. Tags can be used to organize and manage infrastructure resources across your account.

Deploying

Step 4: Deploy Cluster​

Click Deploy to begin cluster provisioning.

During deployment, you will see live build output, including:

  • Control plane provisioning
  • Network allocation (service and pod CIDRs)
  • Control plane port assignment

Cluster creation typically completes within 5–10 minutes.

Cluster Overview

Cluster Overview​

Once deployed, selecting your cluster displays the Overview page.

Available information includes:

  • Cluster health status
  • Kubernetes version
  • Location (POP)
  • Control Plane High Availability status
  • Pod CIDR and Service CIDR ranges
  • Creation timestamp and cluster ID

Resource usage (CPU, RAM, Disk) will populate as workloads are deployed.

Nodes

Nodes​

The Nodes tab shows all worker nodes in the cluster.

For each node you can view:

  • Node name
  • Hardware plan
  • Location
  • Disk, CPU, and RAM utilization

Nodes are standard NetActuate VMs managed automatically by the Kubernetes engine.

Resources

Resources​

The Resources section provides Kubernetes-native visibility into:

  • Nodes
  • Namespaces
  • Events
  • Workloads
  • Networking objects

This view mirrors common Kubernetes concepts and is intended for operational insight rather than configuration.

Access

Accessing Your Cluster​

Navigate to the Access tab to connect to your cluster.

Download kubeconfig​

Click Get Kubernetes Config to download your kubeconfig file.

Local Setup​

  1. Install kubectl

  2. Place the kubeconfig file in:

    ~/.kube/<cluster-name>

  3. Set the environment variable:

    export KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/<cluster-name>

Verify Connectivity​

Run the following commands:

  • kubectl config get-contexts
  • kubectl cluster-info
  • kubectl get nodes

API, Dashboard, and Metrics​

The Access page also provides direct URLs for:

  • Kubernetes API endpoint
  • Prometheus metrics endpoint
  • Kubernetes Dashboard

These endpoints are secured and scoped to your cluster.

High Availability Explained​

When High Availability is enabled:

  • The Kubernetes control plane runs as multiple replicated control plane pods
  • API availability is maintained during individual control plane failures
  • No customer action is required to manage or maintain HA

Worker nodes remain fully customer-configurable regardless of HA settings.

Summary​

NetActuate Managed Kubernetes provides:

  • Fast, simple Kubernetes deployment
  • Optional HA control planes using replicated control plane pods
  • Flexible worker node sizing
  • Transparent pricing focused on compute usage
  • Integrated access, monitoring, and dashboarding

For advanced Kubernetes operations, customers retain full kubectl access and control over workloads running inside the cluster.