Changes/VersionedKubernetesPackages

Multiple Versioned Kubernetes Packages

This is a proposed Change for Fedora Linux.
This document represents a proposed Change. As part of the Changes process, proposals are publicly announced in order to receive community feedback. This proposal will only be implemented if approved by the Fedora Engineering Steering Committee.

Summary

Provide all maintained Kubernetes releases in Fedora as multiple, versioned packages. Current practice is a separate release of Kubernetes for each Fedora release.

This proposal is independent from https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/RestructureKubernetesPackages.

Owner

• Name: Brad Smith
• Email: bradley.g.smith@gmail.com

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora Linux 40
• Last updated: 2023-09-22
• [<will be assigned by the Wrangler> devel thread]
• FESCo issue: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Tracker bug: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>
• Release notes tracker: <will be assigned by the Wrangler>

Detailed Description

The Kubernetes project maintains 3 concurrent versions. Each version has a defined life-cycle of approximately 1 year (https://https://kubernetes.io/releases/ for details and current versions). In this proposal a release is a major:minor version combination such as 1.28 or 1.27 and ignores any patch updates (e.g. 1.28.1 or 1.28.2 - this all are part of the same 1.28 release).

We currently match one release of Kubernetes with each Fedora release. See https://src.fedoraproject.org/rpms/kubernetes for the list of Kubernetes releases by Fedora release. Due to the differing release cadences between Fedora and Kubernetes this means that a new release of Fedora may not have the most current release of Kubernetes. And, given that the Kubernetes cluster upgrade process does not permit skipping major:minor releases, not providing a Kubernetes release in Fedora so that the most current Kubernetes release is available when a Fedora release goes into production becomes a barrier to using Fedora as a host OS for Kubernetes.

We propose to create packages for all current Kubernetes releases for each Fedora release starting with Fedora 40. The package name would follow the Fedora standard of kubernetes[major].[minor] naming convention. Using the kubernetes-node rpm as an example, instead of kubernetes-node-1.28.2-1.fc40 Fedora would offer kubernetes1.28-node-1.28.2-1.fc40, kubernetes1.27-node-1.27.5-1.fc40, and kubernetes1.26-node-1.26.8-1.fc40. The exact list of Kubernetes versions available will depend on what is supported upstream.

The Kubernetes release is built with a specific version of the Go language. The version of Go in a specific Fedora release will potentially be a constraint on which releases of Kubernetes can be provided for an older Fedora release.

We will also maintain a Kubernetes page on Fedora Quick Docs with information about the change and how to install Kubernetes using Fedora provided packages.

Feedback

To be provided.

Benefit to Fedora

Fedora becomes a first class platform for Kubernetes using packages from Fedora repositories. That is, all current, maintained releases of Kubernetes are available in the main Fedora repositories. This allows Fedora as a host OS for a Kubernetes cluster to be maintained and upgraded independently of the Kubernetes release used by the cluster. This also allows the cluster to be upgraded independently of the Fedora release using Fedora provided packages.

This also means that a Kubernetes cluster administrator using Fedora as their workstation can install and use or retain the appropriate Kubernetes command line client that matches the release of the cluster. Updating to a new Fedora release will not inadvertently install a command line client that is not compatible with the release version of the cluster(s) managed by the user.

Scope

• Proposal owners:

With each new release of Kubernetes, package owners would request a new repository on src.fedoraproject.org from engineering similar to what the nodejs team now does for the parallel-installable versions of nodejs. Documentation would be refreshed to inform users of the new version and what specific Fedora releases the new version of Kubernetes would be available on.

• Other developers:

Cri-o releases are version matched with Kubernetes release at the major:minor level. Cri-o currently uses modularity to provide multiple versions and would likely need to adapt.

• Release engineering: #Releng issue number

Release engineering would need to create the new dist-git repository for each new Kubernetes release.

• Policies and guidelines: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

• Alignment with Community Initiatives:

Contingency Plan

• Contingency mechanism: (What to do? Who will do it?) N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Contingency deadline: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
• Blocks release? N/A (not a System Wide Change), Yes/No

Documentation

N/A (not a System Wide Change)