Kubernetes Fundamentals

Overview

This two-day Kubernetes fundamentals training course provides a comprehensive introduction to Kubernetes, covering its architecture, core components, and practical applications. Participants will gain a deep understanding of container orchestration, including deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications using Kubernetes.

Through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, attendees will learn how to set up a Kubernetes cluster, deploy applications, manage resources, and troubleshoot common issues. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively leverage Kubernetes for containerized application deployment and management in various environments.

Prerequisites

You should posses a minimum of two years experience in either IT support functions or Software development and have a foundational knowledge of both.

Target audience

This course is designed for:

• IT professionals, system administrators, Cloud Engineers and DevOps engineers seeking to understand core Kubernetes concepts.
• Developers responsible for deploying, scaling, and managing containerised applications.
• Organisations seeking to modernise application delivery and adopt container orchestration practices for improved scalability and resilience.

Objectives

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Describe the fundamental architecture and components of Kubernetes, including nodes, pods, and clusters.
• Deploy and manage containerised applications using Kubernetes.
• Configure networking, storage, and security within a Kubernetes environment.
• Use kubectl commands to monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain clusters effectively.
• Prepare for further learning or certification paths, including Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA).

Outline

Module 0: Introduction

Module 0.5: Containers

• Build a simple containerised app

Module 1: Kubernetes Essentials

• kubectl
• Pods
• ReplicaSets
• Deployments
• Services
• Labs
• Pods, RS, Dep, Expose

Module 2: Kubernetes Basics

• Architecture
• [Managed service architecture – GKE, AKS, EKS]
• Labels
• Namespaces
• Operators
• Labs
• Working with labels
• “Quarantine” a pod
• Updating Deployments
• Updates, rollbacks, etc.
• Working with Namespaces
• Create dev/prod namespaces

Module 3: Volumes and data

• Volume types
• Mounting volumes
• ConfigMaps
• Secrets
• Labs
• Volume mounts
• ConfigMaps (namespaces)
• Secrets

Module 4: Kubernetes Networking

• Services redux
• Ingress
• Day 2
• Module 5: Other workload types
• DaemonSets
• Jobs / CronJobs
• Labs
• DS
• Jobs

Module 6: K8s Design Patterns

• Microservices
• Multi-container Pods
• Labs
• MCP – add functionality by adding a container, not by altering the application code
• MCP with configmaps / secrets

Module 7: Security

• RBAC
• NetPol
• SecPol
• Labs

Module 8: Logging and troubleshooting

• Metrics server
• Logs
• Log aggregation
• Troubleshooting process
• Labs
• HPA
• fluentD?
• Appendices
• Mesh
• StatefulSets
• Networking Fundies (cidr, RFC1918)
• Scheduler