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Version: 3.2

Prerequisites for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Environment Prerequisites​

For a Portworx cluster on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), each node must meet the following hardware, software, and network requirements:

Hardware
CPU4 cores minimum, 8 cores recommended
RAM4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
Disk
  • /var
  • /opt
  • 20GB free
  • 3GB free
Backing drive8GB (minimum required)
128 GB (minimum recommended)
Operating system root partitionIf /opt and /var are created as separate disks then 64 GB is sufficient for root partition.
Otherwise a min of 128 GB is required
Storage drivesAzure Managed Disks or Azure Blob Storage.
Network connectivityBandwidth:
  • 10 Gbps recommended
  • 1 Gbps minimum

Latency requirements for synchronous replication: less than 10ms between nodes in the cluster
Node typeAzure Virtual Machines (VMs)
Software
Linux kernel and distroKernel version 4.18 or greater.
To check if your Linux distro and kernel are supported, see Supported Kernels.
Key-value storePortworx needs a key-value store to perform its operations. As such, install a clustered key-value database (kvdb) with a three node cluster.

You can also use Internal KVDB during installation. In this mode, Portworx will create and manage an internal key-value store (KVDB) cluster.

If you plan of using your own KVDB, refer to KVDB for Portworx for details on recommendations for installing and configuring a KVDB cluster.
Disable swapDisable swap on all nodes that will run the Portworx software. Ensure that the swap device is not automatically mounted on server reboot.
Network Time Protocol (NTP)All nodes in the cluster should be in sync with NTP time. Any time drift between nodes can cause unexpected behaviour, impacting services.

Portworx network requirements​

Portworx runs as a pod in a Kubernetes cluster and uses specific ports for communication, data transfer, and telemetry.

note
  • Portworx also requires the following ports:
    • An open KVDB port. For example, if you're using etcd externally, open port 2379.
    • An open UDP port at 9002.
  • For telemetry, open ports 9024, 12001, and 12002. Ensure you are running Portworx Operator version 23.7.0 or higher to configure the telemetry port:
    • Portworx Versions 2.13.7 and Older: Open port 9024 specifically for telemetry.
    • Portworx Versions 2.13.8 and Newer: Use port 9029 for telemetry.
KubernetesDescription
9001Portworx management port [REST]
9002Portworx node-to-node port [gossip]/UDP
9003Portworx storage data port
9004Portworx namespace [RPC]
9012Portworx node-to-node communication port [gRPC]
9013Portworx namespace driver [gRPC]
9014Portworx diags server port [gRPC]
9018Portworx kvdb peer-to-peer port [gRPC]
9019Portworx kvdb client service [gRPC]
9021Portworx gRPC SDK gateway [REST]
9022Portworx health monitor [REST]
9029Telemetry log uploader
12002Telemetry phone home

Supported disk types​

Cloud ProviderDisk Types
Azure
  • Standard_LRS
  • StandardSSD_LRS
  • Premium_LRS
  • PremiumV2_LRS
  • UltraSSD_LRS
caution

Important notes for the PremiumV2_LRS and UltraSSD_LRS Disk Types:

  • For a comprehensive overview of their limitations, refer to the Azure documentation pages for PremiumV2_LRS and UltraSSD_LRS.
  • To enable expansion of PremiumV2_LRS and UltraSSD_LRS disk types requires a dedicated storage pool for the metadata partition. This is crucial to avoid losing metadata during the disk expansion process.
  • When configuring the UltraSSD_LRS disk type, Portworx uses the median limit for IOPs. To adjust the performance settings of the UltraSSD_LRS disk type according to your needs, see the Adjust the Performance of an Ultra Disk page in the Azure documentation.

Supported Kubernetes versions​

Before installing Portworx on AKS, ensure you are using a supported Kubernetes version:

Portworx Enterprise supported Kubernetes versions​

TypeSupported Versions
AKS
  • 1.28.14
  • 1.29.10
  • 1.30.6

Best practices​

Prevent Accidental Deletion: If your virtualization software has a feature to prevent accidental deletion, you should enable it for the VMs hosting PX nodes. While PX is designed to handle the loss of some nodes without issue, losing a significant number of storage nodes due to VM deletion can result in a loss of quorum and an outage. For more information on how to prevent accidental deletion of VM, refer to Lock your resources to protect your infrastructure on Azure.

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