Building and Configuring a Kubernetes Cluster with kubeadm

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Building and Configuring a Kubernetes Cluster with kubeadm

This lab will allow you to practice the process of building a new Kubernetes cluster. You will be given a set of Linux servers, and you will have the opportunity to turn these servers into a functioning Kubernetes cluster. This will help you build the skills necessary to create your own Kubernetes clusters in the real world.

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Lab Info

Level

Intermediate

Last updated

Sep 14, 2025

Duration

30m

Challenge

Install the Container Runtime (Docker)

Log in to all three servers. Get Docker installed and running. For the purposes of this lab, you can use Docker version 19.03.12.
Challenge

Install the Kubernetes Packages (`kubeadm`, `kubelet`, and `kubectl`)

On all three nodes, install kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl. Don't forget to disable Swap, as doing so is a requirement for kubelet to work properly.
Challenge

Initialize the Cluster
Initialize the Kubernetes cluster on the control plane node. Be sure to:
- Supply the provided kubeadm configuration file located at ~/kubeadm-config.yml.
- Instruct kubeadm to ignore any preflight errors that may arise.
Challenge

Install the Calico Network Add-On

Install the Calico network add-on in your cluster.
Challenge

Join the Worker Nodes to the Cluster

Join the two worker node servers to the cluster. Use kubectl get nodes on the control plane node to verify all three nodes are successfully registered and in the Ready state.

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