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Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

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11–20 of 126 posts

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#11

I wonder what it would take to do something like this with kind[0] so you can have something resembling an actual multi-node cluster, if it's even possible. I've used kind successfully on WSL for experimenting locally, and even found a script to open up ports on the firewall and set up a port "forwarding" of sorts using the netsh utility, which let me access a program bound to a port within WSL. Though I suspect addi…

Why run windows at all?

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#12
post #5
post #2

Initially, I tried doing this with a 2010 Mac Mini (which claims to support VMX), but couldn't get Minikube running on it... For the past two weeks though, I haven't had any issues with this setup on the Macbook Air!

> which claims to support VMX I though Kubernetes was all about containers, not VMs? Why not just boot proper Linux on that thing?

I run Linux (latest Kali Linux) on a similar MacBook Air and it work great for any of the light container tasks I've thrown at it (Docker, firecracker-vm, etc)

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#13
post #5
post #2

Initially, I tried doing this with a 2010 Mac Mini (which claims to support VMX), but couldn't get Minikube running on it... For the past two weeks though, I haven't had any issues with this setup on the Macbook Air!

> which claims to support VMX I though Kubernetes was all about containers, not VMs? Why not just boot proper Linux on that thing?

Your Kubernetes node itself is Linux, so requires virtualization if your host machine is not Linux. Docker for Mac also works this way; when you run a container, it's running on a Linux VM that Docker sets up, not on your Mac directly.

Even on Linux, minikube uses a separate VM. It's just cleaner than having the kubelet running on your workstation directly. (microk8s takes a different approach and runs on your machine directly. The last time I interacted with it, it destroyed my coworker's workstation and we had to reinstall the machine completely. k8s is pretty invasive and really wants an entire machine at its disposal. VMs are just perfect for that.)

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#14
post #8

What sort of fun projects/experiments do people do with a super low powered k8s cluster locally? I'm kind of in this weird position where I understand the benefits and use of k8s, but I: a) Can't think of any cutesy distributed systems/microservices type thing that I could or would want to run on a low power machine locally (lack of processing power or ISP getting pissed off @ massive amount of traffic if you're e.g.…

a) I'd advice to start with something fun. Many people do a usenet/torrent stack (jellyfin/plex, radarr, sonarr, jackett, transmission, ombi, NZB*, etc). And honestly most things you'd want to self-host are reasonable to run in containers. E-mail. Huginn. Cryptocurrency node. CalDAV, file hosting (Nextcloud?). Personal web site and whatever side-projects you have. GitLab. Docker image repository.

b) IMO, self-hosting and less centralization of the digital services we rely on is highly desirable for society. (If k8s is the right solution for any particular individual to orchestrate their stuff is a different story). I think for most people who do this, it's a hobby and something they enjoy. Why would you have a vegetable patch when there's food in the store and your employer has a complementary lunch cafeteria?

Hackers gonna hack, you know.

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#16
post #15
post #9

Anyone have a theory why they're running OS X on it?

Probably for convenience and stability. Linux on the desktop (or on a laptop) has its share of bugs and odd behavior still in 2020.

Definitely no more bugs than its contemporaries.

But MacOS does handle low memory conditions much better than Windows does.

MacOS (on apple hardware) does have the benefit of optimised fan curves and undervolted CPU profiles which would be hard to replicate in Linux though.

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#17
post #9

Anyone have a theory why they're running OS X on it?

> I happen to have a 2012 MacBook Air sitting around unused now that it is no longer my daily driver.

It already had MacOS installed and there was no strong reason not to use it.

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#18

I wonder what it would take to do something like this with kind[0] so you can have something resembling an actual multi-node cluster, if it's even possible. I've used kind successfully on WSL for experimenting locally, and even found a script to open up ports on the firewall and set up a port "forwarding" of sorts using the netsh utility, which let me access a program bound to a port within WSL. Though I suspect addi…

Why run windows at all?

Dual booting/VMs might not be practical or worth the effort if you're a gamer or work in one of these fields: mechanical/electrical engineering, firmware, lab or factory automation, architecture, etc.

Re: Converting an old MacBook into an always-on personal Kubernetes cluster

#19
post #16
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably for convenience and stability. Linux on the desktop (or on a laptop) has its share of bugs and odd behavior still in 2020.

Definitely no more bugs than its contemporaries. But MacOS does handle low memory conditions much better than Windows does. MacOS (on apple hardware) does have the benefit of optimised fan curves and undervolted CPU profiles which would be hard to replicate in Linux though.

Well, I used the word convenience for a reason. I have a MBP running Linux as a server, and it was fiddly to set up correctly. I didn't mind too much, but on macOS you've got none of that.

Catering for edge cases like; when closing lid, it should not go to sleep, with external drive connected and mounted, it won't boot if that somehow disappears, Apple remote cannot easily be disabled (there's one used in the room, and it's picked up by the laptop constantly).

I also have occasional issues where the trackpad stops working after a period, and requires a reboot to fix. More of an X issue I believe.

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