Container Platforms Administration with Docker, Kubernetes and OpenShift Training Course

Day 1 – Containers and Image Management

Introduction to Container Platforms

• Comparison of traditional application deployment methodologies versus containerized approaches
• Differentiation between containers and virtual machines
• Overview of container runtimes and engine architectures
• Strategic roles for Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift in federal IT environments
• Standard architectures for container platforms used by government agencies
• Integration of development, testing, and production workflows for government software delivery

Managing Container Operations

• Initiation and management of container instances
• Understanding the container lifecycle management process
• Procedures for starting, stopping, and removing containers
• Execution of administrative commands within container environments
• Configuration and management of environment variables
• Implementation of port mapping protocols
• Accessing and analyzing container log outputs
• M monitoring of resource consumption and process inspection

Constructing Container Images

• Analysis of image structure and layer composition
• Authoring Dockerfiles and Containerfiles for compliance
• Selection of approved base images for government workloads
• Incorporation of application dependencies
• Configuration of entry points and executable commands
• Leveraging image caching mechanisms for efficiency
• Strategies for minimizing container image footprint
• Establishing reproducible build processes for auditability

Container Registries

• Differences between public and private registry infrastructures
• Implementation of tagging and version control standards
• Procedures for pushing and pulling container artifacts
• Authentication protocols for image repository access
• Policies for image retention lifecycle and cleanup
• Essential security considerations for container artifact integrity

Container Networking and Storage

• Fundamental concepts of container network architecture
• Implementation of bridge networking models
• Configuration of external port exposure
• Protocols for inter-container communication
• Utilization of bind mounts and volume configurations
• Management of persistent data requirements within containers
• Data backup and recovery considerations for stateful applications

Practical Application Exercises

• Execution and inspection of container instances
• Construction of application-specific container images
• Configuration of network ports and environment variables
• Publication of images to designated registry repositories
• Mechanisms for storing persistent data external to the container boundary

Day 2 – Kubernetes Architecture and Workloads

Kubernetes Fundamentals

• Objectives and benefits of container orchestration in federal systems
• Structural overview of Kubernetes architecture
• Components comprising the control plane
• Function and role of worker nodes
• Operations and responsibilities of the API server
• Functionality of the scheduler component
• Role of controllers in cluster management
• Management of cluster state versus desired state configurations
• Utilization of kubectl for secure cluster interaction

Kubernetes Resource Definitions

• Definition and usage of Pods
• Management of ReplicaSets
• Administration of Deployments
• Implementation of Namespaces for resource isolation
• Application of labels and annotations for metadata
• Utilization of selectors for object targeting
• Adoption of declarative resource definition practices
• Construction and management of YAML manifests

Application Deployment Strategies

• Creation and administration of Deployment objects
• Workload scaling methodologies
• Updates to container image references
• Execution of rolling update procedures
• Implementation of rollback mechanisms
• Audit and review of deployment history
• Workload restart protocols
• Management of application replica counts

Application Configuration Management

• Utilization of ConfigMaps for configuration data
• Secure management of Secrets
• Injection of environment variables
• Mounting of external configuration files
• Decoupling application code from configuration settings
• Management of environment-specific parameters

Resource Management and Quotas

• Definition of CPU and memory requests
• Establishment of CPU and memory limits
• Implementation of resource quotas
• Configuration of limit ranges
• Analysis of scheduling implications for resource constraints
• Troubleshooting of resource-related service failures

Practical Application Exercises

• Deployment of containerized applications into the cluster
• Creation and modification of Kubernetes manifests
• Scaling of application workloads
• Execution of rolling updates and subsequent rollbacks
• Configuration of applications via ConfigMaps and Secrets
• Application of resource requests and limits to workloads

Day 3 – Kubernetes Networking, Storage and Security

Kubernetes Networking Models

• Overview of the cluster networking model
• Mechanisms for pod-to-pod communication
• Service discovery protocols within the cluster
• DNS resolution services inside the cluster
• Configuration and use of ClusterIP services
• Implementation of NodePort services
• Utilization of LoadBalancer services for external access
• Fundamentals of Ingress controllers
• Patterns for exposing applications to external networks

Network Policy Implementation

• Control mechanisms for traffic flow between workloads
• Configuration of ingress and egress rules
• Implementation of namespace-based traffic controls
• Validation techniques for network connectivity
• Troubleshooting protocols for service communication issues

Persistent Storage Solutions

• Differentiation between ephemeral and persistent storage types
• Configuration of generic volumes
• Management of PersistentVolumes
• Submission of PersistentVolumeClaims
• Definition and usage of StorageClasses
• Implementation of dynamic provisioning mechanisms
• Understanding of access mode configurations
• Policies for data reclaim upon resource deletion
• Storage requirements for stateful applications

Kubernetes Access Control Frameworks

• Fundamentals of authentication and authorization mechanisms
• Implementation of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Definition of Roles and ClusterRoles
• Configuration of RoleBindings and ClusterRoleBindings
• Management of Service Accounts for workload identity
• Adherence to least-privilege access principles
• Audit procedures for effective permissions assessment

Workload Security Hardening

• Definition and application of security contexts
• Protocols for running containers as non-root users
• Management of Linux capabilities
• Implementation of read-only filesystem constraints
• Secure handling and distribution of secrets
• Verification of image provenance and integrity
• Mitigation of common configuration vulnerabilities

Practical Application Exercises

• Exposure of applications via Kubernetes services
• Configuration of ingress controllers for external access
• Implementation of network policies to restrict traffic flows
• Provisioning of persistent storage resources
• Configuration of RBAC permissions for users and service accounts
• Execution of workloads with appropriate security context settings

Day 4 – Working with OpenShift Environments

Introduction to OpenShift

• Overview of OpenShift as a Kubernetes-centric application platform for government use
• Mapping Kubernetes resources within the OpenShift architecture
• Structural components of an OpenShift cluster
• Differentiation between Projects and Namespaces
• Management of platform users and service accounts
• Navigating and utilizing the web console interface
• Utilization of the OpenShift Command Line Interface (CLI)

Project Management and Access Control

• Creation and administration of projects
• Assignment of user permissions and roles
• Application of project-level role definitions
• Administration of privileged access controls
• Implementation of project-specific resource quotas
• Configuration of limit ranges for resource enforcement
• Management of service accounts within projects
• Audit and review of project resources and configurations

Application Deployment in OpenShift

• Deployment strategies for container images
• Creation and management of application workloads
• Administration of deployment lifecycle events
• Scaling applications to meet demand
• Version update procedures for applications
• Execution of rollback operations
• Management of application configuration settings
• Secure handling of application secrets

Application Exposure Strategies

• Role and function of Services in OpenShift
• Configuration and management of Routes
• Fundamentals of TLS implementation for secure communications
• Management of internal versus external application access points
• Administration of hostnames and SSL/TLS certificates
• Troubleshooting procedures for route and service connectivity issues

Storage Management in OpenShift

• Utilization of Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs)
• Definition and selection of StorageClasses
• Attachment of storage resources to workloads
• Management of stateful workload requirements
• Configuration of storage access permissions
• Troubleshooting procedures for volume mounting failures

Scheduling and Node Management

• Utilization of labels and selectors for object identification
• Configuration of node selectors for workload placement
• Application of taints and tolerations rules
• Implementation of affinity and anti-affinity scheduling constraints
• Strategies for workload distribution across nodes
• Procedures for cordoning and draining nodes during maintenance
• Considerations for effective node maintenance operations

Practical Application Exercises

• Secure access to an OpenShift environment
• Creation and configuration of a dedicated project space
• Deployment and exposure of a sample application
• Configuration of access permissions for users and service accounts
• Attachment of persistent storage volumes to workloads
• Scaling and updating of running application workloads

Day 5 – Operations, Monitoring and Troubleshooting

Platform Monitoring Protocols

• Monitoring procedures for cluster and application health status
• Analysis of resource metrics and utilization data
• Assessment of node health indicators
• Tracking of workload operational status
• Evaluation of capacity planning and resource utilization trends
• Identification of performance bottlenecks and constraints

Logging and Event Management

• Access and analysis of container logs
• Retrieval of pod-level log data
• Access to logs from previous container executions
• Audit and interpretation of Kubernetes events
• Analysis of application and platform operational messages
• Filtering techniques for relevant operational data review

Health Check Implementation

• Configuration of startup probes for initialization validation
• Implementation of readiness probes for service availability
• Utilization of liveness probes for fault detection
• Design principles for effective health check endpoints
• Troubleshooting procedures for probe failure scenarios
• Strategies to prevent unnecessary application restarts

Troubleshooting Workload Failures

• Resolution of pending pod states
• Diagnostics for image pull failures
• Investigation of crash loop occurrences
• Correction of misconfigured environment variables
• Troubleshooting of failed volume mount operations
• Diagnosis of insufficient resource allocation issues
• Resolution of permission-based access errors
• Analysis of service and route connectivity disruptions
• Investigation of DNS resolution failures
• Diagnosis of application startup errors

Operational Security Practices

• Audit procedures for role permissions and access rights
• Best practices for service account usage and management
• Secure handling and rotation of credentials
• Implementation of image security scanning and validation
• Enforcement of network isolation controls
• Auditing procedures for platform access logs
• Application of the principle of least privilege across all operations

Maintenance and Lifecycle Management

• Schedule and execution of routine platform health checks
• Procedures for node-level maintenance activities
• Guidelines for application backup strategies
• Protocols for configuration data backup
• Planning and coordination of system updates
• Integration of updates with change management processes
• Validation testing procedures for pending updates
• Development of rollback plans for update failures
• Fundamental concepts of disaster recovery planning

Final Practical Workshop

Participants execute a comprehensive operational scenario encompassing the following tasks:

• Construction and tagging of a container image.
• Publishing the image to a designated registry repository.
• Deployment of the application within a Kubernetes or OpenShift environment for government use.
• Configuration of application settings and secure credential injection.
• Exposure of the application via appropriate network services.
• Attachment of persistent storage volumes to the workload.
• Implementation of access permission controls.
• Deployment of health check mechanisms.
• Scaling and updating the running application.
• Diagnosis and resolution of an intentionally introduced failure scenario.

Course Format

• Interactive lectures supplemented by technical discussions relevant to public sector operations.
• Instructor-led demonstrations of administrative procedures.
• Extensive hands-on exercises to reinforce technical skills.
• Scenario-based workshops focused on administration and troubleshooting methodologies.
• Practical application within container, Kubernetes, and OpenShift environments.

Course Customization Options

• The curriculum can be adapted to align with the participant's existing infrastructure, cloud provider capabilities, and container tooling stacks.
• The instructional balance among Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift topics can be adjusted based on the team's prior experience and operational needs.
• Practical exercises can be tailored to reflect the organization's specific applications, deployment pipelines, and operational requirements for government systems.

Trademark Notice

OpenShift is a trademark of Red Hat, Inc. This independently developed training is not affiliated with, endorsed by or authorized by Red Hat.