Container Platforms Administration with Docker, Kubernetes and OpenShift Training Course

Day 1 – Containerization and Image Administration

Overview of Container Technologies

• Contrast between legacy application deployment methods and container-native strategies
• Differentiating container technology from traditional virtualization
• Roles of container runtimes and engine components
• Functions of Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift within the ecosystem
• Standard architectural patterns for container platforms
• Workflow integration for development, testing, and production phases

Container Operations

• Execution and administrative control of container instances
• Management of the container lifecycle stages
• Procedures for starting, halting, and deleting containers
• Executing internal commands within running containers
• Management of environment variable configurations
• Configuration of port mappings
• Review of container log outputs
• Analysis of resource consumption and process status

Container Image Creation

• Analysis of image composition and layering structures
• Authoring Dockerfiles and Containerfiles
• Selection of appropriate base images
• Incorporation of application dependencies
• Definition of entry points and execution commands
• Optimization of image build caching
• Techniques for minimizing image footprint
• Establishment of reproducible image builds

Image Registry Administration

• Distinction between public and private registry services
• Implementation of tagging and versioning protocols
• Procedures for pushing and retrieving images
• Configuration of image authentication mechanisms
• Policies for image retention and cleanup
• Foundational security considerations for stored images

Container Connectivity and Data Storage

• Core concepts of container networking
• Implementation of bridge networking modes
• Management of exposed ports
• Facilitating communication between container instances
• Utilization of bind mounts and volume definitions
• Persistence of container data
• Strategies for backup and data recovery

Practical Exercises

• Execute and audit container instances
• Construct an application container image
• Define port mappings and environmental parameters
• Distribute an image to a repository
• Persist data externally to the container lifecycle

Day 2 – Kubernetes Architecture and Workload Administration

Core Kubernetes Concepts

• Objectives of container orchestration for government infrastructure
• Structural overview of Kubernetes architecture
• Components constituting the control plane
• Functions of worker nodes within the cluster
• Role of the API server
• Operational duties of the scheduler
• Functions of various controller types
• Alignment of cluster state with desired state
• Cluster interaction via the kubectl interface

Kubernetes Resource Management

• Definition and usage of Pods
• Management of ReplicaSets
• Administration of Deployments
• Organization via Namespaces
• Utilization of Labels and Annotations
• Application of Selectors
• Authoring declarative resource specifications
• Construction of YAML manifest files

Application Deployment Strategies

• Creation and oversight of Deployment objects
• Scaling of workload instances
• Updating container image references
• Implementation of rolling update mechanisms
• Execution of rollback procedures
• Maintenance of deployment history records
• Restarting workload components
• Adjusting application replica counts

Application Configuration Management

• Utilization of ConfigMaps
• Management of Secrets
• Configuration of environment variables
• Handling of configuration files
• Separation of application code from configuration data
• Management of environment-specific parameters

Resource Allocation and Control

• Definition of CPU and memory requests
• Establishment of CPU and memory limits
• Implementation of resource quotas
• Configuration of limit ranges
• Impact on scheduling decisions
• Diagnosis of resource-related operational failures

Practical Exercises

• Deploy a containerized application
• Author and modify Kubernetes manifests
• Scale application instances
• Execute rolling updates and rollbacks
• Configure application parameters using ConfigMaps and Secrets
• Apply resource request and limit definitions

Day 3 – Kubernetes Networking, Storage, and Security

Kubernetes Network Architecture

• Overview of the cluster networking model
• Communication pathways between Pods
• Implementation of service discovery mechanisms
• Internal DNS resolution within the cluster
• Configuration of ClusterIP services
• Setup of NodePort services
• Deployment of LoadBalancer services
• Concepts underlying Ingress resources
• Patterns for exposing applications

Network Traffic Control

• Regulation of traffic between workloads
• Definition of Ingress and Egress rules
• Implementation of namespace-based traffic restrictions
• Verification of network connectivity
• Troubleshooting service communication issues

Persistent Data Management

• Differentiation between ephemeral and persistent storage
• Definition and usage of Volumes
• Administration of PersistentVolumes
• Configuration of PersistentVolumeClaims
• Definition of StorageClasses
• Implementation of dynamic provisioning
• Configuration of access modes
• Establishment of reclaim policies
• Storage requirements for stateful applications

Kubernetes Access Governance

• Principles of authentication and authorization
• Implementation of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Definition of Roles and ClusterRoles
• Binding via RoleBindings and ClusterRoleBindings
• Management of service accounts
• Enforcement of least-privilege access for government compliance
• Audit of effective permission assignments

Workload Security Posture

• Configuration of Security Contexts
• Execution of containers with non-root privileges
• Management of Linux capabilities
• Enforcement of read-only filesystems
• Secure handling of Secrets
• Verification of image provenance
• Mitigation of common configuration risks

Practical Exercises

• Expose an application via Kubernetes services
• Configure Ingress rules
• Apply network policies to restrict traffic
• Provision persistent storage resources
• Define RBAC permissions
• Execute a workload with a hardened security context

Day 4 – OpenShift Environment Administration

Introduction to OpenShift

• OpenShift as a Kubernetes-based application platform
• Integration of Kubernetes resources in OpenShift
• Architectural overview of OpenShift clusters
• Management of Projects and namespaces
• Administration of platform users and service accounts
• Utilization of the web console interface
• Operation via the OpenShift CLI

Project and Access Administration

• Creation and oversight of Projects
• Assignment of user permissions
• Definition of project-level roles
• Management of administrative access
• Configuration of resource quotas
• Establishment of limit ranges
• Management of service accounts
• Audit of project resources

Application Deployment in OpenShift

• Deployment of container images
• Creation of application workloads
• Administration of deployments
• Scaling of application instances
• Updating application versions
• Execution of rollbacks
• Management of application configuration
• Handling of secrets

Application Exposure and Routing

• Configuration of Services in OpenShift
• Management of Routes
• Implementation of TLS concepts
• Management of internal and external access
• Configuration of hostnames and certificates
• Diagnosis of route and service anomalies

Storage Administration in OpenShift

• Management of Persistent Volume Claims
• Definition of StorageClasses
• Attachment of storage to workloads
• Support for stateful workloads
• Configuration of storage access permissions
• Troubleshooting volume mount issues

Scheduling and Node Administration

• Utilization of Labels and Selectors
• Configuration of Node Selectors
• Implementation of Taints and Tolerations
• Application of Affinity and Anti-Affinity rules
• Strategies for workload placement
• Execution of node cording and draining
• Considerations for node maintenance

Practical Exercises

• Access an OpenShift environment
• Create and configure a Project
• Deploy and expose an application
• Define user and service-account access
• Attach persistent storage
• Scale and update a running workload

Day 5 – Operations, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting

Platform Health Monitoring

• Surveillance of cluster and application health
• Analysis of resource metrics
• Assessment of node health status
• Tracking of workload status
• Evaluation of capacity and resource utilization
• Identification of performance bottlenecks

Log Management and Event Tracking

• Review of container logs
• Analysis of Pod logs
• Retrieval of previous container logs
• Interpretation of Kubernetes events
• Correlation of application and platform messages
• Filtering and analysis of operational data

Health Check Mechanisms

• Configuration of Startup probes
• Implementation of Readiness probes
• Definition of Liveness probes
• Design of effective health endpoints
• Diagnosis of probe failures
• Prevention of unnecessary application restarts

Workload Troubleshooting Procedures

• Investigation of Pending Pods
• Resolution of image pull failures
• Diagnosis of Crash loops
• Correction of misconfigured environment variables
• Resolution of failed mounts
• Remediation of insufficient resources
• Correction of permission errors
• Resolution of service and route connectivity issues
• Troubleshooting DNS issues
• Diagnosis of application startup failures

Operational Security Governance

• Audit of permissions
• Review of service account usage
• Secure management of credentials
• Implementation of image security practices
• Enforcement of network isolation
• Conduct of platform access audits
• Application of least-privilege principles for government compliance

Maintenance and Lifecycle Administration

• Execution of routine platform checks
• Performance of node maintenance
• Consideration of application backup strategies
• Backup of configuration data
• Planning of updates
• Implementation of change management protocols
• Testing of updates
• Planning of rollback procedures
• Adoption of disaster recovery concepts

Final Practical Workshop

Participants will complete an end-to-end operational scenario:

• Build and tag a container image.
• Distribute the image to a registry.
• Deploy the application to Kubernetes or OpenShift.
• Configure application settings and credentials.
• Expose the application.
• Attach persistent storage.
• Define access permissions.
• Implement health checks.
• Scale and update the application.
• Diagnose and resolve a simulated failure.

Course Delivery Format

• Interactive lectures and technical discussions.
• Instructor-led demonstrations.
• Extensive hands-on exercises.
• Scenario-based administration and troubleshooting workshops.
• Practical work in container, Kubernetes, and OpenShift environments.

Course Customization Options

• The course can be adapted to the participant's existing infrastructure, cloud provider, and container tooling.
• The balance between Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift topics can be adjusted according to the team's experience.
• Practical exercises can be tailored to the organization's applications, deployment processes, and operational requirements for government environments.

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.