Use Rancher to create a Kubernetes cluster in Azure.

  1. From the Clusters page, click Add Cluster.

  2. Choose Azure.

  3. Enter a Cluster Name.

  4. Use Member Roles to configure user authorization for the cluster.

    • Click Add Member to add users that can access the cluster.
    • Use the Role drop-down to set permissions for each user.

  5. Use Cluster Options to choose the version of Kubernetes, what network provider will be used, if you want to enable Pod Security Policies and whether the nodes added to this cluster need to have a supported Docker version installed.

  6. Add one or more node pools to your cluster.

    A node pool is a collection of nodes based on a node template. A node Template defines the configuration of a node, like what Operating System to use, number of CPUs and amount of memory. Each node pool must have one or more nodes roles assigned.

    Notes:

    • Each node role (i.e. etcd, Control Plane, and Worker) should be assigned to a distinct node pool. Although it is possible to assign multiple node roles to a node pool, this should not be done for production clusters.
    • The recommended setup is to have a node pool with the etcd node role and a count of three, a node pool with the Control Plane node role and a count of at least two, and a node pool with the Worker node role and a count of at least two. Regarding the etcd node role, refer to the etcd Admin Guide.

    1. Click Add Node Template.

    2. Complete the Azure Options form.

      • Placement sets the geographical region where where your cluster is hosted and other location metadata.

      • Account Access stores your account information for authenticating with Azure.

      • Network configures the networking used in your cluster.

      • Instance customizes your VM configuration.

    3. Complete the Rancher Template form to configure the Docker daemon on the instances that will be created.

      • Labels can be configured on the Docker daemon.

        Docker object label documentation

      • Engine Options customize the configuration of the Docker daemon. Important configuration options might include:

        • Docker Engine Install URL: Determines what Docker version will be installed on the instance.
        • Registry mirrors: Docker Registry mirror to be used by the Docker daemon

        daemon option reference

    4. Click Create.

    5. Optional: Add additional node pools.

  7. Review your options to confirm they’re correct. Then click Create.

Result:

  • Your cluster is created and assigned a state of Provisioning. Rancher is standing up your cluster.
  • You can access your cluster after its state is updated to Active.
  • Active clusters are assigned a Project and Namespace, both of which are named Default.