Design Principles¶

Overview¶

The RH OVE solution is built on fundamental design principles that ensure scalability, security, and operational efficiency for hybrid container and VM workloads.

Core Principles¶

1. Application Namespace-Based Topology¶

Based on the analysis from our research, using an application namespace-based topology is considered a best practice for RH OVE clusters.

graph TB
    subgraph "Cluster Level"
        A[RH OVE Cluster]
    end

    subgraph "Application Namespaces"
        B[app-web]
        C[app-database]
        D[app-analytics]
        E[app-monitoring]
    end

    subgraph "Resources per Namespace"
        B --> F[VMs + Containers + Storage + Network]
        C --> G[VMs + Containers + Storage + Network]
        D --> H[VMs + Containers + Storage + Network]
        E --> I[VMs + Containers + Storage + Network]
    end

Benefits: - Isolation and Security: Strong RBAC and network policy enforcement - Operational Efficiency: Simplified management and troubleshooting - Network Segregation: Namespace-scoped NetworkAttachmentDefinitions - Scalability: Prevents resource clutter and performance bottlenecks - Policy Management: Granular security policies and quotas

Implementation: - Group related VMs and Kubernetes resources by application or business domain - Apply consistent labeling for automation and cost management - Combine with network policies and RBAC rules - Designate separate namespaces for dev, test, and prod environments

2. Mixed Workload Strategy¶

Multiplexing Kubernetes container workloads and VM workloads on the same RH OVE cluster is highly advantageous:

graph LR
    subgraph "RH OVE Cluster"
        A[Unified Management Platform]

        subgraph "Container Workloads"
            B[Microservices]
            C[Cloud-Native Apps]
            D[API Gateways]
        end

        subgraph "VM Workloads"
            E[Legacy Applications]
            F[Windows Workloads]
            G[Databases]
            H[Monolithic Applications]
        end
    end

    A --> B
    A --> C
    A --> D
    A --> E
    A --> F
    A --> G
    A --> H

Advantages: - Unified Management: Same Kubernetes-native interface for all workloads - Resource Optimization: Better hardware consolidation - Flexibility: Gradual modernization path for legacy applications - Streamlined DevOps: Integrated CI/CD pipelines for all workload types - Advanced Platform Features: HA, storage provisioning, monitoring for all

3. Security-First Design¶

Implement defense-in-depth security across all layers:

graph TD
    A[Security Layers] --> B[Network Security]
    A --> C[Admission Control]
    A --> D[RBAC & SCC]
    A --> E[Pod Security Standards]
    A --> F[Image Security]

    B --> G[Cilium CNI with eBPF]
    B --> H[Network Policies]
    B --> I[Microsegmentation]

    C --> J[OpenShift Built-in]
    C --> K[KubeVirt Webhooks]
    C --> L[Kyverno Policies]

    D --> M[Role-Based Access Control]
    D --> N[Security Context Constraints]

    E --> O[Pod Security Standards]
    E --> P[Workload Isolation]

    F --> Q[Image Scanning]
    F --> R[Registry Security]

4. GitOps-Driven Operations¶

Implement infrastructure and application management through GitOps principles:

Benefits: - Single Source of Truth: All configurations version-controlled in Git - Declarative Management: Infrastructure as Code for VMs and containers - Automation: Reduced human error through automated deployments - Auditability: Complete change tracking and rollback capabilities - Collaboration: Peer review through pull requests

5. Observability and Monitoring¶

Comprehensive monitoring strategy across all workload types:

graph TB
    subgraph "Monitoring Stack"
        A[Dynatrace] --> B[Full-Stack Monitoring]
        A --> C[AI-Powered Analytics]
        A --> D[Application Performance]

        E[Prometheus] --> F[Metrics Collection]
        E --> G[Custom Metrics]

        H[OpenShift Monitoring] --> I[Cluster Health]
        H --> J[Platform Metrics]
    end

    subgraph "Workloads"
        K[VMs]
        L[Containers]
        M[Infrastructure]
    end

    B --> K
    B --> L
    B --> M
    F --> K
    F --> L
    I --> M

Implementation Guidelines¶

Namespace Design¶

# Example namespace structure
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
  name: app-web-prod
  labels:
    app: web
    environment: production
    tier: frontend
  annotations:
    network-policy: strict
    backup-policy: daily

Resource Quotas¶

apiVersion: v1
kind: ResourceQuota
metadata:
  name: compute-quota
  namespace: app-web-prod
spec:
  hard:
    requests.cpu: "10"
    requests.memory: 20Gi
    limits.cpu: "20"
    limits.memory: 40Gi
    persistentvolumeclaims: "10"

Network Policies¶

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
  name: app-web-netpol
  namespace: app-web-prod
spec:
  podSelector:
    matchLabels:
      app: web
  policyTypes:
  - Ingress
  - Egress
  ingress:
  - from:
    - namespaceSelector:
        matchLabels:
          name: app-gateway-prod

Best Practices¶

Design Decisions¶

1. Plan namespace strategy early: Define naming conventions and access hierarchies
2. Implement least privilege: Use RBAC and network policies consistently
3. Design for scale: Consider resource limits and node capacity planning
4. Plan for disaster recovery: Include backup and restoration strategies

Operational Considerations¶

1. Monitor resource utilization: Prevent resource contention between workload types
2. Implement proper logging: Centralized logging for both VMs and containers
3. Regular security assessments: Continuous compliance and vulnerability management
4. Performance testing: Regular load testing for mixed workload scenarios

These design principles ensure that the RH OVE solution provides a robust, secure, and scalable platform for modern hybrid workloads while supporting organizational transformation initiatives.