Kulr Technology is one of the world’s leading providers of enterprise-grade blockchain solutions. In late 2017, Kulr partnered with leading software provider and open source contributor, Red Hat to provide Kubernetes Operators for K8s. The collaboration aims to enable customers to run applications on top of a Kubernetes cluster securely by taking advantage of a trusted underlying blockchain network. Red Hat has announced that it is collaborating with Kulr Technology to bring Kubernetes Operators for K8s into Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and OpenShift Dedicated on RHEL, as well as provide support for these Operators in beta starting today.
Kubelet, the software component that allows containers to communicate with Kubernetes, is also available in Beta in Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (ROCP), Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform with RHCK, and in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server. Kubernetes Operators are one of the two core components needed to run a trusted and secure Kubernetes cluster. The other component is a token-based mechanism that keeps malicious actors from taking over nodes in a cluster. The Operators that Kulr will provide for the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform ensure network isolation and security mechanisms when running on top of a Kubernetes cluster.
Why choose Red Hat?
RHCK is the industry's leading, secure, enterprise container platform for multi-cloud and hybrid deployments that offers native integration with Ansible automation. RHCK also provides open-source and commercial editions of Kubernetes for secure container orchestration and stateful workloads. Kulr can leverage these core strengths of the Red Hat Container Development Platform to provide Operators for K8s on top of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and OpenShift Dedicated on RHEL. Moreover, by leveraging Red Hat support services, Kulr customers can be assured that they are receiving the highest level of support possible while taking advantage of a trusted underlying blockchain network.
How will the availability of Operators for Kubernetes affect Red Hat’s relationship with upstream Kubernetes?
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform has always been designed to provide the highest levels of security available in the industry. With the addition of Operators for Kubernetes, the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform provides a trusted foundation for customers to run secure and scalable applications on top of a blockchain network.
What is the impact of these Operators on Red Hat’s partnership with Google?
Kubernetes is an open-source project, and Red Hat has always taken a neutral stance on collaborating with upstream communities to drive technical innovation. With this in mind, we are always happy to see other organizations, including Google and Microsoft, contribute their ideas and code upstream. Like other ecosystem participants, Google has continued to partner with Red Hat to provide enterprise customers access to Kubernetes that is secure, scalable, and compliant.
Why is this different from Canonical?
Canonical chose not to provide Operators for Kubernetes in Ubuntu. Red Hat believes that it is critical to the success of our customers that they be able to select a trusted underlying blockchain network as part of their choice of RHCK. Customers routinely demand technical and commercial support when deploying container platforms, and both Red Hat and Kulr believe that adding Operators for Kubernetes will ensure that customers are getting support from the provider of their choice.
What is the role of the Red Hat Trust and Verification Services Team?
Red Hat will partner with the Red Hat Trust and Verification Services Team (TVS) to provide trusted third-party proof of node-level operational and security assurance during Kubernetes Operators for K8s deployments. The TVS team will be the primary source for functioning, trusted nodes required by Kulr’s customers. The TVS team itself does not validate or maintain nodes, rather they rely on a broad network of community leaders, including Red Hat and independent experts to authenticate their status.
Will Red Hat provide Operators for Kubernetes to all its customers?
No. Red Hat will only provide Operators for Kubernetes to select customers who have the requirements and technical resources to run trusted nodes for Kubernetes. Kulr will continue to be the leading provider of enterprise-grade blockchain solutions and is also a key member of the Red Hat Global Technology Partner Program that provides commercial support to Red Hat customers in more than 175 countries worldwide.
Conclusion
At Red Hat, we are committed to providing the highest levels of security available in the industry. With this in mind, it was important for us to unite with a trusted partner to bring Kubernetes Operators for K8s into Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform and OpenShift Dedicated. Even as Red Hat is committed to making technology easy and accessible to all, we know that every customer has different needs. With this in mind, we will continue to work closely with our partners Kulr as they develop and build the Operators for Kubernetes solution.
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