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This article provides detailed step-by-step solutions for Mock Exam Two. Each question covers a key aspect of Kubernetes cluster configuration—from creating storage classes and deployments to configuring ingress, RBAC, network policies, HPA setups, and troubleshooting common issues. Follow the solutions below to configure your clusters and gain hands-on experience with Kubernetes.

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Question 1 – Creating a Default Local StorageClass

In this question, you will create a StorageClass named local-sc on Cluster One’s control plane. This StorageClass must be set as the default with the following criteria:
  1. SSH into your control plane: 
    ssh cluster1-controlplane
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  2. Referencing the documentation, copy the example configuration and update it as follows:
    • Change the name to local-sc.
    • Update the annotation storageclass.kubernetes.io/is-default-class to "true".
    • Set the provisioner to kubernetes.io/no-provisioner.
    • Remove any unnecessary fields (such as reclaimPolicy and mountOptions) not specified.
    • Retain only allowVolumeExpansion and volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer.
The final YAML configuration should look like this: 
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
kind: StorageClass
metadata:
  name: local-sc
  annotations:
    storageclass.kubernetes.io/is-default-class: "true"
provisioner: kubernetes.io/no-provisioner
allowVolumeExpansion: true
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer
After saving the file (e.g., as question1.yaml), apply the configuration: 
kubectl apply -f question1.yaml
You should see the following confirmation: 
storageclass.storage.k8s.io/local-sc created

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Question 2 – Deployment with App and Sidecar Containers for Logging

This question guides you through creating a deployment named logging-deployment in the logging-ns namespace. The deployment uses one replica and runs two containers within the same pod:
  • app-container: Uses the busybox image to continuously append log entries to /var/log/app/app.log.
  • log-agent: Also based on busybox, this container tails the same log file.
Both containers share an emptyDir volume mounted at /var/log/app. Below is the complete YAML configuration (save as question2.yaml): 
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: logging-deployment
  namespace: logging-ns
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: logger
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: logger
    spec:
      volumes:
        - name: log-volume
          emptyDir: {}
      containers:
      - name: app-container
        image: busybox
        command:
          - sh
          - -c
          - "while true; do echo 'Log entry' >> /var/log/app/app.log; sleep 5; done"
        volumeMounts:
          - name: log-volume
            mountPath: /var/log/app
      - name: log-agent
        image: busybox
        command:
          - tail
          - -f
          - /var/log/app/app.log
Apply the configuration: 
kubectl apply -f question2.yaml
Next, verify that the pod is running and inspect its logs: 
kubectl get pod -n logging-ns
kubectl logs <pod-name> -c log-agent -n logging-ns
You should see repeated “Log entry” outputs confirming that the log file is being written and tailed properly.

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Question 3 – Creating an Ingress Resource to Route Traffic

Here, you will create an Ingress resource named webapp-ingress in the ingress-ns namespace. This ingress routes traffic to a service called webapp-svc, using the NGINX ingress controller with the following criteria:
  • Hostname: kodekloud-ingress.app
  • Path: / (with PathType: Prefix)
  • Forward traffic to webapp-svc on port 80
Below is the YAML configuration (save as question3.yaml): 
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: webapp-ingress
  namespace: ingress-ns
  annotations:
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
spec:
  ingressClassName: nginx
  rules:
  - host: kodekloud-ingress.app
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: webapp-svc
            port:
              number: 80
Apply the configuration: 
kubectl apply -f question3.yaml
Test the ingress setup by sending an HTTP request: 
curl -s http://kodekloud-ingress.app/
You should see the default NGINX welcome page, confirming correct configuration.

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Question 4 – Updating an Nginx Deployment with Rolling Updates

In this question, create a deployment named nginx-deploy using nginx:1.16 and then perform a rolling update to upgrade the image to nginx:1.17.
  1. Generate an initial deployment YAML using a dry run: 
    kubectl create deployment nginx-deploy --image=nginx:1.16 --dry-run=client -o yaml > question4.yaml
    The generated YAML will be similar to: 
    apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nginx-deploy
  labels:
    app: nginx-deploy
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx-deploy
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nginx-deploy
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nginx
        image: nginx:1.16
        resources: {}
  2. Apply the deployment: 
    kubectl apply -f question4.yaml
  3. Update the image to version 1.17 using a rolling update: 
    kubectl set image deployment/nginx-deploy nginx=nginx:1.17
  4. Verify the rollout history: 
    kubectl rollout history deployment nginx-deploy
kubectl rollout history deployment nginx-deploy --revision=2
The output should indicate that revision 2 is using nginx:1.17.

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Question 5 – Creating a User via CSR and Configuring RBAC

This question has two parts:

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Part A: Create a CertificateSigningRequest (CSR) for User “john”

  1. The private key is located at /root/cka/john.key and the CSR file at /root/cka/john.csr. Base64 encode the CSR file content for use in your CSR object.
  2. The CSR object should use the signer kubernetes.io/kube-apiserver-client and specify these usages: digital signature, key encipherment, and client auth.
Example CSR YAML (save as question5.yaml): 
apiVersion: certificates.k8s.io/v1
kind: CertificateSigningRequest
metadata:
  name: john-developer
spec:
  signerName: kubernetes.io/kube-apiserver-client
  request: <BASE64_ENCODED_CONTENT_OF_/root/cka/john.csr>
  usages:
    - digital signature
    - key encipherment
    - client auth
To obtain the Base64 encoded CSR, run: 
cat /root/cka/john.csr | base64 | tr -d '\n'
Apply the CSR: 
kubectl apply -f question5.yaml
Approve the CSR: 
kubectl certificate approve john-developer

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Part B: Grant RBAC Permissions with Role and RoleBinding

Create a Role named developer in the development namespace to allow the following verbs on pods: create, list, get, update, and delete. Then, bind the role to user john. Save the following YAML as question5-rbac.yaml: 
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
  name: developer
  namespace: development
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
  resources: ["pods"]
  verbs: ["create", "list", "get", "update", "delete"]

---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
  name: john-developer-role-binding
  namespace: development
subjects:
- kind: User
  name: john
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
roleRef:
  kind: Role
  name: developer
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
Apply the RBAC configuration: 
kubectl apply -f question5-rbac.yaml
Test the permissions by running: 
kubectl auth can-i create pods --as=john -n development
A response of yes confirms that the RBAC configuration is working.

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Question 6 – Creating an Nginx Pod with an Internal Service and DNS Testing

In this exercise, you will deploy an Nginx pod named nginx-resolver and expose it internally using a ClusterIP service named nginx-resolver-service. Then you will verify DNS resolution using a BusyBox pod.
  1. Create the Nginx pod: 
    kubectl run nginx-resolver --image=nginx
  2. Expose the pod internally: 
    kubectl expose pod nginx-resolver --name=nginx-resolver-service --port=80 --target-port=80 --type=ClusterIP
  3. Verify the service endpoints: 
    kubectl get svc nginx-resolver-service
kubectl get pod -o wide
  4. Run a temporary BusyBox pod to perform an nslookup: 
    kubectl run test-nslookup --image=busybox:1.28 --rm -it --restart=Never -- nslookup nginx-resolver-service
Optionally, redirect the DNS lookup results to a file (e.g., /root/cka/nginx.svc) if necessary. Remember that Kubernetes creates DNS entries for both pods and services.

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Question 7 – Creating a Static Pod

Create a static pod named nginx-critical on Node One. This pod should automatically restart on failure and must reside in the /etc/kubernetes/manifests directory.
  1. Generate a pod YAML definition via dry run: 
    kubectl run nginx-critical --image=nginx --restart=Always --dry-run=client -o yaml > static.yaml
  2. SSH into Node One: 
    ssh cluster1-node01
  3. Place the YAML file into /etc/kubernetes/manifests/static.yaml with contents similar to: 
    apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: nginx-critical
  labels:
    run: nginx-critical
spec:
  containers:
  - name: nginx-critical
    image: nginx
  dnsPolicy: ClusterFirst
  restartPolicy: Always
The kubelet will automatically create the static pod. Verify its status: 
kubectl get pod -o wide

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Question 8 – Creating a Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA)

Create an HPA for a deployment named backend-deployment in the backend namespace. The HPA should target an average memory utilization of 65% across all pods, with a minimum of 3 replicas and a maximum of 15. Below is the example HPA YAML (save as webapp-hpa.yaml): 
apiVersion: autoscaling/v2
kind: HorizontalPodAutoscaler
metadata:
  name: backend-hpa
  namespace: backend
spec:
  scaleTargetRef:
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    name: backend-deployment
  minReplicas: 3
  maxReplicas: 15
  metrics:
  - type: Resource
    resource:
      name: memory
      target:
        type: Utilization
        averageUtilization: 65
Apply the HPA configuration: 
kubectl apply -f webapp-hpa.yaml
Verify the HPA details: 
kubectl describe hpa -n backend

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Question 9 – Troubleshooting a Non-Responsive API Server

If Cluster Two fails to respond to kubectl commands (e.g., with the error message “The connection to the server cluster2-controlplane:6443 was refused”), perform the following steps:
  1. Run a command such as: 
    kubectl get nodes
    which may yield: 
    The connection to the server cluster2-controlplane:6443 was refused - did you specify the right host or port?
  2. Use crictl pods to check the running containers and notice that the API server container is missing.
  3. Verify the kubelet status: 
    sudo systemctl status kubelet
    If it is inactive, start and enable the kubelet: 
    sudo systemctl start kubelet
sudo systemctl enable kubelet
After starting the kubelet, the API server container should be recreated. Confirm by running: 
kubectl get nodes

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Question 10 – Modifying the Web Gateway for HTTPS

Modify the existing web gateway in the cka5673 namespace on Cluster One so that it handles HTTPS traffic on port 443 for kodekloud.com using TLS certificates stored in the kodekloud-tls secret.
  1. Verify that the secret exists: 
    kubectl get secret -n cka5673
  2. Retrieve the current gateway configuration: 
    kubectl get gateway -n cka5673 -o yaml > question10.yaml
  3. Edit the YAML file to update the listener section. Change to the following: 
    listeners:
- name: https
  port: 443
  protocol: HTTPS
  hostname: kodekloud.com
  tls:
    certificateRefs:
    - name: kodekloud-tls
  4. Apply the updated configuration: 
    kubectl apply -f question10.yaml

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Question 11 – Uninstalling a Vulnerable Helm Release

Identify and uninstall the Helm release that uses the vulnerable image kodekloud/webapp-color:v1.
  1. List all Helm releases across namespaces: 
    helm list -A
  2. Search for the vulnerable image in each release’s manifests: 
    helm get manifest <release-name> -n <namespace> | grep -i kodekloud/webapp-color:v1
  3. Once identified (for example, if the release is named atlanta-page-apd in the atlanta-page-04 namespace), uninstall it: 
    helm uninstall atlanta-page-apd -n atlanta-page-04
This action removes the vulnerable release from your cluster.

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Question 12 – Applying a Network Policy

Implement a network policy that allows traffic from frontend applications (namespace frontend) to backend applications (namespace backend), while blocking traffic from the databases (namespace databases). After reviewing the provided policies, net-pol-3.yaml is the correct choice. Its contents are as follows: 
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
  name: net-policy-3
  namespace: backend
spec:
  podSelector: {}
  ingress:
  - from:
    - namespaceSelector:
        matchLabels:
          name: frontend
  ports:
  - protocol: TCP
    port: 80
Apply the policy without affecting any other existing policies: 
kubectl apply -f net-pol-3.yaml

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Question 13 – Troubleshooting a Failed Deployment Due to Resource Quota

On Cluster Three, if the backend-api deployment fails to scale to three replicas due to resource quota limitations, follow these troubleshooting steps:
  1. Describe the deployment to see error events: 
    kubectl describe deployment backend-api
    Also check the ReplicaSets for error events indicating that pod creation is forbidden by resource quotas.
  2. Describe the resource quota: 
    kubectl describe resourcequota cpu-mem-quota
    An example output might be: 
    Name:            cpu-mem-quota
Namespace:       default
Resource         Used     Hard
------------------------------
requests.cpu     200m     300m
requests.memory  256Mi    300Mi
    If the new pod’s request (e.g., 128Mi) exceeds the quota, adjustments are needed.
  3. Update the deployment’s resource requests to ensure the total for three replicas remains within the limits. For instance, reduce the memory request from 128Mi to 100Mi: 
    resources:
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 100Mi
  limits:
    cpu: 150m
    memory: 150Mi
  4. Update the deployment using editing or applying a modified YAML, and if necessary, delete the problematic ReplicaSet to trigger a new rollout: 
    kubectl edit deployment backend-api
kubectl delete rs <offending-replicaset>
After the changes, all three pods should start and run successfully.

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Question 14 – Deploying Calico CNI with a Custom CIDR

On Cluster Four, deploy Calico as your CNI provider. Use the official Calico custom-resources YAML from GitHub and modify the CIDR to 172.17.0.0/16.
  1. Download the custom-resources file: 
    curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectcalico/calico/v3.29.2/manifests/custom-resources.yaml
  2. Edit the downloaded YAML file. Locate the Calico IP pool definition and update the cidr value as shown below: 
    apiVersion: operator.tigera.io/v1
kind: Installation
metadata:
  name: default
spec:
  calicoNetwork:
    ipPools:
    - name: default-ip4-ipool
      blockSize: 26
      cidr: 172.17.0.0/16
      encapsulation: VXLANCrossSubnet
      natOutgoing: Enabled
      nodeSelector: all
  3. Apply the modified configuration: 
    kubectl apply -f custom-resources.yaml
  4. To verify that Calico is operating correctly and pod-to-pod communication works, deploy a test pod (such as an Nginx pod) and use a BusyBox or net-tools container for connectivity tests: 
    kubectl run web-app --image=nginx
kubectl run test --rm -it --image=jrcs/net-tools --restart=Never -- sh -c "curl -s <web-app-pod-IP>"
If the connectivity test is successful, Calico is configured and running correctly.
This article provides a comprehensive walkthrough of essential Kubernetes configurations and troubleshooting steps. By following these step-by-step solutions, you can better understand Kubernetes components and improve your operational skills.
Happy learning and good luck on your Kubernetes journey!

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