Mock Exam 1 Step by Step Solutions

This lesson walks through solutions for Mock Exam 1 question by question, with reproducible manifests and verification commands. Each question includes the expected YAML or command examples, how to apply them, and how to verify the result. Table of contents

Question 1 — Pod with three containers and a shared volume
Question 2 — Install cri-dockerd on node01
Question 3 — Save VPA CRD names to a file
Question 4 — ClusterIP Service for messaging Pod
Question 5 — Deployment hr-web-app (2 replicas)
Question 6 — Fix init container typo in orange Pod
Question 7 — NodePort service for hr-web-app on port 30082
Question 8 — PersistentVolume pv-analytics (hostPath)
Question 9 — HorizontalPodAutoscaler webapp-hpa (CPU-based)
Question 10 — VerticalPodAutoscaler analytics-vpa in Auto mode
Question 11 — Gateway resource web-gateway in nginx-gateway
Question 12 — Update Helm repo and upgrade release to chart version 18.1.5

Question 1 — Create a Pod `mc-pod` in namespace `mc` with three containers and a shared non-persistent volume

Requirements

Pod name: mc-pod in namespace mc
Containers:
- mc-pod-1: nginx:1-alpine, with env var NODE_NAME sourced from spec.nodeName
- mc-pod-2: busybox:1, appends date to /var/log/shared/date.log every second
- mc-pod-3: busybox:1, tails /var/log/shared/date.log
Shared ephemeral volume: emptyDir mounted at /var/log/shared for containers 2 and 3

A split-screen lab interface: the left pane shows a KodeKloud task describing how to create a Kubernetes Pod with three containers and shared volume, and the right pane shows a dark terminal window ready for commands.

Example manifest to create mc-pod:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: mc-pod
  namespace: mc
spec:
  volumes:
  - name: shared-volume
    emptyDir: {}
  containers:
  - name: mc-pod-1
    image: nginx:1-alpine
    env:
    - name: NODE_NAME
      valueFrom:
        fieldRef:
          fieldPath: spec.nodeName
  - name: mc-pod-2
    image: busybox:1
    command:
    - "sh"
    - "-c"
    - "while true; do date >> /var/log/shared/date.log; sleep 1; done"
    volumeMounts:
    - name: shared-volume
      mountPath: /var/log/shared
  - name: mc-pod-3
    image: busybox:1
    command:
    - "sh"
    - "-c"
    - "tail -f /var/log/shared/date.log"
    volumeMounts:
    - name: shared-volume
      mountPath: /var/log/shared
  restartPolicy: Always

Apply the manifest:

kubectl apply -f question1.yaml

Verify logs from the tailing container (mc-pod-3) to confirm the shared emptyDir behavior:

kubectl logs mc-pod -n mc -c mc-pod-3 -f

You should see continuous timestamp lines written by mc-pod-2 and read by mc-pod-3.

emptyDir is ephemeral and exists only for the lifetime of the Pod. Use it for intra-Pod sharing (multiple containers in the same Pod). For persistent data across Pod restarts or node failures, use PersistentVolumes instead.

Question 2 — Prepare `node01` by installing `cri-dockerd`

Task summary

SSH to node01 as user bob
Become root and install the cri-dockerd Debian package located in /root
Start and enable the cri-dockerd systemd service

Common command sequence:

# SSH to node01
ssh bob@node01

# become root
sudo su -

# move to /root and list files
cd /root
ls -l

# install the package (filename may vary)
dpkg -i ./cri-dockerd_0.3.16.3-0.debian.deb

# start and enable the service
systemctl start cri-dockerd
systemctl status cri-dockerd
systemctl enable cri-dockerd
systemctl is-enabled cri-dockerd

Expected outcomes

dpkg -i shows the package configured and service/unit symlinks created
systemctl status cri-dockerd reports Active: active (running)
systemctl is-enabled cri-dockerd returns enabled

Question 3 — Save Vertical Pod Autoscaler CRD names to `/root/vpa-crds.txt`

On the control plane, list CRDs and filter for Vertical Pod Autoscaler resources. This saves the CRD names into /root/vpa-crds.txt. Efficient one-liner:

kubectl get crd | grep -i vertical | awk '{print $1}' > /root/vpa-crds.txt
# verify
cat /root/vpa-crds.txt

Example expected contents:

verticalpodautoscalercheckpoints.autoscaling.k8s.io
verticalpodautoscalers.autoscaling.k8s.io

Question 4 — Create ClusterIP Service `messaging-service` on port 6379 (internal only)

Expose the existing Pod messaging within the cluster on port 6379. A ClusterIP service (default type) provides internal-only access. Imperative creation:

kubectl expose pod messaging --port=6379 --name=messaging-service

Notes

kubectl expose pod uses the Pod’s labels as the service selector. If the messaging Pod has no labels, the Service will have no selector (no endpoints). Add labels to the Pod or create a corresponding Endpoints object if needed.

Verify:

kubectl get svc messaging-service
kubectl describe svc messaging-service

kubectl describe svc should show an endpoint mapping to the messaging Pod IP and port 6379 when labels and selectors match.

Question 5 — Create Deployment `hr-web-app` (image `kodekloud/webapp-color`) with 2 replicas

Create the Deployment imperatively:

kubectl create deployment hr-web-app --image=kodekloud/webapp-color --replicas=2

Verify:

kubectl get deployment hr-web-app
kubectl get pods -l app=hr-web-app

If you need a manifest for version control or review, use kubectl get deployment hr-web-app -o yaml and save it.

Question 6 — Fix the `orange` Pod (init container CrashLoopBackOff)

Symptom

orange Pod stuck in Init:CrashLoopBackOff
Init container init-myservice fails with exit code 127
Logs show: sh: sleeeep: not found — a typo.

Diagnosis and fix

Export the current Pod manifest for editing:

kubectl get pod orange -o yaml > question6.yaml

In question6.yaml, fix the init container command:

Replace the incorrect sleeeep 2; with sleep 2;:

initContainers:
- name: init-myservice
  image: busybox
  command:
  - sh
  - -c
  - sleep 2;

Replace the Pod with the corrected manifest (force replace since Pods are not controlled by a controller):

kubectl replace -f question6.yaml --force

Verify:

kubectl get pod orange
kubectl logs orange -c init-myservice

After the fix, the init container should complete successfully and the Pod should transition to Running.

Question 7 — Expose `hr-web-app` as a NodePort Service `hr-web-app-service` using node port `30082`

Requirements

Service name: hr-web-app-service
Type: NodePort
Service port: 8080
NodePort: 30082
Selector: app: hr-web-app (matching the deployment pods)

Example manifest:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: hr-web-app-service
  labels:
    app: hr-web-app
spec:
  type: NodePort
  selector:
    app: hr-web-app
  ports:
  - port: 8080
    targetPort: 8080
    nodePort: 30082
    protocol: TCP

Apply:

kubectl apply -f question7.yaml

Verify:

kubectl describe svc hr-web-app-service

The describe output should show NodePort: 30082/TCP and endpoints that correspond to the deployment’s pods.

NodePort values must be within the cluster’s allowed NodePort range (usually 30000-32767). Ensure the chosen 30082 is available and not already in use.

Question 8 — Create a PersistentVolume `pv-analytics` (hostPath) with 100Mi and RWX

Specifications

Name: pv-analytics
Capacity: 100Mi
AccessModes: ReadWriteMany
hostPath: /pv/data-analytics
volumeMode: Filesystem

Example PV manifest:

apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolume
metadata:
  name: pv-analytics
spec:
  capacity:
    storage: 100Mi
  volumeMode: Filesystem
  accessModes:
  - ReadWriteMany
  hostPath:
    path: /pv/data-analytics

Apply and verify:

kubectl apply -f question8.yaml
kubectl get pv pv-analytics

Expected status: Available until a PersistentVolumeClaim binds to it. Note: hostPath PVs are node-local. ReadWriteMany on hostPath may not provide the same semantics across multiple nodes; use a distributed storage solution for real multi-node RWX needs.

Question 9 — Create Horizontal Pod Autoscaler `webapp-hpa` (CPU-based, 50% target, 300s stabilization window)

Requirements

Target: Deployment kk-app-deploy (default namespace)
minReplicas: 2
maxReplicas: 10
Target average CPU utilization: 50%
Scale-down stabilization window: 300 seconds
Use autoscaling/v2 API to set behavior

Manifest:

apiVersion: autoscaling/v2
kind: HorizontalPodAutoscaler
metadata:
  name: webapp-hpa
  namespace: default
spec:
  scaleTargetRef:
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    name: kk-app-deploy
  minReplicas: 2
  maxReplicas: 10
  metrics:
  - type: Resource
    resource:
      name: cpu
      target:
        type: Utilization
        averageUtilization: 50
  behavior:
    scaleDown:
      stabilizationWindowSeconds: 300

Apply and verify:

kubectl apply -f webapp-hpa.yaml
kubectl get hpa webapp-hpa
kubectl describe hpa webapp-hpa

autoscaling/v2 requires metrics to be available (for example, metrics-server). Ensure a metrics provider is installed and returning CPU metrics for HPA to evaluate and scale the deployment.

Question 10 — Create Vertical Pod Autoscaler `analytics-vpa` in `Auto` update mode

Requirements

Name: analytics-vpa
Target: Deployment analytics-deployment in default namespace
Update mode: Auto (VPA may evict and recreate pods to apply new resource requests)

Manifest:

apiVersion: autoscaling.k8s.io/v1
kind: VerticalPodAutoscaler
metadata:
  name: analytics-vpa
  namespace: default
spec:
  targetRef:
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    name: analytics-deployment
  updatePolicy:
    updateMode: "Auto"

Apply and verify:

kubectl apply -f question10.yaml
kubectl get vpa
kubectl describe vpa analytics-vpa

Note: VPA behavior depends on VPA admission and eviction configuration; Auto mode may cause pod restarts to adjust requests.

Question 11 — Create a Gateway resource `web-gateway` in namespace `nginx-gateway`

Specifications

Name: web-gateway
Namespace: nginx-gateway
gatewayClassName: nginx
One listener named http, protocol HTTP on port 80

Manifest example:

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  name: web-gateway
  namespace: nginx-gateway
spec:
  gatewayClassName: nginx
  listeners:
  - name: http
    protocol: HTTP
    port: 80

Apply and verify:

kubectl apply -f question11.yaml
kubectl get gateway -n nginx-gateway
kubectl describe gateway web-gateway -n nginx-gateway

The Gateway should appear in the nginx-gateway namespace. If a gateway controller (nginx or other) is active, it will program the Gateway and report status.

Question 12 — Update Helm repo and upgrade the release to chart version 18.1.5

Context

Helm release in namespace kk-ns with name kk-mock1
Current chart version 18.1.0, goal: upgrade to 18.1.5

Steps:

List Helm releases in the namespace:

helm list -n kk-ns

Update Helm repositories:

helm repo update

(Optional) Search for available chart versions:

helm search repo kk-mock1 --versions
# or if the repo alias and chart path are known:
helm search repo kk-mock1/nginx --versions

Upgrade the release to the target chart version:

helm upgrade kk-mock1 kk-mock1/nginx --version 18.1.5 -n kk-ns

Verify the upgrade:

helm list -n kk-ns
helm status kk-mock1 -n kk-ns

After upgrading, you should see the chart version updated to nginx-18.1.5 for the kk-mock1 release.

Links and References

Kubernetes Documentation: https://kubernetes.io/docs/
Kubernetes Services: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/service/
Horizontal Pod Autoscaler: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/run-application/horizontal-pod-autoscale/
Vertical Pod Autoscaler (project): https://github.com/kubernetes/autoscaler/tree/master/vertical-pod-autoscaler
Helm: https://helm.sh/docs/

This completes the step-by-step solutions for Mock Exam 1.

Introduction

Core Concepts

Scheduling

Logging & Monitoring

Application Lifecycle Management

Cluster Maintenance

Security

Storage

Networking

Design and Install a Kubernetes Cluster

Install "Kubernetes the kubeadm way"

Troubleshooting

Helm Basics (2025 Updates)

Kustomize Basics (2025 Updates)

Other Topics

Mock Exams

Mock Exam 1 Step by Step Solutions

Question 1 — Create a Pod `mc-pod` in namespace `mc` with three containers and a shared non-persistent volume

Question 2 — Prepare `node01` by installing `cri-dockerd`

Question 3 — Save Vertical Pod Autoscaler CRD names to `/root/vpa-crds.txt`

Question 4 — Create ClusterIP Service `messaging-service` on port 6379 (internal only)

Question 5 — Create Deployment `hr-web-app` (image `kodekloud/webapp-color`) with 2 replicas

Question 6 — Fix the `orange` Pod (init container CrashLoopBackOff)

Question 7 — Expose `hr-web-app` as a NodePort Service `hr-web-app-service` using node port `30082`

Question 8 — Create a PersistentVolume `pv-analytics` (hostPath) with 100Mi and RWX

Question 9 — Create Horizontal Pod Autoscaler `webapp-hpa` (CPU-based, 50% target, 300s stabilization window)

Question 10 — Create Vertical Pod Autoscaler `analytics-vpa` in `Auto` update mode

Question 11 — Create a Gateway resource `web-gateway` in namespace `nginx-gateway`

Question 12 — Update Helm repo and upgrade the release to chart version 18.1.5

Watch Video

Practice Lab

​Question 1 — Create a Pod mc-pod in namespace mc with three containers and a shared non-persistent volume

​Question 2 — Prepare node01 by installing cri-dockerd

​Question 3 — Save Vertical Pod Autoscaler CRD names to /root/vpa-crds.txt

​Question 4 — Create ClusterIP Service messaging-service on port 6379 (internal only)

​Question 5 — Create Deployment hr-web-app (image kodekloud/webapp-color) with 2 replicas

​Question 6 — Fix the orange Pod (init container CrashLoopBackOff)

​Question 7 — Expose hr-web-app as a NodePort Service hr-web-app-service using node port 30082

​Question 8 — Create a PersistentVolume pv-analytics (hostPath) with 100Mi and RWX

​Question 9 — Create Horizontal Pod Autoscaler webapp-hpa (CPU-based, 50% target, 300s stabilization window)

​Question 10 — Create Vertical Pod Autoscaler analytics-vpa in Auto update mode

​Question 11 — Create a Gateway resource web-gateway in namespace nginx-gateway

​Question 12 — Update Helm repo and upgrade the release to chart version 18.1.5

Watch Video

Practice Lab

Question 1 — Create a Pod `mc-pod` in namespace `mc` with three containers and a shared non-persistent volume

Question 2 — Prepare `node01` by installing `cri-dockerd`

Question 3 — Save Vertical Pod Autoscaler CRD names to `/root/vpa-crds.txt`

Question 4 — Create ClusterIP Service `messaging-service` on port 6379 (internal only)

Question 5 — Create Deployment `hr-web-app` (image `kodekloud/webapp-color`) with 2 replicas

Question 6 — Fix the `orange` Pod (init container CrashLoopBackOff)

Question 7 — Expose `hr-web-app` as a NodePort Service `hr-web-app-service` using node port `30082`

Question 8 — Create a PersistentVolume `pv-analytics` (hostPath) with 100Mi and RWX

Question 9 — Create Horizontal Pod Autoscaler `webapp-hpa` (CPU-based, 50% target, 300s stabilization window)

Question 10 — Create Vertical Pod Autoscaler `analytics-vpa` in `Auto` update mode

Question 11 — Create a Gateway resource `web-gateway` in namespace `nginx-gateway`

Question 12 — Update Helm repo and upgrade the release to chart version 18.1.5