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Illumio Segmentation (formerly Illumio Core) for Kubernetes

Prepare Your Environment

Important

The following steps for preparing your environment are no longer needed when deploying Illumio Core for Kubernetes version 3.0.0 and beyond, which now uses Helm Chart for deploying C-VEN and Kubelink. This section is included here for backwards compatibility and historical purposes. If you are deploying using Helm Chart, skip this section and now follow the instructions in Create a Container Cluster in the PCE.

You need to do these steps before C-VEN installation and pairing.

Caution

If the prerequisite steps are not done before C-VEN and Kubelink installation, then containerized environments and Kubelink can get disrupted.

Unique Machine ID

Some of the functionality and services provided by the Illumio C-VEN and Kubelink depend on the Linux machine-id of each Kubernetes cluster node. Each machine-id must be unique in order to take advantage of the functionality. By default, the Linux operating system generates a random machine-id to give each Linux host uniqueness. However, there are cases when machine-id's can be duplicated across machines. This is common across deployments that clone machines from a golden image, for example, spinning up virtual machines from VMware templates, creating compute instances from a reference image, or from a template from a Public Cloud source.

Important

Illumio Core requires a unique machine-id on all nodes. This issue is more likely to occur with on-premises or IaaS deployments, rather than with Managed Kubernetes Services (from Cloud Service Providers). For more information on how to create a new unique machine-id, see Troubleshooting.

Create Labels

For details on creating labels, see "Labels and Label Groups" in Security Policy Guide. The labels shown below are used in examples throughout this document. You are not required to use the same labels

Name

Label Type

Kubernetes Cluster

Application

OpenShift Cluster

Application

Production

Environment

Development

Environment

Data Center

Location

Cloud

Location

Kubelink

Role

Node

Role

Control Plane Node (formerly Master)

Role

Worker

Role

Push Kubelink and C-VEN Images to Your Container Registry

In order to install Illumio Core for containers, you first need to upload (or push) Kubelink and C-VEN container images to your container registry. The files in the C-VEN and Kubelink packages you've downloaded are as follows:

C-VEN illumio-ven-xx.x.x-xxxx.k8s.x86_64.tgz package includes:

  • A Docker image

    • illumio-ven-xx.x.x-xxxx.tgz

  • Configuration files:

    • illumio-ven-secret.yml

    • illumio-ven-kubernetes.yml

    • illumio-ven-openshift.yml

Kubelink illumio-kubelink-x.x.x.tar.gz package includes:

  • A docker image

    • kubelink-image.tar.gz

  • Configuration files in kube-yaml

    • illumio-kubelink-secret.yml

    • illumio-kubelink-kubernetes.yml

    • illumio-kubelink-openshift.yml

    • illumio-kubelink-namespace.yml

Caution

These images are not publicly available and should not be posted on a publicly open container registry without Illumio's consent.

In a self-managed deployment, Kubelink and C-VEN images can be pushed to a private container registry. In OpenShift, a container registry is provided as part of the platform, and images can be pushed to this registry for simplicity and better authentication. In the case of Kubernetes, there is no container registry provided by default and must be provided as an external component.

In a cloud-managed deployment, Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) provide integration of private container registries such as, Amazon ECR, Microsoft ACR, and so on. These registries can securely be used to host Illumio's container images for Kubelink and C-VEN. Refer to the documentation provided by the respective CSPs to learn how to push images to those registries.

To push Kubelink and C-VEN container images to your private container registry, use the following commands (based on docker):

  1. Log in to your private container registry.

    docker login <docker-registry>

  2. Load Kubelink and C-VEN container images on your local computer.

    docker load -i kubelink-image.tar.gz
docker load -i illumio-ven-21.5.x-xxxx.tgz

    Verify that docker images are loaded on your computer.

    docker image ls

  3. Tag the Kubelink and C-VEN container image IDs with the name of your container registry.

    docker tag <illumio-kubelink-image-id> <docker-registry>/
illumio-kubelink:2.1.x.xxxxxx
docker tag <illumio-ven-image-id> <docker-registry>/illumio-ven:21.5.x-xxxx

    Verify that images are tagged on your computer and ready to be pushed to your private container registry.

    docker image ls

  4. Push Kubelink and C-VEN container images on your private container registry.

    docker push <docker-registry>/illumio-kubelink:2.1.x.xxxxxx
docker push <docker-registry>/illumio-ven:21.5.
    x-xxxx

After pushing images to your private container registry, proceed to the next section.

Create Illumio Namespace

Illumio Core for containers is deployed in a dedicated namespace illumio-system, by default. This namespace has the minimum privileges in the cluster required to run Illumio Core and can tie into the Kubernetes and OpenShift RBAC models.

To create the illumio-system namespace for Kubernetes, use the following command:

kubectl create namespace illumio-system

Note

Illumio provides a yaml manifest file to create the namespace in the Kubelink tarball illumio-kubelink-namespace.yml. You can create this namespace by applying this manifest file to your Kubernetes cluster, using the following command:

kubectl apply -f illumio-kubelink-namespace.yml

To create the illumio-system project for OpenShift, use the following command:

oc new-project illumio-system
Authenticate Kubernetes Cluster with Container Registry

Note

Depending on your deployment, the steps in the Authenticate Kubernetes Cluster with Container Registry, Create a ConfigMap to Store Your Root CA Certificate, and Configure Calico in Append Mode topics are optional.

When storing container images in a private container registry, it is often required and strongly recommended to authenticate against the registry to be able to pull an image from it. In order to do this, the Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster must have the credentials configured and stored in a secret file to be able to pull container images.

To configure a secret to store your container registry credentials, use the following command:

kubectl create secret docker-registry <container-registry-secret-name> 
-n illumio-system --docker-server=<container-registry> 
--docker-username=<username> --docker-password=<password>

To verify that the secret has been created, use the following command:

kubectl get secret -n illumio-system |
grep <container-registry-secret-name>

Important

The above commands are valid for deployments with your own private container registry, but may not be valid for a cloud-managed private container registry. For more information, refer to your Cloud Service Provider documentation.

Create a ConfigMap to Store Your Root CA Certificate

This section describes how to implement Kubelink with a PCE using a certificate signed by a private Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). It describes how to configure Kubelink and C-VEN to accept certificates from the PCE signed by a private root or intermediate Certificate Authority (CA), ensuring that Kubelink can communicate securely with the PCE.

Prerequisites

  • Access to the root CA to download the root CA certificate.

  • Access to your Kubernetes cluster and can run kubectl commands.

  • Correct privileges in your Kubernetes cluster to create resources like ConfigMaps, secrets, and Pods.

  • Access to the PCE web console as a Global Organization Owner.

Download the Root CA Certificate

Before you begin, ensure that you have access to the root CA certificate. The root CA certificate is a file that can be exported from the root CA without compromising the company's security. It is usually made available to external entities to ensure a proper SSL handshake between a server and its clients.

You can download the root CA cert in the CRT format on your local machine. Below is an example of a root CA certificate:

$ cat root.democa.illumio-demo.com.crt
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIGSzCCBDOgAwIBAgIUAPw0NfPAivJW4YmKZ499eHZH3S8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL
---output suppressed---
wPG0lug46K1EPQqMA7YshmrwOd6ESy6RGNFFZdhk9Q==
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

You can also get the content of your root CA certificate in a readable output format by using the following command:

$ openssl x509 -text -noout -in ./root.democa.illumio-demo.com.crt
Certificate:
    Data:
        Version: 3 (0x2)
        Serial Number:
            fc:34:35:f3:c0:8a:f2:56:e1:89:8a:67:8f:7d:78:76:47:dd:2f
    Signature Algorithm: sha256WithRSAEncryption
        Issuer: C=US, ST=California, L=Sunnyvale, O=Illumio, 
        OU=Technical Marketing, CN=Illumio Demo Root 
        CA 1/[email protected]
        Validity
            Not Before: Jan 20 00:05:36 2020 GMT
            Not After : Jan 17 00:05:36 2030 GMT
        Subject: C=US, ST=California, L=Sunnyvale, O=Illumio,
        OU=Technical Marketing, CN=Illumio Demo Root 
        CA 1/[email protected]
        Subject Public Key Info:
            Public Key Algorithm: rsaEncryption
                Public-Key: (4096 bit)
                Modulus:
                    00:c0:e5:48:7d:97:f8:5b:8c:ef:ac:16:a8:8c:aa:
                    68:b8:48:af:28:cd:17:8f:02:c8:82:e9:69:62:e2:
                    89:2b:be:bd:34:fc:e3:4d:3f:86:5e:d7:e6:89:34:
                    71:60:e6:54:61:ac:0f:26:1c:99:6f:80:89:3f:36:
                    b3:ad:78:d1:6c:3f:d7:23:1e:ea:51:14:48:74:c3:
                    e8:6e:a2:79:b1:60:4c:65:14:2a:f1:a0:97:6c:97:
                    50:43:67:07:b7:51:5d:2c:12:49:81:dc:01:c9:d1:
                    57:48:32:2e:87:a8:d2:c0:b9:f8:43:b2:58:10:af:
                    54:59:09:05:cb:3e:f0:d7:ef:70:cc:fc:53:48:ee:
                    a4:a4:61:f1:d7:5b:7c:a9:a8:92:dc:77:74:f4:4a:
                    c0:4a:90:71:0f:6d:9e:e7:4f:11:ab:a5:3d:cd:4b:
                    8b:79:fe:82:1b:16:27:94:8e:35:37:db:dd:b8:fe:
                    fa:6d:d9:be:57:f3:ca:f3:56:aa:be:c8:57:a1:a8:
                    c9:83:dd:5a:96:5a:6b:32:2d:5e:ae:da:fc:85:76:
                    bb:77:d5:c2:53:f3:5b:61:74:e7:f3:3e:4e:ad:10:
                    7d:4f:ff:90:69:7c:1c:41:2f:67:e4:13:5b:e6:3a:
                    a3:2f:93:61:3b:07:56:59:5a:d9:bc:34:4d:b3:54:
                    b5:c6:e5:0a:88:e9:62:7b:4b:85:d2:9e:4c:ee:0b:
                    0d:f4:72:b1:1b:44:04:93:cf:cc:bb:18:31:3a:d4:
                    83:4a:ff:15:42:2d:91:ca:d0:cb:36:d9:8d:62:c0:
                    41:59:1a:93:c7:27:79:08:94:b2:a2:50:3c:57:27:
                    33:af:f0:b6:92:44:49:c5:09:15:a7:43:2a:0f:a9:
                    02:61:b3:66:4f:c3:de:d3:63:1e:08:b1:23:ea:69:
                    90:db:e8:e9:1e:21:84:e0:56:e1:8e:a1:fa:3f:7a:
                    08:0f:54:0a:82:41:08:6b:6e:bb:cf:d6:5b:80:c6:
                    ea:0c:80:92:96:ab:95:5d:38:6d:4d:da:38:6b:42:
                    ef:7c:88:58:83:88:6d:da:28:62:62:1f:e5:a7:0d:
                    04:9f:0d:d9:52:39:46:ba:56:7c:1d:77:38:26:7c:
                    86:69:58:4d:b0:47:3a:e2:be:ee:1a:fc:4c:de:67:
                    f3:d5:fe:e6:27:a2:ef:26:86:19:5b:05:85:9c:4c:
                    02:24:76:58:42:1a:f8:e0:e0:ed:78:f2:8f:c8:5a:
                    20:a9:2d:0b:d4:01:fa:57:d4:6f:1c:0a:31:30:8c:
                    32:7f:b0:01:1e:fe:94:96:03:ee:01:d7:f4:4a:83:
                    f5:06:fa:60:43:15:05:9a:ca:88:59:5c:f5:13:09:
                    82:69:7f
                Exponent: 65537 (0x10001)
        X509v3 extensions:
            X509v3 Subject Key Identifier:
                3D:3D:3D:61:E6:88:09:FE:34:0F:1D:5E:5E:52:72:71:C7:
                DE:15:92
            X509v3 Authority Key Identifier:
                keyid:3D:3D:3D:61:E6:88:09:FE:34:0F:1D:5E:5E:52:72:71:
                C7:DE:15:92

            X509v3 Basic Constraints: critical
                CA:TRUE
            X509v3 Key Usage: critical
                Digital Signature, Certificate Sign, CRL Sign
    Signature Algorithm: sha256WithRSAEncryption
         28:24:86:91:a6:4a:88:e4:8d:6b:fc:67:2a:68:08:67:35:e5:
         a6:77:ff:07:4b:89:53:99:2e:6d:95:df:12:81:28:6a:8e:6f:
         5a:98:95:5b:4a:21:ae:f0:20:a4:4e:06:b2:4e:5a:67:c1:6a:
         06:f1:0f:c1:f7:7e:f2:e0:b3:9d:d8:54:26:6a:b2:1c:19:b8:
         b5:5c:c7:03:6b:f7:70:9e:72:85:c9:29:55:f9:f4:a4:f2:b4:
         3b:3d:ce:25:96:67:32:1e:8d:e2:00:22:55:4b:05:4f:ee:0e:
         67:ac:db:1b:61:da:5f:9c:10:1c:0c:05:66:c0:5b:5f:b9:95:
         59:a9:58:5b:e7:69:ac:b0:bd:b3:c2:a3:35:58:01:a4:ff:c0:
         8d:ac:1c:19:21:41:50:fb:8e:e0:f5:a9:ad:ec:de:cb:53:04:
         a9:d8:ac:76:8a:09:0d:7c:c6:1a:bc:06:74:bb:10:1c:aa:07:
         f6:cb:b2:1b:0c:0c:65:03:45:2b:51:d5:6e:a0:4d:91:ce:c5:
         ed:8d:a9:e7:f6:37:7d:ab:1b:a4:a2:a3:3b:76:17:5b:d9:3a:
         9c:c1:df:cc:cd:a0:b0:a9:5c:74:61:d7:a0:1d:04:67:68:ee:
         a6:7b:1e:41:a4:02:fc:65:9e:e3:c1:c2:57:b2:2e:b0:ff:a9:
         86:82:35:4d:29:b2:fe:74:2e:b8:37:5d:2b:e8:69:f2:80:29:
         19:f1:1e:7a:5d:e3:d2:51:50:46:30:54:7e:b8:ad:59:61:24:
         45:a8:5a:fe:19:ff:09:31:d0:50:8b:e2:15:c0:a2:f1:20:95:
         63:55:18:a7:a2:ad:16:25:c7:a3:d1:f2:e5:be:6d:c0:50:4b:
         15:ac:e0:10:5e:f3:7b:90:9c:75:1a:6b:e3:fb:39:88:e4:e6:
         9f:4c:85:60:67:e8:7d:2e:85:3d:87:ed:06:1d:13:0b:76:d7:
         97:a5:b8:05:76:67:d6:41:06:c5:c0:7a:bd:f4:c6:5b:b2:fd:
         23:6f:1f:57:2e:df:95:3f:26:a5:13:4d:6d:96:12:56:98:db:
         2e:7d:fd:56:f5:71:b7:19:2b:c9:de:2d:b9:c8:17:cc:20:de:
         7c:19:7a:aa:12:97:1c:80:b7:d3:67:d3:b7:a7:96:f0:c9:4d:
         f5:8b:0e:10:3b:b9:4e:09:90:5a:3b:51:c9:48:a2:ca:9f:db:
         72:44:87:59:db:49:fa:75:44:b5:f6:7f:c5:26:e1:01:ae:7b:
         6f:4a:75:d1:b5:b3:68:c0:31:48:f8:5c:06:c0:f1:b4:96:e8:
         38:e8:ad:44:3d:0a:8c:03:b6:2c:86:6a:f0:39:de:84:4b:2e:
         91:18:d1:45:65:d8:64:f5
Create a configmap in the Kubernetes Cluster

After downloading the certificate locally on your machine, create a configmap in the Kubernetes cluster that will copy the root CA certificate on your local machine into the Kubernetes cluster.

Important

When running the command to create a configmap, the C-VEN and Kubelink require the file to have the .crt extension not work.

To create configmap, use the following command:

$ kubectl -n illumio-system create configmap root-ca-config \
	--from-file=./certs/root.democa.illumio-demo.com.crt

The --from-file option points to the path where the root CA certificate is stored on your local machine.

To verify that configmap was created correctly, use the following command:

$ kubectl -n illumio-system create configmap root-ca-config \
> --from-file=./certs/root.democa.illumio-demo.com.crt
configmap/root-ca-config created
$
$ kubectl -n illumio-system get configmap
NAME                                 DATA   AGE
root-ca-config                       1      12s
$
$ kubectl -n illumio-system describe configmap root-ca-config
Name:         root-ca-config
Namespace:    illumio-system
Labels:       <none>
Annotations:  <none>

Data
====
root.democa.illumio-demo.com.crt:
----
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIGSzCCBDOgAwIBAgIUAPw0NfPAivJW4YmKZ499eHZH3S8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL
---output suppressed---
wPG0lug46K1EPQqMA7YshmrwOd6ESy6RGNFFZdhk9Q==
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

Events:  <none>
$

root-ca-config is the name used to designate configmap. You can modify it according to your naming convention.

Configure Calico in Append Mode

In case your cluster is configured with Calico as the network plugin (usually for Kubernetes and not for OpenShift), both Calico and Illumio Core will write iptables rules on the cluster nodes.

  • Calico - Needs to write iptables rules to instruct the host how to forward packets (overlay, IPIP, NAT, and so on).

  • Illumio Core - Needs to write iptables rules to secure communications between nodes and/or Pods.

You should establish a hierarchy to ensure the firewall coexistence works smoothly, as Illumio and Calico will write rules simultaneously. By default, both solutions are configured to insert rules first in the iptables chains and tables, and Illumio will remove other rules added by third-party software (in Exclusive mode).

To allow Calico to write rules along with Illumio without flushing rules from one another, you should:

  • Configure Illumio to operate in Firewall Coexistence mode (the default for workloads that are part of a container cluster).

  • Configure Calico to operate in Append mode (the default is Insert mode).

To configure Calico to work in Append mode with iptables:

  1. Edit the Calico DaemonSet.

    kubectl -n kube-system edit ds calico-node

  2. Locate the spec: > template: > spec: > containers: section inside the YAML file and change ChainInsertMode by adding the following code block:

    - name: FELIX_CHAININSERTMODE
  value: Append

  3. Save your changes and exit.

  4. Kubernetes will restart all Calico Pods in a rolling update.

For more information on changing Calico ChainInsertMode, see Calico documentation.