Chapter 5. Troubleshooting


5.1. Troubleshooting installations

5.1.1. Determining where installation issues occur

When troubleshooting OpenShift Container Platform installation issues, you can monitor installation logs to determine at which stage issues occur. Then, retrieve diagnostic data relevant to that stage.

OpenShift Container Platform installation proceeds through the following stages:

  1. Ignition configuration files are created.
  2. The bootstrap machine boots and starts hosting the remote resources required for the master machines to boot.
  3. The master machines fetch the remote resources from the bootstrap machine and finish booting.
  4. The master machines use the bootstrap machine to form an etcd cluster.
  5. The bootstrap machine starts a temporary Kubernetes control plane using the new etcd cluster.
  6. The temporary control plane schedules the production control plane to the master machines.
  7. The temporary control plane shuts down and passes control to the production control plane.
  8. The bootstrap machine adds OpenShift Container Platform components into the production control plane.
  9. The installation program shuts down the bootstrap machine.
  10. The control plane sets up the worker nodes.
  11. The control plane installs additional services in the form of a set of Operators.
  12. The cluster downloads and configures remaining components needed for the day-to-day operation, including the creation of worker machines in supported environments.

5.1.2. User-provisioned infrastructure installation considerations

The default installation method uses installer-provisioned infrastructure. With installer-provisioned infrastructure clusters, OpenShift Container Platform manages all aspects of the cluster, including the operating system itself. If possible, use this feature to avoid having to provision and maintain the cluster infrastructure.

You can alternatively install OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 on infrastructure that you provide. If you use this installation method, follow user-provisioned infrastructure installation documentation carefully. Additionally, review the following considerations before the installation:

  • Check the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Ecosystem to determine the level of Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) support provided for your chosen server hardware or virtualization technology.
  • Many virtualization and cloud environments require agents to be installed on guest operating systems. Ensure that these agents are installed as a containerized workload deployed through a daemon set.
  • Install cloud provider integration if you want to enable features such as dynamic storage, on-demand service routing, node host name to Kubernetes host name resolution, and cluster autoscaling.

    Note

    It is not possible to enable cloud provider integration in OpenShift Container Platform environments that mix resources from different cloud providers, or that span multiple physical or virtual platforms. The node life cycle controller will not allow nodes that are external to the existing provider to be added to a cluster, and it is not possible to specify more than one cloud provider integration.

  • A provider-specific Machine API implementation is required if you want to use machine sets or autoscaling to automatically provision OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes.
  • Check whether your chosen cloud provider offers a method to inject Ignition configuration files into hosts as part of their initial deployment. If they do not, you will need to host Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server. The steps taken to troubleshoot Ignition configuration file issues will differ depending on which of these two methods is deployed.
  • Storage needs to be manually provisioned if you want to leverage optional framework components such as the embedded container registry, ElasticSearch, or Prometheus. Default storage classes are not defined in user-provisioned infrastructure installations unless explicitly configured.
  • A load balancer is required to distribute API requests across all master nodes in highly available OpenShift Container Platform environments. You can use any TCP-based load balancing solution that meets OpenShift Container Platform DNS routing and port requirements.

5.1.3. Checking a load balancer configuration before OpenShift Container Platform installation

Check your load balancer configuration prior to starting an OpenShift Container Platform installation.

Prerequisites

  • You have configured an external load balancer of your choosing, in preparation for an OpenShift Container Platform installation. The following example is based on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) host using HAProxy to provide load balancing services to a cluster.
  • You have configured DNS in preparation for an OpenShift Container Platform installation.
  • You have SSH access to your load balancer.

Procedure

  1. Check that the haproxy systemd service is active:

    $ ssh <user_name>@<load_balancer> systemctl status haproxy
  2. Verify that the load balancer is listening on the required ports. The following example references ports 80, 443, 6443, and 22623.

    • For HAProxy instances running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6, verify port status by using the netstat command:

      $ ssh <user_name>@<load_balancer> netstat -nltupe | grep -E ':80|:443|:6443|:22623'
    • For HAProxy instances running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 or 8, verify port status by using the ss command:

      $ ssh <user_name>@<load_balancer> ss -nltupe | grep -E ':80|:443|:6443|:22623'
      Note

      Red Hat recommends the ss command instead of netstat in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 or later. ss is provided by the iproute package. For more information on the ss command, see the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 Performance Tuning Guide.

  3. Check that the wildcard DNS record resolves to the load balancer:

    $ dig <wildcard_fqdn> @<dns_server>

5.1.4. Specifying OpenShift Container Platform installer log levels

By default, the OpenShift Container Platform installer log level is set to info. If more detailed logging is required when diagnosing a failed OpenShift Container Platform installation, you can increase the openshift-install log level to debug when starting the installation again.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the installation host.

Procedure

  • Set the installation log level to debug when initiating the installation:

    $ ./openshift-install --dir=<installation_directory> wait-for bootstrap-complete --log-level=debug  1
    1
    Possible log levels include info, warn, error, and debug.

5.1.5. Troubleshooting openshift-install command issues

If you experience issues running the openshift-install command, check the following:

  • The installation has been initiated within 24 hours of Ignition configuration file creation. The Ignition files are created when the following command is run:

    $ ./openshift-install create ignition-configs --dir=./install_dir
  • The install-config.yaml file is in the same directory as the installer. If an alternative installation path is declared by using the ./openshift-install --dir option, verify that the install-config.yaml file exists within that directory.

5.1.6. Monitoring installation progress

You can monitor high-level installation, bootstrap, and control plane logs as an OpenShift Container Platform installation progresses. This provides greater visibility into how an installation progresses and helps identify the stage at which an installation failure occurs.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have SSH access to your hosts.
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the bootstrap and master nodes.

    Note

    The initial kubeadmin password can be found in <install_directory>/auth/kubeadmin-password on the installation host.

Procedure

  1. Watch the installation log as the installation progresses:

    $ tail -f ~/<installation_directory>/.openshift_install.log
  2. Monitor the bootkube.service journald unit log on the bootstrap node, after it has booted. This provides visibility into the bootstrapping of the first control plane. Replace <bootstrap_fqdn> with the bootstrap node’s fully qualified domain name:

    $ ssh core@<bootstrap_fqdn> journalctl -b -f -u bootkube.service
    Note

    The bootkube.service log on the bootstrap node outputs etcd connection refused errors, indicating that the bootstrap server is unable to connect to etcd on master nodes. After etcd has started on each master node and the nodes have joined the cluster, the errors should stop.

  3. Monitor kubelet.service journald unit logs on master nodes, after they have booted. This provides visibility into master node agent activity.

    1. Monitor the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u kubelet
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u kubelet.service
  4. Monitor crio.service journald unit logs on master nodes, after they have booted. This provides visibility into master node CRI-O container runtime activity.

    1. Monitor the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u crio
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

      $ ssh core@master-N.cluster_name.sub_domain.domain journalctl -b -f -u crio.service

5.1.7. Gathering bootstrap node diagnostic data

When experiencing bootstrap-related issues, you can gather bootkube.service journald unit logs and container logs from the bootstrap node.

Prerequisites

  • You have SSH access to your bootstrap node.
  • You have the fully qualified domain name of the bootstrap node.
  • If you are hosting Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server, you must have the HTTP server’s fully qualified domain name and the port number. You must also have SSH access to the HTTP host.

Procedure

  1. If you have access to the bootstrap node’s console, monitor the console until the node reaches the login prompt.
  2. Verify the Ignition file configuration.

    • If you are hosting Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server.

      1. Verify the bootstrap node Ignition file URL. Replace <http_server_fqdn> with HTTP server’s fully qualified domain name:

        $ curl -I http://<http_server_fqdn>:<port>/bootstrap.ign  1
        1
        The -I option returns the header only. If the Ignition file is available on the specified URL, the command returns 200 OK status. If it is not available, the command returns 404 file not found.
      2. To verify that the Ignition file was received by the bootstrap node, query the HTTP server logs on the serving host. For example, if you are using an Apache web server to serve Ignition files, enter the following command:

        $ grep -is 'bootstrap.ign' /var/log/httpd/access_log

        If the bootstrap Ignition file is received, the associated HTTP GET log message will include a 200 OK success status, indicating that the request succeeded.

      3. If the Ignition file was not received, check that the Ignition files exist and that they have the appropriate file and web server permissions on the serving host directly.
    • If you are using a cloud provider mechanism to inject Ignition configuration files into hosts as part of their initial deployment.

      1. Review the bootstrap node’s console to determine if the mechanism is injecting the bootstrap node Ignition file correctly.
  3. Verify the availability of the bootstrap node’s assigned storage device.
  4. Verify that the bootstrap node has been assigned an IP address from the DHCP server.
  5. Collect bootkube.service journald unit logs from the bootstrap node. Replace <bootstrap_fqdn> with the bootstrap node’s fully qualified domain name:

    $ ssh core@<bootstrap_fqdn> journalctl -b -f -u bootkube.service
    Note

    The bootkube.service log on the bootstrap node outputs etcd connection refused errors, indicating that the bootstrap server is unable to connect to etcd on master nodes. After etcd has started on each master node and the nodes have joined the cluster, the errors should stop.

  6. Collect logs from the bootstrap node containers.

    1. Collect the logs using podman on the bootstrap node. Replace <bootstrap_fqdn> with the bootstrap node’s fully qualified domain name:

      $ ssh core@<bootstrap_fqdn> 'for pod in $(sudo podman ps -a -q); do sudo podman logs $pod; done'
  7. If the bootstrap process fails, verify the following.

    • You can resolve api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> from the installation host.
    • The load balancer proxies port 6443 connections to bootstrap and master nodes. Ensure that the proxy configuration meets OpenShift Container Platform installation requirements.

5.1.8. Investigating master node installation issues

If you experience master node installation issues, determine the master node, OpenShift Container Platform software defined network (SDN), and network Operator status. Collect kubelet.service, crio.service journald unit logs, and master node container logs for visibility into master node agent, CRI-O container runtime, and pod activity.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have SSH access to your hosts.
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the bootstrap and master nodes.
  • If you are hosting Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server, you must have the HTTP server’s fully qualified domain name and the port number. You must also have SSH access to the HTTP host.

    Note

    The initial kubeadmin password can be found in <install_directory>/auth/kubeadmin-password on the installation host.

Procedure

  1. If you have access to the master node’s console, monitor the console until the node reaches the login prompt. During the installation, Ignition log messages are output to the console.
  2. Verify Ignition file configuration.

    • If you are hosting Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server.

      1. Verify the master node Ignition file URL. Replace <http_server_fqdn> with HTTP server’s fully qualified domain name:

        $ curl -I http://<http_server_fqdn>:<port>/master.ign  1
        1
        The -I option returns the header only. If the Ignition file is available on the specified URL, the command returns 200 OK status. If it is not available, the command returns 404 file not found.
      2. To verify that the Ignition file was received by the master node, query the HTTP server logs on the serving host. For example, if you are using an Apache web server to serve Ignition files:

        $ grep -is 'master.ign' /var/log/httpd/access_log

        If the master Ignition file is received, the associated HTTP GET log message will include a 200 OK success status, indicating that the request succeeded.

      3. If the Ignition file was not received, check that it exists on the serving host directly. Ensure that the appropriate file and web server permissions are in place.
    • If you are using a cloud provider mechanism to inject Ignition configuration files into hosts as part of their initial deployment.

      1. Review the master node’s console to determine if the mechanism is injecting the master node Ignition file correctly.
  3. Check the availability of the master node’s assigned storage device.
  4. Verify that the master node has been assigned an IP address from the DHCP server.
  5. Determine master node status.

    1. Query master node status:

      $ oc get nodes
    2. If one of the master nodes does not reach a Ready status, retrieve a detailed node description:

      $ oc describe node <master_node>
      Note

      It is not possible to run oc commands if an installation issue prevents the OpenShift Container Platform API from running or if the kubelet is not running yet on each node:

  6. Determine OpenShift Container Platform SDN status.

    1. Review sdn-controller, sdn, and ovs daemon set status, in the openshift-sdn namespace:

      $ oc get daemonsets -n openshift-sdn
    2. If those resources are listed as Not found, review pods in the openshift-sdn namespace:

      $ oc get pods -n openshift-sdn
    3. Review logs relating to failed OpenShift Container Platform SDN pods in the openshift-sdn namespace:

      $ oc logs <sdn_pod> -n openshift-sdn
  7. Determine cluster network configuration status.

    1. Review whether the cluster’s network configuration exists:

      $ oc get network.config.openshift.io cluster -o yaml
    2. If the installer failed to create the network configuration, generate the Kubernetes manifests again and review message output:

      $ ./openshift-install create manifests
    3. Review the pod status in the openshift-network-operator namespace to determine whether the Cluster Network Operator (CNO) is running:

      $ oc get pods -n openshift-network-operator
    4. Gather network Operator pod logs from the openshift-network-operator namespace:

      $ oc logs pod/<network_operator_pod_name> -n openshift-network-operator
  8. Monitor kubelet.service journald unit logs on master nodes, after they have booted. This provides visibility into master node agent activity.

    1. Retrieve the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u kubelet
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u kubelet.service
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

  9. Retrieve crio.service journald unit logs on master nodes, after they have booted. This provides visibility into master node CRI-O container runtime activity.

    1. Retrieve the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u crio
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u crio.service
  10. Collect logs from specific subdirectories under /var/log/ on master nodes.

    1. Retrieve a list of logs contained within a /var/log/ subdirectory. The following example lists files in /var/log/openshift-apiserver/ on all master nodes:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master --path=openshift-apiserver
    2. Inspect a specific log within a /var/log/ subdirectory. The following example outputs /var/log/openshift-apiserver/audit.log contents from all master nodes:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master --path=openshift-apiserver/audit.log
    3. If the API is not functional, review the logs on each node using SSH instead. The following example tails /var/log/openshift-apiserver/audit.log:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo tail -f /var/log/openshift-apiserver/audit.log
  11. Review master node container logs using SSH.

    1. List the containers:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl ps -a
    2. Retrieve a container’s logs using crictl:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl logs -f <container_id>
  12. If you experience master node configuration issues, verify that the MCO, MCO endpoint, and DNS record are functioning. The Machine Config Operator (MCO) manages operating system configuration during the installation procedure. Also verify system clock accuracy and certificate validity.

    1. Test whether the MCO endpoint is available. Replace <cluster_name> with appropriate values:

      $ curl https://api-int.<cluster_name>:22623/config/master
    2. If the endpoint is unresponsive, verify load balancer configuration. Ensure that the endpoint is configured to run on port 22623.
    3. Verify that the MCO endpoint’s DNS record is configured and resolves to the load balancer.

      1. Run a DNS lookup for the defined MCO endpoint name:

        $ dig api-int.<cluster_name> @<dns_server>
      2. Run a reverse lookup to the assigned MCO IP address on the load balancer:

        $ dig -x <load_balancer_mco_ip_address> @<dns_server>
    4. Verify that the MCO is functioning from the bootstrap node directly. Replace <bootstrap_fqdn> with the bootstrap node’s fully qualified domain name:

      $ ssh core@<bootstrap_fqdn> curl https://api-int.<cluster_name>:22623/config/master
    5. System clock time must be synchronized between bootstrap, master, and worker nodes. Check each node’s system clock reference time and time synchronization statistics:

      $ ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> chronyc tracking
    6. Review certificate validity:

      $ openssl s_client -connect api-int.<cluster_name>:22623 | openssl x509 -noout -text

5.1.9. Investigating etcd installation issues

If you experience etcd issues during installation, you can check etcd pod status and collect etcd pod logs. You can also verify etcd DNS records and check DNS availability on master nodes.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have SSH access to your hosts.
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the master nodes.

Procedure

  1. Check the status of etcd pods.

    1. Review the status of pods in the openshift-etcd namespace:

      $ oc get pods -n openshift-etcd
    2. Review the status of pods in the openshift-etcd-operator namespace:

      $ oc get pods -n openshift-etcd-operator
  2. If any of the pods listed by the previous commands are not showing a Running or a Completed status, gather diagnostic information for the pod.

    1. Review events for the pod:

      $ oc describe pod/<pod_name> -n <namespace>
    2. Inspect the pod’s logs:

      $ oc logs pod/<pod_name> -n <namespace>
    3. If the pod has more than one container, the preceding command will create an error, and the container names will be provided in the error message. Inspect logs for each container:

      $ oc logs pod/<pod_name> -c <container_name> -n <namespace>
  3. If the API is not functional, review etcd pod and container logs on each master node by using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values.

    1. List etcd pods on each master node:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl pods --name=etcd-
    2. For any pods not showing Ready status, inspect pod status in detail. Replace <pod_id> with the pod’s ID listed in the output of the preceding command:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl inspectp <pod_id>
    3. List containers related to a pod:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl ps | grep '<pod_id>'
    4. For any containers not showing Ready status, inspect container status in detail. Replace <container_id> with container IDs listed in the output of the preceding command:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl inspect <container_id>
    5. Review the logs for any containers not showing a Ready status. Replace <container_id> with the container IDs listed in the output of the preceding command:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl logs -f <container_id>
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

  4. Validate primary and secondary DNS server connectivity from master nodes.

5.1.10. Investigating master node kubelet and API server issues

To investigate master node kubelet and API server issues during installation, check DNS, DHCP, and load balancer functionality. Also, verify that certificates have not expired.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have SSH access to your hosts.
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the master nodes.

Procedure

  1. Verify that the API server’s DNS record directs the kubelet on master nodes to https://api-int.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>:6443. Ensure that the record references the load balancer.
  2. Ensure that the load balancer’s port 6443 definition references each master node.
  3. Check that unique master node host names have been provided by DHCP.
  4. Inspect the kubelet.service journald unit logs on each master node.

    1. Retrieve the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u kubelet
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u kubelet.service
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

  5. Check for certificate expiration messages in the master node kubelet logs.

    1. Retrieve the log using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u kubelet | grep -is 'x509: certificate has expired'
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u kubelet.service  | grep -is 'x509: certificate has expired'

5.1.11. Investigating worker node installation issues

If you experience worker node installation issues, you can review the worker node status. Collect kubelet.service, crio.service journald unit logs and the worker node container logs for visibility into the worker node agent, CRI-O container runtime and pod activity. Additionally, you can check the Ignition file and Machine API Operator functionality. If worker node post-installation configuration fails, check Machine Config Operator (MCO) and DNS functionality. You can also verify system clock synchronization between the bootstrap, master, and worker nodes, and validate certificates.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have SSH access to your hosts.
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the bootstrap and worker nodes.
  • If you are hosting Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server, you must have the HTTP server’s fully qualified domain name and the port number. You must also have SSH access to the HTTP host.

    Note

    The initial kubeadmin password can be found in <install_directory>/auth/kubeadmin-password on the installation host.

Procedure

  1. If you have access to the worker node’s console, monitor the console until the node reaches the login prompt. During the installation, Ignition log messages are output to the console.
  2. Verify Ignition file configuration.

    • If you are hosting Ignition configuration files by using an HTTP server.

      1. Verify the worker node Ignition file URL. Replace <http_server_fqdn> with HTTP server’s fully qualified domain name:

        $ curl -I http://<http_server_fqdn>:<port>/worker.ign  1
        1
        The -I option returns the header only. If the Ignition file is available on the specified URL, the command returns 200 OK status. If it is not available, the command returns 404 file not found.
      2. To verify that the Ignition file was received by the worker node, query the HTTP server logs on the HTTP host. For example, if you are using an Apache web server to serve Ignition files:

        $ grep -is 'worker.ign' /var/log/httpd/access_log

        If the worker Ignition file is received, the associated HTTP GET log message will include a 200 OK success status, indicating that the request succeeded.

      3. If the Ignition file was not received, check that it exists on the serving host directly. Ensure that the appropriate file and web server permissions are in place.
    • If you are using a cloud provider mechanism to inject Ignition configuration files into hosts as part of their initial deployment.

      1. Review the worker node’s console to determine if the mechanism is injecting the worker node Ignition file correctly.
  3. Check the availability of the worker node’s assigned storage device.
  4. Verify that the worker node has been assigned an IP address from the DHCP server.
  5. Determine worker node status.

    1. Query node status:

      $ oc get nodes
    2. Retrieve a detailed node description for any worker nodes not showing a Ready status:

      $ oc describe node <worker_node>
      Note

      It is not possible to run oc commands if an installation issue prevents the OpenShift Container Platform API from running or if the kubelet is not running yet on each node.

  6. Unlike master nodes, worker nodes are deployed and scaled using the Machine API Operator. Check the status of the Machine API Operator.

    1. Review Machine API Operator pod status:

      $ oc get pods -n openshift-machine-api
    2. If the Machine API Operator pod does not have a Ready status, detail the pod’s events:

      $ oc describe pod/<machine_api_operator_pod_name> -n openshift-machine-api
    3. Inspect machine-api-operator container logs. The container runs within the machine-api-operator pod:

      $ oc logs pod/<machine_api_operator_pod_name> -n openshift-machine-api -c machine-api-operator
    4. Also inspect kube-rbac-proxy container logs. The container also runs within the machine-api-operator pod:

      $ oc logs pod/<machine_api_operator_pod_name> -n openshift-machine-api -c kube-rbac-proxy
  7. Monitor kubelet.service journald unit logs on worker nodes, after they have booted. This provides visibility into worker node agent activity.

    1. Retrieve the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=worker -u kubelet
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <worker-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

      $ ssh core@<worker-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u kubelet.service
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

  8. Retrieve crio.service journald unit logs on worker nodes, after they have booted. This provides visibility into worker node CRI-O container runtime activity.

    1. Retrieve the logs using oc:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=worker -u crio
    2. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead:

      $ ssh core@<worker-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u crio.service
  9. Collect logs from specific subdirectories under /var/log/ on worker nodes.

    1. Retrieve a list of logs contained within a /var/log/ subdirectory. The following example lists files in /var/log/sssd/ on all worker nodes:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=worker --path=sssd
    2. Inspect a specific log within a /var/log/ subdirectory. The following example outputs /var/log/sssd/audit.log contents from all worker nodes:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=worker --path=sssd/sssd.log
    3. If the API is not functional, review the logs on each node using SSH instead. The following example tails /var/log/sssd/sssd.log:

      $ ssh core@<worker-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo tail -f /var/log/sssd/sssd.log
  10. Review worker node container logs using SSH.

    1. List the containers:

      $ ssh core@<worker-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl ps -a
    2. Retrieve a container’s logs using crictl:

      $ ssh core@<worker-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl logs -f <container_id>
  11. If you experience worker node configuration issues, verify that the MCO, MCO endpoint, and DNS record are functioning. The Machine Config Operator (MCO) manages operating system configuration during the installation procedure. Also verify system clock accuracy and certificate validity.

    1. Test whether the MCO endpoint is available. Replace <cluster_name> with appropriate values:

      $ curl https://api-int.<cluster_name>:22623/config/worker
    2. If the endpoint is unresponsive, verify load balancer configuration. Ensure that the endpoint is configured to run on port 22623.
    3. Verify that the MCO endpoint’s DNS record is configured and resolves to the load balancer.

      1. Run a DNS lookup for the defined MCO endpoint name:

        $ dig api-int.<cluster_name> @<dns_server>
      2. Run a reverse lookup to the assigned MCO IP address on the load balancer:

        $ dig -x <load_balancer_mco_ip_address> @<dns_server>
    4. Verify that the MCO is functioning from the bootstrap node directly. Replace <bootstrap_fqdn> with the bootstrap node’s fully qualified domain name:

      $ ssh core@<bootstrap_fqdn> curl https://api-int.<cluster_name>:22623/config/worker
    5. System clock time must be synchronized between bootstrap, master, and worker nodes. Check each node’s system clock reference time and time synchronization statistics:

      $ ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> chronyc tracking
    6. Review certificate validity:

      $ openssl s_client -connect api-int.<cluster_name>:22623 | openssl x509 -noout -text

5.1.12. Querying Operator status after installation

You can check Operator status at the end of an installation. Retrieve diagnostic data for Operators that do not become available. Review logs for any Operator pods that are listed as Pending or have an error status. Validate base images used by problematic pods.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Check that cluster Operators are all available at the end of an installation.

    $ oc get clusteroperators
  2. If any Operators fail to become available, view Operator events:

    $ oc describe clusteroperator <operator_name>
  3. Review Operator pod status within the Operator’s namespace:

    $ oc get pods -n <operator_namespace>
  4. Obtain a detailed description for pods that do not have Running status:

    $ oc describe pod/<operator_pod_name> -n <operator_namespace>
  5. Inspect pod logs:

    $ oc logs pod/<operator_pod_name> -n <operator_namespace>
  6. When experiencing pod base image related issues, review base image status.

    1. Obtain details of the base image used by a problematic pod:

      $ oc get pod -o "jsonpath={range .status.containerStatuses[*]}{.name}{'\t'}{.state}{'\t'}{.image}{'\n'}{end}" <operator_pod_name> -n <operator_namespace>
    2. List base image release information:

      $ oc adm release info <image_path>:<tag> --commits

5.1.13. Gathering logs from a failed installation

If you gave an SSH key to your installation program, you can gather data about your failed installation.

Note

You use a different command to gather logs about an unsuccessful installation than to gather logs from a running cluster. If you must gather logs from a running cluster, use the oc adm must-gather command.

Prerequisites

  • Your OpenShift Container Platform installation failed before the bootstrap process finished. The bootstrap node is running and accessible through SSH.
  • The ssh-agent process is active on your computer, and you provided the same SSH key to both the ssh-agent process and the installation program.
  • If you tried to install a cluster on infrastructure that you provisioned, you must have the fully qualified domain names of the bootstrap and master nodes.

Procedure

  1. Generate the commands that are required to obtain the installation logs from the bootstrap and control plane machines:

    • If you used installer-provisioned infrastructure, run the following command:

      $ ./openshift-install gather bootstrap --dir=<installation_directory> 1
      1
      installation_directory is the directory you specified when you ran ./openshift-install create cluster. This directory contains the OpenShift Container Platform definition files that the installation program creates.

      For installer-provisioned infrastructure, the installation program stores information about the cluster, so you do not specify the host names or IP addresses.

    • If you used infrastructure that you provisioned yourself, run the following command:

      $ ./openshift-install gather bootstrap --dir=<installation_directory> \ 1
          --bootstrap <bootstrap_address> \ 2
          --master <master_1_address> \ 3
          --master <master_2_address> \ 4
          --master <master_3_address>" 5
      1
      For installation_directory, specify the same directory you specified when you ran ./openshift-install create cluster. This directory contains the OpenShift Container Platform definition files that the installation program creates.
      2
      <bootstrap_address> is the fully qualified domain name or IP address of the cluster’s bootstrap machine.
      3 4 5
      For each control plane, or master, machine in your cluster, replace <master_*_address> with its fully qualified domain name or IP address.
      Note

      A default cluster contains three control plane machines. List all of your control plane machines as shown, no matter how many your cluster uses.

    Example output

    INFO Pulling debug logs from the bootstrap machine
    INFO Bootstrap gather logs captured here "<installation_directory>/log-bundle-<timestamp>.tar.gz"

    If you open a Red Hat support case about your installation failure, include the compressed logs in the case.

5.1.14. Additional resources

  • See Installation process for more details on OpenShift Container Platform installation types and process.

5.2. Verifying node health

5.2.1. Reviewing node status, resource usage, and configuration

Review cluster node health status, resource consumption statistics, and node logs. Additionally, query kubelet status on individual nodes.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. List the name, status, and role for all nodes in the cluster:

    $ oc get nodes
  2. Summarize CPU and memory usage for each node within the cluster:

    $ oc adm top nodes
  3. Summarize CPU and memory usage for a specific node:

    $ oc adm top node -l my-node

5.2.2. Querying the kubelet’s status on a node

You can review cluster node health status, resource consumption statistics, and node logs. Additionally, you can query kubelet status on individual nodes.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. The kubelet is managed using a systemd service on each node. Review the kubelet’s status by querying the kubelet systemd service within a debug pod.

    1. Start a debug pod for a node:

      $ oc debug node/my-node
    2. Set /host as the root directory within the debug shell. The debug pod mounts the host’s root file system in /host within the pod. By changing the root directory to /host, you can run binaries contained in the host’s executable paths:

      # chroot /host
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> instead.

    3. Check whether the kubelet systemd service is active on the node:

      # systemctl is-active kubelet
    4. Output a more detailed kubelet.service status summary:

      # systemctl status kubelet

5.2.3. Querying cluster node journal logs

You can gather journald unit logs and other logs within /var/log on individual cluster nodes.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have SSH access to your hosts.

Procedure

  1. Query kubelet journald unit logs from OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes. The following example queries master nodes only:

    $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u kubelet  1
    1
    Replace kubelet as appropriate to query other unit logs.
  2. Collect logs from specific subdirectories under /var/log/ on cluster nodes.

    1. Retrieve a list of logs contained within a /var/log/ subdirectory. The following example lists files in /var/log/openshift-apiserver/ on all master nodes:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master --path=openshift-apiserver
    2. Inspect a specific log within a /var/log/ subdirectory. The following example outputs /var/log/openshift-apiserver/audit.log contents from all master nodes:

      $ oc adm node-logs --role=master --path=openshift-apiserver/audit.log
    3. If the API is not functional, review the logs on each node using SSH instead. The following example tails /var/log/openshift-apiserver/audit.log:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo tail -f /var/log/openshift-apiserver/audit.log
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

5.3. Troubleshooting CRI-O container runtime issues

5.3.1. About CRI-O container runtime engine

CRI-O is a Kubernetes-native container runtime implementation that integrates closely with the operating system to deliver an efficient and optimized Kubernetes experience. CRI-O provides facilities for running, stopping, and restarting containers.

The CRI-O container runtime engine is managed using a systemd service on each OpenShift Container Platform cluster node. When container runtime issues occur, verify the status of the crio systemd service on each node. Gather CRI-O journald unit logs from nodes that manifest container runtime issues.

5.3.2. Verifying CRI-O runtime engine status

You can verify CRI-O container runtime engine status on each cluster node.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Review CRI-O status by querying the crio systemd service on a node, within a debug pod.

    1. Start a debug pod for a node:

      $ oc debug node/my-node
    2. Set /host as the root directory within the debug shell. The debug pod mounts the host’s root file system in /host within the pod. By changing the root directory to /host, you can run binaries contained in the host’s executable paths:

      # chroot /host
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> instead.

    3. Check whether the crio systemd service is active on the node:

      # systemctl is-active crio
    4. Output a more detailed kubelet.service status summary:

      # systemctl status crio

5.3.3. Gathering CRI-O journald unit logs

If you experience CRI-O issues, you can obtain CRI-O journald unit logs from a node.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the control plane, or master machines.

Procedure

  1. Gather CRI-O journald unit logs. The following example collects logs from all master nodes within the cluster:

    $ oc adm node-logs --role=master -u crio
  2. Gather CRI-O journald unit logs from a specific node:

    $ oc adm node-logs <node_name> -u crio
  3. If the API is not functional, review the logs using SSH instead. Replace <node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values:

    $ ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> journalctl -b -f -u crio.service
    Note

    OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

5.4. Troubleshooting Operator issues

Operators are a method of packaging, deploying, and managing an OpenShift Container Platform application. They act like an extension of the software vendor’s engineering team, watching over an OpenShift Container Platform environment and using its current state to make decisions in real time. Operators are designed to handle upgrades seamlessly, react to failures automatically, and not take shortcuts, such as skipping a software backup process to save time.

OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 includes a default set of Operators that are required for proper functioning of the cluster. These default Operators are managed by the Cluster Version Operator (CVO).

As a cluster administrator, you can install application Operators from the OperatorHub using the OpenShift Container Platform web console or the CLI. You can then subscribe the Operator to one or more namespaces to make it available for developers on your cluster. Application Operators are managed by Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM).

If you experience Operator issues, verify Operator subscription status. Check Operator pod health across the cluster and gather Operator logs for diagnosis.

5.4.1. Operator subscription condition types

Subscriptions can report the following condition types:

Table 5.1. Subscription condition types
ConditionDescription

CatalogSourcesUnhealthy

Some or all of the catalog sources to be used in resolution are unhealthy.

InstallPlanMissing

An install plan for a subscription is missing.

InstallPlanPending

An install plan for a subscription is pending installation.

InstallPlanFailed

An install plan for a subscription has failed.

Note

Default OpenShift Container Platform cluster Operators are managed by the Cluster Version Operator (CVO) and they do not have a Subscription object. Application Operators are managed by Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) and they have a Subscription object.

5.4.2. Viewing Operator subscription status using the CLI

You can view Operator subscription status using the CLI.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. List Operator subscriptions:

    $ oc get subs -n <operator_namespace>
  2. Use the oc describe command to inspect a Subscription resource:

    $ oc describe sub <subscription_name> -n <operator_namespace>
  3. In the command output, find the Conditions section for the status of Operator subscription condition types. In the following example, the CatalogSourcesUnhealthy condition type has a status of false because all available catalog sources are healthy:

    Example output

    Conditions:
       Last Transition Time:  2019-07-29T13:42:57Z
       Message:               all available catalogsources are healthy
       Reason:                AllCatalogSourcesHealthy
       Status:                False
       Type:                  CatalogSourcesUnhealthy

Note

Default OpenShift Container Platform cluster Operators are managed by the Cluster Version Operator (CVO) and they do not have a Subscription object. Application Operators are managed by Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) and they have a Subscription object.

5.4.3. Querying Operator pod status

You can list Operator pods within a cluster and their status. You can also collect a detailed Operator pod summary.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. List Operators running in the cluster. The output includes Operator version, availability, and up-time information:

    $ oc get clusteroperators
  2. List Operator pods running in the Operator’s namespace, plus pod status, restarts, and age:

    $ oc get pod -n <operator_namespace>
  3. Output a detailed Operator pod summary:

    $ oc describe pod <operator_pod_name> -n <operator_namespace>
  4. If an Operator issue is node-specific, query Operator container status on that node.

    1. Start a debug pod for the node:

      $ oc debug node/my-node
    2. Set /host as the root directory within the debug shell. The debug pod mounts the host’s root file system in /host within the pod. By changing the root directory to /host, you can run binaries contained in the host’s executable paths:

      # chroot /host
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> instead.

    3. List details about the node’s containers, including state and associated pod IDs:

      # crictl ps
    4. List information about a specific Operator container on the node. The following example lists information about the network-operator container:

      # crictl ps --name network-operator
    5. Exit from the debug shell.

5.4.4. Gathering Operator logs

If you experience Operator issues, you can gather detailed diagnostic information from Operator pod logs.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • You have the fully qualified domain names of the control plane, or master machines.

Procedure

  1. List the Operator pods that are running in the Operator’s namespace, plus the pod status, restarts, and age:

    $ oc get pods -n <operator_namespace>
  2. Review logs for an Operator pod:

    $ oc logs pod/<pod_name> -n <operator_namespace>

    If an Operator pod has multiple containers, the preceding command will produce an error that includes the name of each container. Query logs from an individual container:

    $ oc logs pod/<operator_pod_name> -c <container_name> -n <operator_namespace>
  3. If the API is not functional, review Operator pod and container logs on each master node by using SSH instead. Replace <master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> with appropriate values.

    1. List pods on each master node:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl pods
    2. For any Operator pods not showing a Ready status, inspect the pod’s status in detail. Replace <operator_pod_id> with the Operator pod’s ID listed in the output of the preceding command:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl inspectp <operator_pod_id>
    3. List containers related to an Operator pod:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl ps --pod=<operator_pod_id>
    4. For any Operator container not showing a Ready status, inspect the container’s status in detail. Replace <container_id> with a container ID listed in the output of the preceding command:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl inspect <container_id>
    5. Review the logs for any Operator containers not showing a Ready status. Replace <container_id> with a container ID listed in the output of the preceding command:

      $ ssh core@<master-node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> sudo crictl logs -f <container_id>
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. Before attempting to collect diagnostic data over SSH, review whether the data collected by running oc adm must gather and other oc commands is sufficient instead. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

5.4.5. Disabling the Machine Config Operator from automatically rebooting

When configuration changes are made by the Machine Config Operator, Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) must reboot for the changes to take effect. Whether the configuration change is automatic, such as when a kube-apiserver-to-kubelet-signer CA is rotated, or manual, such as when a registry or SSH key is updated, an RHCOS node reboots automatically unless it is paused.

To avoid unwanted disruptions, you can modify the machine config pool (MCP) to prevent automatic rebooting after the Operator makes changes to the machine config.

Note

Pausing a machine config pool stops all system reboot processes and all configuration changes from being applied.

5.4.5.1. Disabling the Machine Config Operator from automatically rebooting by using the console

To avoid unwanted disruptions from changes made by the Machine Config Operator (MCO), you can use the OpenShift Container Platform web console to modify the machine config pool (MCP) to prevent the MCO from making any changes to nodes in that pool. This prevents any reboots that would normally be part of the MCO update process.

Note

Pausing an MCP stops all updates to your RHCOS nodes, including updates to the operating system, security, certificate, and any other updates related to the machine config. Pausing should be done for short periods of time only.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.

Procedure

To pause or unpause automatic MCO update rebooting:

  • Pause the autoreboot process:

    1. Log in to the OpenShift Container Platform web console as a user with the cluster-admin role.
    2. Click Compute Machine Config Pools.
    3. On the Machine Config Pools page, click either master or worker, depending upon which nodes you want to pause rebooting for.
    4. On the master or worker page, click YAML.
    5. In the YAML, update the spec.paused field to true.

      Sample MachineConfigPool object

      apiVersion: machineconfiguration.openshift.io/v1
      kind: MachineConfigPool
       ...
      spec:
       ...
        paused: true 1

      1
      Update the spec.paused field to true to pause rebooting.
    6. To verify that the MCP is paused, return to the Machine Config Pools page.

      On the Machine Config Pools page, the Paused column reports True for the MCP you modified.

      If the MCP has pending changes while paused, the Updated column is False and Updating is False. When Updated is True and Updating is False, there are no pending changes.

      Important

      If there are pending changes (where both the Updated and Updating columns are False), it is recommended to schedule a maintenance window for a reboot as early as possible. Use the following steps for unpausing the autoreboot process to apply the changes that were queued since the last reboot.

  • Unpause the autoreboot process:

    1. Log in to the OpenShift Container Platform web console as a user with the cluster-admin role.
    2. Click Compute Machine Config Pools.
    3. On the Machine Config Pools page, click either master or worker, depending upon which nodes you want to pause rebooting for.
    4. On the master or worker page, click YAML.
    5. In the YAML, update the spec.paused field to false.

      Sample MachineConfigPool object

      apiVersion: machineconfiguration.openshift.io/v1
      kind: MachineConfigPool
       ...
      spec:
       ...
        paused: false 1

      1
      Update the spec.paused field to false to allow rebooting.
      Note

      By unpausing an MCP, the MCO applies all paused changes reboots Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) as needed.

    6. To verify that the MCP is paused, return to the Machine Config Pools page.

      On the Machine Config Pools page, the Paused column reports False for the MCP you modified.

      If the MCP is applying any pending changes, the Updated column is False and the Updating column is True. When Updated is True and Updating is False, there are no further changes being made.

5.4.5.2. Disabling the Machine Config Operator from automatically rebooting by using the CLI

To avoid unwanted disruptions from changes made by the Machine Config Operator (MCO), you can modify the machine config pool (MCP) using the OpenShift CLI (oc) to prevent the MCO from making any changes to nodes in that pool. This prevents any reboots that would normally be part of the MCO update process.

Note

Pausing an MCP stops all updates to your RHCOS nodes, including updates to the operating system, security, certificate, as well as any other updates related to the machine config. Pausing should be done for short periods of time only.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

To pause or unpause automatic MCO update rebooting:

  • Pause the autoreboot process:

    1. Update the MachineConfigPool custom resource to set the spec.paused field to true.

      Control plane (master) nodes

      $ oc patch --type=merge --patch='{"spec":{"paused":true}}' machineconfigpool/master

      Worker nodes

      $ oc patch --type=merge --patch='{"spec":{"paused":true}}' machineconfigpool/worker

    2. Verify that the MCP is paused:

      Control plane (master) nodes

      $ oc get machineconfigpool/master --template='{{.spec.paused}}'

      Worker nodes

      $ oc get machineconfigpool/worker --template='{{.spec.paused}}'

      Example output

      true

      The spec.paused field is true and the MCP is paused.

    3. Determine if the MCP has pending changes:

      # oc get machineconfigpool

      Example output

      NAME     CONFIG                                             UPDATED   UPDATING
      master   rendered-master-33cf0a1254318755d7b48002c597bf91   True      False
      worker   rendered-worker-e405a5bdb0db1295acea08bcca33fa60   False     False

      If the UPDATED column is False and UPDATING is False, there are pending changes. When UPDATED is True and UPDATING is False, there are no pending changes. In the previous example, the worker node has pending changes. The master node does not have any pending changes.

      Important

      If there are pending changes (where both the Updated and Updating columns are False), it is recommended to schedule a maintenance window for a reboot as early as possible. Use the following steps for unpausing the autoreboot process to apply the changes that were queued since the last reboot.

  • Unpause the autoreboot process:

    1. Update the MachineConfigPool custom resource to set the spec.paused field to false.

      Control plane (master) nodes

      $ oc patch --type=merge --patch='{"spec":{"paused":false}}' machineconfigpool/master

      Worker nodes

      $ oc patch --type=merge --patch='{"spec":{"paused":false}}' machineconfigpool/worker

      Note

      By unpausing an MCP, the MCO applies all paused changes and reboots Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) as needed.

    2. Verify that the MCP is unpaused:

      Control plane (master) nodes

      $ oc get machineconfigpool/master --template='{{.spec.paused}}'

      Worker nodes

      $ oc get machineconfigpool/worker --template='{{.spec.paused}}'

      Example output

      false

      The spec.paused field is false and the MCP is unpaused.

    3. Determine if the MCP has pending changes:

      $ oc get machineconfigpool

      Example output

      NAME     CONFIG                                   UPDATED  UPDATING
      master   rendered-master-546383f80705bd5aeaba93   True     False
      worker   rendered-worker-b4c51bb33ccaae6fc4a6a5   False    True

      If the MCP is applying any pending changes, the UPDATED column is False and the UPDATING column is True. When UPDATED is True and UPDATING is False, there are no further changes being made. In the previous example, the MCO is updating the worker node.

5.5. Investigating pod issues

OpenShift Container Platform leverages the Kubernetes concept of a pod, which is one or more containers deployed together on one host. A pod is the smallest compute unit that can be defined, deployed, and managed on OpenShift Container Platform 4.5.

After a pod is defined, it is assigned to run on a node until its containers exit, or until it is removed. Depending on policy and exit code, Pods are either removed after exiting or retained so that their logs can be accessed.

The first thing to check when pod issues arise is the pod’s status. If an explicit pod failure has occurred, observe the pod’s error state to identify specific image, container, or pod network issues. Focus diagnostic data collection according to the error state. Review pod event messages, as well as pod and container log information. Diagnose issues dynamically by accessing running Pods on the command line, or start a debug pod with root access based on a problematic pod’s deployment configuration.

5.5.1. Understanding pod error states

Pod failures return explicit error states that can be observed in the status field in the output of oc get pods. Pod error states cover image, container, and container network related failures.

The following table provides a list of pod error states along with their descriptions.

Table 5.2. Pod error states
Pod error stateDescription

ErrImagePull

Generic image retrieval error.

ErrImagePullBackOff

Image retrieval failed and is backed off.

ErrInvalidImageName

The specified image name was invalid.

ErrImageInspect

Image inspection did not succeed.

ErrImageNeverPull

PullPolicy is set to NeverPullImage and the target image is not present locally on the host.

ErrRegistryUnavailable

When attempting to retrieve an image from a registry, an HTTP error was encountered.

ErrContainerNotFound

The specified container is either not present or not managed by the kubelet, within the declared pod.

ErrRunInitContainer

Container initialization failed.

ErrRunContainer

None of the pod’s containers started successfully.

ErrKillContainer

None of the pod’s containers were killed successfully.

ErrCrashLoopBackOff

A container has terminated. The kubelet will not attempt to restart it.

ErrVerifyNonRoot

A container or image attempted to run with root privileges.

ErrCreatePodSandbox

Pod sandbox creation did not succeed.

ErrConfigPodSandbox

Pod sandbox configuration was not obtained.

ErrKillPodSandbox

A pod sandbox did not stop successfully.

ErrSetupNetwork

Network initialization failed.

ErrTeardownNetwork

Network termination failed.

5.5.2. Reviewing pod status

You can query pod status and error states. You can also query a pod’s associated deployment configuration and review base image availability.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).
  • skopeo is installed.

Procedure

  1. Switch into a project:

    $ oc project <project_name>
  2. List pods running within the namespace, as well as pod status, error states, restarts, and age:

    $ oc get pods
  3. Determine whether the namespace is managed by a deployment configuration:

    $ oc status

    If the namespace is managed by a deployment configuration, the output includes the deployment configuration name and a base image reference.

  4. Inspect the base image referenced in the preceding command’s output:

    $ skopeo inspect docker://<image_reference>
  5. If the base image reference is not correct, update the reference in the deployment configuration:

    $ oc edit deployment/my-deployment
  6. When deployment configuration changes on exit, the configuration will automatically redeploy. Watch pod status as the deployment progresses, to determine whether the issue has been resolved:

    $ oc get pods -w
  7. Review events within the namespace for diagnostic information relating to pod failures:

    $ oc get events

5.5.3. Inspecting pod and container logs

You can inspect pod and container logs for warnings and error messages related to explicit pod failures. Depending on policy and exit code, pod and container logs remain available after pods have been terminated.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Query logs for a specific pod:

    $ oc logs <pod_name>
  2. Query logs for a specific container within a pod:

    $ oc logs <pod_name> -c <container_name>

    Logs retrieved using the preceding oc logs commands are composed of messages sent to stdout within pods or containers.

  3. Inspect logs contained in /var/log/ within a pod.

    1. List log files and subdirectories contained in /var/log within a pod:

      $ oc exec <pod_name> ls -alh /var/log
    2. Query a specific log file contained in /var/log within a pod:

      $ oc exec <pod_name> cat /var/log/<path_to_log>
    3. List log files and subdirectories contained in /var/log within a specific container:

      $ oc exec <pod_name> -c <container_name> ls /var/log
    4. Query a specific log file contained in /var/log within a specific container:

      $ oc exec <pod_name> -c <container_name> cat /var/log/<path_to_log>

5.5.4. Accessing running pods

You can review running pods dynamically by opening a shell inside a pod or by gaining network access through port forwarding.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Switch into the project that contains the pod you would like to access. This is necessary because the oc rsh command does not accept the -n namespace option:

    $ oc project <namespace>
  2. Start a remote shell into a pod:

    $ oc rsh <pod_name>  1
    1
    If a pod has multiple containers, oc rsh defaults to the first container unless -c <container_name> is specified.
  3. Start a remote shell into a specific container within a pod:

    $ oc rsh -c <container_name> pod/<pod_name>
  4. Create a port forwarding session to a port on a pod:

    $ oc port-forward <pod_name> <host_port>:<pod_port>  1
    1
    Enter Ctrl+C to cancel the port forwarding session.

5.5.5. Starting debug pods with root access

You can start a debug pod with root access, based on a problematic pod’s deployment or deployment configuration. Pod users typically run with non-root privileges, but running troubleshooting pods with temporary root privileges can be useful during issue investigation.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Start a debug pod with root access, based on a deployment.

    1. Obtain a project’s deployment name:

      $ oc get deployment -n <project_name>
    2. Start a debug pod with root privileges, based on the deployment:

      $ oc debug deployment/my-deployment --as-root -n <project_name>
  2. Start a debug pod with root access, based on a deployment configuration.

    1. Obtain a project’s deployment configuration name:

      $ oc get deploymentconfigs -n <project_name>
    2. Start a debug pod with root privileges, based on the deployment configuration:

      $ oc debug deploymentconfig/my-deployment-configuration --as-root -n <project_name>
Note

You can append -- <command> to the preceding oc debug commands to run individual commands within a debug pod, instead of running an interactive shell.

5.5.6. Copying files to and from pods and containers

You can copy files to and from a pod to test configuration changes or gather diagnostic information.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Copy a file to a pod:

    $ oc cp <local_path> <pod_name>:/<path> -c <container_name>  1
    1
    The first container in a pod is selected if the -c option is not specified.
  2. Copy a file from a pod:

    $ oc cp <pod_name>:/<path>  -c <container_name><local_path>  1
    1
    The first container in a pod is selected if the -c option is not specified.
    Note

    For oc cp to function, the tar binary must be available within the container.

5.6. Troubleshooting the Source-to-Image process

5.6.1. Strategies for Source-to-Image troubleshooting

Use Source-to-Image (S2I) to build reproducible, Docker-formatted container images. You can create ready-to-run images by injecting application source code into a container image and assembling a new image. The new image incorporates the base image (the builder) and built source.

To determine where in the S2I process a failure occurs, you can observe the state of the pods relating to each of the following S2I stages:

  1. During the build configuration stage, a build pod is used to create an application container image from a base image and application source code.
  2. During the deployment configuration stage, a deployment pod is used to deploy application pods from the application container image that was built in the build configuration stage. The deployment pod also deploys other resources such as services and routes. The deployment configuration begins after the build configuration succeeds.
  3. After the deployment pod has started the application pods, application failures can occur within the running application pods. For instance, an application might not behave as expected even though the application pods are in a Running state. In this scenario, you can access running application pods to investigate application failures within a pod.

When troubleshooting S2I issues, follow this strategy:

  1. Monitor build, deployment, and application pod status
  2. Determine the stage of the S2I process where the problem occurred
  3. Review logs corresponding to the failed stage

5.6.2. Gathering Source-to-Image diagnostic data

The S2I tool runs a build pod and a deployment pod in sequence. The deployment pod is responsible for deploying the application pods based on the application container image created in the build stage. Watch build, deployment and application pod status to determine where in the S2I process a failure occurs. Then, focus diagnostic data collection accordingly.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • Your API service is still functional.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Watch the pod status throughout the S2I process to determine at which stage a failure occurs:

    $ oc get pods -w  1
    1
    Use -w to monitor pods for changes until you quit the command using Ctrl+C.
  2. Review a failed pod’s logs for errors.

    • If the build pod fails, review the build pod’s logs:

      $ oc logs -f pod/<application_name>-<build_number>-build
      Note

      Alternatively, you can review the build configuration’s logs using oc logs -f bc/<application_name>. The build configuration’s logs include the logs from the build pod.

    • If the deployment pod fails, review the deployment pod’s logs:

      $ oc logs -f pod/<application_name>-<build_number>-deploy
      Note

      Alternatively, you can review the deployment configuration’s logs using oc logs -f dc/<application_name>. This outputs logs from the deployment pod until the deployment pod completes successfully. The command outputs logs from the application pods if you run it after the deployment pod has completed. After a deployment pod completes, its logs can still be accessed by running oc logs -f pod/<application_name>-<build_number>-deploy.

    • If an application pod fails, or if an application is not behaving as expected within a running application pod, review the application pod’s logs:

      $ oc logs -f pod/<application_name>-<build_number>-<random_string>

5.6.3. Gathering application diagnostic data to investigate application failures

Application failures can occur within running application pods. In these situations, you can retrieve diagnostic information with these strategies:

  • Review events relating to the application pods.
  • Review the logs from the application pods, including application-specific log files that are not collected by the OpenShift Container Platform logging framework.
  • Test application functionality interactively and run diagnostic tools in an application container.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. List events relating to a specific application pod. The following example retrieves events for an application pod named my-app-1-akdlg:

    $ oc describe pod/my-app-1-akdlg
  2. Review logs from an application pod:

    $ oc logs -f pod/my-app-1-akdlg
  3. Query specific logs within a running application pod. Logs that are sent to stdout are collected by the OpenShift Container Platform logging framework and are included in the output of the preceding command. The following query is only required for logs that are not sent to stdout.

    1. If an application log can be accessed without root privileges within a pod, concatenate the log file as follows:

      $ oc exec my-app-1-akdlg -- cat /var/log/my-application.log
    2. If root access is required to view an application log, you can start a debug container with root privileges and then view the log file from within the container. Start the debug container from the project’s DeploymentConfig object. Pod users typically run with non-root privileges, but running troubleshooting pods with temporary root privileges can be useful during issue investigation:

      $ oc debug dc/my-deployment-configuration --as-root -- cat /var/log/my-application.log
      Note

      You can access an interactive shell with root access within the debug pod if you run oc debug dc/<deployment_configuration> --as-root without appending -- <command>.

  4. Test application functionality interactively and run diagnostic tools, in an application container with an interactive shell.

    1. Start an interactive shell on the application container:

      $ oc exec -it my-app-1-akdlg /bin/bash
    2. Test application functionality interactively from within the shell. For example, you can run the container’s entry point command and observe the results. Then, test changes from the command line directly, before updating the source code and rebuilding the application container through the S2I process.
    3. Run diagnostic binaries available within the container.

      Note

      Root privileges are required to run some diagnostic binaries. In these situations you can start a debug pod with root access, based on a problematic pod’s DeploymentConfig object, by running oc debug dc/<deployment_configuration> --as-root. Then, you can run diagnostic binaries as root from within the debug pod.

  5. If diagnostic binaries are not available within a container, you can run a host’s diagnostic binaries within a container’s namespace by using nsenter. The following example runs ip ad within a container’s namespace, using the host`s ip binary.

    1. Enter into a debug session on the target node. This step instantiates a debug pod called <node_name>-debug:

      $ oc debug node/my-cluster-node
    2. Set /host as the root directory within the debug shell. The debug pod mounts the host’s root file system in /host within the pod. By changing the root directory to /host, you can run binaries contained in the host’s executable paths:

      # chroot /host
      Note

      OpenShift Container Platform 4.5 cluster nodes running Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) are immutable and rely on Operators to apply cluster changes. Accessing cluster nodes using SSH is not recommended and nodes will be tainted as accessed. However, if the OpenShift Container Platform API is not available, or the kubelet is not properly functioning on the target node, oc operations will be impacted. In such situations, it is possible to access nodes using ssh core@<node>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> instead.

    3. Determine the target container ID:

      # crictl ps
    4. Determine the container’s process ID. In this example, the target container ID is a7fe32346b120:

      # crictl inspect a7fe32346b120 --output yaml | grep 'pid:' | awk '{print $2}'
    5. Run ip ad within the container’s namespace, using the host’s ip binary. This example uses 31150 as the container’s process ID. The nsenter command enters the namespace of a target process and runs a command in its namespace. Because the target process in this example is a container’s process ID, the ip ad command is run in the container’s namespace from the host:

      # nsenter -n -t 31150 -- ip ad
      Note

      Running a host’s diagnostic binaries within a container’s namespace is only possible if you are using a privileged container such as a debug node.

5.6.4. Additional resources

5.7. Troubleshooting storage issues

5.7.1. Resolving multi-attach errors

When a node crashes or shuts down abruptly, the attached ReadWriteOnce (RWO) volume is expected to be unmounted from the node so that it can be used by a pod scheduled on another node.

However, mounting on a new node is not possible because the failed node is unable to unmount the attached volume.

A multi-attach error is reported:

Example output

Unable to attach or mount volumes: unmounted volumes=[sso-mysql-pvol], unattached volumes=[sso-mysql-pvol default-token-x4rzc]: timed out waiting for the condition
Multi-Attach error for volume "pvc-8837384d-69d7-40b2-b2e6-5df86943eef9" Volume is already used by pod(s) sso-mysql-1-ns6b4

Procedure

To resolve the multi-attach issue, use one of the following solutions:

  • Enable multiple attachments by using RWX volumes.

    For most storage solutions, you can use ReadWriteMany (RWX) volumes to prevent multi-attach errors.

  • Recover or delete the failed node when using an RWO volume.

    For storage that does not support RWX, such as VMware vSphere, RWO volumes must be used instead. However, RWO volumes cannot be mounted on multiple nodes.

    If you encounter a multi-attach error message with an RWO volume, force delete the pod on a shutdown or crashed node to avoid data loss in critical workloads, such as when dynamic persistent volumes are attached.

    $ oc delete pod <old_pod> --force=true --grace-period=0s

    This command deletes the volumes stuck on shutdown or crashed nodes after six minutes.

5.8. Diagnosing OpenShift CLI (oc) issues

5.8.1. Understanding OpenShift CLI (oc) log levels

With the OpenShift CLI (oc), you can create applications and manage OpenShift Container Platform projects from a terminal.

If oc command-specific issues arise, increase the oc log level to output API request, API response, and curl request details generated by the command. This provides a granular view of a particular oc command’s underlying operation, which in turn might provide insight into the nature of a failure.

oc log levels range from 1 to 10. The following table provides a list of oc log levels, along with their descriptions.

Table 5.3. OpenShift CLI (oc) log levels
Log levelDescription

1 to 5

No additional logging to stderr.

6

Log API requests to stderr.

7

Log API requests and headers to stderr.

8

Log API requests, headers, and body, plus API response headers and body to stderr.

9

Log API requests, headers, and body, API response headers and body, plus curl requests to stderr.

10

Log API requests, headers, and body, API response headers and body, plus curl requests to stderr, in verbose detail.

5.8.2. Specifying OpenShift CLI (oc) log levels

You can investigate OpenShift CLI (oc) issues by increasing the command’s log level.

Prerequisites

  • You have installed the OpenShift CLI (oc).

Procedure

  1. Specify the oc log level when running an oc command:

    $ oc <options> --loglevel <log_level>
  2. The OpenShift Container Platform user’s current session token is typically included in logged curl requests where required. You can also obtain the current user’s session token manually, for use when testing aspects of an oc command’s underlying process step by step:

    $ oc whoami -t
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