Tanzu Kubernetes Grid users log in to the management cluster with the Tanzu CLI and the Kubernetes CLI (kubectl
) and issue commands like tanzu cluster create
to create a workload cluster, or tanzu package install
to install a packaged service to the cluster for hosted apps to consume.
The management cluster runs Cluster API, Carvel tools, and other software to process these commands.
The management cluster is purpose-built for managing workload clusters and packaged services, and for running container networking and other system-level agents.
ImportantFrom v2.5.x onwards, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid does not support the management of standalone TKG management clusters on AWS and Azure. For more information, see End of Support for TKG Management and Workload Clusters on AWS and Azure in the VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid v2.5.x Release Notes.
The management cluster has two deployment options that run on different infrastructures using different sets of components:
In both cases, the management cluster publishes an API that wraps and adds higher-level functionality to Cluster API. On the client side, the Tanzu CLI wraps and adds higher-level functionality to kubectl
and clusterctl
, the Kubernetes and Cluster API CLIs.
For TKG deployments to vSphere 7 or 8, the best option for most use-case scenarios is to use the vSphere with Tanzu Supervisor.
In particular, the Supervisor:
You must use a standalone management cluster in the following circumstances:
For deployments to vSphere 6.7. vSphere with Tanzu is available from vSphere 7 onwards.
ImportantFrom v2.5.1 onwards, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid does not support creating workload clusters on vSphere 6.7. For more information, see End of Support for TKG Management and Workload Clusters on vSphere 6.7.
For existing deployments on AWS and Azure (TKG versions up to and including v2.4 only).
ImportantVMware recommends that you use Tanzu Mission Control to create native AWS EKS and Azure AKS clusters instead of deploying new TKG clusters on AWS and Azure. For information about how to create native AWS EKS and Azure AKS clusters with Tanzu Mission Control, see Managing the Lifecycle of AWS EKS Clusters and Managing the Lifecycle of Azure AKS Clusters in the Tanzu Mission Control documentation.
On vSphere 7 and 8, consider using TKG with a standalone management cluster rather than Supervisor if you need the following features that Supervisor does yet not provide:
TKG 2.x unifies the Tanzu CLI and underlying object definitions for the two management cluster deployment options, Supervisor and standalone management cluster, but Tanzu CLI version compatibility differs between the two.
See the Compatibility with VMware Tanzu Products table in VMware Tanzu CLI Documentation for the Tanzu CLI versions and vSphere versions that work with the two deployment options for TKG.
ImportantThe version of the TKG API that is embedded in vSphere with Tanzu may lag behind the version in the Tanzu CLI
management-cluster
plugin that creates standalone management clusters. This means that newer Tanzu CLI versions may support functionality in a compatible standalone management cluster that they do not support in a compatible Supervisor.