Version 1.14. This version is no longer supported. For information about how to upgrade to version 1.15, see Upgrading Anthos on bare metal in the 1.15 documentation. For more information about supported and unsupported versions, see the Version history page in the latest documentation.
When you have finished setting up cluster node machines,
your network, and
the other prerequisites. The next
step is to decide what kinds of clusters to create and choose which tool to use.
Choose a cluster type
You can create different kinds of clusters in Google Distributed Cloud, including
admin clusters (to control the resources of your clusters) and user
clusters (to run workloads). We recommend admin and user cluster deployments
if you have multiple clusters in the same data center that you want to manage
from a centralized place, and for larger deployments that need isolation between
different teams or between development and production workloads.
You can also run Google Distributed Cloud as a single standalone cluster,
which serves as a user cluster and as an admin cluster. A standalone cluster
supports the edge profile, which has significantly reduced system resource
requirements and is recommended for edge devices with high resource constraints.
In addition, Google Distributed Cloud lets you create hybrid clusters that
combine administration tasks and workloads, as well as controlling other user
clusters.
Each of these configurations has their own advantages and benefits. For more
information on deciding which configuration to develop, see
Choose a deployment model.
Choose a tool to create clusters
You have your choice of tools for creating clusters and managing
cluster lifecycle:
The command-line tool bmctl, which you run on your admin workstation in your
on-premises data center.
The Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or
Terraform. These standard
tools use the Anthos On-Prem API, which runs on Google Cloud
infrastructure, and collectively they are referred to as the
Anthos On-Prem API clients.
The cluster creation process includes preflight checks and machine
initialization. If cluster creation fails after the machine initialization phase
(even if preflight checks passed without errors), you must
delete the cluster. This returns the node to
a clean state. After deleting the cluster, you can re-attempt to create the
cluster after making any needed configuration changes.
The cluster creation process runs health checks when the cluster has been
created. This last step verifies that the cluster is in good operating
condition. If the cluster doesn't pass all health checks, the create operation
fails. When all health checks pass, the create operation finishes successfully.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-04 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud allows for the creation of different cluster types, including admin, user, standalone, and hybrid, each with their own specific uses and benefits.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eAdmin and user clusters are recommended for managing multiple clusters within the same data center, or for larger deployments that require isolation between teams or different environments.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eStandalone clusters can function as both user and admin clusters, and support edge profile for reduced system resource requirements, making them ideal for resource-constrained edge devices.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eYou can utilize either the \u003ccode\u003ebmctl\u003c/code\u003e command-line tool or the Anthos On-Prem API clients (Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or Terraform) to create and manage clusters.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eThe cluster creation process includes both preflight and health checks, and it is mandatory to delete the cluster if it fails after the machine initialization phase, in order to return the nodes to a clean state before re-attempting creation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Cluster creation overview\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nWhen you have finished setting up cluster node machines,\n[your network](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/how-to/plan-ip-addresses), and\nthe other [prerequisites](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/install-prereq). The next\nstep is to decide what kinds of clusters to create and choose which tool to use.\n\nChoose a cluster type\n---------------------\n\nYou can create different kinds of clusters in Google Distributed Cloud, including\n**admin** clusters (to control the resources of your clusters) and **user**\nclusters (to run workloads). We recommend admin and user cluster deployments\nif you have multiple clusters in the same data center that you want to manage\nfrom a centralized place, and for larger deployments that need isolation between\ndifferent teams or between development and production workloads.\n\nYou can also run Google Distributed Cloud as a single **standalone** cluster,\nwhich serves as a user cluster and as an admin cluster. A standalone cluster\nsupports the edge profile, which has significantly reduced system resource\nrequirements and is recommended for edge devices with high resource constraints.\nIn addition, Google Distributed Cloud lets you create **hybrid** clusters that\ncombine administration tasks and workloads, as well as controlling other user\nclusters.\n\nEach of these configurations has their own advantages and benefits. For more\ninformation on deciding which configuration to develop, see\n[Choose a deployment model](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/install-prep).\n\nChoose a tool to create clusters\n--------------------------------\n\nYou have your choice of tools for creating clusters and managing\ncluster lifecycle:\n\n- The command-line tool `bmctl`, which you run on your admin workstation in your on-premises data center.\n- The Google Cloud console, Google Cloud CLI, or [Terraform](https://www.terraform.io/). These standard tools use the Anthos On-Prem API, which runs on Google Cloud infrastructure, and collectively they are referred to as the *Anthos On-Prem API clients*.\n\nFor information on deciding which tool best suits your needs, see\n[Choose a tool to create clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/cluster-lifecycle-management-tools).\n\nMore information\n----------------\n\nFor more information on creating and configuring clusters, see the\nfollowing:\n\n- Admin clusters:\n\n - [Create admin clusters using Anthos On-Prem API clients](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/creating-clusters/create-admin-cluster-api)\n - [Create admin clusters using `bmctl`](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/creating-clusters/admin-cluster-creation)\n- User clusters\n\n - [Create user clusters using Anthos On-Prem API clients](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/creating-clusters/create-user-cluster-api)\n - [Create user clusters using `bmctl`](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/creating-clusters/user-cluster-creation)\n- [Create standalone clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/creating-clusters/standalone-cluster-creation)\n\n- [Create hybrid clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/installing/creating-clusters/hybrid-cluster-creation)\n\nAbout the creation process\n--------------------------\n\nThe cluster creation process includes preflight checks and machine\ninitialization. If cluster creation fails after the machine initialization phase\n(even if preflight checks passed without errors), you must\n[delete the cluster](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.14/how-to/reset-nodes). This returns the node to\na clean state. After deleting the cluster, you can re-attempt to create the\ncluster after making any needed configuration changes.\n\nThe cluster creation process runs health checks when the cluster has been\ncreated. This last step verifies that the cluster is in good operating\ncondition. If the cluster doesn't pass all health checks, the create operation\nfails. When all health checks pass, the create operation finishes successfully."]]
