Version 1.6. This version is no longer supported. For information about how to upgrade to version 1.7, see Upgrading Anthos on bare metal in the 1.7 documentation. For more information about supported and unsupported versions, see the Version history page in the latest documentation.
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).
In addition, Google Distributed Cloud lets you create hybrid
clusters that combine administration tasks and workloads, as well as controlling
other user clusters. You can also run Google Distributed Cloud as a
single standalone cluster.
[[["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 2025-09-03 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud allows the creation of admin clusters for resource control and user clusters for workload execution.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eHybrid clusters in Google Distributed Cloud offer a combination of administrative tasks and workload management, along with the ability to manage other user clusters.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eStandalone clusters are also an option within Google Distributed Cloud, providing a single cluster configuration for operations.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eCluster creation involves preflight checks and machine initialization, and if failures occur post-initialization, a cluster reset with \u003ccode\u003ebmctl reset cluster\u003c/code\u003e is necessary before reattempting creation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Creating clusters: overview\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\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).\n\nIn addition, Google Distributed Cloud lets you create **hybrid**\nclusters that combine administration tasks and workloads, as well as controlling\nother user clusters. You can also run Google Distributed Cloud as a\nsingle **standalone** cluster.\n\nEach of these configurations has their own advantages and benefits. For more\ninformation on deciding which configuration to develop, see\n[Installation overview: choosing a deployment model](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.6/installing/install-prep).\n\nFor more information on creating and configuring clusters, including sample\nconfig file, see:\n\n- [Creating admin clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.6/installing/creating-clusters/admin-cluster-creation)\n- [Creating user clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.6/installing/creating-clusters/user-cluster-creation)\n- [Creating hybrid clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.6/installing/creating-clusters/hybrid-cluster-creation)\n- [Creating standalone clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.6/installing/creating-clusters/standalone-cluster-creation)\n\n| **Note:** 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 [reset the cluster with `bmctl reset cluster`](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.6/troubleshooting/bmctl-diag-reset#resetting_clusters_with_bmctl_reset_cluster). This returns the node to a clean state. After resetting the cluster, you can re-attempt to create the cluster after making any needed configuration changes."]]
