Set up Google Distributed Cloud Virtual (GKE Enterprise on-premises)

This page provides a quick overview of the steps you need to follow to set up GKE Enterprise on-premises with Google Distributed Cloud Virtual.

Set up clusters

You can choose between installing your Distributed Cloud Virtual clusters on VMware or on bare metal, depending on your application and business needs. Both versions use GKE on Google Distributed Cloud, which extends GKE for use in on-premises environments. For complete guides to our on-premises options, including cluster setup and administration, see:

Install GKE on VMware

Installing GKE on VMware lets you run GKE Enterprise-managed Kubernetes clusters on-premises in a vSphere environment, using VMware's vCenter Server.

  • Prerequisites and requirements: See the complete list of system requirements in the GKE on VMware documentation.

  • Installation guides: GKE on VMware has a number of possible installation options, some more complex than others. To get started with the simplest installation flow, follow Set up minimal infrastructure.

Install GKE on Bare Metal

Installing GKE on Bare Metal lets you run GKE Enterprise-managed Kubernetes clusters directly on your own data center machine resources, with flexibility, performance, and security in your environment. You can find out more about whether this is the right option for you in Google Distributed Cloud Virtual for Bare Metal overview.

  • Prerequisites and requirements: See the complete list of prerequisites for installing GKE on Bare Metal in Installation prerequisites.

  • Installation guides: GKE on Bare Metal lets you choose from multiple cluster deployment models to suit your specific needs. For deployment options and links to more detailed installation guides, see our Cluster creation overview.

Adding on-premises attached clusters

The GKE Enterprise attached clusters feature lets you add third-party Kubernetes clusters to your fleet and use some GKE Enterprise features with them, including viewing them in the Google Cloud console. You can add any conformant Kubernetes cluster that includes x86 nodes. For more information, see Attach your CNCF conformant cluster. Attached clusters must be registered manually to your fleet.

Registering clusters to the fleet

By default, you don't need to do anything to register your Distributed Cloud Virtual clusters. As part of the setup process, each cluster that you create automatically runs the Connect Agent and is registered to your current project fleet. You can then log in to the cluster from the Google Cloud console as well as from the command line.

To register an on-premises attached cluster, follow the instructions to attach third-party clusters, paying attention to any specific prerequisites for your Kubernetes cluster type.

Enabling GKE Enterprise features

After you set up your project and your clusters, use the following guides to enable additional available GKE Enterprise features for your applications.

For complete documentation sets for all GKE Enterprise features, including tutorials, reference material, and more, see GKE Enterprise components.

Enabling features for GKE on VMware

Enabling features for GKE on Bare Metal

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