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Version: 0.2

Civo Stack Prerequisites

Overview​

Before creating a Civo Stack cluster, ensure you have all required assets, credentials, and network configuration ready.

Assets​

Minimum 5 assets required:

  • 3 control plane nodes - High availability Kubernetes control plane
  • 2 worker nodes - Distributed storage (Mayastor/CEPH) requires minimum 2 workers

Each asset must:

  • Be in "available" status (auto-discovered)
  • Have 32+ GB RAM, 24+ CPU cores, 1TB+ disk
  • Support PXE boot on the management network

Check asset status in Colony UI under Assets tab.

Credentials​

Civo Stack Access​

Civo Stack requires credentials for accessing private GitLab repositories and container registries. Contact your Civo account manager to obtain:

  • GitLab Personal Access Token: Access to Civo Stack repositories
  • Image Pull Secret: Base64-encoded Docker configuration for gcr.io or private registry
  • Civo API Token: Authentication for Civo services
  • Region Identifier: Your datacenter region (e.g., PHX1, NYC3)
warning

Keep credentials secure. Store in password manager or secrets management system. Never commit to source control.

Credential Format​

GitLab Token:

glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Image Pull Secret (base64-encoded Docker config):

eyJhdXRocyI6eyJnY3IuaW8iOnsidXNlcm5hbWUiOiJfanNvbl9rZXki...

Civo API Token:

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Region:

PHX1

Network Configuration​

Required Information​

  • Gateway IP: Default route for cluster nodes (e.g., 192.168.1.1)
  • DNS Servers: Comma-separated list (e.g., 8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4)
  • NTP Servers: Time synchronization (e.g., time.cloudflare.com)
  • Static IPs: One per node (control planes + workers)
  • Subnet Mask: Network prefix (e.g., /24 for 255.255.255.0)

Network Requirements​

  • Layer 2 connectivity: All nodes on same broadcast domain
  • DHCP available: For initial PXE boot (static IPs assigned after)
  • Internet access: Nodes must reach container registries, package repos
  • Firewall rules: Allow inter-node traffic on all ports
info

Talos uses specific ports for cluster communication:

  • 6443: Kubernetes API server
  • 50000: Talos API (apid)
  • 50001: Talos trustd
  • Flannel/CNI: UDP 8472 (VXLAN), UDP 4789 (Geneve)

Network Topology Example​

Internet
    |
Gateway (192.168.1.1)
    |
Management Network (192.168.1.0/24)
    |
    +-- Management Cluster (192.168.1.10)
    +-- Control Plane 1 (192.168.1.101)
    +-- Control Plane 2 (192.168.1.102)
    +-- Control Plane 3 (192.168.1.103)
    +-- Worker 1 (192.168.1.201)
    +-- Worker 2 (192.168.1.202)

CSE Installer Image​

Default Image​

Colony uses the latest Civo Stack Engine installer image by default:

ghcr.io/civo/cse-installer:latest

Custom Image (Optional)​

If your Civo account manager provides a specific CSE version:

ghcr.io/civo/cse-installer:v1.2.3
tip

Use the default latest tag unless instructed otherwise. The installer is version-aware and selects appropriate component versions.

Management Cluster​

  • Management cluster initialized (setup guide)
  • Colony agent running: kubectl get pods -n colony
  • Tinkerbell services healthy: kubectl get pods -n tinkerbell
  • KUBECONFIG exported: export KUBECONFIG=~/.colony/config

Colony UI Access​

  • Logged in to colony.konstruct.io
  • API key created and saved
  • Datacenter visible in UI
  • Assets showing in Assets tab

Pre-Flight Checklist​

Before proceeding to cluster creation, verify:

  • 2+ assets in "available" status
  • Civo Stack credentials obtained (contact account manager)
  • Network information documented (gateway, DNS, NTP, static IPs)
  • Management cluster running and accessible
  • Colony UI accessible with datacenter visible

What's Next​

All prerequisites met? You're ready to create your cluster:

Create Civo Stack Cluster →

Need help obtaining credentials? Contact your Civo account manager or join our Slack community.