K3s is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution designed for resource-constrained environments and edge computing. It simplifies the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters by reducing the complexity and resource requirements. K3s is particularly popular for IoT and edge use cases, where a full Kubernetes setup might be overkill.
When working with K3s, you might encounter the issue where the kubelet service is not running on a node. This is often indicated by the error code NodeKubeletNotRunning. The symptom of this issue is that pods may not be scheduled or managed correctly on the affected node, leading to disruptions in your cluster's operations.
The kubelet is a critical component of Kubernetes that runs on each node, responsible for managing the lifecycle of pods. If the kubelet service is not running, it can severely impact the node's ability to manage pods. This issue can arise due to various reasons such as resource exhaustion, misconfiguration, or a failure during the node's startup process.
To resolve the issue of the kubelet service not running, follow these steps:
First, verify the status of the kubelet service on the affected node. You can do this by running the following command:
sudo systemctl status k3s-agent
This command will show you whether the kubelet service is active or inactive. If it is inactive, proceed to the next step.
If the kubelet service is not running, try restarting it using the following command:
sudo systemctl restart k3s-agent
After restarting, check the status again to ensure it is running.
If the kubelet service fails to start, check the logs for any error messages that might indicate the cause of the failure:
journalctl -u k3s-agent -b
Look for any specific error messages that can guide you in troubleshooting further.
Ensure that the node has sufficient resources available. You can check the current resource usage with:
top
If resources are low, consider scaling your cluster or optimizing resource usage.
For more information on managing K3s and troubleshooting common issues, consider visiting the following resources:
(Perfect for DevOps & SREs)
(Perfect for DevOps & SREs)
