feat: add post on Cloud Provider KubeVirt

Author: LKummer

content/cloud-provider-kubevirt-guide/16x9.png

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+---
+title: Implementing LoadBalancer services on Cluster API KubeVirt clusters using Cloud Provider KubeVirt
+date: 2025-01-09
+description: Had trouble getting load balancer services working on Cluster API KubeVirt clusters? This guide will get you sorted out.
+avatar: tie-blue
+images:
+  ogPath: 1x1.png
+  ldPaths:
+    - 1x1.png
+    - 4x3.png
+    - 16x9.png
+---
+
+This article is the beginning of a series on taking Cluster API managed clusters
+on KubeVirt from where the documentation leaves you to fully functioning
+production clusters.
+Make sure to check out the next parts in the future.
+
+Recently I've been moving my personal infrastructure to Kubernetes clusters
+managed by Cluster API on KubeVirt.
+After going through the Cluster API documentation, and getting my first clusters
+up and running I encountered a problem: how do I get a working load balancer
+implementation?
+
+After going through the Kubernetes Slack I found the
+[Cloud Provider KubeVirt](https://github.com/kubevirt/cloud-provider-kubevirt)
+project. Yet it lacks documentation, and it is not clear how to get it working.
+This post will explain how it works and how to set it up.
+
+Since terminology with Cluster API is a bit confusing, this article will refer to
+the cluster running KubeVirt and Cluster API as the management cluster, and to
+clusters managed by Cluster API as tenant clusters.
+
+## The problem with load balancer implementations
+
+Using MetalLB, Kube VIP or other ARP/BGP based load balancer implementations does
+not work inside KubeVirt Cluster API tenant clusters. Tenant Nodes are connected to the management cluster network without
+direct access to the outside network, preventing load balancers from functioning.
+
+## The solution to provisioning load balancer services
+
+KubeVirt offers a cloud controller manager that provisions LoadBalancer type
+services on the management cluster.
+
+Cloud Provider KubeVirt runs on the management cluster and watches for Service resources
+of type LoadBalancer in the tenant cluster.
+When a Service of type LoadBalancer is created in the tenant cluster, Cloud Provider
+KubeVirt creates a matching service of type LoadBalancer in the management cluster and
+connects it to the service in the tenant via node ports.
+
+## Installing the cloud controller manager
+
+The Cluster API Provider KubeVirt project supplies templates with the cloud
+controller manager. To use them specify `--flavor lb-kccm` when generating
+manifests with `clusterctl`.
+`kccm`, `passt-kccm` and `persistent-storage-kccm` template flavors are also
+avaiable.
+In this example we'll use the `lb-kccm` template.
+
+Set environment variables configuring `clusterctl` manifest templating:
+
+```sh
+export NODE_VM_IMAGE_TEMPLATE='quay.io/capk/ubuntu-2204-container-disk:v1.30.1'
+export CRI_PATH='/var/run/containerd/containerd.sock'
+```
+
+Generate manifests with `clusterctl`:
+
+```sh
+clusterctl generate cluster capi-quickstart --infrastructure kubevirt:v0.1.9 --flavor lb-kccm --kubernetes-version v1.30.1 --control-plane-machine-count 1 --worker-machine-count 1 > capi-quickstart.yml
+```
+
+Apply the manifests:
+
+```sh
+kubectl apply -f capi-quickstart.yml
+```
+
+Installing a network plugin, creating a Pod and LoadBalancer type service have
+been omitted for brevity.
+
+For a full example [see the cluster chart from my infrastructure charts
+repository](https://github.com/SneakyBugs/Helm-Charts/tree/main/charts/cluster).
+Specifically [the cloud-controller-manager templates subdirectory.](https://github.com/SneakyBugs/Helm-Charts/tree/main/charts/cluster/templates/cloud-controller-manager)
+The chart includes installation of a network plugin and ingress exposed over a
+LoadBalancer type service.

content/cloud-provider-kubevirt-guide/1x1.png

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     "dev": "hugo server",
     "build": "hugo"
   },
-  "author": "Lior Kummer",
+  "author": "Lior Friedman",
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "devDependencies": {
     "hugo-bin": "^0.102.0"