Portable Kubernetes Cluster based on Raspberry Pi 4 and Rancher K3S
Since literally everbody I know is currently working on a cloud@home project in some form I also decided to start working a long planned project: a portable kubernetes cluster.
And also a former colleague gave me the last push for it - thanks 😉
Portability
Currently, portability means, that only 2 cables - power and network - are connected.
A later addition I am planning is attaching the cluster to a mobile router. The question ist, if the POE switch can deliver the necessary additional power for this.
And, the 52Pi rack tower has a handle to carry it around - or throw it out of the window - depends on the use case.
This will become a series of articles, lets start with the hardware.
Hardware
Parts List
| # | Part | each |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Raspberry Pi 4 8GB Model B (ARMv8) | CHF 89.90 |
| 4 | Verbatim Nano 64GB USB Sticks | CHF 11.95 |
| 1 | 52Pi ZP-0088 Rack Tower | CHF 35.00 |
| 1 | POE Switch Tp-Link TL-SG1005P | CHF 51.30 |
| 4 | POE Cables LogiLink (U/FTP, Kat. 6a, 25cm) | CHF 5.90 |
| 3 | POE Hat Type U6109 | CHF 23.90 |
| 1 | POE Hat Type U6110 | CHF 25.90 |
| 1 | Dupont Pin Row | CHF 0.05 |
| Total | CHF 614.95 |
Dupont Pins on the U6109
The U6109 actually has two rows for connectors, mine had no connectors soldered in - unfortunately.
My soldering skills are a little dated, but I took my chances - and it worked out nicely.
Fan and LED connector cables can now easily be attached to the POE powered Raspberry.
Speaking of ventilation: the 52Pi rack tower ventilator is suprisingly quiet, but powerfull - so having it in the same room is not disturbing at all.
I removed the fan from the U6110, because they make a quite annoying sound.
Accessible SD Cards
A quite handy feature of the 52Pi rack tower are the SD card adapters. The card slots would be very hard to reach, when the case is fully assembled.
Mount the POE Switch
A simple wooden plate with a bunch of holes is connected to the base of the 52Pi rack tower using 4 blue cable ties.
The 2 Screws in the middle are connected the wall-mount recess of the POE Switch.
An acrylic plate would be nice, but I don’t have access to a laser-cutter.
Fully assembled
The fully assembled case with the 4 USB Sticks for the Storage Cluster.
Looks quite shiny by night 🤓
Related
- Portable Kubernetes Cluster based on Raspberry Pi 4 and Rancher K3S (this)
- Setup mini Kubernetes Rancher K3S on Raspberry OS Lite
- Storage class and nfs provisioner
- Setting up a four times redundant gluster volume with mini USB sticks
- Automatically provision Gluster volumes with Heketi