Skip to main content
Version: 3.3

Prerequisites for Tanzu

Environment Prerequisites​

The minimum supported size for a Portworx cluster is three nodes. Each node must meet the following hardware, software, and network requirements:

Hardware
CPU4 cores minimum, 8 cores recommended
RAM4GB minimum, 8GB recommended
Disk
  • /var
  • /opt
  • 2GB free
  • 3.5GB free
Backing drive8GB (minimum required)
128 GB (minimum recommended)
Operating system root partitionIf /opt and /var are created as separate disks then 64 GB is sufficient for root partition.
Otherwise a min of 128 GB is required
Storage drivesStorage drives must be unmounted block storage: raw disks, drive partitions, LVM, or cloud block storage.
Network connectivityBandwidth:
  • 10 Gbps recommended
  • 1 Gbps minimum

Latency requirements for synchronous replication: less than 10ms between nodes in the cluster
Node typeBare metal and virtual machine (VM)
Software
Linux kernel and distroKernel version 4.18 or greater.
To check if your Linux distro and kernel are supported, see Supported Kernels.
DockerVersion 1.13.1 or greater.
Key-value storePortworx needs a key-value store to perform its operations. As such, install a clustered key-value database (kvdb) with a three node cluster.

You can also use Internal KVDB during installation. In this mode, Portworx will create and manage an internal key-value store (KVDB) cluster.

If you plan of using your own KVDB, refer to KVDB for Portworx for details on recommendations for installing and configuring a KVDB cluster.
Disable swapDisable swap on all nodes that will run the Portworx software. Ensure that the swap device is not automatically mounted on server reboot.
Network Time Protocol (NTP)All nodes in the cluster should be in sync with NTP time. Any time drift between nodes can cause unexpected behaviour, impacting services.
Hypervisor
VMware vSphere
  • Version 7.0
  • Version 8.0

Portworx network requirements​

Portworx runs as a pod in a Kubernetes cluster and uses specific ports for communication, data transfer, and telemetry.

note
  • Portworx also requires the following ports:
    • An open KVDB port. For example, if you're using etcd externally, open port 2379.
    • An open UDP port at 9002.
  • For telemetry, open ports 9024, 12001, and 12002. Ensure you are running Portworx Operator version 23.7.0 or higher to configure the telemetry port:
    • Portworx Versions 2.13.7 and Older: Open port 9024 specifically for telemetry.
    • Portworx Versions 2.13.8 and Newer: Use port 9029 for telemetry.
KubernetesDescription
9001Portworx management port [REST]
9002Portworx node-to-node port [gossip]/UDP
9003Portworx storage data port
9004Portworx namespace [RPC]
9012Portworx node-to-node communication port [gRPC]
9013Portworx namespace driver [gRPC]
9014Portworx diags server port [gRPC]
9018Portworx kvdb peer-to-peer port [gRPC]
9019Portworx kvdb client service [gRPC]
9021Portworx gRPC SDK gateway [REST]
9022Portworx health monitor [REST]
9029Telemetry log uploader
12002Telemetry phone home

Supported disk types​

Cloud ProviderDisk Types
vSphere
  • eagerzeroedthick
  • lazyzeroedthick
  • thin

Supported Kubernetes versions​

Before you install Portworx on Kubernetes, ensure that you're using a supported Kubernetes version:

TypeSupported Versions
Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service (TKGS)
  • v1.27.11---vmware.1-fips.1-tkg.2
  • v1.28.8---vmware.1-fips.1-tkg.2 (supported from Portworx version 3.2.1)
  • v1.29.4---vmware.3-fips.1-tkg.1 (supported from Portworx version 3.2.1)
  • v1.30.1---vmware.1-fips-tkg.5 (supported from Portworx version 3.2.1)
  • v1.30.8---vmware.1-fips-vkr.1 (supported from Portworx version 3.3.0)
VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Integrated Edition (TKGI)
  • TKGI version: 1.18.2-build.18, Kubernetes version: 1.27.11
  • TKGI version: 1.19.2-build, Kubernetes version: 1.28.11
  • TKGI version: 1.20.0-build.52, Kubernetes version: 1.29.6