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ClusterTool Public Alpha Release and Updated Support Scope

bitpushr
bitpushr
Docs Maintainer

We’re back to share some new updates with our users around ClusterTool, an updated support policy and further updates on the status of TrueNAS SCALE support.

ClusterTool Public Alpha Release

First up, we are excited to announce the public Alpha release of ClusterTool! This marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide powerful tools for bootstrapping and managing your own Kubernetes clusters on Talos, our platform of choice going forward.

Please note that KubeApps is not yet compatible with ClusterTool, and we currently do not offer any migration tooling to facilitate the transition of TrueNAS SCALE apps to Talos. This will come in a future release, per the timeline we previously outlined here.

You can find and download the latest releases of ClusterTool here. We also have a clustertool channel available on our Discord which users can use to discuss usage of the tool, and users can find our ClusterTool documentation here.

Updated Support Policy

We have updated our support policy in an effort to provide clearer, more defined guidelines for our users going forward. The updated policy includes information on our expectations around assumed/prior knowledge for users going forward, what’s not covered by TrueCharts support and more.

We would like to note that, in general, using our Charts with Kubernetes running on Talos will be a radically different experience compared to the prior experience afforded by TrueNAS SCALE. We are expecting some users that might have previously been comfortable running TrueCharts charts on SCALE, will not be comfortable with continuing to use TrueCharts on Talos.

In the future, we will post a news article outlining alternative options for TrueCharts users who do not wish to continue on Talos. These options may include

  • Migrating to iX/TrueNAS “official” apps
  • Migrating to unRAID
  • Migrating to a sandbox or “DIY Docker” setup
  • Options afforded by ElfHosted.

Going forward, we will assume users that wish to continue using TrueCharts on Talos have prior knowledge of the following:

  • How to use a shell, terminal or console
  • How to use basic shell commands to manage or perform actions on platforms such as Talos
  • How to use kubectl to get pods or services, describe issues, etc.
  • Basic knowledge of Talos including what “applying” does, what a “machineconfig” is and how “upgrades” work vs k8s-upgrade
  • Basic knowledge of Kubernetes including what a “pod” or “container” is
  • Others outlined below.

TrueCharts support will also not assist users with (including but not limited to) the below:

  • Network configuration
  • CloudFlare proxying
  • How to install or use kubectl or talosctl
  • Helm 101 (how to install, upgrade or edit a Helm Chart)
  • Configuring specific apps/software in TrueCharts Charts, e.g. Plex/Sonarr/etc. configuration.

For more information, please review the updated support policy here.

Discontinuation of Support for TrueCharts App Installs on TrueNAS SCALE

As part of our commitment to the path forward away from running TrueCharts apps on TrueNAS SCALE, we have discontinued support for new TrueCharts app installs on TrueNAS SCALE. TrueNAS SCALE is now a deprecated platform as far as TrueCharts apps are concerned, and this change is to ensure users are not left without support for new app installations.

Code related to the building of, development of, and other aspects of TrueNAS SCALE apps/charts support has been removed from the TrueCharts project backend.

To clarify: users can still install existing versions of TrueCharts apps/charts on TrueNAS SCALE, but they will not be eligible for support.

We advise users to await further migration updates as outlined in our roadmap linked above.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to provide the best tools and services for our community. Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the months ahead!

SCALE Migration Path Update

Kjeld Schouten
Kjeld Schouten
Maintainer & Founder of TrueCharts

As previously announced, we will share more detailed information on the road forward for our SCALE users on July 1st. We are well into this work and can finally share some preliminary information ahead of the official announcement.

Introducing: Talos Linux

Our alternative will be based on Talos, an immutable and lightweight operating system designed to run Kubernetes efficiently. Talos is open-source, production-quality software supported by a reliable and honest company.

Contrary to some reports, Talos is not limited to deployment on virtual machines. It runs excellently on both virtual machines and bare-metal hardware.

Our guides will cover setting up virtual machines, as they are standardized enough for us to ensure accuracy. These guides are already online, validated, and ready to use! Just visit the docs, clustertool, and virtual-machines sections and get started.

Introducing: ClusterTool

While Talos is a robust system, its default interaction method is quite command-line heavy. We understand that our users may not want to dive into numerous custom CLI commands.

We are excited to introduce our Talos cluster maintenance utility: ClusterTool.

ClusterTool simplifies the setup of a functional Kubernetes cluster, whether single or multi-node, into a single command! Additionally, we are incorporating the Kubernetes Dashboard and KubeApps to provide a GUI for managing and installing applications, similar to the SCALE experience.

Thanks to integration with Talhelper, all Talos configuration is stored in just two files. Even the most critical configuration elements for your core-cluster components are just a single file edit away!

After setup, the complete cluster is truly yours. You can modify anything you like, including the core components we installed.

ClusterTool also supports SOPS encryption, allowing you to safely store your cluster data anywhere. Beyond all of this, we’ve even added advanced tools to upgrade and alter your entire Talos cluster with just a single command.

Migrating from TrueNAS SCALE

ClusterTool will eventually feature automated tooling to migrate all TrueCharts TrueNAS SCALE Apps directly into your new cluster, making the transition seamless. Our current goal is to ensure cluster deployment is rock-solid before introducing migration tooling. Once the ALPHA of ClusterTool is stable, we will prioritize developing reliable migration tools as quickly as possible.

ClusterTool: Roadmap

ClusterTool is not fully ready yet. Here is the official roadmap (please note that these dates may change without prior notice):

  • July 1st: v1.0.0-ALPHA-1
  • August 1st: v1.0.0-BETA-1
  • September 1st: v1.0.0-RC-1
  • October 1st: v1.0.0-RELEASE

ALPHA

  • Not feature-complete; some minor features may malfunction.
  • Only available for testing on throwaway clusters.
  • Will not contain any SCALE Migration Tooling.

BETA

  • Mostly feature-complete with no major changes expected.
  • Will include SCALE Migration tooling.
  • Suitable for permanent migration, but without guarantees.

RC

  • Ready for deployment on smaller setups after internal testing.
  • No major changes requiring redeployment expected.
  • No guarantees, but support will be available where possible.

RELEASE

  • Ready for full deployment.

What to Expect on July 1st

Alongside releasing the ALPHA build of ClusterTool, we will provide a more in-depth explanation of our new tooling and its capabilities. Documentation for all ClusterTool features will be up-to-date and well-polished.

Additionally, there will be changes to our support scope, as we will need to be stricter about what is and isn’t supported on DIY clusters.

Hang tight and see you on July 1st! The TrueCharts Team

Deprecation of TrueNAS SCALE Apps

Kjeld Schouten
Kjeld Schouten
Maintainer & Founder of TrueCharts

Like many of you, we’ve been made aware by the decision of iX-Systems to remove Kubernetes from TrueNAS SCALE Electric-Eel onwards. We’re very saddened by this news, as we had some awesome plans in store for all our users, including those on TrueNAS SCALE.

From integrations with popular Kubernetes tools, to our VPN addon and even our latest addition of integrated VolSync S3 backup support, the last few years we’ve spent hundreds of hours pushing the boundaries of what is possible with Helm charts and we will continue to do so.

While we fully agree that iX should offer the option to use docker-compose in addition to Kubernetes-based “custom-app”s, the way this sun-setting without deprecation has been handled, is not acceptable to us. It goes against every fiber of our being, as we prefer to collaborate on moving our loved platforms forward.

We view that both Kubernetes and Docker-Compose have a place, with that place not being mutually exclusive. Sadly enough, iX-Systems does not share that view. It’s a loss-loss situation, where SCALE users will have to trade the loss of TrueCharts with the option of copying-in their own compose files.

A situation that, from our point of view, isn’t, and has never been, needed. But it’s the cards we’ve been dealt.

Our way forward

As always, we’re committed 100% to our users and will help them find solutions.

Currently, we’re exploring multiple strategies by which you will be able to keep using our trusted TrueCharts Charts, even combined with your current TrueNAS SCALE Storage. We’ve learned a lot from our smooth DragonFish migration last month and we’re fully confident we can offer an experience that satisfies our users!

Our time-frame is to have an initial BETA for migration going before 01-07-2024, after which we want to polish and automate the process as much as possible based on user feedback.

Our goodbye

Our goodbyes for TrueCharts on SCALE Apps are bitter-sweet; while we have had a great time working with some people over at iX-Systems, we also don’t see eye-to-eye on many things.

We shall always stand with our users. Which means we also will focus on the way forward from now on, in which TrueNAS SCALE Apps will not be featured and we will instead focus on our other supported platforms and migration options.

We want to thank the TrueNAS community for their constant feedback during the years that TrueCharts as SCALE Apps lasted. We specifically want to thank Waqar Ahmed for the many hours spent polishing the original Apps system and Morgan Littlewood for his continued vision of what TrueNAS SCALE could be.

Enhanced Chart Backup and Restore Solutions

bitpushr
bitpushr
Docs Maintainer

Enhancing Backups and Restores for TrueCharts Users

Today, we are pleased to announce new solutions for backing up and restoring of TrueCharts CNPG and application/chart data. We hope you enjoy!

Introducing CloudNativePG Backup and Restore Support for TrueCharts

We are excited to announce that TrueCharts now supports CloudNativePG backup and restore functionalities with S3 storage providers such as MinIO hosts, BackBlaze, CloudFlare, Amazon (coming soon) and more. This new feature offers TrueCharts users a seamless and efficient way to manage their database backups directly to the cloud, or to a local MinIO host.

By leveraging solutions provided by S3 storage providers, TrueCharts users can now

  • Enhance data security by storing backups in secure, scalable and durable storage

  • Optimize storage costs by taking advantage of the inherently cost-effective and scalable nature of S3 storage

  • Ensure reliability by benefiting from the high availability and enhanced redundancy offers by S3 providers

  • Simplify backup management by easily automating backup scheduled and managing them from an apps’ TrueNAS SCALE GUI or other interface

With this addition, TrueCharts users can rest assured that their applications’ CNPG data is easily recovered as needed, minimizing the risk of data loss and downtime.

Simplifying PVC Backups with VolSync

In addition to the above CNPG enhancements, TrueCharts is proud to introduce VolSync’s automatic backup and restore capabilities for PVC storage. VolSync simplifies the process of managing PVC backups, ensuring that your data is safeguarded.

Key features of VolSync include

  • Automatic backups of a chart or apps’ PVC data

  • Effortless restoring of PVC containers to a prior state when an app is (re)installed

  • Management on a per-app basis from an apps’ TrueNAS SCALE GUI, Helm or other any interface

By integrating VolSync, TrueCharts users achieve a higher level of data resilience, making it easier than ever to safeguard or recover an application/charts’ data.

Expanding Backups and Restores on Helm

TrueCharts is a multi-platform project that builds Helm charts with multiple downstream targets, including TrueNAS SCALE among others. As such, we’ve also published the above CNPG and VolSync guides to the Helm platform section of our docs. This allows TrueCharts users running Helm directly to also integrate these new features.

Caveats

Currently, this new restore functionality isn’t yet functional on TrueNAS SCALE due to an upstream bug with OpenEBS. We’ve submitted a bug report and will update the docs page linked below once this is resolved. For users of our charts on other Helm platforms, this does not apply, so backup and restore functionality should work fine.

Documentation and Instructions

You can find our initial guides and documentation for how to take advantage of the above exciting new solutions for SCALE [here](/, and in the Helm section linked above. Please note that these pages will evolve and be updated in the near future, especially once functionality on SCALE is restored, and we welcome discussion in our Discord channel.

Closing Out

We’re committed to providing continual improvements and features to our users, thanks largely to those who have generously donated towards our project 💙. You allow TrueCharts to continue evolving.

If you find our documentation/guides helpful or want to join the ranks of the over 250 people helping buy us Coffee ☕ you can do this via our Open Collective page here:

One time or recurring Coffee donations 🫶

Thank you for choosing TrueCharts. Happy charting!

TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish Release and Support

bitpushr
bitpushr
Docs Maintainer

Ahead of TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish hitting the open waters, TrueCharts is right alongside it with full support for the release. In this news post we’ll go over the improvements that can be expected from the update, the steps required for TrueCharts users to migrate their apps to this latest release and some things to keep in mind going forward.

This will be a relatively long but important post, so let’s get started!

TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish 🐟

DragonFish is the latest update to the iX-Systems TrueNAS SCALE platform, and brings a bevy of improvements and additions. These include new and reworked sections of the GUI, changes to ZFS ARC memory behavior that bring it inline with TrueNAS CORE, Linux kernel and GPU driver updates (including Intel ARC GPU support), improvements to SMB and NFS shares and more. Read more about the changes with DragonFish here.

TrueCharts and DragonFish: A Perfect Match 💞

Going forward, TrueCharts wants to confirm that DragonFish is the ONLY supported SCALE version by TrueCharts from its release onwards. This allows us to focus our efforts on ensuring compatibility, stability, and optimal performance for TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish users into the future. This means that there are a couple of things to note, depending on which version of TrueNAS SCALE you’re running.

TrueNAS SCALE Cobia Users

For existing TrueNAS SCALE users remaining on Cobia until such time they update, we understand that migration takes time. Whilst DragonFish is the future, you can select a special branch of TrueCharts in TrueNAS SCALE’s catalogue settings called legacy_23.10 (instead of main). This is, however, not covered by TrueCharts support from the release of DragonFish onwards.

Users Upgrading to TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish

As we have already outlined in [previous](/ [communications](/, DragonFish includes an important change to how TrueCharts apps function on the SCALE platform. This means that there are two ways you can proceed with using our apps on DragonFish. These are

  1. Completely resetting the complete apps system by unsetting the Apps pool, removing the ix-applications dataset, and selecting the apps pool again, once your TrueNAS SCALE system is updated to DragonFish per our getting started [guide](/ for new users.

  2. Following our [migration process](/ for Cobia to DragonFish, developed in collaboration with and using tools/processes provided by HeavyBullets. Whilst this process is a manual one and is REQUIRED to be performed in one session/attempt, as noted on the page, it has been designed to be as smooth as possible after much internal testing and development from HeavyBullets. Thanks Heavy! ❤️

New TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish Users

New users joining the TrueCharts family will default to the DragonFish-supported main branch per our getting started [guide](/.

Updated TrueNAS SCALE Support Policy

To ensure transparency, we’ve updated our TrueNAS SCALE support [page](/ to highlight which SCALE features and versions are supported by TrueCharts and which ones aren’t. Make sure to check it out to understand the scope of support our volunteers can provide you.

Enhanced TrueNAS SCALE GUI Options for TrueCharts Apps

We’ve updated the TrueCharts apps/charts options in the SCALE GUI to provide additional links to supporting documentation. We’ve also streamlined naming across all supported TrueCharts deployment platforms for a cohesive and user-friendly experience regardless of what platform you want to run Kubernetes on. We won’t judge!

Closing Out

We’re committed to providing the best support and experience for our TrueCharts users on TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish. The TrueCharts team would also like to thank those who have generously donated towards our project for their continued support 💙. You keep TrueCharts thriving and allow us to continue providing resources such as our new and improved website to the community.

If you find our documentation/guides helpful or want to join the ranks of the over 250 people helping buy us Coffee ☕you can do this via our Open Collective page here:

One time or recurring Coffee donations 🫶

Thank you for choosing TrueCharts, and here’s to a future filled with innovation and collaboration. Happy charting!