Name: No Internet - No Problem? Air-Gapped Kubernetes on Bare Metal - Christian Bendieck & Carolin Dohmen, BWI GmbH
Start: 2025-08-26T14:10:00+0200
End: 2025-08-26T14:50:00+0200

25-27, August 2025
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Tuesday August 26, 2025 14:10 - 14:50 CEST

G001-002

What do you do when connectivity isn’t just flaky – it’s nonexistent? In this talk, we’ll take you through our experience deploying fully automated, air-gapped Kubernetes clusters on bare metal servers – without internet access, without a pre-existing registry, and minimal reliance on datacenter services such as NTP.

As the IT provider for the German Armed Forces, we operate in environments where isolation isn't optional – it's mandatory. Whether due to strict security requirements or the literal ocean between hardware and surface.

At the heart of our setup is a purpose built origin node based on NixOS – which provides all necessary external services to bootstrap the cluster leveraging Talos OS.

This session will cover the technical architecture, the automation stack, and some of the challenges we faced, including:

- Bootstrapping from air-gapped nothingness

- Pitfalls and amazement of Nix and NixOS

- Talos quirks such as image caching limitations

- The joys of automating server setup by accessing BMCs with the Redfish API

- Considerations of NeoNephos projects for further development

You'll leave with practical insights for spinning up fully disconnected Kubernetes clusters.

Speakers

Christian Bendieck

Cloud Engineer, BWI GmbH

I am a Cloud Engineer at BWI with 10+ years of experience in automating IT infrastructures. Currently, I develop private cloud environments and drive automation, including CI/CD pipelines and Kubernetes platform creation. Previously, I worked as a Technical Cloud & Automation Consultant... Read More →

Carolin Dohmen

Cloud Engineer, BWI GmbH

I am a Cloud Engineer at BWI GmbH, working on building a private cloud for the German Armed Forces.

Tuesday August 26, 2025 14:10 - 14:50 CEST
G001-002

Cloud & Containers

Audience Experience Level Beginner

Open Source Summit Europe 2025

Christian Bendieck

Carolin Dohmen

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