In this week’s issue of README Highlight (#43, 2023), we are taking a look at the following project: k0s.

k0s is an all-inclusive Kubernetes distribution developed by Team Lens. It is designed to be a zero-friction solution for building Kubernetes clusters, packaged as a single binary for ease of use. It can be deployed in various environments, including cloud, IoT gateways, edge, and bare metal deployments, thanks to its simple design, flexible deployment options, and modest system requirements.

Key features of k0s include different installation methods (single-node, multi-node, airgap, and Docker), automatic lifecycle management with k0sctl for upgrades and backup/restore, modest system requirements (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM), vanilla upstream Kubernetes with no changes, and support for custom Container Network Interface (CNI) and Container Runtime Interface (CRI) plugins. It also supports all Kubernetes storage options with Container Storage Interface (CSI) and a variety of datastore backends.

To get started with k0s, users can refer to the Quick Start Guide for creating a full Kubernetes cluster with a single node, use k0sctl for deploying and upgrading multi-node clusters, watch a NanoDemo recording for a visual demonstration, or run k0s in Docker containers. The project also provides comprehensive documentation and resources for further exploration.

The k0s project is open to community participation and welcomes contributions. Users can join the Lens Forums or submit issues and feature requests via GitHub. The project is continuously improving and has reached a production-ready state, with regular releases and stability improvements.

In terms of scope, k0s aims to provide a versatile base for running Kubernetes in various setups, minimizing the inclusion of “add-ons” and focusing on a robust and flexible core. The project believes in keeping fewer opinions and reducing the maintenance burden of external addons.

Building k0s from source is facilitated by GNU Make and Docker, with all compilation steps performed inside Docker containers. The project offers two different build options: a self-contained build with all binaries compiled from source and embedded, and a package maintainer build without any embedded binaries. Smoke tests are also available to ensure the functionality of the built binaries.

In conclusion, k0s offers a zero-friction Kubernetes distribution with a focus on simplicity, flexibility, and performance. It provides a comprehensive set of features, easy installation and management, and compatibility with various deployment environments. With its active development and community involvement, k0s aims to be a modern and reliable choice for Kubernetes deployments.

The openSUSE community has announced a logo competition for a new openSUSE logo, as well as four openSUSE distributions: Tumbleweed, Leap, Slowroll, and Kalpa. The aim of the competition is to strengthen the visual identity of the openSUSE brand and create a cohesive brand identity for its distributions.

The new logo designs should visualize a unified brand and integrate well with newer project logos like Aeon, MicroOS, and Leap Micro. The logos for the openSUSE distributions are designed with simple shapes and lines, typically as empty outlines. The logos use a 16u square canvas with a 1u stroke width.

The competition is open to the openSUSE community and the deadline for submissions is November 22. The winners will receive a “Geeko Mystery Box” as a reward for their creative designs.

The rules of the contest state that the logo should be licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 and allow everyone to use it without attribution if it is used as the logo for the openSUSE Project. The design must be original and not include any third party materials. Both monochrome and color formats are required for submission, and the design should reflect the openSUSE communities.

To submit a design, participants must email their vector file in SVG format to ddemaio@opensuse.org, along with a PNG of the design posted on the openSUSE website. The file size should be less than 512 KB. Participants should also include their name, mail address, and a description of the design’s philosophy.

The submitted designs will be added to a survey where the community can vote on them. The final decision will be made at an openSUSE Community meeting.

TrueNAS has announced the release of TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 “Cobia,” the third major release of TrueNAS SCALE. This release brings improvements in quality, functionality, security, and performance.

One of the key highlights of the TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 release is the improvement in Server Message Block (SMB) features. SMB is the most common file sharing protocol and is widely supported on various platforms. The new features in this release include SMB and NFSv4 compatibility, SMB share import from other systems, SMB file sync with 3rd party servers, and fast file copy with ZFS block cloning.

In addition to the SMB features, TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 brings several other enhancements. The infrastructure has been improved with Linux Kernel 6.1 and better hardware support, NVIDIA driver updates, and Netdata backend stats collection. The web interface has also been enhanced with improved Apps and Storage Pool UI, as well as simplified feedback and bug reporting.

TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 also includes updates to ZFS and performance improvements. It features OpenZFS 2.2 with contributions from iXsystems, ZFS block cloning for faster file copies, ZFS dRAID pool layouts, and improved ZFS scrub controls. The release also brings updates to protocols and services such as Samba security and speed improvements, simplified SMB cluster expansion via TrueCommand 3.0 (coming soon), and iSCSI improvements.

TrueNAS 13.1, which is planned for release in early 2024, will inherit some of the improvements from TrueNAS SCALE Cobia. This update will include the SMB and ZFS enhancements implemented and tested in Cobia. Nightly versions of TrueNAS 13.1 are available for testing and contribution to the development process.

TrueNAS SCALE 22.12.4.2 is the final version of Bluefin, and going forward, TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 Cobia will gradually become the recommended version. No further versions of Bluefin are planned. TrueNAS provides options for migrating storage services and VMs from CORE to SCALE, and plugins and jails can be manually replaced with Apps.

The TrueNAS installer can be downloaded from the TrueNAS website or the system update feature within an existing TrueNAS installation.

Red Hat engineers have released Stratis 3.6, an incremental update to their Linux storage solution. Stratis, which utilizes the Rust programming language and is built on the XFS file-system and LVM, aims to provide functionality similar to ZFS and Btrfs. However, its adoption in the wild remains limited.

Stratis 3.6 introduces several new features and improvements. Users can now set size limits on file-systems, ensuring better control over storage usage. The release also includes a persistent keyring for Clevis, which enhances security. D-Bus handling has been improved, allowing for better communication when a device grows or a pool is extended. Additionally, the update includes various maintenance tasks and code cleaning.

For those interested in trying out Stratis 3.6, the daemon release can be downloaded from the official Stratis-Storage GitHub page.

Overall, the latest release of Stratis continues to enhance Linux storage management. While still gaining traction, Stratis provides becoming a viable option for those in need of modern storage management in their Linux environments.

For more details on Stratis 3.6, please visit the Stratis-Storage GitHub page.

Source: Phoronix.

Grafana has released version 10.2.0 on October 24, 2023. This new release brings a wide range of features and enhancements to the open-source platform for monitoring and observability.

Some of the key features and enhancements in version 10.2.0 include:

• The Canvas feature has been promoted to beta status, allowing users to create rich, interactive dashboards with custom visualizations.
• Improvements to the BarChart component, including enhanced data links in tooltips for better user experience.
• Updated PluginExtensions to ensure the default timeZone is passed in the context.
• PublicDashboards feature has been enabled by default for general availability, and the public preview text has been removed.
• The Grafana UI has added a new Avatar component for user profile images.
• Alerting now includes support for msteams contact point in external Alertmanagers.
• The Insights landing page for Alerting has been enabled by default.
• Various transformations have been improved, including de-emphasizing non-applicable transformations, using short units in graphs, and adding context and timezone support in Format time and Convert field type transformations.
• Playlist now includes create and update timestamps in the database.
• Live now allows users to set the engine password.
• Auth has enabled the None role for version 10.2.
• Playlist has added support for adding folder, dashboard, and data source permissions to service accounts.
• SparklineCell now displays absolute values.
• Various bug fixes and improvements have been made throughout the platform.

In addition to these features and enhancements, there have been bug fixes and improvements to the platform, including fixes for issues related to snapshots, Loki, alerting, transformations, and more.

Please note that there are some breaking changes and deprecations in this release. It is important to review the release notes and update any relevant configurations or code to ensure compatibility with version 10.2.0.

For more details on the new features, enhancements, bug fixes, and breaking changes in Grafana version 10.2.0, you can refer to the release notes.

Matrix Synapse, an open-source Matrix homeserver developed by the Matrix.org Foundation, has recently released version v1.95.0. For those unfamiliar with Matrix, it is an open standard for communication on the internet that supports federation, encryption, and VoIP. The Matrix.org website provides more information about the project’s goals, and the formal specification delves into the technical aspects.

With this new release, Synapse introduces several notable features and improvements. Some of the key highlights include:

• The ability to build Debian packages specifically for Ubuntu 23.10 Mantic Minotaur, enabling seamless integration and compatibility with the latest version of the popular Linux distribution.
• Improved performance and stability, ensuring a reliable and efficient experience for users.
• Bug fixes and security enhancements, addressing any potential vulnerabilities and further strengthening the server’s overall security.
• Enhanced documentation, providing users with comprehensive guides and resources to make the most out of Synapse’s capabilities.

To learn more about Synapse v1.95.0 and download the latest release, visit the official Matrix Synapse GitHub page at https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/releases/tag/v1.95.0. Whether you are a seasoned user or new to Matrix, this release is worth exploring for its performance improvements, bug fixes, and new features.