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RWS Architecture article

Clusters as a Service

Clusters as a Service is the product-neutral architecture building block for self-service Kubernetes or container-platform clusters. It states what DC 3.0 needs from this capabilit

  1. Typeabb
  2. Statuscandidate
  3. Domainplatform
On this page
  1. ABB Clusters as a Service
  2. Summary
  3. Capabilities
  4. Constraints
  5. Service Description
  6. Roadmaps
  7. Landing Zones
  8. Interfaces
  9. Dependencies
  10. EIRA Alignment
  11. Available SBB's

ABB Clusters as a Service

Summary

Clusters as a Service is the product-neutral architecture building block for self-service Kubernetes or container-platform clusters. It states what DC 3.0 needs from this capability before a concrete SBB, product, or operating model is selected.

Capabilities

  • Provides self-service Kubernetes or container-platform clusters.
  • Defines the functional, technical, security, and quality expectations that SBBs must satisfy.
  • Keeps service ownership, interfaces, and consumption boundaries visible before product selection.
  • Enables traceability from architecture intent to implementation, operational evidence, and consuming services.

Constraints

  • The resulting SBB must fit the datacenters ownership model and document the support, lifecycle, and service-management boundary.
  • Security, privacy, logging, evidence, and compliance controls must be explicit enough to assess BIO2-aligned implementation where applicable.
  • Cluster offerings must define tenant boundaries, upgrade policy, network integration, and security baseline.
  • Platform SBBs must adhere to BIO2-aligned controls where applicable to RWS services.

Service Description

This ABB offers a managed cluster service that provides tenant-ready container platform capacity with standardized lifecycle and guardrails. It is consumed by solution architects, platform teams, and service owners as the capability contract for selecting and shaping SBBs.

The service description remains implementation-neutral: product selection, hosting pattern, detailed runbooks, and service levels belong in the mapped SBB and related ADRs.

Roadmaps

  • Baseline: confirm scope, service ownership, constraints, and acceptance criteria for Clusters as a Service.
  • MVP: validate the mapped SBB implementation and record the selected support and lifecycle model.
  • Next: add measurable service levels, evidence requirements, and roadmap dependencies once the SBB is selected.

Landing Zones

  • Private cloud landing zone in ODC-Amsterdam, following the RWS ICT Strategy 2025-2030 private-cloud direction.
  • Government cloud or external cloud landing zones only when the SBB documents the required control set, connectivity model, and data classification fit.

Interfaces

  • Kubernetes and OpenShift APIs.
  • Ingress, registry, identity, and storage interfaces.
  • Cluster lifecycle and telemetry APIs.

Dependencies

  • Depends on dc-network-structure for a supporting capability or integration boundary.
  • Depends on block-file-s3-storage for a supporting capability or integration boundary.
  • Depends on federated-authentication for a supporting capability or integration boundary.
  • Depends on registry for a supporting capability or integration boundary.
  • Implemented by red-hat-openshift-container-platform as currently mapped SBB traceability.
  • Consuming ABB and SBB dependencies must be recorded as links when solution design identifies concrete upstream or downstream use.

EIRA Alignment

Available SBB's

  • red-hat-openshift-container-platform - Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is a candidate solution building block for the translated DC 3.0 ABB model. It remains candidate until the responsible architects confirm service ownership, support model, and acceptance criteria.