k8s-launch-kit-generate

name	k8s-launch-kit-generate
version	1.1.0
description	Use this skill when the user wants to generate Kubernetes YAML manifests for NVIDIA networking deployment using k8s-launch-kit (l8k). Activate for: manifest generation, profile selection, choosing between SR-IOV/host-device/RDMA-shared/IPoIB/MacVLAN/Spectrum-X, creating deployment files, or when the user asks 'which profile should I use' or needs help choosing a network configuration.
metadata	{"requires":{"skills":["k8s-launch-kit-shared"]}}

l8k: Manifest Generation

PREREQUISITE: Read ../k8s-launch-kit-shared/SKILL.md for install paths, global flags, and output modes.

Generate Kubernetes YAML manifests for NVIDIA networking from a cluster config and profile selection.

Usage

l8k generate --user-config <CONFIG> --fabric <FABRIC> --deployment-type <TYPE> \
  --save-deployment-files <OUTPUT_DIR>

Profile Selection Flags

Flag	Required	Values	Description
--fabric	Auto-defaulted	ethernet, infiniband	Network fabric. Auto-defaults from the cluster's unanimous linkType when omitted (Unit 5 fabric probe); skipped+warned when groups disagree or any has unverified linkType.
--deployment-type	Auto-defaulted	sriov, rdma_shared, host_device	Deployment type. Auto-defaults to sriov.
--spectrum-x	—	RA2.1, RA2.2	Enable Spectrum-X profile by passing the SPC-X RA version. Implies ethernet fabric, sriov deployment, and multirail.
--multiplane-mode	Auto-defaulted with --spectrum-x	none, swplb, hwplb, uniplane	Auto-defaults from east-west PF deviceID: CX7 / BF3 SuperNIC → uniplane, CX8 → swplb, CX9 → hwplb. Skipped+warned when groups have mixed deviceIDs.
--number-of-planes	Auto-defaulted with --spectrum-x	1, 2, 4	Auto-defaults from deviceID: CX7 / BF3 → 1, CX8 → 2, CX9 → 4.
--multirail	Auto-defaulted	—	Auto-defaults to true. Opt out with --multirail=false — YAML cannot express explicit-false (a bool zero in config is indistinguishable from "not set").
--save-deployment-files	Yes	—	Output directory for generated YAMLs
--groups	—	dgx-b200-nvidia-h100-nvl,poweredge-xe9680-nvidia-h200	Restrict output to the named source groups (comma-separated). Mutually exclusive with --gpu-type.
--gpu-type	—	NVIDIA-H200	Restrict output to source groups whose gpuType matches (case-insensitive). Mutually exclusive with --groups.
--for	—	preset directory name	Skip discovery: synthesize clusterConfig from a topology preset. Requires --node-selector. List options with l8k preset list.
--node-selector	Required with --for	key=val,key2=val2	Identifies which nodes the synthesized clusterConfig targets at apply time.

*Not required when --spectrum-x is used.

Examples

# SR-IOV Ethernet RDMA (most common for GPU clusters)
l8k generate --user-config cluster-config.yaml \
  --fabric ethernet --deployment-type sriov \
  --save-deployment-files ./output

# Spectrum-X with hardware plane load balancing
l8k generate --user-config cluster-config.yaml \
  --spectrum-x RA2.2 --multiplane-mode hwplb --number-of-planes 4 \
  --save-deployment-files ./output

# Host device RDMA
l8k generate --user-config cluster-config.yaml \
  --fabric ethernet --deployment-type host_device \
  --save-deployment-files ./output

# IPoIB RDMA shared (InfiniBand)
l8k generate --user-config cluster-config.yaml \
  --fabric infiniband --deployment-type rdma_shared \
  --save-deployment-files ./output

# Agent mode
l8k generate --user-config cluster-config.yaml \
  --fabric ethernet --deployment-type sriov \
  --save-deployment-files ./output \
  --output json 2>/dev/null

# Generate from a known server SKU (no cluster discovery required)
l8k preset list   # see available presets
l8k generate --user-config cluster-config.yaml \
  --for ThinkSystem-SR680a-V3 \
  --node-selector "nvidia.com/gpu.product=NVIDIA-H200" \
  --fabric ethernet --deployment-type sriov \
  --save-deployment-files ./output

Choosing l8k discover vs --for

• l8k discover then l8k generate — default flow. Run discovery against a live cluster to learn machine type, GPU type, and NIC topology, then generate from the resulting cluster-config.yaml.
• l8k generate --for <preset> — skip discovery entirely when the SKU is already known and there is a preset for it. Useful for ahead-of-time generation (CI scaffolding, lab runbooks, demos), or when you don't have kubectl access yet. Requires --node-selector to identify the target nodes at apply time.

A preset used with --for must declare capabilities.nodes.{sriov,rdma,ib} in its topology.yaml. All bundled presets do.

Profile Quick Reference

Profile	Flags	Use Case
SR-IOV Ethernet RDMA	--fabric ethernet --deployment-type sriov	GPU clusters, ML training, HPC
Host Device RDMA	--fabric ethernet --deployment-type host_device	Legacy HPC, DPDK, full NIC access
MacVLAN RDMA Shared	--fabric ethernet --deployment-type rdma_shared	Multi-tenant Ethernet environments
IPoIB RDMA Shared	--fabric infiniband --deployment-type rdma_shared	InfiniBand shared workloads
SR-IOV InfiniBand	--fabric infiniband --deployment-type sriov	InfiniBand SR-IOV
Spectrum-X	--spectrum-x	AI cloud, multi-tenant GPU networking

For detailed profile selection guidance (NIC constraints, multiplane modes, when to use each), read references/profile-decision-tree.md.

Output

Generated YAMLs are written to the output directory, organized by group:

output/
├── group-0/
│   ├── nicclusterpolicy.yaml
│   ├── ippool.yaml
│   ├── sriovnetworknodepolicy.yaml
│   ├── sriovnetwork.yaml
│   └── test-pod.yaml

Auto-Detecting Multirail

After discovery, check if any group in cluster-config.yaml has railNumber > 0 in its physicalFunctions. If so, add --multirail to the generate command.

Common Mistakes

• There is no --profile flag. Profiles are selected via --fabric + --deployment-type (or --spectrum-x). Do NOT invent flags.
• The multiplane flag is --multiplane-mode, not --spcx-multiplane or --multiplane.

Tips

• Default to SR-IOV Ethernet for new GPU cluster deployments unless told otherwise.
• For Spectrum-X, NIC type determines available multiplane modes — read references/spectrum-x-guide.md.
• Use --groups <a,b,...> (case-sensitive identifier list) or --gpu-type <X> (case-insensitive) to scope a generate to a subset of source groups in heterogeneous clusters. Mutually exclusive. Empty match is a validation error. Strict-subset filters split per-source rendering: NodePolicies emit one CR per source (each with its own machine-label nodeSelector but a shared bucket-level resourceName); IPPool/example DaemonSet emit one CR per bucket with an In list of source machine labels.

[!CAUTION] Generation does not apply anything to the cluster. Use --deploy or k8s-launch-kit-deploy to apply.

See Also

• k8s-launch-kit-shared — Global flags and output modes
• k8s-launch-kit-discover — Produce the cluster config needed for generation
• k8s-launch-kit-deploy — Apply generated manifests
• k8s-launch-kit-dryrun — Preview before applying