EKS Auto Mode NodePool Configuration Quiz

Related Document: NodePool Configuration

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What are the default NodePools provided by EKS Auto Mode?

• A) default, worker
• B) general-purpose, system
• C) compute, memory
• D) primary, secondary

Show Answer

Answer: B) general-purpose, system

Explanation: EKS Auto Mode provides two default NodePools:

• general-purpose: Default NodePool for general workloads, supporting various instance types (c, m, r) and both Spot/On-Demand
• system: NodePool for system components (CoreDNS, kube-proxy, etc.), using On-Demand only with CriticalAddonsOnly taint applied

# Auto Mode activation example
autoModeConfig:
  enabled: true
  nodePools:
    - general-purpose
    - system

2. How do you enforce IMDSv2 as required in NodeClass?

• A) httpTokens: optional
• B) httpTokens: required
• C) httpEndpoint: disabled
• D) httpPutResponseHopLimit: 0

Show Answer

Answer: B) httpTokens: required

Explanation: Setting httpTokens: required in NodeClass's metadataOptions enforces IMDSv2 only, enhancing security.

apiVersion: eks.amazonaws.com/v1
kind: NodeClass
metadata:
  name: secure-nodeclass
spec:
  metadataOptions:
    httpEndpoint: enabled
    httpProtocolIPv6: disabled
    httpPutResponseHopLimit: 2
    httpTokens: required  # IMDSv2 required

Security Best Practices:

• httpTokens: required: Enforce IMDSv2 usage
• httpPutResponseHopLimit: 1: Block direct IMDS access from Pods

3. What AMI families does EKS Auto Mode support?

• A) Amazon Linux 2, Ubuntu
• B) AL2023, Bottlerocket
• C) Windows Server, Amazon Linux 2
• D) Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu

Show Answer

Answer: B) AL2023, Bottlerocket

Explanation: EKS Auto Mode only supports AL2023 (Amazon Linux 2023) and Bottlerocket AMI families. Windows nodes are not supported.

AMI Family Characteristics:

• AL2023: General-purpose use, rich package support
• Bottlerocket: Container-optimized OS, faster boot time, enhanced security

apiVersion: eks.amazonaws.com/v1
kind: NodeClass
metadata:
  name: custom-nodeclass
spec:
  amiFamily: Bottlerocket  # or AL2023

4. What is the label key to specify GPU manufacturer in a NodePool for GPU workloads?

• A) karpenter.k8s.aws/gpu-vendor
• B) karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-gpu-manufacturer
• C) nvidia.com/gpu-family
• D) karpenter.sh/gpu-type

Show Answer

Answer: B) karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-gpu-manufacturer

Explanation: You can specify the manufacturer when selecting GPU instances.

spec:
  template:
    spec:
      requirements:
        - key: karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-category
          operator: In
          values: ["g", "p"]
        - key: karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-gpu-manufacturer
          operator: In
          values: ["nvidia"]

5. What is the correct way to specify instance generation in a NodePool?

• A) node.kubernetes.io/instance-generation: "6"
• B) karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-generation with operator: In
• C) eks.amazonaws.com/generation: "6"
• D) instance-generation: 6

Show Answer

Answer: B) karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-generation with operator: In

Explanation: Use Karpenter labels to specify instance generation.

spec:
  template:
    spec:
      requirements:
        - key: karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-category
          operator: In
          values: ["c"]
        - key: karpenter.k8s.aws/instance-generation
          operator: Gt
          values: ["5"]  # Generation 6 or higher
        - key: karpenter.sh/capacity-type
          operator: In
          values: ["on-demand"]

6. What is the correct way to configure NodeClass to use only private subnets?

• A) subnetType: private
• B) subnetSelectorTerms with internal-elb tag
• C) privateSubnetsOnly: true
• D) networkType: private

Show Answer

Answer: B) subnetSelectorTerms with internal-elb tag

Explanation: Use subnetSelectorTerms to select private subnets.

apiVersion: eks.amazonaws.com/v1
kind: NodeClass
metadata:
  name: secure-nodeclass
spec:
  # Use private subnets only
  subnetSelectorTerms:
    - tags:
        kubernetes.io/role/internal-elb: "1"

Public subnets use the kubernetes.io/role/elb: "1" tag.