EX380 Practice Questions

Verify logging namespace and resources

oc get ns openshift-logging

oc -n openshift-logging get clusterlogforwarder

ClusterLogForwarder configures pipelines and outputs.

Create/Edit ClusterLogForwarder (example structure)

Define an output (external system) and pipeline selecting application logs.

Apply via YAML:

oc -n openshift-logging apply -f clusterlogforwarder.yaml

Validate collector pods are healthy

oc -n openshift-logging get pods

Forwarding relies on collectors (vector/fluentd depending config).

Generate a test log line

oc -n openshift-logging run logger --image=busybox --restart=Never -- /bin/sh -c 'echo hello-forwarding; sleep 5'

This creates a known message to search in the external endpoint.

Confirm logs arrive at destination

Use your external system’s query/search to confirm hello-forwarding.

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Step 1: Verify the cluster name, namespace, and user name that should be referenced.

The lab uses cluster api-ocp4-example-com:6443, namespace audit-ns, and user audit-sa.

Step 2: Run the command:

oc config set-context audit --cluster api-ocp4-example-com:6443 --namespace audit-ns --user audit-sa --kubeconfig audit.config

Step 3: Confirm context creation.

The lab output shows:

Context "audit" created.

Detailed explanation:

A kubeconfig context ties together three things: a cluster endpoint, a user identity, and optionally a default namespace. This Task creates a context named audit in the file audit.config. Contexts are useful because they simplify repeated administration by letting the user switch between prepared working environments instead of re-entering cluster and namespace details each time. The namespace portion is especially helpful for project-scoped operations, because commands run under that context default to the chosen namespace. Accuracy matters here: if the user name in the context does not match the credentials entry or the cluster name does not exist in the kubeconfig, the context will not function as intended.

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Verify prerequisites exist (Secret + ConfigMap)

oc -n openshift-config get secret rhds-ldap-secret

oc -n openshift-config get configmap rhds-ca-config-map

OAuth LDAP configuration references these objects. If they don’t exist, OAuth won’t be able to bind to LDAP securely.

Edit the cluster OAuth resource

oc edit oauth cluster

The oauth/cluster resource is where identity providers are defined.

Add an LDAP identity provider entry (example structure) Add under spec.identityProviders:

- name: corp-ldap

mappingMethod: claim

type: LDAP

ldap:

url: "ldaps://ldap.example.com:636/ou=People,dc=example,dc=com?uid"

bindDN: "uid=openshift,ou=svc,dc=example,dc=com"

bindPassword:

name: rhds-ldap-secret

ca:

name: rhds-ca-config-map

insecure: false

attributes:

id: ["dn"]

name: ["cn"]

preferredUsername: ["uid"]

email: ["mail"]

url: where to search for users and which attribute is used for login (here uid).

bindDN + bindPassword: service account used for LDAP queries.

ca: trusts the LDAP server CA for TLS.

attributes: maps LDAP data into OpenShift user identity fields.

Restart OAuth pods to load changes quickly

oc -n openshift-authentication delete pod -l app=oauth-openshift

This forces pods to restart and re-read the updated configuration.

Verify the identity provider appears and users can log in

In the web console login page, you should see the new provider (name may show as corp-ldap).

After a successful login, confirm user objects appear:

oc get users

oc get identities

OpenShift creates User and Identity objects upon first successful authentication.

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Step 1: Make sure the MachineConfig YAML has already been created or modified in the local Git repository.

This Task assumes the file change is ready to be committed.

Step 2: Run the command:

git commit -am "Add MachineConfig for motd" & & git push origin main

Step 3: Verify the commit succeeds and the push goes to the main branch.

The lab output shows:

[main 8d32a1] Add MachineConfig for motd

Detailed explanation:

This Task is part of a GitOps workflow. Instead of manually applying changes directly to the cluster, the desired configuration is stored in Git, and a GitOps controller such as Argo CD synchronizes the cluster to match the repository state. The command commits all tracked modified files with the message Add MachineConfig for motd and then pushes the change to the main branch. In this model, Git becomes the source of truth. A MachineConfig is typically used to manage node-level operating system configuration in OpenShift, so pushing it through GitOps ensures the change is auditable, repeatable, and reconciled declaratively. If the commit does not include the intended YAML, the synchronization mechanism will not apply the desired change.

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Start the restore

velero restore create orders-restore --from-backup orders-full

Monitor restore status

velero restore get

velero restore describe orders-restore --details

Validate restored resources

oc -n orders get all

oc -n orders get pvc

Ensure deployments/pods/services and PVCs exist and pods become Running.

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Find the alert name and labels

Web console: Observe → Alerts → click the alert to view label set.

Open Alertmanager silences

Observe → Alerting → Alertmanager → Silences → Create silence

Explanation: Silences mute alerts matching label filters.

Create the silence

Add matcher: alertname = < ALERT_NAME >

Duration: 2 hours

Save.

Verify the alert shows as silenced

The alert should indicate it is silenced in the UI.

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Step 1: Make sure Velero is installed and configured in the environment.

The Task SIMULATION assumes an existing backup named backup-app-daily is already present.

Step 2: Run the restore command:

velero restore create --from-backup backup-app-daily

Step 3: Confirm the restore request is submitted.

The lab output shows:

Restore request "backup-app-daily-2024" submitted successfully.

Detailed explanation:

This command instructs Velero to create a restore operation using the existing backup called backup-app-daily. Velero is commonly used to protect Kubernetes and OpenShift resources by backing up object definitions and, when configured, persistent data integrations. The command does not manually recreate resources one by one; instead, it leverages the metadata captured during backup. A successful restore submission means the request has been accepted, not necessarily that every object has already been fully restored. In practical administration, you would often follow this by checking restore status and validating the application namespace, pods, services, routes, and storage bindings. This lab Task SIMULATION focuses specifically on initiating the restore from the named backup source.

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Step 1: Identify the pending certificate signing request.

The lab names it audit-csr.

Step 2: Run the approval command:

oc adm certificate approve audit-csr

Step 3: Confirm approval.

The lab output shows:

certificatesigningrequest.certificates.k8s.io/audit-csr approved

Detailed explanation:

In Kubernetes and OpenShift, a CSR must be approved before the requester can use the signed certificate for authentication. This Task approves the CSR named audit-csr, which is likely associated with the audit user or service account access flow in the lab. Certificate-based authentication is commonly used for kubeconfig access because it enables secure client identity without relying solely on tokens. Until the CSR is approved, the certificate cannot be trusted by the cluster API for authenticated operations. Administrative approval is therefore a gatekeeping step that ensures only intended certificate requests become valid credentials. This Task is part of a broader kubeconfig workflow that continues with setting credentials and defining context.

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Create a group sync config file (example groupsync.yaml)

This file defines how OpenShift queries LDAP for groups and members.

Run a one-time group sync

oc adm groups sync --sync-config=groupsync.yaml --confirm

--confirm actually applies changes (without it, it’s a dry-run preview).

Verify groups created/updated

oc get groups

oc describe group < groupname >

Confirms group objects exist and membership is present.

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Confirm resources and PVCs exist

oc -n orders get all

oc -n orders get pvc

Ensures there is something meaningful to back up.

Create backup including volume snapshots

velero backup create orders-full --include-namespaces orders --snapshot-volumes

Captures Kubernetes objects and requests PV snapshots where supported.

Check status/details

velero backup describe orders-full --details

velero backup logs orders-full

Review warnings/errors and confirm snapshot actions.

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