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rke2-install

Guides installation and configuration of self-hosted RKE2 Kubernetes clusters.

2|Updated Jul 22, 2026
Search Tags:#kubernetes#installation#etcd#rancher#cni#ha cluster#rke2
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/dydx/rke2-skills --skill rke2-install-dydx
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: rke2-install
Source: https://github.com/dydx/rke2-skills/tree/main/skills/rke2-install
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/dydx/rke2-skills --skill rke2-install-dydx

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Installing RKE2 involves many decisions and prerequisites—OS and hardware requirements, firewall ports, server vs agent roles, HA topology, install methods, and packaged component management—and missing any of them causes failed joins or broken clusters. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Requirements & Ports Reference: Covers OS/architecture support, hardware sizing tables, and the full inbound port matrix for the core services plus Canal, Cilium, Calico, and Flannel CNIs. - Install Methods & HA Setup: Walks through the get.rke2.io script, tarball, RPM, and manual installs, plus building a 3-server HA cluster behind a fixed registration address with split etcd/control-plane roles. - AddOns & Uninstall: Explains packaged components (CoreDNS, Traefik, metrics-server, snapshot controller), disabling them via config or .skip files, and clean uninstallation per install method. - Use Case: You need to stand up a production-grade, CIS-hardened Kubernetes cluster on bare-metal RHEL servers. Use this Skill to size the nodes, open the correct firewall ports, install the first server, and join additional servers and agents into an HA cluster. ## Quick Start Ask how to install an RKE2 server and join agent nodes to it, including which ports to open and which config file settings are required.

Frequently Asked Questions about rke2-install

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I install an RKE2 server and join agent nodes?▼

Run curl -sfL https://get.rke2.io | sh - on the server, then enable and start rke2-server.service. On agents, install with INSTALL_RKE2_TYPE="agent" and point /etc/rancher/rke2/config.yaml at https://<server>:9345 with the token from /var/lib/rancher/rke2/server/node-token.

What ports does RKE2 require to be open?▼

RKE2 needs 6443/TCP for the Kubernetes API, 9345/TCP for the supervisor API, 10250/TCP for kubelet, 2379-2381/TCP for etcd, and 30000-32767/TCP for NodePort. CNI-specific ports vary: Canal uses 8472/UDP, Calico uses 179/TCP and 4789/UDP, Cilium uses 4240/TCP and 8472/UDP.

How do I set up a highly available RKE2 cluster?▼

HA RKE2 requires a fixed registration address (L4 load balancer, round-robin DNS, or virtual IP) forwarding ports 9345 and 6443, plus an odd number of server nodes—three recommended. Set tls-san entries for the registration address and use a shared token in each server's config.yaml.

Does RKE2 support Windows worker nodes?▼

Yes, RKE2 supports Windows Server 2019 LTSC (17763.2061+) and 2022 LTSC as agent/worker nodes only, on amd64. The cluster CNI must be Calico or Flannel, and the Windows Server Containers feature must be enabled before running install.ps1.

How do I disable packaged RKE2 components like metrics-server?▼

Add disable: rke2-metrics-server to /etc/rancher/rke2/config.yaml, which actively uninstalls the AddOn and deletes its manifest. Alternatively, create a <manifest>.yaml.skip file in /var/lib/rancher/rke2/server/manifests to make RKE2 ignore that manifest.

Why does joining an RKE2 server fail with a configuration mismatch error?▼

The error 'failed to validate server configuration: critical configuration value mismatch' occurs when critical flags like cluster-cidr differ between servers. Ensure all server nodes share identical critical config values, and note that a node with an existing etcd datastore ignores the server: setting.

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