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title Minimum Single Node Cluster Blueprint
description Minimal deployment of Azure IoT Operations on a single-node, Arc-enabled Kubernetes cluster using minimum required resources while maintaining functionality
author Edge AI Team
ms.date 2025-06-07
ms.topic reference
keywords
azure iot operations
minimal deployment
single node cluster
kubernetes
arc-enabled
terraform
bicep
edge computing
resource optimization
estimated_reading_time 3

Minimum Single Node Cluster Blueprint

This blueprint provides a minimal deployment of Azure IoT Operations (AIO) on a single-node, Arc-enabled Kubernetes cluster. It is designed to use the minimum required resources while still providing a functional edge deployment with Azure IoT Operations. Please follow general blueprint recommendations from blueprints README.md.

Architecture

This blueprint deploys:

  1. A Linux VM host in Azure (minimum size)
  2. A K3s Kubernetes cluster on the VM
  3. Azure Arc connection for the cluster
  4. Minimal cloud resources required by AIO (Key Vault, Storage, etc.)
  5. Core Azure IoT Operations components

The resulting architecture provides a functional edge-to-cloud solution with the minimal resource footprint.

What's Excluded

To minimize resource usage, the following components are excluded:

  1. Cloud Resources:

    • Cloud Observability (monitoring resources)
    • Cloud Messaging (Event Grid, Event Hubs, Service Bus)
    • AKS & ACR (cloud-side Kubernetes and container registry)

  2. Edge Resources:

    • Edge Observability (monitoring on the edge)
    • Edge Messaging (advanced messaging features)

  3. Optional Features:

    • Processor and Simulation OPC operators
    • Advanced security features
    • Diagnostic settings
    • High availability features

Implementation Options

This blueprint is available in two implementation options:

  • Terraform - Infrastructure as Code using HashiCorp Terraform
  • Bicep - Infrastructure as Code using Azure Bicep

Choose the implementation that best fits your team's expertise and existing pipelines.

Terraform Structure

This blueprint consists of the following key components:

  • Main Configuration (main.tf): Orchestrates the deployment workflow and module dependencies
  • Variables (variables.tf): Defines input parameters with descriptions and defaults
  • Outputs (outputs.tf): Exposes important resource information for future reference
  • Versions (versions.tf): Specifies provider versions and requirements

Key Modules Used in Terraform

Module Purpose Source Location
cloud_resource_group Creates resource groups ../../../src/000-cloud/000-resource-group/terraform
cloud_security_identity Handles identity and security resources ../../../src/000-cloud/010-security-identity/terraform
cloud_data Creates data storage resources ../../../src/000-cloud/030-data/terraform
cloud_vm_host Creates the VM host for the cluster ../../../src/000-cloud/051-vm-host/terraform
edge_cncf_cluster Deploys K3s Kubernetes cluster ../../../src/100-edge/100-cncf-cluster/terraform
edge_iot_ops Installs Azure IoT Operations ../../../src/100-edge/110-iot-ops/terraform

Variable Reference in Terraform

Beyond the basic required variables, this blueprint supports these key configurations:

Variable Description Default Notes
environment Environment type Required "dev", "test", "prod", etc.
resource_prefix Prefix for resource naming Required Short unique alphanumeric string (max 8 chars recommended)
location Azure region location Required "eastus2", "westus3", etc.
instance Deployment instance number "001" For multiple deployments
should_get_custom_locations_oid Auto-retrieve Custom Locations OID true Set to false when providing custom_locations_oid
custom_locations_oid Custom Locations SP Object ID null Required for Arc custom locations
should_create_anonymous_broker_listener Enable anonymous MQTT listener false For dev/test only, not secure for production

For additional configuration options, review the variables in variables.tf.

Bicep Structure

This blueprint also provides a Bicep implementation with the following components:

  • Main Template (bicep/main.bicep): The primary deployment template that orchestrates the overall solution
  • Types Definition (bicep/types.core.bicep): Defines core parameter types and structures used throughout the deployment

The Bicep implementation follows the same architecture as the Terraform version, providing a native Azure Resource Manager (ARM) approach to deploying the same resources with minimal resource consumption.

Key Modules Used in Bicep

Module Purpose Source Location
cloudResourceGroup Creates the resource group ../../../src/000-cloud/000-resource-group/bicep
cloudSecurityIdentity Handles identity and security ../../../src/000-cloud/010-security-identity/bicep
cloudData Creates data storage resources ../../../src/000-cloud/030-data/bicep
cloudVmHost Creates the VM host for the cluster ../../../src/000-cloud/051-vm-host/bicep
edgeCncfCluster Deploys K3s Kubernetes cluster ../../../src/100-edge/100-cncf-cluster/bicep
edgeIotOps Installs Azure IoT Operations ../../../src/100-edge/110-iot-ops/bicep

Parameter Reference in Bicep

The Bicep implementation uses a streamlined parameter approach with a Common object type:

Parameter Description Default Notes
common.resourcePrefix Prefix for resource naming Required Short unique alphanumeric string (max 8 chars recommended)
common.location Azure region location Required "eastus2", "westus3", etc.
common.environment Environment type Required "dev", "test", "prod", etc.
common.instance Deployment instance number Required For multiple deployments
resourceGroupName Resource group name Auto-generated Uses pattern: rg-{prefix}-{environment}-{instance}
adminPassword VM admin password Required Important: always pass this securely
customLocationsOid Custom Locations SP Object ID Required Needed for Arc custom locations feature
shouldCreateAnonymousBrokerListener Enable anonymous MQTT listener false For dev/test only
shouldInitAio Deploy initial AIO components true Controls deployment of initial AIO components
shouldDeployAio Deploy AIO instance components true Controls deployment of AIO instance components

Prerequisites

IMPORTANT: We highly suggest using this project's integrated dev container to get started quickly with Windows-based systems and also works well with nix-compatible environments.

Refer to the Environment Setup section in the Root README for detailed instructions on setting up your environment.

Ensure you have the following prerequisites:

  • Sufficient quota for a VM in your target region
  • At least 8 GB of RAM per VM, recommended 16 GB of RAM per VM
  • Registered resource providers (see deployment instructions)
  • Appropriate permissions to create resources

Deploy Blueprint

Follow detailed deployment instructions from the blueprints README.md, Detailed Deployment Workflow

Scaling Up

This blueprint deploys a minimal configuration. If you need additional capabilities, consider:

  1. For observability features, deploy the edge_observability module
  2. For messaging features, deploy the edge_messaging module
  3. For additional operators, modify the edge_iot_ops module variables

🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction, then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.