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Primary-Remote multicluster topology

The Primary-Remote configuration is a multicluster topology supported by Istio to share a single control plane across multiple clusters^[samples/multicluster/README.md]. This setup assumes that the Istio control plane has already been deployed to the designated primary cluster^[samples/multicluster/README.md].

Topology Overview

In this model, the remote clusters rely on the primary cluster for management, while all configurations utilize a dedicated gateway deployment to handle east-west traffic^[samples/multicluster/README.md]. This separation prevents east-west traffic from flooding the default north-south Ingress gateway^[samples/multicluster/README.md].

Configuration Steps

To establish a Primary-Remote topology, an administrator must first deploy an East-West Gateway to the primary cluster^[samples/multicluster/README.md]. The configuration requires environment variables for MESH, CLUSTER, and NETWORK to align with the existing control plane settings^[samples/multicluster/README.md].

Once the gateway is active, the istiod service is exposed through it to allow remote clusters to access the control plane^[samples/multicluster/README.md].

Sources

  • samples/multicluster/README.md