docs_tfgrid_get_started/docs/mycelium-cloud/faq.md

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# Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters on Mycelium Cloud.

## General

### What is Mycelium Cloud?

Mycelium Cloud is a platform for deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters on the decentralized ThreeFold Grid infrastructure. It provides K3s clusters with Mycelium peer-to-peer networking, making it easy to run containerized applications on distributed, cost-effective infrastructure.

### What makes Mycelium Cloud different?

- **Decentralized Infrastructure**: Runs on ThreeFold Grid's distributed network
- **IPv6 Networking**: Built-in Mycelium peer-to-peer networking
- **Cost Effective**: Competitive pricing on decentralized infrastructure
- **No Vendor Lock-in**: Standard Kubernetes (K3s) - works with all K8s tools
- **Global Distribution**: Deploy across worldwide node locations

### Is it suitable for production workloads?

Yes! Mycelium Cloud supports production workloads with:
- High availability cluster configurations (multi-master)
- Persistent storage options
- Monitoring and logging capabilities
- Standard Kubernetes security features

## Getting Started

### How do I create an account?

1. Visit [Mycelium Cloud](https://myceliumcloud.tf)
2. Fill in your registration details
3. Verify your email address
4. Add credits and SSH keys from your dashboard

See the **[Getting Started Guide](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/getting-started)** for detailed steps.

### What do I need to get started?

- **Mycelium installed** - For network access ([Install guide](/getstarted/mycelium-network/install))
- **kubectl installed** - For cluster management ([Install kubectl](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/))
- **SSH key pair** - For node access
- **Account credits** - To fund your deployments

### What Kubernetes version is supported?

Mycelium Cloud uses **K3s v1.26+**, which provides:
- Full Kubernetes API compatibility
- Lightweight resource usage
- High availability features
- Dual-stack networking (IPv4/IPv6)

## Cluster Management

### How do I access my cluster?

Two methods:

**1. kubectl (Recommended):**
```bash
# Download kubeconfig from dashboard
export KUBECONFIG=/path/to/mycluster-config.yaml
kubectl get nodes
```

**2. SSH:**
```bash
# Start Mycelium, then SSH to node IPs
ssh root@<mycelium-ip>
```

See **[Getting Started](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/getting-started#step-4-access-your-cluster)** for details.

### Can I scale my cluster after deployment?

Yes! You can:
- Add or remove worker nodes through the dashboard
- Scale applications independently using kubectl
- Modify cluster configuration

```bash
# Scale deployment
kubectl scale deployment myapp --replicas=5
```

### What happens if a node fails?

- **Worker Node Failure**: Kubernetes automatically reschedules pods to healthy nodes
- **Master Node Failure**: In HA setups (3+ masters), other masters take over
- **Self-Healing**: Pods are automatically restarted if they crash

## Networking

### How do I expose applications to the internet?

Options include:

**1. NodePort Services:**
```yaml
type: NodePort
```

**2. Port Forwarding (Development):**
```bash
kubectl port-forward service/myapp 8080:80
```

**3. Ingress Controllers:**
Set up an ingress controller for HTTP/HTTPS routing with custom domains.

### Do I need public IP addresses?

No! Mycelium Cloud uses **Mycelium networking**:
- Each node gets a unique Mycelium IPv6 address
- Access nodes and services via Mycelium network
- All traffic encrypted end-to-end
- No need for public IPs or complex firewall configurations

## Troubleshooting

### My cluster deployment failed. What should I do?

1. **Check Logs**: Review deployment logs in the dashboard
2. **Verify Credits**: Ensure sufficient account balance
3. **Node Availability**: Confirm selected nodes are available
4. **Configuration**: Validate cluster configuration settings
5. **Contact Support**: If issues persist, reach out via Telegram or GitHub

### I can't connect with kubectl. How do I fix this?

```bash
# 1. Verify kubeconfig is set
echo $KUBECONFIG

# 2. Check Mycelium is running
# (Open Mycelium app or run: sudo mycelium --peers ...)

# 3. Test cluster connectivity
kubectl cluster-info

# 4. Verify cluster is running in dashboard
```

Common issues:
- Mycelium not running on your machine
- Wrong kubeconfig file path
- Cluster stopped in dashboard
- Network firewall blocking connections

### My pods are not starting. What's wrong?

```bash
# Check pod status
kubectl get pods

# Describe pod for events
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

# Check logs
kubectl logs <pod-name>

# Check node resources
kubectl top nodes
```

Common causes:
- **Resource Limits**: Insufficient CPU/memory on nodes
- **Image Issues**: Cannot pull container images
- **Configuration**: Invalid pod specifications
- **Storage**: Persistent volume issues

### How do I check cluster health?

```bash
# Check node status
kubectl get nodes

# Check system pods
kubectl get pods -n kube-system

# View events
kubectl get events --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp

# Check resource usage
kubectl top nodes
kubectl top pods
```

## Storage & Data

### How do I persist data?

Use **PersistentVolumeClaims** (PVCs):

```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: my-data
spec:
  accessModes:
  - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 10Gi
```

See **[Tutorial](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/tutorial#tutorial-3-stateful-application-with-persistent-storage)** for a complete example.

### How do I backup my cluster?

Backup strategies:
- **Application Data**: Use PVC snapshots or backup tools
- **Configurations**: Version control your YAML manifests in Git
- **etcd Snapshots**: Cluster state backups (advanced)

## Security

### How secure is Mycelium Cloud?

Security features:
- **Encrypted Communication**: All traffic encrypted via Mycelium network
- **Network Isolation**: Secure pod-to-pod communication
- **RBAC**: Kubernetes role-based access control
- **SSH Key Authentication**: Secure node access
- **No Public IPs**: Reduced attack surface

### How do I manage secrets?

Use Kubernetes Secrets:

```bash
# Create secret
kubectl create secret generic db-password --from-literal=password=mypassword

# Use in pod
env:
- name: DB_PASSWORD
  valueFrom:
    secretKeyRef:
      name: db-password
      key: password
```

See **[Kubernetes Basics](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/kubernetes-basics#secrets)** for more details.

## Getting Help

### Where can I get more information and support?

- **Documentation**: [Getting Started](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/getting-started), [Tutorial](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/tutorial)
- **Community**: [ThreeFold Telegram](https://t.me/threefold/1)

### How do I report a bug?

1. Check existing [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/codescalers/kubecloud/issues)
2. Create a new issue with:
   - Cluster configuration
   - Error messages and logs
   - Steps to reproduce
   - Expected vs actual behavior

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## Still Have Questions?

Check out these resources:

- **[Getting Started Guide](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/getting-started)** - Step-by-step cluster deployment
- **[Tutorial](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/tutorial)** - Practical deployment examples
- **[Kubernetes Basics](/getstarted/mycelium-cloud/kubernetes-basics)** - Essential K8s concepts
- **[Kubernetes Documentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/)** - Official K8s docs