From d7d6418474c3db7d9e4c44bc2658db950d6f1402 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jeff Lowdermilk <jeffml@google.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Mar 2015 13:05:52 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Add a doc on sharing cluster access credentials via
 kubeconfig

---
 docs/sharing-clusters.md | 106 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 docs/user-guide.md       |   3 ++
 2 files changed, 109 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 docs/sharing-clusters.md

diff --git a/docs/sharing-clusters.md b/docs/sharing-clusters.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7b3f2749251
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/sharing-clusters.md
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+# Sharing Cluster Access
+
+Client access to a running kubernetes cluster can be shared by copying
+the `kubectl` client config bundle ([.kubeconfig](kubeconfig-file.md)).
+This config bundle lives in `$HOME/.kube/.kubeconfig`, and is generated
+by `cluster/kube-up.sh`. Sample steps for sharing `.kubeconfig` below.
+
+**1. Create a cluster**
+```bash
+cluster/kube-up.sh
+```
+**2. Copy .kubeconfig to new host**
+```bash
+scp $HOME/.kube/.kubeconfig user@remotehost:/path/to/.kubeconfig
+```
+
+**3. On new host, make copied `.kubeconfig` available to `kubectl`**
+
+* Option A: copy to default location
+```bash
+mv /path/to/.kubeconfig $HOME/.kube/.kubeconfig
+```
+* Option B: copy to working directory (from which kubectl is run)
+```bash
+mv /path/to/.kubeconfig $PWD
+```
+* Option C: manually pass `.kubeconfig` location to `.kubectl`
+```bash
+# via environment variable
+export KUBECONFIG=/path/to/.kubeconfig
+
+# via commandline flag
+kubectl ... --kubeconfig=/path/to/.kubeconfig
+```
+
+## Manually Generating `.kubeconfig`
+
+`.kubeconfig` is generated by `kube-up` but you can generate your own
+using (any desired subset of) the following commands.
+
+```bash
+# create kubeconfig entry
+kubectl config set-cluster $CLUSTER_NICK
+    --server=https://1.1.1.1 \
+    --certificate-authority=/path/to/apiserver/ca_file \
+    --embed-certs=true \
+    # Or if tls not needed, replace --certificate-authority and --embed-certs with
+    --insecure-skip-tls-verify=true
+    --kubeconfig=/path/to/standalone/.kubeconfig
+
+# create user entry
+kubectl config set-credentials $USER_NICK
+    # basic auth credentials, generated on kube master
+    --username=$username \
+    --password=$password \
+    # use either username|password or token, not both
+    --token=$token \
+    --client-certificate=/path/to/crt_file \
+    --client-key=/path/to/key_file \
+    --embed-certs=true
+    --kubeconfig=/path/to/standalone/.kubeconfig
+
+# create context entry
+kubectl config set-context $CONTEXT_NAME --cluster=$CLUSTER_NICKNAME --user=$USER_NICK
+```
+Notes:
+* The `--embed-certs` flag is needed to generate a standalone
+`.kubeconfig`, that will work as-is on another host.
+* `--kubeconfig` is both the preferred file to load config from and the file to
+save config too. In the above commands the `--kubeconfig` file could be
+omitted if you first run
+```bash
+export KUBECONFIG=/path/to/standalone/.kubeconfig
+```
+* The ca_file, key_file, and cert_file referrenced above are generated on the
+kube master at cluster turnup. They can be found on the master under
+`/srv/kubernetes`. Basic auth/token are also generated on the kube master.
+
+For more details on `.kubeconfig` see [kubeconfig-file.md](kubeconfig-file.md),
+and/or run `kubectl config -h`.
+
+## Merging `.kubeconfig` Example
+
+`kubectl` loads and merges config from the following locations (in order)
+
+1. `--kubeconfig=path/to/kubeconfig` commandline flag
+2. `KUBECONFIG=path/to/kubeconfig` env variable
+3. `$PWD/.kubeconfig`
+4. `$HOME/.kube/.kubeconfig`
+
+If you create clusters A, B on host1, and clusters C, D on host2, you can
+make all four clusters available on both hosts by running
+
+```bash
+# on host2, copy host1's default kubeconfig, and merge it from env
+scp host1:/path/to/home1/.kube/.kubeconfig path/to/other/.kubeconfig
+
+export $KUBECONFIG=path/to/other/.kubeconfig
+
+# on host1, copy host2's default kubeconfig and merge it from env
+scp host2:/path/to/home2/.kube/.kubeconfig path/to/other/.kubeconfig
+
+export $KUBECONFIG=path/to/other/.kubeconfig
+```
+Detailed examples and explanation of `.kubeconfig` loading/merging rules can be found in [kubeconfig-file.md](https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/blob/master/docs/kubeconfig-file.md).
+
diff --git a/docs/user-guide.md b/docs/user-guide.md
index 0a4b6dc6d4a..58db07d7152 100644
--- a/docs/user-guide.md
+++ b/docs/user-guide.md
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ kubernetes API, or to contribute directly to the kubernetes project.
 * **Kubectl Command Line Interface** ([kubectl.md](kubectl.md)):
   The `kubectl` command line reference.
 
+* **Sharing Cluster Access** ([sharing-clusters.md](sharing-clusters.md)):
+  How to share client credentials for a kubernetes cluster.
+
 * **Roadmap** ([roadmap.md](roadmap.md)): The set of supported use cases, features,
   docs, and patterns that are required before Kubernetes 1.0.