Files
kata-containers/src/runtime/README.md
James O. D. Hunt 9818cf7196 docs: Improve top-level and runtime README
Various improvements to the top-level README file:

- Moved the following sections from the runtime's README to the
  top-level README:
  - License
  - Platform support / Hardware requirements
- Added the following sections to the top-level README:
  - Configuration
  - Hypervisors
- Improved formatting of the Documentation section in the top-level
  README.
- Removed some unused named links from the top-level README.

Also improvements to the runtime README:

- Removed confusing mention of the old 1.x runtime name.
- Clarify the binary name for the 2.x runtime and the utility program.

> **Note:**
>
> We cannot currently link to the AMD website as that site's
> configuration causes the CI static checks to fail. See
> https://github.com/kata-containers/tests/issues/4401

Fixes: #3557.

Signed-off-by: James O. D. Hunt <james.o.hunt@intel.com>
2022-02-16 09:52:48 +00:00

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# Runtime
## Binary names
This repository contains the following components:
| Binary name | Description |
|-|-|
| `containerd-shim-kata-v2` | The [shimv2 runtime](../../docs/design/architecture/README.md#runtime) |
| `kata-runtime` | [utility program](../../docs/design/architecture/README.md#utility-program) |
For details of the other Kata Containers repositories, see the
[repository summary](https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers).
## Introduction
The `containerd-shim-kata-v2` [binary](#binary-names) is the Kata
Containers [shimv2](../../docs/design/architecture/README.md#shim-v2-architecture) runtime. It leverages the
[virtcontainers](virtcontainers)
package to provide a high-performance standards-compliant runtime that creates
hardware-virtualized [Linux](https://www.kernel.org) containers running on Linux hosts.
The runtime is
[OCI](https://github.com/opencontainers/runtime-spec)-compatible,
[CRI-O](https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o)-compatible, and
[Containerd](https://github.com/containerd/containerd)-compatible,
allowing it
to work seamlessly with both Docker and Kubernetes respectively.
## Download and install
[![Get it from the Snap Store](https://snapcraft.io/static/images/badges/en/snap-store-black.svg)](https://snapcraft.io/kata-containers)
See the [installation guides](../../docs/install/README.md)
available for various operating systems.
## Architecture overview
See the [architecture overview](../../docs/design/architecture)
for details on the Kata Containers design.
## Configuration
The runtime uses a TOML format configuration file called `configuration.toml`.
The file is divided into sections for settings related to various
parts of the system including the runtime itself, the [agent](../agent) and
the [hypervisor](#hypervisor-specific-configuration).
Each option has a comment explaining its use.
> **Note:**
>
> The initial values in the configuration file provide a good default configuration.
> You may need to modify this file to optimise or tailor your system, or if you have
> specific requirements.
### Configuration file location
#### Runtime configuration file location
The shimv2 runtime looks for its configuration in the following places (in order):
- The `io.data containers.config.config_path` annotation specified
in the OCI configuration file (`config.json` file) used to create the pod sandbox.
- The containerd
[shimv2](/docs/design/architecture/README.md#shim-v2-architecture)
options passed to the runtime.
- The value of the `KATA_CONF_FILE` environment variable.
- The [default configuration paths](#stateless-systems).
#### Utility program configuration file location
The `kata-runtime` utility program looks for its configuration in the
following locations (in order):
- The path specified by the `--config` command-line option.
- The value of the `KATA_CONF_FILE` environment variable.
- The [default configuration paths](#stateless-systems).
> **Note:** For both binaries, the first path that exists will be used.
### Hypervisor specific configuration
Kata Containers supports multiple hypervisors so your `configuration.toml`
configuration file may be a symbolic link to a hypervisor-specific
configuration file. See
[the hypervisors document](../../docs/hypervisors.md) for further details.
### Stateless systems
Since the runtime supports a
[stateless system](https://clearlinux.org/about),
it checks for this configuration file in multiple locations, two of which are
built in to the runtime. The default location is
`/usr/share/defaults/kata-containers/configuration.toml` for a standard
system. However, if `/etc/kata-containers/configuration.toml` exists, this
takes priority.
The below command lists the full paths to the configuration files that the
runtime attempts to load. The first path that exists will be used:
```bash
$ kata-runtime --show-default-config-paths
```
The runtime will log the full path to the configuration file it is using. See
the [logging](#logging) section for further details.
To see details of your systems runtime environment (including the location of
the configuration file being used), run:
```bash
$ kata-runtime env
```
## Logging
For detailed information and analysis on obtaining logs for other system
components, see the documentation for the
[`kata-log-parser`](https://github.com/kata-containers/tests/tree/main/cmd/log-parser)
tool.
### Kata containerd shimv2
The Kata containerd shimv2 runtime logs through `containerd`, and its logs will be sent
to wherever the `containerd` logs are directed. However, the
shimv2 runtime also always logs to the system log (`syslog` or `journald`) using the `kata` identifier.
> **Note:** Kata logging [requires containerd debug to be enabled](../../docs/Developer-Guide.md#enabling-full-containerd-debug).
To view the `shimv2` runtime logs:
```bash
$ sudo journalctl -t kata
```
## Debugging
See the
[debugging section of the developer guide](../../docs/Developer-Guide.md#troubleshoot-kata-containers).
## Limitations
See the
[limitations file](../../docs/Limitations.md)
for further details.
## Community
See [the community repository](https://github.com/kata-containers/community).
### Contact
See [how to reach the community](https://github.com/kata-containers/community/blob/master/CONTRIBUTING.md#contact).
## Further information
See the
[project table of contents](https://github.com/kata-containers/kata-containers)
and the
[documentation repository](../../docs).
## Additional packages
For details of the other packages contained in this repository, see the
[package documentation](pkg).