CKATroubleshootingMedium
Worker NotReady: kubelet stopped
A worker node reports NotReady; diagnose and restore it without recreating the node.
Two nodes · ~7 min · 7 points
- troubleshooting
- node
- kubelet
- notready
goldenkube start cka-trb-001
CKA hands-on labs
Labs: PreviewCertified Kubernetes Administrator: exam-style tasks on a real kubeadm cluster on your own Mac, built and graded by the GoldenKube CLI. Each card shows the domain, the cluster topology it needs, the recommended time and its points; the scenario page has the full task text. Scenarios are verified on Kubernetes 1.37.
Preview: catalog readable, CLI not yet public
The first signed build is not on the Homebrew tap yet (pre-release). The install page describes the planned flow; the tasks below are real and public now.
Domain coverage
Published scenarios per official CKA domain, next to the domain's exam weight (checked 2026-10-23 on the official page). 37 published scenarios today.
| Domain | Exam weight | Published scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | 10% | 4 |
| Troubleshooting | 30% | 9 |
| Workloads & Scheduling | 15% | 9 |
| Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration | 25% | 8 |
| Services & Networking | 20% | 7 |
Mock exam mode
goldenkube exam cka draws a curriculum-weighted set: 15 tasks in 120 minutes, pass at 66%. Solutions and hints are hidden in exam mode.
Scenarios
9 of 37 scenarios match · Clear filters
CKATroubleshootingMedium
Worker NotReady: kubelet fails to start
The kubelet on a worker refuses to start; find the misconfiguration and fix it on the node.
Two nodes · ~8 min · 7 points
- troubleshooting
- node
- kubelet
- systemd
- configuration
goldenkube start cka-trb-002
CKATroubleshootingHard
kube-apiserver static pod broken
kubectl cannot reach the cluster; repair the API server from the control plane node.
Single node · ~8 min · 8 points
- troubleshooting
- kube-apiserver
- static-pod
- control-plane
- crictl
goldenkube start cka-trb-003
CKATroubleshootingMedium
Worker NotReady: container runtime down
A worker is NotReady although its kubelet runs; find the underlying runtime problem and fix it.
Two nodes · ~6 min · 6 points
- troubleshooting
- node
- containerd
- cri
- kubelet
goldenkube start cka-trb-004
CKATroubleshootingEasy
Cluster DNS down
Service name resolution has stopped working; investigate and restore the cluster DNS component.
Two nodes · ~5 min · 5 points
- troubleshooting
- coredns
- dns
- kube-system
goldenkube start cka-trb-005
CKATroubleshootingMedium
Service with no endpoints
A Service forwards nowhere; find the mismatch and fix the Service only.
Two nodes · ~6 min · 6 points
- troubleshooting
- service
- selector
- endpoints
goldenkube start cka-trb-006
CKATroubleshootingMedium
Pods Pending on a cordoned node
A Deployment pinned to one node cannot schedule; find the node-level cause and fix it.
Two nodes · ~5 min · 6 points
- troubleshooting
- scheduling
- cordon
- pending
- nodeselector
goldenkube start cka-trb-007
CKATroubleshootingMedium
CrashLoopBackOff: container command exits
A Deployment's containers keep exiting; find out why and make them stay running.
Single node · ~6 min · 6 points
- troubleshooting
- crashloopbackoff
- deployment
- logs
goldenkube start cka-trb-008
CKATroubleshootingEasy
ImagePullBackOff: wrong image tag
A Deployment's pods cannot pull their image; correct the image and get the replicas Ready.
Single node · ~5 min · 5 points
- troubleshooting
- imagepullbackoff
- deployment
- image
goldenkube start cka-trb-009
How a run works
- Install the CLI and Multipass, then run
goldenkube doctor. - Sign in with
goldenkube login(free account). - Start a scenario with its id; the CLI provisions a fresh cluster and prints the task.
- Solve it on the cluster, run
goldenkube submit; the result appears on your dashboard.
Grading happens on your machine and is practice feedback, not an official score. Tasks are public; hints, reference solutions and grader internals are not.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run these CKA labs today?
The scenarios are published and the CLI runs them end to end, but the first signed public build is not on the Homebrew tap yet, so the catalog is in preview. The task text of every scenario is public now; running one needs the CLI release.
Are the tasks the real CKA exam tasks?
No. They are GoldenKube scenarios written to cover the published CKA domains in the same style: a live cluster, a situation, a task. GoldenKube does not have or claim exam content.
How is a scenario graded?
On your machine. Each scenario has a fixed set of state checks; on submit the grader reads your live cluster and the scenario passes when every check passes. Hints, the reference solution and the check definitions stay inside the CLI.