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SUSE Certified – Rancher Extension

Definition

Rancher Extensions are designed to enhance and expand the functionality of Rancher, enabling partners to develop and integrate innovative features while ensuring seamless compatibility with the core platform. 

The “SUSE Certified – Rancher Extension” certification is part of the SUSE “SUSE Certified” product certification framework and it aims to address the growing need for a standardized, high-quality, and reliable ecosystem of Rancher Extensions that augment the capabilities of the Rancher by SUSE platform. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for SUSE partners on how to certify their Rancher Extensions developed for use with Rancher. 

 

The rationale behind the Rancher Extensions certification is to establish a set of guidelines, best practices, and validation processes that partners can follow to guarantee the quality, compatibility, and reliability of their Rancher Extensions. By adhering to the certification criteria, partners demonstrate their commitment to maintaining the high standards expected within the Rancher ecosystem. This certification process also encourages innovation and collaboration among partners, fostering a vibrant and growing ecosystem of Rancher Extensions that can cater to a wide range of use cases and customer needs. 

 

Furthermore, the Rancher Extensions certification helps build trust and recognition among customers by providing a clear indication of which Rancher Extensions have been thoroughly vetted and endorsed by SUSE. This assurance allows customers to make more informed decisions when selecting Rancher Extensions to deploy in their Rancher environments.

The “SUSE Certified – Rancher Extension” certification aims to: 

  • Ensure Compatibility: This certification verifies that Rancher Extensions developed by SUSE partners are fully compatible with the Rancher platform, facilitating seamless integration and reducing the likelihood of conflicts or issues. 

  • Maintain Quality Standards: The Rancher Extensions certification ensures that certified extensions adhere to best practices and meet the quality standards set forth by SUSE and the Rancher community, providing a consistent and reliable user experience. 

  • Foster Innovation: By encouraging the development of certified Rancher Extensions, this certification promotes innovation and the continuous improvement of the Rancher ecosystem. 

  • Simplify Deployment and Management: The certification process validates that Rancher Extensions can be easily deployed, managed, and updated within the Rancher platform, offering a streamlined experience for partners and end-users. 

  • Support: Partners with certified Rancher Extensions are expected to maintain and support their extensions, ensuring that Rancher customers have access to expert assistance when needed. 

  • Build Trust and Recognition: The Rancher Extensions certification serves as a mark of quality and trust, demonstrating to customers that the certified extension meets industry standards and is backed by SUSE's endorsement. 

 

By obtaining the “SUSE Certified – Rancher Extension” certification, partners can showcase their commitment to delivering high-quality, innovative, and reliable Rancher Extensions, while benefiting from the comprehensive product certification framework within the SUSE One Partner Program. 

Certification Prerequisites

  1. A Kubernetes cluster running Rancher by SUSE – check out K3s and RKE2 if you haven’t picked a Kubernetes distribution yet.

  1. Familiarity with Kubernetes, Rancher, and Rancher UI concepts – check out the Rancher Academy on latest free, community training for Kubernetes & Rancher.

Certification Testing

  1. All certification testing on latest stable release of Rancher 

  1. All certification testing done against latest supported version of RKE2 and/or K3s 

Certification Workflow

  1. Prepare for Certification: Complete the general and Rancher Extensions-specific certification prerequisites to ensure that the extension is ready for the certification process. 

      1.1. Review Rancher Extension Guidelines: Thoroughly study the official Rancher Extensions documentation and ensure that the extension adheres to the guidelines and best practices outlined, including proper use of Rancher APIs, UI components, and other platform-specific features. 

       1.2. Integration Testing: Conduct integration testing to ensure the Rancher Extension works seamlessly with the core Rancher platform and other certified Rancher Extensions (where applicable) 

       1.3. Security and Compliance: Ensure that the Rancher Extension complies with relevant security standards and guidelines, safeguarding customer data and maintaining the security of the overall Rancher environment. 

       1.4. Performance and Scalability: Validate that the Rancher Extension performs efficiently and effectively under various workloads, and can scale as needed to support larger deployments. 

       1.5. Extension Documentation: Prepare thorough documentation for the Rancher Extension, detailing installation, configuration, usage, and troubleshooting, as well as any Rancher-specific considerations. 

 

  1. Submit Request: Submit a certification request to SUSE, providing necessary details about the Rancher Extension, including documentation, compatibility information, and any other relevant materials. 

 

  1. Initial Review: SUSE will conduct an initial review of the submitted materials, evaluating the extension's adherence to guidelines, best practices, and compatibility with Rancher. SUSE may request additional information or clarifications at this stage. 

 

  1. Certification Testing: Upon passing the initial review, the Rancher Extension will undergo a series of certification tests by SUSE to validate functionality, compatibility, security, and other relevant aspects. 

     4.1. Helm chart deployment test via the Rancher UI 

     4.2. Functionality test via the Rancher UI 

     4.3. Helm chart security scan, potentially leveraging NeuVector* 

 

  1. Address Issues: If any issues are identified during the certification testing, partners must address these issues and resubmit the extension for retesting until it passes all the necessary certification tests. 

 

  1. Certification Approval: Once the Rancher Extension passes all certification tests, SUSE will grant the Rancher Extensions certification and provide the partner with a certification badge that can be displayed on their website, product materials, and other marketing collateral.  Your Rancher Extension certification will be also listed in the SUSE Partner Certification and Solutions Catalog (PCSC) 

 

  1. Continuous Maintenance: After receiving the certification, partners must continuously maintain and update their Rancher Extension to ensure ongoing compatibility with Rancher updates and compliance with the certification criteria. 

 

  1. Recertification: Partners may need to go through a recertification process if significant updates are made to the extension or if new versions of Rancher are released that may impact compatibility. SUSE will provide guidelines on when recertification is necessary.