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Multipass is the perfect tool for testing CNAP worker configurations locally without any cloud costs. Built by Canonical specifically for testing scenarios, Multipass lets you quickly spin up Ubuntu VMs on your local machine to test worker setups before buying production machines.

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Why Multipass for CNAP Testing?

Multipass is purpose-built for development and testing scenarios, making it ideal for:
  • Free local testing - No cloud costs while developing and testing products
  • Rapid iteration - Quickly create, destroy, and recreate test workers
  • Production simulation - Test exact worker setup procedures in a local environment
Performance considerations: Local testing with Multipass will be slower than production servers due to your home internet connection (typically much slower than datacenter 1-10+ Gbps links) and limited local resources. Ensure your VM has at least 1 CPU and 3GB RAM for reliable testing.
CNAP’s managed KaaS architecture is designed so your workers don’t need a public IP address. When a worker starts, it automatically creates an outbound konnectivity tunnel to the control plane, allowing the control plane to reach the kubelet securely.

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Prerequisites

Install Multipass on your development machine:

macOS Installation

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Setting Up a Test Worker

1

Create Your CNAP Cluster

First, ensure you have an active cluster in your CNAP dashboard. You’ll need the worker setup command from this cluster.
2

Launch Multipass VM

Create a new Ubuntu VM with adequate resources for testing:
# Create VM with recommended specs for testing
multipass launch --name cnap-worker --cpus 2 --memory 4G --disk 20G

# Verify VM is running
multipass list
Use --cpus 4 --memory 8G for more realistic production testing scenarios.
3

Connect to Your Test VM

# SSH into the Multipass VM
multipass shell cnap-worker
You’re now inside the Ubuntu VM, ready to test the worker setup.
4

Get Worker Setup Command

In your CNAP dashboard:
  1. Navigate to your active cluster
  2. Click the “Quick Actions” menu
  3. Select “Add a worker”
  4. Copy the bootstrap command
5

Test Worker Setup

Inside the Multipass VM, run the worker setup command:
Infrastructure setup command in the CNAP dashboard.
The setup will automatically:
  • Install Kubernetes components
  • Configure networking
  • Join the worker to your cluster
  • Establish outbound tunnel to control plane
6

Verify Connection

Check your CNAP dashboard - the worker should appear as “Active” within 1-2 minutes.

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Testing Product Deployments

With your Multipass worker connected, you can test complete product deployment workflows:
  1. Create test products in your CNAP dashboard
  2. Deploy to test cluster using your Multipass worker
  3. Verify deployments work correctly
  4. Iterate configurations without cloud costs

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Network Architecture Benefits

CNAP’s managed KaaS architecture provides several advantages for testing:
  • No public IP required - Your Multipass VM doesn’t need external connectivity
  • Outbound tunnels - Workers create secure connections to the control plane
  • Firewall friendly - Works behind NAT, firewalls, and restrictive networks
  • Secure by default - Control plane reaches kubelet through encrypted tunnels
Important distinction: The cluster control plane ↔ worker communication works exactly like production servers, regardless of your local network configuration.
Product ingress considerations: If your product exposes services and expects a public IP, you’ll need to use your local VM’s IP address instead. Get it with multipass info cnap-worker. This depends on each product’s deployment - some products use cloudflared tunnels which work seamlessly, while others may require manual IP configuration for local testing.

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Cleanup and Management

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VM Management

# Stop the VM when not testing
multipass stop cnap-worker

# Start it again when needed
multipass start cnap-worker

# Delete when done testing
multipass delete cnap-worker
multipass purge

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Worker Cleanup

When you’re done testing, remove the worker from your cluster:
  1. In CNAP dashboard, go to your cluster
  2. Find the Multipass worker in the worker list
  3. Remove it to keep your cluster clean

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Advanced Testing Scenarios

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Multiple Test Workers

Test multi-worker scenarios by creating multiple VMs: 
# Create additional test workers
multipass launch --name cnap-worker-2 --cpus 2 --memory 4G --disk 20G
multipass launch --name cnap-worker-3 --cpus 2 --memory 4G --disk 20G

# Connect each one using the same worker setup command

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Resource Constraints Testing

Test with minimal resources to simulate constrained environments: 
# Minimal test worker
multipass launch --name cnap-minimal --cpus 1 --memory 2G --disk 10G

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Network Simulation

Test network scenarios by configuring Multipass networking: 
# Custom network configuration
multipass launch --name cnap-network-test --network name=bridge

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Troubleshooting

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Next Steps

Once you’ve validated your worker configuration with Multipass:

Deploy to Production

Use the same commands on production servers

Scale Your Cluster

Add more workers as your customer base grows

Package Your Software

Create products to deploy on your tested infrastructure

Launch Marketplace

Start selling your products to customers