Version 1.7. This version is no longer supported. For information about how to upgrade to version 1.8, see Upgrading Anthos on bare metal in the 1.8 documentation. For more information about supported and unsupported versions, see the Version history page in the latest documentation.
You can create different kinds of clusters in Google Distributed Cloud, including
admin clusters (to control the resources of your clusters) and user
clusters (to run workloads).
In addition, Google Distributed Cloud lets you create hybrid
clusters that combine administration tasks and workloads, as well as controlling
other user clusters. You can also run Google Distributed Cloud as a
single standalone cluster.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-29 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eGoogle Distributed Cloud allows for the creation of admin clusters to manage cluster resources and user clusters to execute workloads.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eHybrid clusters can be created to combine both administrative tasks and workloads, and they can also control other user clusters.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eStandalone clusters are an option for running Google Distributed Cloud as a single, self-contained cluster.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDetailed information on creating admin, user, hybrid, and standalone clusters, including sample configuration files, is available in the linked documentation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eIf cluster creation fails after machine initialization, the cluster must be reset with \u003ccode\u003ebmctl reset cluster\u003c/code\u003e, returning the node to a clean state before reattempting cluster creation.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],[],null,["# Creating clusters: overview\n\n\u003cbr /\u003e\n\nYou can create different kinds of clusters in Google Distributed Cloud, including\n**admin** clusters (to control the resources of your clusters) and **user**\nclusters (to run workloads).\n\nIn addition, Google Distributed Cloud lets you create **hybrid**\nclusters that combine administration tasks and workloads, as well as controlling\nother user clusters. You can also run Google Distributed Cloud as a\nsingle **standalone** cluster.\n\nEach of these configurations has their own advantages and benefits. For more\ninformation on deciding which configuration to develop, see\n[Installation overview: choosing a deployment model](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/installing/install-prep).\n\nFor more information on creating and configuring clusters, including sample\nconfig file, see:\n\n- [Creating admin clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/installing/creating-clusters/admin-cluster-creation)\n- [Creating user clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/installing/creating-clusters/user-cluster-creation)\n- [Creating hybrid clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/installing/creating-clusters/hybrid-cluster-creation)\n- [Creating standalone clusters](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/installing/creating-clusters/standalone-cluster-creation)\n\n| **Note:** The cluster creation process includes preflight checks and machine initialization. If cluster creation fails after the machine initialization phase (even if preflight checks passed without errors), you must [reset the cluster with `bmctl reset cluster`](/anthos/clusters/docs/bare-metal/1.7/troubleshooting/bmctl-diag-reset#resetting_clusters_with_bmctl_reset_cluster). This returns the node to a clean state. After resetting the cluster, you can re-attempt to create the cluster after making any needed configuration changes."]]
