This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Kader Khan
🛠️ Resolving Calico Node Readiness Issues: A Practical Guide
🧩 Problem Overview
In Kubernetes clusters utilizing Calico as the networking solution, nodes may occasionally report a "not ready" status due to BIRD (Border Gateway Protocol) not initializing properly. This issue often stems from Calico's IP autodetection mechanism selecting an unintended network interface, leading to misconfigured BGP sessions which is impacting node to node communication.
🔍 Symptoms
Pods on the affected node cannot communicate with pods on other nodes.
The node's status is "not ready" in the Kubernetes cluster.
BIRD logs indicate errors like:
bird: Unable to open configuration file /etc/calico/confd/config/bird.cfg: No such file or directory
bird: Unable to open configuration file /etc/calico/confd/config/bird6.cfg: No such file or directory
These errors suggest that BIRD cannot find its configuration files, often due to incorrect IP autodetection.
🧭 Root Cause
Calico's default IP autodetection method (first-found) may select an unintended interface, especially in nodes with multiple network interfaces. This misconfiguration can lead to BIRD being unable to establish proper BGP sessions, resulting in the node being marked as "not ready".
✅ Solution Approach
1. Identify the Correct Network Interface
Determine the appropriate network interface for Calico's BGP peering. Typically, this would be the primary network interface used for inter-node communication.
2. Set IP Autodetection Method Temporarily
To test the new configuration, set the IP_AUTODETECTION_METHOD environment variable on the Calico node DaemonSet:
kubectl set env daemonset/calico-node -n calico-system IP_AUTODETECTION_METHOD=interface=eth0
Replace eth0 with the correct interface name identified in the previous step.
3. Verify the Configuration
Check the status of the Calico node pods to ensure they are running correctly:
kubectl get pods -n calico-system
Additionally, inspect the logs of the Calico node pods to confirm that BIRD has initialized without errors:
kubectl logs -n calico-system calico-node-<pod-id>
4. Set IP Autodetection Method Permanently
To make the change permanent, update the Calico Installation resource:
apiVersion: operator.tigera.io/v1
kind: Installation
metadata:
name: default
namespace: tigera-operator
spec:
calicoNetwork:
nodeAddressAutodetectionV4:
interface: eth0
Apply the updated configuration:
kubectl apply -f <your-installation-file>.yaml
This ensures that the specified interface is used for IP autodetection across all nodes in the cluster.
5. Restart Calico Node Pods
After applying the changes, restart the Calico node pods to apply the new configuration:
kubectl rollout restart daemonset/calico-node -n calico-system
This command restarts the Calico node DaemonSet, ensuring that all pods pick up the new configuration.
🧪 Verification
After completing the steps above, verify that the node has transitioned to a "ready" state:
kubectl get nodes
Ensure that the node in question is listed as "Ready".
Also, confirm that BIRD is running without errors:
kubectl exec -n calico-system calico-node-<pod-id> -- birdcl show status
The output should indicate that BIRD is initialized and ready.
💡 Best Practices
Consistent Configuration: Ensure that the IP autodetection method is consistently configured across all nodes to avoid network inconsistencies.
Regular Monitoring: Regularly monitor the status of Calico node pods and BIRD to detect and resolve issues promptly.
Documentation: Document the network interfaces and configurations used for IP autodetection to facilitate troubleshooting and future configurations.
By following this approach, you can resolve Calico node readiness issues related to IP autodetection and ensure stable networking within your Kubernetes cluster.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Kader Khan
Kader Khan | Sciencx (2025-10-22T18:11:04+00:00) Calico Node Readiness Probe Failed Issues. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/10/22/calico-node-readiness-probe-failed-issues/
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