Deployment Modes

YuniKorn deployment modes

YuniKorn can be deployed in two different modes: standard and plugin. In standard mode, YuniKorn runs as a customized Kubernetes scheduler. In plugin mode, YuniKorn is implemented as a set of plugins on top of the default Kubernetes scheduling framework.

In both cases, it is recommended to run the admission controller as well, as this will ensure that only a single scheduler is active within your Kubernetes cluster. In this mode, the default Kubernetes scheduler (which is always running) will be bypassed for all pods except YuniKorn itself.

Which version should I use?

Standard mode

Standard mode is currently the default. It is stable, efficient, and very performant. It is well-suited for deployments where most if not all pods are leveraging the queueing features of YuniKorn.

Plugin mode

Plugin mode is a new deployment model where the scheduler is implemented on top of the default Kubernetes scheduling logic, allowing for better compatibility with the default Kubernetes scheduler. It is well-suited for mixed workloads (traditional Kubernetes as well as queued applications).

Plugin mode is currently very new and has therefore not yet reached the maturity level of standard mode.

To activate plugin mode when deploying with Helm, set the variable enableSchedulerPlugin to true.