Broadcom ‘Doubles Down’ on Open Source, Donates Kubernetes Tool to CNCF
Source: The New Stack
Broadcom used KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA to reassure the community that it is increasing its open‑source support. The company highlighted ongoing backing for VMware‑developed projects, announced new contributions to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), and reiterated its status as one of the top five CNCF contributors and a major Kubernetes contributor.
Ramping Up
During the conference, Prashanth Shenoy, VP of product marketing for the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) division, said Broadcom is “doubling down” on open source. He outlined several key contributions that extend VCF’s ability to manage Kubernetes clusters across distributed environments.
etcd Diagnosis and Recovery
- etcd‑diagnosis – donated to the CNCF; provides automated analysis of cluster configuration, state, and health consistency, helping operators quickly pinpoint issues in etcd (the system of record for Kubernetes).
- etcd‑recovery – an open‑source companion tool that simplifies restoration when an etcd cluster loses quorum.
Together, these tools reduce manual, error‑prone processes and improve the reliability and stability of Kubernetes environments.
Cluster API (CAPI)
Broadcom is contributing to the open‑source Cluster API, which:
- Uses declarative, Kubernetes‑style APIs to manage the full lifecycle of multiple clusters.
- Automates provisioning, upgrades, and day‑to‑day management.
- Enables organizations to operate fleets of clusters consistently with less operational overhead.
Standardizing cluster management frees teams to focus on delivering applications rather than maintaining infrastructure.
Harbor
Harbor, originally developed by VMware, continues to serve as the industry‑standard open‑source registry for securely storing container images and artifacts. Its key capabilities include:
- Strong security scanning and policy enforcement.
- Compliance reporting.
- High‑performance image storage and distribution.
Harbor is a foundational component for organizations building and deploying modern cloud‑native applications.
Conference Talk: “Kubernetes and etcd: Common Pitfalls and How To Avoid Them”
Nabarun Pal (principal engineer) and Arka Saha (software engineer) presented common causes of etcd failures and best‑practice recommendations, covering:
- Upgrade strategies.
- Backup and recovery procedures.
- Workarounds to ensure a resilient control plane.
Their insights help operators improve diagnosis and maintain stable Kubernetes control planes.
Analyst Perspective
Torsten Volk, analyst at TechTarget’s Enterprise Strategy Group, emphasized that contribution volume alone is insufficient; the strategy behind contributions matters more. He noted that Broadcom’s approach balances upstream community work with integrations that enhance its own software portfolio.
AI Platform Conformance
Broadcom is among the first vendors certified under the CNCF Certified Kubernetes AI Platform Conformance Program. This certification guarantees that AI workloads on VCF adhere to community‑defined standards for APIs, configurations, and infrastructure capabilities.
Market Implications
- Customers view open‑source projects as critical to digital transformation, relying on community‑driven solutions for stability and innovation.
- Broadcom’s continued collaboration with the open‑source community is essential for VCF’s credibility and for meeting evolving customer requirements.
Bottom line: Credible, strategic open‑source participation—through tools like etcd‑diagnosis, contributions to Cluster API, and support for Harbor—remains a key factor in Broadcom VMware’s success in the cloud‑native platform space.