The Oracle Linux and Virtualization team is excited to announce the general availability of Oracle Cloud Native Environment Release 2.3. Built on Kubernetes 1.33, this latest release helps empower users to deploy and manage their containerized applications with scalability and reliability, whether in the public cloud or on-premises.  

Oracle Cloud Native Environment is a comprehensive suite designed to streamline the development and management of modern, cloud native applications. Built on Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and Open Container Initiative standards, it provides a simple and unified framework for installing, updating, and configuring essential tools, ultimately enabling efficient orchestration of microservices with Kubernetes.  

This release introduces: 

  • AI Assistant: Brings context-aware, natural language interaction to Oracle Cloud Native Environment, enabling users to efficiently manage and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters with intelligent automation. 
  • Oracle Virtualization, Cluster-API and Container Storage Interface (CSI) Support: Delivers Kubernetes-native cluster lifecycle management, allowing seamless integration and automation of virtualized infrastructure directly within Kubernetes. 

AI Assistant 

Oracle Cloud Native Environment 2.3 introduces the AI Assistant, a significant addition to the user interface designed to enhance productivity and ease of management. The AI Assistant leverages artificial intelligence to enable users to interact with their Kubernetes clusters through natural language, simplifying complex workflows.  

This versatile tool supports a range of leading AI providers and allows integration with a user’s provider of choice via an API key. For organizations that require additional control or privacy, the AI Assistant can also operate with a local model through Ollama. 

A distinguishing feature of the AI Assistant is its context awareness, making it capable of accessing cluster-specific information to provide precise answers, clear explanations, and actionable recommendations. Users can request the creation of Kubernetes deployments or servers in plain language, and the AI Assistant can automatically generate the appropriate YAML manifests. Additionally, the tool helps streamline troubleshooting by assisting with issue diagnosis, log interpretation, and service understanding. 

By automating routine tasks and offering insightful guidance, the AI Assistant helps users manage cloud native environments with greater speed, accuracy, and confidence.  

Oracle Virtualization, Cluster API and Container Storage Interface (CSI) 

With Release 2.3, Oracle Cloud Native Environment introduces the Virtualization Cluster-API Provider, offering a Kubernetes-native approach to managing users virtualized infrastructure. This new provider enables users to oversee the entire lifecycle of clusters running in Oracle Virtualization directly within Kubernetes. 

By integrating with the oVirt CSI driver, the Cluster-API Provider streamlines and automates cluster operations including provisioning, scaling, and maintenance, allowing administrators to manage their virtualized resources using familiar Kubernetes workflows. This empowers organizations to achieve greater consistency and efficiency when orchestrating workloads across on-premises and cloud environments. 

Installation and Upgrade 

Users can install Oracle Cloud Native Environment by following the instructions in the getting started guide. They can also update Oracle Cloud Native Environment by following the Cloud Native Environment Upgrade Guide. 

Support for Oracle Cloud Native Environment 

Support for Oracle Cloud Native Environment is included with the Oracle Linux Premier Support and Oracle Linux Premier Plus Support subscriptions. 

Additional Resources