DOCA Platform Framework (DPF) Documentation

Platform Support

Prerequisites

Component

Version

Notes

Kubernetes

1.33-1.36

All currently supported upstream Kubernetes releases are supported

Helm

v3.5+

For information and methods of Helm installation, please refer to the official Helm Website.

DPF Component Matrix

DPF uses the following components:

Component

Origin

Repository

Image Name

Tag

Notes

ArgoCD

Community (OSS)

quay.io/argoproj

argocd

v3.3.0

Cert Manager Controller

Community (OSS)

quay.io/jetstack

cert-manager-controller

v1.19.3

Flannel

Community (OSS)

docker.io/flannel

flannel

v0.26.5

Multus

Community (OSS)

ghcr.io/k8snetworkplumbingwg

multus-cni

v3.9.3

NVIDIA K8s IPAM

Community (OSS)

ghcr.io/mellanox

nvidia-k8s-ipam

v0.3.5

NVIDIA Maintenance Operator

Community (OSS)

ghcr.io/mellanox

maintenance-operator

v0.3.0

NVIDIA Network Operator

Community (OSS)

nvcr.io/nvidia/cloud-native

network-operator

v26.1.0

Node Feature Discovery

Community (OSS)

registry.k8s.io/nfd

node-feature-discovery

v0.18.3

SR-IOV Device Plugin

Community (OSS)

ghcr.io/k8snetworkplumbingwg

sriov-network-device-plugin

v3.11.0

Etcd Defrag

Community (OSS)

ghcr.io/ahrtr

etcd-defrag

v0.22.0

Optional

Kamaji

Community (OSS)

ghcr.io/nvidia

kamaji

v1.34.0-25.9.3

Conditional

Local Path Provisioner

Community (OSS)

docker.io/rancher

local-path-provisioner

v0.0.34

Conditional

Kube State Metrics

Community (OSS)

registry.k8s.io/kube-state-metrics

kube-state-metrics

v2.18.0

Optional

Node Problem Detector

Community (OSS)

registry.k8s.io/node-problem-detector

node-problem-detector

v1.35.1

Optional

Prometheus

Community (OSS)

quay.io/prometheus

prometheus

v2.54.1

Optional

Grafana

Community (OSS)

docker.io/grafana

grafana

11.1.0

Optional

Conditional means the component is required for the default installation described in the user guides, but can be replaced in custom deployments.

Tested Network Adapters

The following NVIDIA BlueField 3 DPU models are recommended for DPF:

Some BlueField-3 DPU models require a PCIe ATX power cable. Install each DPU according to its adapter installation guide and connect the required power cable before starting DPF deployment. If the power cable is missing, the DPU may not boot or may not be discoverable through BMC or Redfish.

BlueField BFB Support Matrix

The following matrix shows which BFB versions are supported with each DPF release.

BFB Version

DPF v25.10

DPF v26.4

3.2 (LTS)

☑️

3.4 (Apr)

  • ✅: The BFB version is fully tested and supported with this DPF release.

  • ☑️: DPUs running this BFB version are allowed to operate under this DPF release. However, in a support case, updating to the latest supported BFB will be required before further investigation.

  • ❌: This combination is not supported.

Non-LTS BFB versions (3.3, 3.5) are only supported with their corresponding DPF release and are not carried forward. DPF supports the latest LTS BFB version and allows upgrades from LTS to LTS. Older LTS versions are permitted to operate but are considered unsupported. In a support case, updating to the latest supported BFB will be required before further investigation.

BlueField DPU Requirements

Component

Minimum Version

Notes

DPU Firmware

32.38.1002

Required for DPU provisioning and management

MFT (Mellanox Firmware Tools)

4.33.0-169

Host-side tools required for DPU configuration and firmware management. Download from NVIDIA Network Adapter Firmware Tools

Tested Operating Systems and Kubernetes Versions

NVIDIA DPF is validated with the oldest supported Kubernetes version. Newer Kubernetes versions in the supported range are also supported.

Operating System

Kubernetes Version

Notes

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

1.33

Oldest supported Kubernetes version

Tested Container Runtimes

NVIDIA DPF has been validated in the following scenarios:

Operating System

Containerd

CRI-O

Notes

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Yes

No

Limitations

  • Socket Direct environments are not supported. DPF does not currently support environments where NVIDIA Mellanox Socket Direct adapters are used. Socket Direct is a network adapter architecture that provides direct PCIe access from multiple CPU sockets to a single NIC, bypassing the inter-processor bus. DPUs in Socket Direct configurations are not tested or validated with DPF.

Last updated: