Spectrum-X Kubernetes Quick Start

Note

These walkthroughs target Spectrum-X RA 2.2 on Network Operator 26.4.0. For the RA-to-release mapping and other RAs, see NVIDIA Spectrum-X. For supported platforms (operating systems, Kubernetes distributions, NIC hardware), see Platform Support.

On Network Operator 26.4.0, Single-Plane and Software Multiplane (swplb) deployments on BlueField-3 SuperNICs, ConnectX-7 NICs, and ConnectX-8 SuperNICs are GA. Hardware Multiplane (hwplb) is tech preview only and is not part of the validated Spectrum-X Reference Architecture. For background on the operators and CNIs each walkthrough relies on, see Architecture and Components.

Tip

The configuration in each walkthrough can be automated end-to-end with NVIDIA Kubernetes Launch Kit — see Configuration Assistance with Kubernetes Launch Kit.

Pick the walkthrough that matches your hardware and target topology. Each one installs Network Operator via Helm, applies the Spectrum-X CRDs, and deploys a test pod — adapted to the chosen multiplane mode and NIC family.

Walkthrough	Multiplane mode	NICs	GPU platforms	Use when
Single Plane	none	BlueField-3 SuperNIC, ConnectX-7 NIC, ConnectX-8 SuperNIC	H100/H200/B200 (BlueField-3 SuperNIC), GB200 (ConnectX-7 NIC)	One PF per rail. Simplest setup. ConnectX-8 SuperNIC also supports single-plane configuration.
Software Multiplane	swplb	ConnectX-8 SuperNIC	B300, GB300	Software Plane Load Balancing across planes. Set numberOfPlanes: 2 (Dual-Plane) or 4 (Quad-Plane, B300 only).
Hardware Multiplane (tech preview)	hwplb	ConnectX-8 SuperNIC	B300, GB300	Same as swplb but Plane Load Balancing happens in the NIC hardware. Tech preview; not RA-validated.