Enable a workspace

Before researchers can submit workloads, the platform team prepares the cluster and creates a TauWorkspace. TauGrid then keeps the workspace namespace, queue access, and Kubernetes permissions in the expected state.

Prepare the workspace

1. Prepare the Kubernetes cluster. Set up the network, node pools, identity, container registry, storage, GPU support, and CSI drivers required by your workloads.

2. Install TauGrid, then verify the installation:

   tau cluster validate installation --context <context>
   

   A successful validation exits with code 0.

   The standard installation uses the released TauGrid images and charts from Microsoft Container Registry. Platform teams with existing Kueue, KubeRay, and monitoring installations can connect TauGrid to those components when they meet the same requirements.

3. Create durable storage for the workspace. This includes the cloud storage service, Kubernetes StorageClass, and PVC used for datasets, checkpoints, and run output.

4. Create the TauWorkspace through your usual Helm, Kustomize, or GitOps process. TauGrid prepares the namespace, Kubernetes permissions, LocalQueue, and optional workload identity ServiceAccount:

   kubectl apply -f workspace.yaml
   

   See the example TauWorkspace CR for the expected fields and structure.

   For GitOps, commit the same Kubernetes object to the repository managed by your deployment system.

5. Wait for the workspace to become Ready:

   tau workspace status <workspace> --context <context>
   tau workspace check <workspace> --context <context>
   

   See Workspace readiness and recovery if either command reports a problem.

6. Create tau/workspace.connection.yaml and run a checked-in project target in the handoff checklist. This file contains workspace details and can be safely committed to the research repository.

   tau workspace init generates the connection file as part of a new repo scaffold when the cluster flags are provided:

   tau workspace init <name> \
     --workspace <workspace> \
     --azure-subscription-id <subscription-id> \
     --azure-tenant-id <tenant-id> \
     --aks-resource-group <resource-group> \
     --aks-cluster <cluster-name>
   

   For an existing repository, create the file manually using the template as a reference.

After these checks pass, send the researcher the repository URL and access instructions. TauWorkspace works with Kubernetes clusters across providers. The current automatic connection setup also includes an AKS-specific path.