Enhanced MCO State Reporting GA

Feature Overview (Goal Summary)

The Machine Config Operator (MCO) will provide accurate, granular, and consistent state reporting through the MachineConfigNode (MCN) resource, enabling customers, troubleshooters, and maintainers to make informed decisions based on reliable node update status information.

This feature extends the MCN capabilities introduced in 4.19 to provide comprehensive status reporting for both standard node updates and on-cluster image mode updates, addressing scenarios where current MCO state reporting has been misleading or insufficient for automation and operational decisions.

Problem Statement

Customer cases have revealed certain scenarios where MCO state reporting is misleading and unreliable for decision-making and automation. The current state reporting lacks detailed condition tracking throughout the update lifecycle.

Key Capabilities

1. Enhanced Status Reporting via MachineConfigNode

• Comprehensive condition tracking for node update states
• Consistent status reporting across both standard and on-cluster image mode updates
• Accurate MachineConfigPool (MCP) status aligned with the original MCN enhancement design
• Additional status information stored in MCN for improved observability

2. Improved User Experience

• Clear, actionable status messages for troubleshooting
• Reliable state information for automation and decision-making
• Consistent behavior across different update modes (standard vs. on-cluster image mode)

Out of Scope

• MCN-triggered updates (future enhancement)
• Observability through customizable metrics (requires separate enhancement)