OpenShift CLI: "oc" and "kubectl" have different behaviours

Solution In Progress - Updated -

Environment

  • Openshift Container Platform 3.11.

Issue

  • The command "kubectl" is a symbolic link to /usr/bin/oc, the binary file where the command "oc" is implemented. However, "oc" and "kubectl" have different behaviours when they are executed.
# which oc
/usr/bin/oc
# which kubectl 
/usr/bin/kubectl
# readlink -e /usr/bin/kubectl
/usr/bin/oc
# oc version
oc v3.11.59
kubernetes v1.11.0+d4cacc0
features: Basic-Auth GSSAPI Kerberos SPNEGO

Server https://master1.local:8443
openshift v3.11.59
kubernetes v1.11.0+d4cacc0
# kubectl version
Client Version: version.Info{Major:"1", Minor:"11+", GitVersion:"v1.11.0+d4cacc0", GitCommit:"d4cacc0", GitTreeState:"clean", BuildDate:"2018-12-18T16:26:37Z", GoVersion:"go1.10.3", Compiler:"gc", Platform:"linux/amd64"}
Server Version: version.Info{Major:"1", Minor:"11+", GitVersion:"v1.11.0+d4cacc0", GitCommit:"d4cacc0", GitTreeState:"clean", BuildDate:"2018-12-18T16:26:37Z", GoVersion:"go1.10.3", Compiler:"gc", Platform:"linux/amd64"}

Root Cause

  • As mentioned on the product documentation, oc is built on top of kubectl.

  • OpenShift CLI is distributed as a single binary that can act as a different tool depending on its name and/or symlinks. So if named as (or have a symlink created with the name) "oc", it will provide higher-level commands generally targeted for end-users. If renamed to "kubectl", it will provide only the functionality of a kubectl binary.

  • "oc" provides more functionalities than "kubectl" on OpenShift and it is the recommended command.

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