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# Actionable disconnected cluster analysis, available now with pen drive powered by Red Hat Lightspeed
- URL: https://www.stirup.si/actionable-disconnected-cluster-analysis-available-now-with-pen-drive-11a9db6a/
- Published: 2026-10-11T16:44:26.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-11T16:44:26.000Z
- Description: Red Hat OpenShift now supports actionable disconnected cluster analysis through Pen Drive, a single-Podman image tool that provides a streamlined toolbox for cluster state analysis. This tool is designed for air-gapped environments, offering features like in-cluster checks, kube-compare, and full-ru
- Author: Satish Das
- Tags: Enterprise, Stirup Research

## Overview of Pen Drive and Its Role in Disconnected Cluster Analysis

Red Hat OpenShift has long been a cornerstone of hybrid cloud infrastructure, but its utility extends beyond the cloud boundary. In environments such as telecommunications, government, and financial institutions, clusters are often intentionally air-gapped for security and compliance reasons. These environments face unique challenges, particularly in maintaining cluster health and preventing configuration drift over time. Pen Drive, a new tool powered by Red Hat Lightspeed, addresses these challenges by providing a streamlined, offline-capable solution for cluster state analysis.

## Key Features of Pen Drive

Pen Drive is a single-Podman image tool that offers a range of capabilities tailored for disconnected or restricted Kubernetes clusters. It includes an offline version of Red Hat Lightspeed advisor, which provides over 1,000 proactive recommendations for debugging cluster architecture, scalability, performance, and day-to-day maintenance. Additionally, Pen Drive integrates Cluster Compare capabilities from Red Hat OpenShift, enabling blueprint-based cluster drift analysis and partner recommendations.

The tool also includes a lightweight direct state validation mode, which allows for safe analytics in live environments without disrupting operations. This is particularly valuable in scenarios where cluster impact must be minimized, such as in high-traffic or mission-critical systems.

## Workflow Capabilities and Use Cases

Pen Drive supports multiple workflows, each designed for different use cases and resource constraints. The **in-cluster-check** capability is the least resource-intensive option, executing a targeted set of commands to provide basic cluster health analysis. Originally developed with Nokia for telecommunications clusters, this mode has proven valuable across various environments due to its low footprint.

The **kube-compare** feature performs cluster drift analysis by comparing actual configurations against a pre-existing cluster blueprint. This is useful for identifying deviations from a known baseline and ensuring alignment with organizational standards or partner recommendations.

The **full-run** option collects and analyzes an optimized must-gather archive, inspecting the last 24 hours of cluster metrics, configurations, logs, and other resources. This provides the most comprehensive look at the cluster's state and drift, complete with proactive recommendations for problem resolution.

## Deployment and Operational Model

Pen Drive is designed to run in any location with connectivity to the cluster being checked, using the Podman toolchain. It can be downloaded directly from the Red Hat Ecosystem Catalog and loaded onto a USB drive, laptop, jump host, or even a Red Hat Advanced Cluster Manager Hub cluster. Once downloaded, the tool supports both interactive and non-interactive commands across various workflows, including full-run, gather, scan, in-cluster-check, and kube-compare.

The tool generates both a JSON file (suitable for automation and parsing in workflow management tools) and a standalone, user-friendly HTML file that highlights key findings and recommendations. This dual-output format ensures that insights are accessible to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

## Conclusion

Pen Drive, powered by Red Hat Lightspeed, is a compact yet powerful addition to any Red Hat OpenShift DevOps engineer's toolkit. Its ability to operate entirely offline makes it well-suited for even the most restricted and isolated environments. With its range of capabilities and flexible deployment options, Pen Drive is a valuable tool for maintaining cluster health and reducing the risk of production incidents in disconnected environments.

**Source:** [Red Hat](https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/actionable-disconnected-cluster-analysis-available-now-pen-drive-powered-red-hat-lightspeed?ref=stirup.si). Analysis based on publicly available information; no hands-on testing is claimed.