An NNCP is a Kubernetes resource that tells the NMState Operator how the network on one or more nodes should be configured. NMState translates this into NetworkManager configuration on the node — persistent across reboots. Without NMState, you would run ip-link/nmcli commands manually on each node, and they would be lost after a reboot.
✓ ADVANTAGES
- Persistent across reboot
- Declarative and versionable like all Kubernetes resources
- Works cluster-wide via nodeSelector (e.g. configure all workers at once)
⚠ LIMITATIONS
- Changes to interfaces already managed by OVN-K (e.g. br-ex) are risky
- A faulty NNCP can break node connectivity completely — test carefully!