--- title: Monitor Windows nodes source: https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/installation/windows --- The New Relic Kubernetes integration natively supports monitoring Windows nodes alongside Linux nodes in the same cluster — you don't need a separate Helm chart or installation. Learn how to enable and configure Windows node monitoring. For details on the privileged vs. unprivileged execution model and security considerations, see [Privileged vs. unprivileged mode](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/advanced-configuration/k8s-privileged-mode). For metric limitations specific to Windows, refer to [Limitations and troubleshooting for Windows](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/troubleshooting/troubleshooting-windows). ## Prerequisites [#prerequisites] Before enabling Windows monitoring, ensure your cluster meets the following requirements: - [Compatibility and requirements for Windows nodes](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/get-started/kubernetes-integration-compatibility-requirements/#req-windows) - Windows Server LTSC 2019 (build `10.0.17763`) or LTSC 2022 (build `10.0.20348`). - The container image version must exactly match the Windows host OS version. Windows only supports process isolation, not Hyper-V isolation. - Windows nodes running in Red Hat OpenShift clusters aren't supported. > #### ⚠️ IMPORTANT > > Windows containers can only run on a host with the exact same Windows version and build number. The integration creates one DaemonSet per supported Windows version, scheduling pods only to nodes with a matching OS build. ## Check your Windows node version [#check-version] If you're unsure which Windows version your nodes are running, query the node labels directly: ```shell kubectl get nodes -o jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{"\t"}{.metadata.labels.node\.kubernetes\.io/windows-build}{"\n"}{end}' ``` This prints the `node.kubernetes.io/windows-build` label value for each node, which the integration's DaemonSet `nodeSelector` matches against. You can also run `systeminfo` on the node itself and match the build number: | Windows version | Build number | | ------------------------ | ------------ | | Windows Server LTSC 2019 | 10.0.17763 | | Windows Server LTSC 2022 | 10.0.20348 | ## Enable Windows monitoring [#enable-windows] To enable Windows monitoring, set `enableWindows: true` in your `values.yaml`. When deploying via `nri-bundle`, pass this under the `newrelic-infrastructure` key: ```yaml newrelic-infrastructure: enableWindows: true ``` Apply the change with a `helm upgrade`: ```shell helm upgrade newrelic-bundle newrelic/nri-bundle \ --namespace newrelic \ --reuse-values \ --set newrelic-infrastructure.enableWindows=true ``` By default, enabling Windows creates DaemonSets for both LTSC 2019 and LTSC 2022. See [Configure for specific Windows versions](#windows-os-list) to restrict this. ## Configure for specific Windows versions [#windows-os-list] The `windowsOsList` key controls which Windows versions get DaemonSets. By default, it includes both supported versions. To restrict monitoring to only the Windows versions actually present in your cluster, override it in your `values.yaml`: ```yaml newrelic-infrastructure: enableWindows: true windowsOsList: - version: ltsc2022 imageTagSuffix: ltsc2022 buildNumber: 10.0.20348 ``` Each entry generates a separate DaemonSet. Pods are only scheduled to nodes whose `node.kubernetes.io/windows-build` label matches the `buildNumber` field. This prevents empty DaemonSets from appearing in your cluster. ## Mixed Linux and Windows clusters [#hybrid-clusters] In v3, Windows and Linux nodes are monitored using the same `newrelic-infrastructure` chart — you don't need separate chart installation like you did in v2. The chart automatically creates: - A Linux DaemonSet with `nodeSelector: kubernetes.io/os: linux` - One Windows DaemonSet per entry in `windowsOsList`, each with `nodeSelector: kubernetes.io/os: windows` and a matching build number selector A minimal `values.yaml` for a hybrid cluster: ```yaml global: licenseKey: YOUR_NEW_RELIC_LICENSE_KEY cluster: YOUR_CLUSTER_NAME newrelic-infrastructure: enableWindows: true windowsOsList: - version: ltsc2022 imageTagSuffix: ltsc2022 buildNumber: 10.0.20348 ``` Install or upgrade with: ```shell helm upgrade --install newrelic-bundle newrelic/nri-bundle \ --namespace newrelic --create-namespace \ -f values.yaml ``` ## Privileged mode [#privileged-mode] Windows monitoring defaults to privileged mode, which uses [Windows HostProcess containers](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/create-hostprocess-pod/) to collect full node-level metrics, including CPU, memory, disk, and network. This is required to receive `SystemSample`, `StorageSample`, and `NetworkSample` data from Windows nodes. > #### ⚠️ IMPORTANT > > Privileged mode isn't available for Windows nodes on GKE as GKE doesn't support it. Set `windows.privileged: false` to run in unprivileged mode. To run in unprivileged mode instead: ```yaml newrelic-infrastructure: enableWindows: true windows: privileged: false ``` Unprivileged mode disables host-level metrics but may be required by cluster security policies. For a full breakdown of what data is affected, see [Privileged vs. unprivileged mode](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/advanced-configuration/k8s-privileged-mode/#windows-nodes). ## Verify the installation [#verify] After installing or upgrading, check that DaemonSets were created: ```shell kubectl -n newrelic get daemonsets ``` You should see a DaemonSet for each Windows version you configured alongside the Linux DaemonSet: ```shell NAME DESIRED CURRENT READY UP-TO-DATE AVAILABLE NODE SELECTOR newrelic-bundle-nrk8s-kubelet 2 2 2 2 2 kubernetes.io/os=linux newrelic-bundle-nrk8s-kubelet-windows-ltsc2019 0 0 0 0 0 kubernetes.io/os=windows,node.kubernetes.io/windows-build=10.0.17763 newrelic-bundle-nrk8s-kubelet-windows-ltsc2022 1 1 1 1 1 kubernetes.io/os=windows,node.kubernetes.io/windows-build=10.0.20348 ``` A `DESIRED` count of `0` for a Windows version means no nodes with that build number exist in the cluster — this is expected behavior, not an error. To confirm Windows pods are running on their nodes: ```shell kubectl -n newrelic get pods -o wide | grep windows ``` ## Additional configuration [#additional-config] ### Add node selectors [#node-selector] By default, Windows DaemonSets select nodes using `kubernetes.io/os: windows`. You can add extra selectors to restrict monitoring to a specific subset of Windows nodes: ```yaml kubelet: windowsNodeSelector: kubernetes.io/os: windows node.kubernetes.io/windows-build: "10.0.20348" newrelic.com/monitoring-allowed: "true" # custom label you control ``` ### Use a private container registry [#custom-registry] To pull Windows images from a private registry instead of the default: ```yaml images: windowsIntegration: registry: your-registry.example.com pullPolicy: Always windowsAgent: registry: your-registry.example.com pullPolicy: Always pullSecrets: - name: registry-credentials ``` ### Set resource limits [#resource-limits] HostProcess containers compete for resources directly on the Windows node. The chart sets a default memory limit. You can adjust it, or set a CPU limit. For more information, refer to [Resource requirements](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/get-started/kubernetes-integration-compatibility-requirements/#resource-requirements). ```yaml kubelet: resources: requests: cpu: 50m memory: 150Mi limits: memory: 300Mi ``` A CPU limit isn't set by default — a hard CPU cap risks missing scrape intervals under node load. If your cluster policy requires one, weigh that tradeoff before setting it. ## Next steps [#next-steps] [Privileged vs. unprivileged mode](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/advanced-configuration/k8s-privileged-mode) Learn what HostProcess containers are, what host access they grant, and security best practices for Windows privileged mode. [Troubleshooting Windows](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/troubleshooting/troubleshooting-windows) Resolve common Windows node issues, understand Windows metric limitations, and check which metrics are available in unprivileged mode. [Monitor Kubernetes data](https://docs.newrelic.com/docs/kubernetes-pixie/kubernetes-integration/understand-use-data/find-use-your-kubernetes-data) Learn how to query and explore Windows node metrics alongside your Linux workloads.