RuntimeClass and CDI
RuntimeClass and Container Device Interface (CDI) are runtime integration mechanisms. They determine how selected devices and required runtime files are made visible inside containers after the scheduler has selected a node and device.
These mechanisms are relevant to accelerator users because a workload can be scheduled successfully but still fail at runtime if the device runtime integration is missing or incompatible.
How it affects workloads
- Device Plugin and DRA decide how devices are advertised and allocated.
- RuntimeClass and CDI decide how the container runtime injects device files, libraries, and runtime configuration.
- Product documentation describes whether a workload must set
runtimeClassName, whether CDI is required, and which container runtime versions are supported.
Related products
- NVIDIA products may depend on NVIDIA Container Toolkit and CDI or a NVIDIA runtime handler, depending on the selected product path.
- Ascend NPU products may use CDI or vendor runtime components to inject Ascend devices and libraries.
- HAMi may integrate with runtime components differently depending on device type and product version.