A Host Group is required to register Windows nodes with Nirmata before adding them to a cluster. This section covers creating a Direct Connect Host Group with private registry support for Windows containers.

Step 1: Create a Host Group

1. Navigate to Cloud Credentials (left toolbar) and click Add Host Group.
2. Select Direct Connect as the type.
3. In the Direct Connect Host Group Wizard, provide a unique name for the Host Group.
4. Fill in the Private Registry fields — these are required for Windows containers so that containerd can pull installation files (kubelet, containerd, pause image, etc.) from your private registry instead of the public internet:
   • Private Registry — registry base path (e.g. nexus.repo:500/nirmata, no trailing slash)
   • Private Registry Username
   • Private Registry Password
5. Click Finish.

Step 2: Verify the Private Registry in the Windows Tab

Once the Host Group is saved, open it and click the Windows tab. You will see the Air-gap / Private Registry section populated with the registry details you entered. The enrollment script command shown will automatically include the -PrivateRegistry, -PrivateRegistryUsername, and -PrivateRegistryPassword parameters.

Note: Before running the enrollment script, ensure that all required images and binaries are present in your private registry. The following must be available under the registry base path:

• Windows container images: pause, calico, kube-proxy, and node-windows (mirrored flat, e.g. pause:3.9-windows-amd64)
• kubelet.exe
• containerd.exe

If any of these are missing, the node enrollment or cluster creation will fail.