fix(operator): version snapshot artifacts on readable checkpoints (#7533)

Signed-off-by: Schwinn Saereesitthipitak <schwinns@nvidia.com>

deploy/operator/internal/checkpoint/checkpoint_test.go

@@ -128,6 +128,40 @@ func TestHelpers(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.False(t, info.Ready)
 }
 
+func TestArtifactVersionHelpers(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("new checkpoints default to version 1", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ckpt := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
+		assert.Nil(t, ckpt.Annotations)
+		assert.Equal(t, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash+"-"+consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash+"-"+consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("annotation overrides desired version", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ckpt := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Annotations: map[string]string{
+					consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion: "3",
+				},
+			},
+		}
+		assert.Equal(t, "3", ckpt.Annotations[consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion])
+		assert.Equal(t, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash+"-3", "checkpoint-job-"+testHash+"-"+ckpt.Annotations[consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion])
+	})
+}
+
+func TestResolveCheckpointStorage(t *testing.T) {
+	config := testPVCConfig()
+
+	location, storageType, err := ResolveCheckpointStorage(testHash, "", config)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash+"/versions/"+consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion, location)
+	assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType("pvc"), storageType)
+
+	location, storageType, err = ResolveCheckpointStorage(testHash, "7", config)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash+"/versions/7", location)
+	assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType("pvc"), storageType)
+}
+
 func TestCreateOrGetAutoCheckpointDeduplicatesConcurrentSameHashCheckpoint(t *testing.T) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	s := testScheme()
@@ -178,6 +212,17 @@ func TestCreateOrGetAutoCheckpointDeduplicatesConcurrentSameHashCheckpoint(t *te
 	assert.Equal(t, friendly.Name, list.Items[0].Name)
 }
 
+func TestCreateOrGetAutoCheckpointSetsDefaultArtifactVersion(t *testing.T) {
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	s := testScheme()
+	c := fake.NewClientBuilder().WithScheme(s).Build()
+
+	ckpt, err := CreateOrGetAutoCheckpoint(ctx, c, testNamespace, testIdentity(), corev1.PodTemplateSpec{})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, ckpt.Annotations)
+	assert.Equal(t, consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion, ckpt.Annotations[consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion])
+}
+
 // --- Injection idempotency tests ---
 
 func TestInjectionIdempotency(t *testing.T) {
@@ -251,6 +296,20 @@ func TestInjectCheckpointIntoPodSpec(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Nil(t, podSpec.Containers[0].Args)
 	})
 
+	t.Run("ready checkpoint preserves published versioned location", func(t *testing.T) {
+		podSpec := testPodSpec()
+		info := &CheckpointInfo{
+			Enabled:     true,
+			Ready:       true,
+			Hash:        testHash,
+			Location:    "/checkpoints/" + testHash + "/versions/2",
+			StorageType: "pvc",
+		}
+		require.NoError(t, InjectCheckpointIntoPodSpec(podSpec, info, testPVCConfig()))
+		assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash+"/versions/2", info.Location)
+		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType("pvc"), info.StorageType)
+	})
+
 	t.Run("not-ready checkpoint preserves original command", func(t *testing.T) {
 		podSpec := testPodSpec()
 		require.NoError(t, InjectCheckpointIntoPodSpec(podSpec, testInfo(), testPVCConfig()))

deploy/operator/internal/checkpoint/podspec.go

@@ -242,38 +242,55 @@ func InjectCheckpointIntoPodSpec(
 			storageType = storageConfig.Type
 		}
 	}
+	if err := injectCheckpointStorage(podSpec, mainContainer, info, storageType, storageConfig); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	InjectPodInfoVolume(podSpec)
+	InjectPodInfoVolumeMount(mainContainer)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func injectCheckpointStorage(
+	podSpec *corev1.PodSpec,
+	mainContainer *corev1.Container,
+	info *CheckpointInfo,
+	storageType string,
+	storageConfig *configv1alpha1.CheckpointStorageConfiguration,
+) error {
+	if info.StorageType == "" {
+		info.StorageType = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType)
+	}
 
 	switch storageType {
 	case configv1alpha1.CheckpointStorageTypeS3:
-		info.StorageType = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType)
 		if storageConfig == nil || storageConfig.S3.URI == "" {
 			return fmt.Errorf("S3 storage type selected but no S3 URI configured (set checkpoint.storage.s3.uri)")
 		}
-		info.Location = fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.tar", storageConfig.S3.URI, info.Hash)
+		if info.Location == "" {
+			info.Location = fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.tar", storageConfig.S3.URI, info.Hash)
+		}
+		return nil
 	case configv1alpha1.CheckpointStorageTypeOCI:
-		info.StorageType = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType)
 		if storageConfig == nil || storageConfig.OCI.URI == "" {
 			return fmt.Errorf("OCI storage type selected but no OCI URI configured (set checkpoint.storage.oci.uri)")
 		}
-		info.Location = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", storageConfig.OCI.URI, info.Hash)
-	default:
-		info.StorageType = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType)
-		basePath := ""
-		if storageConfig != nil && storageConfig.PVC.BasePath != "" {
-			basePath = storageConfig.PVC.BasePath
+		if info.Location == "" {
+			info.Location = fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", storageConfig.OCI.URI, info.Hash)
 		}
+		return nil
+	default:
 		if storageConfig == nil || storageConfig.PVC.PVCName == "" {
 			return fmt.Errorf("PVC storage type selected but no PVC name configured (set checkpoint.storage.pvc.pvcName)")
 		}
-		if basePath == "" {
+		if storageConfig.PVC.BasePath == "" {
 			return fmt.Errorf("PVC storage type selected but no PVC base path configured (set checkpoint.storage.pvc.basePath)")
 		}
-		info.Location = fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", basePath, info.Hash)
+		if info.Location == "" {
+			info.Location = fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", storageConfig.PVC.BasePath, info.Hash)
+		}
 		InjectCheckpointVolume(podSpec, storageConfig.PVC.PVCName)
-		InjectCheckpointVolumeMount(mainContainer, basePath)
+		InjectCheckpointVolumeMount(mainContainer, storageConfig.PVC.BasePath)
+		return nil
 	}
-
-	InjectPodInfoVolume(podSpec)
-	InjectPodInfoVolumeMount(mainContainer)
-	return nil
 }

deploy/operator/internal/checkpoint/resolve.go

@@ -20,9 +20,11 @@ package checkpoint
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 
 	configv1alpha1 "github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/api/config/v1alpha1"
 	nvidiacomv1alpha1 "github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/api/v1alpha1"
+	"github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/internal/consts"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/client"
 )
@@ -106,8 +108,14 @@ func ResolveCheckpointForService(
 
 func ResolveCheckpointStorage(
 	hash string,
+	version string,
 	config *configv1alpha1.CheckpointConfiguration,
 ) (string, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType, error) {
+	version = strings.TrimSpace(version)
+	if version == "" {
+		version = consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion
+	}
+
 	storageType := configv1alpha1.CheckpointStorageTypePVC
 	if config != nil && config.Storage.Type != "" {
 		storageType = config.Storage.Type
@@ -118,16 +126,16 @@ func ResolveCheckpointStorage(
 		if config == nil || config.Storage.S3.URI == "" {
 			return "", "", fmt.Errorf("S3 storage type selected but no S3 URI configured (set checkpoint.storage.s3.uri)")
 		}
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s.tar", config.Storage.S3.URI, hash), nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType), nil
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/versions/%s.tar", config.Storage.S3.URI, hash, version), nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType), nil
 	case configv1alpha1.CheckpointStorageTypeOCI:
 		if config == nil || config.Storage.OCI.URI == "" {
 			return "", "", fmt.Errorf("OCI storage type selected but no OCI URI configured (set checkpoint.storage.oci.uri)")
 		}
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s", config.Storage.OCI.URI, hash), nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType), nil
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s:%s-%s", config.Storage.OCI.URI, hash, version), nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType), nil
 	default:
 		if config == nil || config.Storage.PVC.BasePath == "" {
 			return "", "", fmt.Errorf("PVC storage type selected but no PVC base path configured (set checkpoint.storage.pvc.basePath)")
 		}
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", config.Storage.PVC.BasePath, hash), nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType), nil
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/versions/%s", config.Storage.PVC.BasePath, hash, version), nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType(storageType), nil
 	}
 }

deploy/operator/internal/checkpoint/resource.go

@@ -120,6 +120,9 @@ func CreateOrGetAutoCheckpoint(
 			Labels: map[string]string{
 				consts.KubeLabelCheckpointHash: hash,
 			},
+			Annotations: map[string]string{
+				consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion: consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion,
+			},
 		},
 		Spec: nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointSpec{
 			Identity: identity,

deploy/operator/internal/consts/consts.go

@@ -144,11 +144,13 @@ const (
 	// deploy/snapshot/pkg/config/constants.go. If you change a value here, update there too.
 
 	// Kubernetes labels
-	KubeLabelIsCheckpointSource         = "nvidia.com/snapshot-is-checkpoint-source"    // Pod label that triggers DaemonSet auto-checkpoint
-	KubeLabelCheckpointHash             = "nvidia.com/snapshot-checkpoint-hash"         // Checkpoint identity hash used for lookup/reuse (may differ from DynamoCheckpoint metadata.name)
-	KubeLabelIsRestoreTarget            = "nvidia.com/snapshot-is-restore-target"       // Pod label that triggers DaemonSet auto-restore
-	KubeAnnotationCheckpointLocation    = "nvidia.com/snapshot-checkpoint-location"     // Pod annotation that tells snapshot-agent where the checkpoint lives
-	KubeAnnotationCheckpointStorageType = "nvidia.com/snapshot-checkpoint-storage-type" // Pod annotation that tells snapshot-agent which storage backend owns the checkpoint
+	KubeLabelIsCheckpointSource             = "nvidia.com/snapshot-is-checkpoint-source" // Pod label that triggers DaemonSet auto-checkpoint
+	KubeLabelCheckpointHash                 = "nvidia.com/snapshot-checkpoint-hash"      // Checkpoint identity hash used for lookup/reuse (may differ from DynamoCheckpoint metadata.name)
+	KubeLabelIsRestoreTarget                = "nvidia.com/snapshot-is-restore-target"    // Pod label that triggers DaemonSet auto-restore
+	KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion = "nvidia.com/snapshot-artifact-version"     // Checkpoint artifact generation; changing it triggers a new immutable capture attempt
+	DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion        = "1"
+	KubeAnnotationCheckpointLocation        = "nvidia.com/snapshot-checkpoint-location"     // Pod annotation that tells snapshot-agent where the checkpoint lives
+	KubeAnnotationCheckpointStorageType     = "nvidia.com/snapshot-checkpoint-storage-type" // Pod annotation that tells snapshot-agent which storage backend owns the checkpoint
 
 	// Environment variables injected into pods
 	EnvReadyForCheckpointFile = "DYN_READY_FOR_CHECKPOINT_FILE" // Ready-for-checkpoint file path — checkpoint job pods

deploy/operator/internal/controller/dynamocheckpoint_controller.go

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ package controller
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/ai-dynamo/dynamo/deploy/operator/internal/dynamo"
@@ -79,6 +80,23 @@ func checkpointLeaseExpired(lease *coordinationv1.Lease, now time.Time) bool {
 	return now.After(leaseTime.Time.Add(time.Duration(*lease.Spec.LeaseDurationSeconds) * time.Second))
 }
 
+func desiredArtifactVersion(ckpt *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint) string {
+	version := consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion
+	if ckpt.Annotations == nil {
+		return version
+	}
+
+	annotatedVersion := strings.TrimSpace(ckpt.Annotations[consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion])
+	if annotatedVersion != "" {
+		version = annotatedVersion
+	}
+	return version
+}
+
+func desiredCheckpointJobName(ckpt *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint, identityHash string) string {
+	return "checkpoint-job-" + identityHash + "-" + desiredArtifactVersion(ckpt)
+}
+
 // +kubebuilder:rbac:groups=nvidia.com,resources=dynamocheckpoints,verbs=get;list;watch;create;update;patch;delete
 // +kubebuilder:rbac:groups=nvidia.com,resources=dynamocheckpoints/status,verbs=get;update;patch
 // +kubebuilder:rbac:groups=nvidia.com,resources=dynamocheckpoints/finalizers,verbs=update
@@ -124,6 +142,22 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request)
 		ckpt.Status.IdentityHash = identityHash
 		needsStatusUpdate = true
 	}
+	existing, err := checkpoint.FindCheckpointByIdentityHash(ctx, r.Client, ckpt.Namespace, identityHash, ckpt.Name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ctrl.Result{}, err
+	}
+	if existing != nil {
+		ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseFailed
+		ckpt.Status.JobName = ""
+		ckpt.Status.CreatedAt = nil
+		ckpt.Status.Message = fmt.Sprintf("checkpoint identity hash %s is already owned by %s", identityHash, existing.Name)
+		if err := r.Status().Update(ctx, ckpt); err != nil {
+			logger.Error(err, "Failed to mark duplicate DynamoCheckpoint as failed")
+			return ctrl.Result{}, err
+		}
+		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
+	}
+	desiredJobName := desiredCheckpointJobName(ckpt, identityHash)
 	switch ckpt.Status.Phase {
 	case "", nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhasePending, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseFailed:
 	default:
@@ -136,6 +170,15 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request)
 		ckpt.Status.Message = ""
 		needsStatusUpdate = true
 	}
+	if ckpt.Status.Phase != nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating &&
+		ckpt.Status.JobName != "" &&
+		ckpt.Status.JobName != desiredJobName {
+		ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhasePending
+		ckpt.Status.JobName = ""
+		ckpt.Status.CreatedAt = nil
+		ckpt.Status.Message = ""
+		needsStatusUpdate = true
+	}
 	if needsStatusUpdate {
 		if err := r.Status().Update(ctx, ckpt); err != nil {
 			logger.Error(err, "Failed to initialize DynamoCheckpoint status")
@@ -156,11 +199,7 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) Reconcile(ctx context.Context, req ctrl.Request)
 		// Nothing to do, checkpoint is ready
 		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
 	case nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseFailed:
-		// Re-evaluate the Job in case retries succeeded after a transient failure.
-		if ckpt.Status.JobName == "" {
-			return ctrl.Result{}, nil
-		}
-		return r.handleCreating(ctx, ckpt)
+		return ctrl.Result{}, nil
 	default:
 		// Unknown phase, reset to Pending
 		ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhasePending
@@ -182,7 +221,12 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) handlePending(ctx context.Context, ckpt *nvidiaco
 			return ctrl.Result{}, fmt.Errorf("failed to compute checkpoint identity hash: %w", err)
 		}
 	}
-	jobName := fmt.Sprintf("checkpoint-job-%s", hash)
+	version := desiredArtifactVersion(ckpt)
+	jobName := desiredCheckpointJobName(ckpt, hash)
+	location, storageType, err := checkpoint.ResolveCheckpointStorage(hash, version, &r.Config.Checkpoint)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ctrl.Result{}, err
+	}
 
 	// Use SyncResource to create/update the checkpoint Job
 	modified, _, err := commonController.SyncResource(ctx, r, ckpt, func(ctx context.Context) (*batchv1.Job, bool, error) {
@@ -201,6 +245,9 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) handlePending(ctx context.Context, ckpt *nvidiaco
 	// Update status to Creating phase
 	ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating
 	ckpt.Status.JobName = jobName
+	ckpt.Status.Location = location
+	ckpt.Status.StorageType = storageType
+	ckpt.Status.CreatedAt = nil
 	ckpt.Status.Message = ""
 	meta.SetStatusCondition(&ckpt.Status.Conditions, metav1.Condition{
 		Type:               string(nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointConditionJobCreated),
@@ -234,9 +281,7 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) handleCreating(ctx context.Context, ckpt *nvidiac
 	job := &batchv1.Job{}
 	if err := r.Get(ctx, client.ObjectKey{Namespace: ckpt.Namespace, Name: ckpt.Status.JobName}, job); err != nil {
 		if apierrors.IsNotFound(err) {
-			// Job was deleted, go back to Pending
-			ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhasePending
-			ckpt.Status.JobName = ""
+			ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseFailed
 			ckpt.Status.Message = "checkpoint job was deleted"
 			meta.SetStatusCondition(&ckpt.Status.Conditions, metav1.Condition{
 				Type:               string(nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointConditionJobCreated),
@@ -337,15 +382,23 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) handleCreating(ctx context.Context, ckpt *nvidiac
 		logger.Info("Checkpoint Job succeeded", "job", job.Name)
 		r.Recorder.Event(ckpt, corev1.EventTypeNormal, "CheckpointReady", "Checkpoint creation completed successfully")
 
-		now := metav1.Now()
-		location, storageType, err := checkpoint.ResolveCheckpointStorage(ckpt.Status.IdentityHash, &r.Config.Checkpoint)
-		if err != nil {
-			return ctrl.Result{}, err
+		if ckpt.Status.Location == "" || ckpt.Status.StorageType == "" {
+			version := desiredArtifactVersion(ckpt)
+			location, storageType, err := checkpoint.ResolveCheckpointStorage(
+				ckpt.Status.IdentityHash,
+				version,
+				&r.Config.Checkpoint,
+			)
+			if err != nil {
+				return ctrl.Result{}, err
+			}
+			ckpt.Status.Location = location
+			ckpt.Status.StorageType = storageType
 		}
+
+		now := metav1.Now()
 		ckpt.Status.Phase = nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady
 		ckpt.Status.CreatedAt = &now
-		ckpt.Status.Location = location
-		ckpt.Status.StorageType = storageType
 		ckpt.Status.Message = ""
 		meta.SetStatusCondition(&ckpt.Status.Conditions, metav1.Condition{
 			Type:               string(nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointConditionJobCompleted),
@@ -421,6 +474,7 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) buildCheckpointJob(ckpt *nvidiacomv1alpha1.Dynamo
 	if hash == "" {
 		hash, _ = checkpoint.ComputeIdentityHash(ckpt.Spec.Identity)
 	}
+	version := desiredArtifactVersion(ckpt)
 
 	// Add checkpoint-related labels
 	if podTemplate.Labels == nil {
@@ -429,7 +483,11 @@ func (r *CheckpointReconciler) buildCheckpointJob(ckpt *nvidiacomv1alpha1.Dynamo
 	if podTemplate.Annotations == nil {
 		podTemplate.Annotations = make(map[string]string)
 	}
-	location, storageType, err := checkpoint.ResolveCheckpointStorage(hash, &r.Config.Checkpoint)
+	location, storageType, err := checkpoint.ResolveCheckpointStorage(
+		hash,
+		version,
+		&r.Config.Checkpoint,
+	)
 	if err != nil {
 		location = ""
 		storageType = ""

deploy/operator/internal/controller/dynamocheckpoint_controller_test.go

@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ var testHash = func() string {
 	return hash
 }()
 
+var defaultCheckpointJobName = "checkpoint-job-" + testHash + "-" + consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion
+
 func checkpointTestScheme() *runtime.Scheme {
 	s := runtime.NewScheme()
 	_ = nvidiacomv1alpha1.AddToScheme(s)
@@ -141,7 +143,7 @@ func TestBuildCheckpointJob(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	r := makeCheckpointReconciler(s, ckpt)
-	job := r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash)
+	job := r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, defaultCheckpointJobName)
 	podSpec := job.Spec.Template.Spec
 	main := podSpec.Containers[0]
 
@@ -239,7 +241,7 @@ func TestBuildCheckpointJob(t *testing.T) {
 	ckpt.Spec.Job.ActiveDeadlineSeconds = &deadline
 	ckpt.Spec.Job.BackoffLimit = &backoff //nolint:staticcheck // Compatibility test: deprecated field must remain ignored by checkpoint Jobs.
 	ckpt.Spec.Job.TTLSecondsAfterFinished = &ttl
-	job = r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash)
+	job = r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, defaultCheckpointJobName)
 	assert.Equal(t, int64(7200), *job.Spec.ActiveDeadlineSeconds)
 	assert.Equal(t, int32(0), *job.Spec.BackoffLimit)
 	assert.Equal(t, int32(600), *job.Spec.TTLSecondsAfterFinished)
@@ -249,7 +251,7 @@ func TestBuildCheckpointJob(t *testing.T) {
 			corev1.ResourceName("nvidia.com/gpu"): resource.MustParse("2"),
 		},
 	}
-	job = r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash)
+	job = r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, defaultCheckpointJobName)
 	assert.Equal(t, []string{"cuda-checkpoint", "--launch-job", "python3", "-m", "dynamo.vllm"}, job.Spec.Template.Spec.Containers[0].Command)
 }
 
@@ -272,7 +274,7 @@ func TestBuildCheckpointJobInjectsStandardEnvVars(t *testing.T) {
 
 	customShmSize := resource.MustParse("16Gi")
 	ckpt.Spec.Job.SharedMemory = &nvidiacomv1alpha1.SharedMemorySpec{Size: customShmSize}
-	job := r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash)
+	job := r.buildCheckpointJob(ckpt, defaultCheckpointJobName)
 	foundCustomShmVolume := false
 	for _, v := range job.Spec.Template.Spec.Volumes {
 		if v.Name == consts.KubeValueNameSharedMemory {
@@ -366,7 +368,49 @@ func TestCheckpointReconciler_Reconcile(t *testing.T) {
 		updated := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
 		require.NoError(t, r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: testHash, Namespace: testNamespace}, updated))
 		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating, updated.Status.Phase)
-		assert.Equal(t, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash, updated.Status.JobName)
+		assert.Equal(t, defaultCheckpointJobName, updated.Status.JobName)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("artifact version bump starts a new checkpoint job", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ckpt := makeTestCheckpoint(nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady)
+		ckpt.Status.IdentityHash = testHash
+		ckpt.Status.JobName = defaultCheckpointJobName
+		ckpt.Status.Location = "/checkpoints/" + testHash + "/versions/" + consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion
+		ckpt.Annotations = map[string]string{consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion: "2"}
+		r := makeCheckpointReconciler(s, ckpt)
+
+		_, err := r.Reconcile(ctx, ctrl.Request{
+			NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Name: ckpt.Name, Namespace: testNamespace},
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		updated := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
+		require.NoError(t, r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: ckpt.Name, Namespace: testNamespace}, updated))
+		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating, updated.Status.Phase)
+		assert.Equal(t, "checkpoint-job-"+testHash+"-2", updated.Status.JobName)
+		assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash+"/versions/2", updated.Status.Location)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("duplicate identity hash is rejected even with a readable name", func(t *testing.T) {
+		primary := makeTestCheckpoint(nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady)
+		primary.Name = "friendly-primary"
+		primary.Status.IdentityHash = testHash
+		primary.Status.JobName = defaultCheckpointJobName
+		duplicate := makeTestCheckpoint(nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady)
+		duplicate.Name = "friendly-duplicate"
+		duplicate.Status.IdentityHash = testHash
+		duplicate.Status.JobName = "checkpoint-job-" + testHash + "-2"
+
+		r := makeCheckpointReconciler(s, primary, duplicate)
+		_, err := r.Reconcile(ctx, ctrl.Request{
+			NamespacedName: types.NamespacedName{Name: duplicate.Name, Namespace: testNamespace},
+		})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		updated := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
+		require.NoError(t, r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: duplicate.Name, Namespace: testNamespace}, updated))
+		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseFailed, updated.Status.Phase)
+		assert.Contains(t, updated.Status.Message, primary.Name)
 	})
 }
 
@@ -386,10 +430,12 @@ func TestCheckpointReconciler_HandleCreating(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	t.Run("succeeded job transitions to Ready", func(t *testing.T) {
-		ckpt := makeCreatingCkpt(testHash, "job-ok")
+		ckpt := makeCreatingCkpt(testHash, defaultCheckpointJobName)
+		ckpt.Status.Location = "/checkpoints/" + testHash + "/versions/" + consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion
+		ckpt.Status.StorageType = "pvc"
 		job := &batchv1.Job{
 			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
-				Name:        "job-ok",
+				Name:        defaultCheckpointJobName,
 				Namespace:   testNamespace,
 				Annotations: map[string]string{checkpointStatusAnnotation: checkpointStatusCompleted},
 			},
@@ -408,7 +454,7 @@ func TestCheckpointReconciler_HandleCreating(t *testing.T) {
 		updated := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
 		require.NoError(t, r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: testHash, Namespace: testNamespace}, updated))
 		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady, updated.Status.Phase)
-		assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash, updated.Status.Location)
+		assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash+"/versions/"+consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion, updated.Status.Location)
 		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointStorageType("pvc"), updated.Status.StorageType)
 		assert.NotNil(t, updated.Status.CreatedAt)
 	})
@@ -542,6 +588,35 @@ func TestCheckpointReconciler_HandleCreating(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating, updated.Status.Phase)
 	})
 
+	t.Run("in-flight version changes do not relabel the running job's artifact", func(t *testing.T) {
+		ckpt := makeCreatingCkpt(testHash, defaultCheckpointJobName)
+		ckpt.Status.Location = "/checkpoints/" + testHash + "/versions/" + consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion
+		ckpt.Status.StorageType = "pvc"
+		ckpt.Annotations = map[string]string{consts.KubeAnnotationCheckpointArtifactVersion: "2"}
+		job := &batchv1.Job{
+			ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+				Name:        defaultCheckpointJobName,
+				Namespace:   testNamespace,
+				Annotations: map[string]string{checkpointStatusAnnotation: checkpointStatusCompleted},
+			},
+			Status: batchv1.JobStatus{
+				Succeeded: 1,
+				Conditions: []batchv1.JobCondition{
+					{Type: batchv1.JobComplete, Status: corev1.ConditionTrue, LastTransitionTime: metav1.Now()},
+				},
+			},
+		}
+
+		r := makeCheckpointReconciler(s, ckpt, job)
+		_, err := r.handleCreating(ctx, ckpt)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		updated := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
+		require.NoError(t, r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: testHash, Namespace: testNamespace}, updated))
+		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseReady, updated.Status.Phase)
+		assert.Equal(t, "/checkpoints/"+testHash+"/versions/"+consts.DefaultCheckpointArtifactVersion, updated.Status.Location)
+	})
+
 	t.Run("succeeded count without complete condition keeps Creating phase", func(t *testing.T) {
 		ckpt := makeCreatingCkpt(testHash, "job-succeeded-not-complete")
 		job := &batchv1.Job{
@@ -558,7 +633,7 @@ func TestCheckpointReconciler_HandleCreating(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseCreating, updated.Status.Phase)
 	})
 
-	t.Run("deleted job resets to Pending", func(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("deleted job transitions to Failed without retrying", func(t *testing.T) {
 		ckpt := makeCreatingCkpt(testHash, "job-deleted")
 		r := makeCheckpointReconciler(s, ckpt) // no job object
 
@@ -567,8 +642,9 @@ func TestCheckpointReconciler_HandleCreating(t *testing.T) {
 
 		updated := &nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpoint{}
 		require.NoError(t, r.Get(ctx, types.NamespacedName{Name: testHash, Namespace: testNamespace}, updated))
-		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhasePending, updated.Status.Phase)
-		assert.Empty(t, updated.Status.JobName)
+		assert.Equal(t, nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoCheckpointPhaseFailed, updated.Status.Phase)
+		assert.Equal(t, "job-deleted", updated.Status.JobName)
+		assert.Equal(t, "checkpoint job was deleted", updated.Status.Message)
 	})
 
 }