Deploying installer-provisioned clusters on bare metal


OpenShift Container Platform 4.13

Deploying installer-provisioned OpenShift Container Platform clusters on bare metal

Red Hat OpenShift Documentation Team

Abstract

This document describes how to deploy OpenShift Container Platform clusters on bare metal using installer-provisioned infrastructure.

Chapter 1. Overview

Installer-provisioned installation on bare metal nodes deploys and configures the infrastructure that an OpenShift Container Platform cluster runs on. This guide provides a methodology to achieving a successful installer-provisioned bare-metal installation. The following diagram illustrates the installation environment in phase 1 of deployment:

Deployment phase one

For the installation, the key elements in the previous diagram are:

  • Provisioner: A physical machine that runs the installation program and hosts the bootstrap VM that deploys the control plane of a new OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
  • Bootstrap VM: A virtual machine used in the process of deploying an OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
  • Network bridges: The bootstrap VM connects to the bare metal network and to the provisioning network, if present, via network bridges, eno1 and eno2.
  • API VIP: An API virtual IP address (VIP) is used to provide failover of the API server across the control plane nodes. The API VIP first resides on the bootstrap VM. A script generates the keepalived.conf configuration file before launching the service. The VIP moves to one of the control plane nodes after the bootstrap process has completed and the bootstrap VM stops.

In phase 2 of the deployment, the provisioner destroys the bootstrap VM automatically and moves the virtual IP addresses (VIPs) to the appropriate nodes.

The keepalived.conf file sets the control plane machines with a lower Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) priority than the bootstrap VM, which ensures that the API on the control plane machines is fully functional before the API VIP moves from the bootstrap VM to the control plane. Once the API VIP moves to one of the control plane nodes, traffic sent from external clients to the API VIP routes to an haproxy load balancer running on that control plane node. This instance of haproxy load balances the API VIP traffic across the control plane nodes.

The Ingress VIP moves to the worker nodes. The keepalived instance also manages the Ingress VIP.

The following diagram illustrates phase 2 of deployment:

Deployment phase two

After this point, the node used by the provisioner can be removed or repurposed. From here, all additional provisioning tasks are carried out by the control plane.

Note

For installer-provisioned infrastructure installations, CoreDNS exposes port 53 at the node level, making it accessible from other routable networks.

Additional resources

Important

The provisioning network is optional, but it is required for PXE booting. If you deploy without a provisioning network, you must use a virtual media baseboard management controller (BMC) addressing option such as redfish-virtualmedia or idrac-virtualmedia.

Chapter 2. Prerequisites

Installer-provisioned installation of OpenShift Container Platform requires:

  1. One provisioner node with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.x installed. The provisioner can be removed after installation.
  2. Three control plane nodes
  3. Baseboard management controller (BMC) access to each node
  4. At least one network:

    1. One required routable network
    2. One optional provisioning network
    3. One optional management network

Before starting an installer-provisioned installation of OpenShift Container Platform, ensure the hardware environment meets the following requirements.

2.1. Node requirements

Installer-provisioned installation involves a number of hardware node requirements:

  • CPU architecture: All nodes must use x86_64 or aarch64 CPU architecture.
  • Similar nodes: Red Hat recommends nodes have an identical configuration per role. That is, Red Hat recommends nodes be the same brand and model with the same CPU, memory, and storage configuration.
  • Baseboard Management Controller: The provisioner node must be able to access the baseboard management controller (BMC) of each OpenShift Container Platform cluster node. You may use IPMI, Redfish, or a proprietary protocol.
  • Latest generation: Nodes must be of the most recent generation. Installer-provisioned installation relies on BMC protocols, which must be compatible across nodes. Additionally, RHEL 9.x ships with the most recent drivers for RAID controllers. Ensure that the nodes are recent enough to support RHEL 9.x for the provisioner node and RHCOS 9.x for the control plane and worker nodes.
  • Registry node: (Optional) If setting up a disconnected mirrored registry, it is recommended the registry reside in its own node.
  • Provisioner node: Installer-provisioned installation requires one provisioner node.
  • Control plane: Installer-provisioned installation requires three control plane nodes for high availability. You can deploy an OpenShift Container Platform cluster with only three control plane nodes, making the control plane nodes schedulable as worker nodes. Smaller clusters are more resource efficient for administrators and developers during development, production, and testing.
  • Worker nodes: While not required, a typical production cluster has two or more worker nodes.

    Important

    Do not deploy a cluster with only one worker node, because the cluster will deploy with routers and ingress traffic in a degraded state.

  • Network interfaces: Each node must have at least one network interface for the routable baremetal network. Each node must have one network interface for a provisioning network when using the provisioning network for deployment. Using the provisioning network is the default configuration.

    Note

    Only one network card (NIC) on the same subnet can route traffic through the gateway. By default, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) uses the lowest numbered NIC. Use a single NIC for each node in the same subnet to ensure that network load balancing works as expected. When using multiple NICs for a node in the same subnet, use a single bond or team interface. Then add the other IP addresses to that interface in the form of an alias IP address. If you require fault tolerance or load balancing at the network interface level, use an alias IP address on the bond or team interface. Alternatively, you can disable a secondary NIC on the same subnet or ensure that it has no IP address.

  • Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI): Installer-provisioned installation requires UEFI boot on all OpenShift Container Platform nodes when using IPv6 addressing on the provisioning network. In addition, UEFI Device PXE Settings must be set to use the IPv6 protocol on the provisioning network NIC, but omitting the provisioning network removes this requirement.

    Important

    When starting the installation from virtual media such as an ISO image, delete all old UEFI boot table entries. If the boot table includes entries that are not generic entries provided by the firmware, the installation might fail.

  • Secure Boot: Many production scenarios require nodes with Secure Boot enabled to verify the node only boots with trusted software, such as UEFI firmware drivers, EFI applications, and the operating system. You may deploy with Secure Boot manually or managed.

    1. Manually: To deploy an OpenShift Container Platform cluster with Secure Boot manually, you must enable UEFI boot mode and Secure Boot on each control plane node and each worker node. Red Hat supports Secure Boot with manually enabled UEFI and Secure Boot only when installer-provisioned installations use Redfish virtual media. See "Configuring nodes for Secure Boot manually" in the "Configuring nodes" section for additional details.
    2. Managed: To deploy an OpenShift Container Platform cluster with managed Secure Boot, you must set the bootMode value to UEFISecureBoot in the install-config.yaml file. Red Hat only supports installer-provisioned installation with managed Secure Boot on 10th generation HPE hardware and 13th generation Dell hardware running firmware version 2.75.75.75 or greater. Deploying with managed Secure Boot does not require Redfish virtual media. See "Configuring managed Secure Boot" in the "Setting up the environment for an OpenShift installation" section for details.

      Note

      Red Hat does not support managing self-generated keys, or other keys, for Secure Boot.

2.2. Minimum resource requirements for cluster installation

Each cluster machine must meet the following minimum requirements:

Table 2.1. Minimum resource requirements
MachineOperating SystemCPU [1]RAMStorageInput/Output Per Second (IOPS)[2]

Bootstrap

RHEL

4

16 GB

100 GB

300

Control plane

RHCOS

4

16 GB

100 GB

300

Compute

RHCOS

2

8 GB

100 GB

300

  1. One CPU is equivalent to one physical core when simultaneous multithreading (SMT), or Hyper-Threading, is not enabled. When enabled, use the following formula to calculate the corresponding ratio: (threads per core × cores) × sockets = CPUs.
  2. OpenShift Container Platform and Kubernetes are sensitive to disk performance, and faster storage is recommended, particularly for etcd on the control plane nodes. Note that on many cloud platforms, storage size and IOPS scale together, so you might need to over-allocate storage volume to obtain sufficient performance.
Note

As of OpenShift Container Platform version 4.13, RHCOS is based on RHEL version 9.2, which updates the micro-architecture requirements. The following list contains the minimum instruction set architectures (ISA) that each architecture requires:

  • x86-64 architecture requires x86-64-v2 ISA
  • ARM64 architecture requires ARMv8.0-A ISA
  • IBM Power architecture requires Power 9 ISA
  • s390x architecture requires z14 ISA

For more information, see RHEL Architectures.

If an instance type for your platform meets the minimum requirements for cluster machines, it is supported to use in OpenShift Container Platform.

2.3. Planning a bare metal cluster for OpenShift Virtualization

If you will use OpenShift Virtualization, it is important to be aware of several requirements before you install your bare metal cluster.

  • If you want to use live migration features, you must have multiple worker nodes at the time of cluster installation. This is because live migration requires the cluster-level high availability (HA) flag to be set to true. The HA flag is set when a cluster is installed and cannot be changed afterwards. If there are fewer than two worker nodes defined when you install your cluster, the HA flag is set to false for the life of the cluster.

    Note

    You can install OpenShift Virtualization on a single-node cluster, but single-node OpenShift does not support high availability.

  • Live migration requires shared storage. Storage for OpenShift Virtualization must support and use the ReadWriteMany (RWX) access mode.
  • If you plan to use Single Root I/O Virtualization (SR-IOV), ensure that your network interface controllers (NICs) are supported by OpenShift Container Platform.

2.4. Firmware requirements for installing with virtual media

The installation program for installer-provisioned OpenShift Container Platform clusters validates the hardware and firmware compatibility with Redfish virtual media. The installation program does not begin installation on a node if the node firmware is not compatible. The following tables list the minimum firmware versions tested and verified to work for installer-provisioned OpenShift Container Platform clusters deployed by using Redfish virtual media.

Note

Red Hat does not test every combination of firmware, hardware, or other third-party components. For further information about third-party support, see Red Hat third-party support policy. For information about updating the firmware, see the hardware documentation for the nodes or contact the hardware vendor.

Table 2.2. Firmware compatibility for HP hardware with Redfish virtual media
ModelManagementFirmware versions

10th Generation

iLO5

2.63 or later

Table 2.3. Firmware compatibility for Dell hardware with Redfish virtual media
ModelManagementFirmware versions

15th Generation

iDRAC 9

v6.10.30.00

14th Generation

iDRAC 9

v6.10.30.00

13th Generation

iDRAC 8

v2.75.75.75 or later

2.5. Network requirements

Installer-provisioned installation of OpenShift Container Platform involves multiple network requirements. First, installer-provisioned installation involves an optional non-routable provisioning network for provisioning the operating system on each bare-metal node. Second, installer-provisioned installation involves a routable baremetal network.

Installer-provisioned networking

2.5.1. Ensuring required ports are open

Certain ports must be open between cluster nodes for installer-provisioned installations to complete successfully. In certain situations, such as using separate subnets for far edge worker nodes, you must ensure that the nodes in these subnets can communicate with nodes in the other subnets on the following required ports.

Table 2.4. Required ports
PortDescription

67,68

When using a provisioning network, cluster nodes access the dnsmasq DHCP server over their provisioning network interfaces using ports 67 and 68.

69

When using a provisioning network, cluster nodes communicate with the TFTP server on port 69 using their provisioning network interfaces. The TFTP server runs on the bootstrap VM. The bootstrap VM runs on the provisioner node.

80

When not using the image caching option or when using virtual media, the provisioner node must have port 80 open on the baremetal machine network interface to stream the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image from the provisioner node to the cluster nodes.

123

The cluster nodes must access the NTP server on port 123 using the baremetal machine network.

5050

The Ironic Inspector API runs on the control plane nodes and listens on port 5050. The Inspector API is responsible for hardware introspection, which collects information about the hardware characteristics of the bare-metal nodes.

5051

Port 5050 uses port 5051 as a proxy.

6180

When deploying with virtual media and not using TLS, the provisioner node and the control plane nodes must have port 6180 open on the baremetal machine network interface so that the baseboard management controller (BMC) of the worker nodes can access the RHCOS image. Starting with OpenShift Container Platform 4.13, the default HTTP port is 6180.

6183

When deploying with virtual media and using TLS, the provisioner node and the control plane nodes must have port 6183 open on the baremetal machine network interface so that the BMC of the worker nodes can access the RHCOS image.

6385

The Ironic API server runs initially on the bootstrap VM and later on the control plane nodes and listens on port 6385. The Ironic API allows clients to interact with Ironic for bare-metal node provisioning and management, including operations such as enrolling new nodes, managing their power state, deploying images, and cleaning the hardware.

6388

Port 6385 uses port 6388 as a proxy.

8080

When using image caching without TLS, port 8080 must be open on the provisioner node and accessible by the BMC interfaces of the cluster nodes.

8083

When using the image caching option with TLS, port 8083 must be open on the provisioner node and accessible by the BMC interfaces of the cluster nodes.

9999

By default, the Ironic Python Agent (IPA) listens on TCP port 9999 for API calls from the Ironic conductor service. Communication between the bare-metal node where IPA is running and the Ironic conductor service uses this port.

2.5.2. Increase the network MTU

Before deploying OpenShift Container Platform, increase the network maximum transmission unit (MTU) to 1500 or more. If the MTU is lower than 1500, the Ironic image that is used to boot the node might fail to communicate with the Ironic inspector pod, and inspection will fail. If this occurs, installation stops because the nodes are not available for installation.

2.5.3. Configuring NICs

OpenShift Container Platform deploys with two networks:

  • provisioning: The provisioning network is an optional non-routable network used for provisioning the underlying operating system on each node that is a part of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster. The network interface for the provisioning network on each cluster node must have the BIOS or UEFI configured to PXE boot.

    The provisioningNetworkInterface configuration setting specifies the provisioning network NIC name on the control plane nodes, which must be identical on the control plane nodes. The bootMACAddress configuration setting provides a means to specify a particular NIC on each node for the provisioning network.

    The provisioning network is optional, but it is required for PXE booting. If you deploy without a provisioning network, you must use a virtual media BMC addressing option such as redfish-virtualmedia or idrac-virtualmedia.

  • baremetal: The baremetal network is a routable network. You can use any NIC to interface with the baremetal network provided the NIC is not configured to use the provisioning network.
Important

When using a VLAN, each NIC must be on a separate VLAN corresponding to the appropriate network.

2.5.4. DNS requirements

Clients access the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes over the baremetal network. A network administrator must configure a subdomain or subzone where the canonical name extension is the cluster name.

<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

For example:

test-cluster.example.com

OpenShift Container Platform includes functionality that uses cluster membership information to generate A/AAAA records. This resolves the node names to their IP addresses. After the nodes are registered with the API, the cluster can disperse node information without using CoreDNS-mDNS. This eliminates the network traffic associated with multicast DNS.

CoreDNS requires both TCP and UDP connections to the upstream DNS server to function correctly. Ensure the upstream DNS server can receive both TCP and UDP connections from OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes.

In OpenShift Container Platform deployments, DNS name resolution is required for the following components:

  • The Kubernetes API
  • The OpenShift Container Platform application wildcard ingress API

A/AAAA records are used for name resolution and PTR records are used for reverse name resolution. Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) uses the reverse records or DHCP to set the hostnames for all the nodes.

Installer-provisioned installation includes functionality that uses cluster membership information to generate A/AAAA records. This resolves the node names to their IP addresses. In each record, <cluster_name> is the cluster name and <base_domain> is the base domain that you specify in the install-config.yaml file. A complete DNS record takes the form: <component>.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>..

Table 2.5. Required DNS records
ComponentRecordDescription

Kubernetes API

api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

An A/AAAA record and a PTR record identify the API load balancer. These records must be resolvable by both clients external to the cluster and from all the nodes within the cluster.

Routes

*.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>.

The wildcard A/AAAA record refers to the application ingress load balancer. The application ingress load balancer targets the nodes that run the Ingress Controller pods. The Ingress Controller pods run on the worker nodes by default. These records must be resolvable by both clients external to the cluster and from all the nodes within the cluster.

For example, console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> is used as a wildcard route to the OpenShift Container Platform console.

Tip

You can use the dig command to verify DNS resolution.

2.5.5. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) requirements

By default, installer-provisioned installation deploys ironic-dnsmasq with DHCP enabled for the provisioning network. No other DHCP servers should be running on the provisioning network when the provisioningNetwork configuration setting is set to managed, which is the default value. If you have a DHCP server running on the provisioning network, you must set the provisioningNetwork configuration setting to unmanaged in the install-config.yaml file.

Network administrators must reserve IP addresses for each node in the OpenShift Container Platform cluster for the baremetal network on an external DHCP server.

2.5.6. Reserving IP addresses for nodes with the DHCP server

For the baremetal network, a network administrator must reserve several IP addresses, including:

  1. Two unique virtual IP addresses.

    • One virtual IP address for the API endpoint.
    • One virtual IP address for the wildcard ingress endpoint.
  2. One IP address for the provisioner node.
  3. One IP address for each control plane node.
  4. One IP address for each worker node, if applicable.
Reserving IP addresses so they become static IP addresses

Some administrators prefer to use static IP addresses so that each node’s IP address remains constant in the absence of a DHCP server. To configure static IP addresses with NMState, see "(Optional) Configuring node network interfaces" in the "Setting up the environment for an OpenShift installation" section.

Networking between external load balancers and control plane nodes

External load balancing services and the control plane nodes must run on the same L2 network, and on the same VLAN when using VLANs to route traffic between the load balancing services and the control plane nodes.

Important

The storage interface requires a DHCP reservation or a static IP.

The following table provides an exemplary embodiment of fully qualified domain names. The API and name server addresses begin with canonical name extensions. The hostnames of the control plane and worker nodes are exemplary, so you can use any host naming convention you prefer.

UsageHost NameIP

API

api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Ingress LB (apps)

*.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Provisioner node

provisioner.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Control-plane-0

openshift-control-plane-0.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Control-plane-1

openshift-control-plane-1.<cluster_name>-.<base_domain>

<ip>

Control-plane-2

openshift-control-plane-2.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Worker-0

openshift-worker-0.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Worker-1

openshift-worker-1.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Worker-n

openshift-worker-n.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

<ip>

Note

If you do not create DHCP reservations, the installation program requires reverse DNS resolution to set the hostnames for the Kubernetes API node, the provisioner node, the control plane nodes, and the worker nodes.

2.5.7. Provisioner node requirements

You must specify the MAC address for the provisioner node in your installation configuration. The bootMacAddress specification is typically associated with PXE network booting. However, the Ironic provisioning service also requires the bootMacAddress specification to identify nodes during the inspection of the cluster, or during node redeployment in the cluster.

The provisioner node requires layer 2 connectivity for network booting, DHCP and DNS resolution, and local network communication. The provisioner node requires layer 3 connectivity for virtual media booting.

2.5.8. Network Time Protocol (NTP)

Each OpenShift Container Platform node in the cluster must have access to an NTP server. OpenShift Container Platform nodes use NTP to synchronize their clocks. For example, cluster nodes use SSL/TLS certificates that require validation, which might fail if the date and time between the nodes are not in sync.

Important

Define a consistent clock date and time format in each cluster node’s BIOS settings, or installation might fail.

You can reconfigure the control plane nodes to act as NTP servers on disconnected clusters, and reconfigure worker nodes to retrieve time from the control plane nodes.

2.5.9. Port access for the out-of-band management IP address

The out-of-band management IP address is on a separate network from the node. To ensure that the out-of-band management can communicate with the provisioner node during installation, the out-of-band management IP address must be granted access to port 6180 on the provisioner node and on the OpenShift Container Platform control plane nodes. TLS port 6183 is required for virtual media installation, for example, by using Redfish.

2.6. Configuring nodes

Configuring nodes when using the provisioning network

Each node in the cluster requires the following configuration for proper installation.

Warning

A mismatch between nodes will cause an installation failure.

While the cluster nodes can contain more than two NICs, the installation process only focuses on the first two NICs. In the following table, NIC1 is a non-routable network (provisioning) that is only used for the installation of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

NICNetworkVLAN

NIC1

provisioning

<provisioning_vlan>

NIC2

baremetal

<baremetal_vlan>

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.x installation process on the provisioner node might vary. To install Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 9.x using a local Satellite server or a PXE server, PXE-enable NIC2.

PXEBoot order

NIC1 PXE-enabled provisioning network

1

NIC2 baremetal network. PXE-enabled is optional.

2

Note

Ensure PXE is disabled on all other NICs.

Configure the control plane and worker nodes as follows:

PXEBoot order

NIC1 PXE-enabled (provisioning network)

1

Configuring nodes without the provisioning network

The installation process requires one NIC:

NICNetworkVLAN

NICx

baremetal

<baremetal_vlan>

NICx is a routable network (baremetal) that is used for the installation of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster, and routable to the internet.

Important

The provisioning network is optional, but it is required for PXE booting. If you deploy without a provisioning network, you must use a virtual media BMC addressing option such as redfish-virtualmedia or idrac-virtualmedia.

Configuring nodes for Secure Boot manually

Secure Boot prevents a node from booting unless it verifies the node is using only trusted software, such as UEFI firmware drivers, EFI applications, and the operating system.

Note

Red Hat only supports manually configured Secure Boot when deploying with Redfish virtual media.

To enable Secure Boot manually, refer to the hardware guide for the node and execute the following:

Procedure

  1. Boot the node and enter the BIOS menu.
  2. Set the node’s boot mode to UEFI Enabled.
  3. Enable Secure Boot.
Important

Red Hat does not support Secure Boot with self-generated keys.

2.7. Out-of-band management

Nodes typically have an additional NIC used by the baseboard management controllers (BMCs). These BMCs must be accessible from the provisioner node.

Each node must be accessible via out-of-band management. When using an out-of-band management network, the provisioner node requires access to the out-of-band management network for a successful OpenShift Container Platform installation.

The out-of-band management setup is out of scope for this document. Using a separate management network for out-of-band management can enhance performance and improve security. However, using the provisioning network or the bare metal network are valid options.

Note

The bootstrap VM features a maximum of two network interfaces. If you configure a separate management network for out-of-band management, and you are using a provisioning network, the bootstrap VM requires routing access to the management network through one of the network interfaces. In this scenario, the bootstrap VM can then access three networks:

  • the bare metal network
  • the provisioning network
  • the management network routed through one of the network interfaces

2.8. Required data for installation

Prior to the installation of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster, gather the following information from all cluster nodes:

  • Out-of-band management IP

    • Examples

      • Dell (iDRAC) IP
      • HP (iLO) IP
      • Fujitsu (iRMC) IP

When using the provisioning network

  • NIC (provisioning) MAC address
  • NIC (baremetal) MAC address

When omitting the provisioning network

  • NIC (baremetal) MAC address

2.9. Validation checklist for nodes

When using the provisioning network

  • ❏ NIC1 VLAN is configured for the provisioning network.
  • ❏ NIC1 for the provisioning network is PXE-enabled on the provisioner, control plane, and worker nodes.
  • ❏ NIC2 VLAN is configured for the baremetal network.
  • ❏ PXE has been disabled on all other NICs.
  • ❏ DNS is configured with API and Ingress endpoints.
  • ❏ Control plane and worker nodes are configured.
  • ❏ All nodes accessible via out-of-band management.
  • ❏ (Optional) A separate management network has been created.
  • ❏ Required data for installation.

When omitting the provisioning network

  • ❏ NIC1 VLAN is configured for the baremetal network.
  • ❏ DNS is configured with API and Ingress endpoints.
  • ❏ Control plane and worker nodes are configured.
  • ❏ All nodes accessible via out-of-band management.
  • ❏ (Optional) A separate management network has been created.
  • ❏ Required data for installation.

Chapter 3. Setting up the environment for an OpenShift installation

3.1. Installing RHEL on the provisioner node

With the configuration of the prerequisites complete, the next step is to install RHEL 9.x on the provisioner node. The installer uses the provisioner node as the orchestrator while installing the OpenShift Container Platform cluster. For the purposes of this document, installing RHEL on the provisioner node is out of scope. However, options include but are not limited to using a RHEL Satellite server, PXE, or installation media.

3.2. Preparing the provisioner node for OpenShift Container Platform installation

Perform the following steps to prepare the environment.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the provisioner node via ssh.
  2. Create a non-root user (kni) and provide that user with sudo privileges:

    # useradd kni
    # passwd kni
    # echo "kni ALL=(root) NOPASSWD:ALL" | tee -a /etc/sudoers.d/kni
    # chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/kni
  3. Create an ssh key for the new user:

    # su - kni -c "ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f /home/kni/.ssh/id_rsa -N ''"
  4. Log in as the new user on the provisioner node:

    # su - kni
  5. Use Red Hat Subscription Manager to register the provisioner node:

    $ sudo subscription-manager register --username=<user> --password=<pass> --auto-attach
    $ sudo subscription-manager repos --enable=rhel-9-for-<architecture>-appstream-rpms --enable=rhel-9-for-<architecture>-baseos-rpms
    Note

    For more information about Red Hat Subscription Manager, see Using and Configuring Red Hat Subscription Manager.

  6. Install the following packages:

    $ sudo dnf install -y libvirt qemu-kvm mkisofs python3-devel jq ipmitool
  7. Modify the user to add the libvirt group to the newly created user:

    $ sudo usermod --append --groups libvirt <user>
  8. Restart firewalld and enable the http service:

    $ sudo systemctl start firewalld
    $ sudo firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-service=http --permanent
    $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
  9. Start and enable the libvirtd service:

    $ sudo systemctl enable libvirtd --now
  10. Create the default storage pool and start it:

    $ sudo virsh pool-define-as --name default --type dir --target /var/lib/libvirt/images
    $ sudo virsh pool-start default
    $ sudo virsh pool-autostart default
  11. Create a pull-secret.txt file:

    $ vim pull-secret.txt

    In a web browser, navigate to Install OpenShift on Bare Metal with installer-provisioned infrastructure. Click Copy pull secret. Paste the contents into the pull-secret.txt file and save the contents in the kni user’s home directory.

3.3. Checking NTP server synchronization

The OpenShift Container Platform installation program installs the chrony Network Time Protocol (NTP) service on the cluster nodes. To complete installation, each node must have access to an NTP time server. You can verify NTP server synchronization by using the chrony service.

For disconnected clusters, you must configure the NTP servers on the control plane nodes. For more information see the Additional resources section.

Prerequisites

  • You installed the chrony package on the target node.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the node by using the ssh command.
  2. View the NTP servers available to the node by running the following command:

    $ chronyc sources

    Example output

    MS Name/IP address         Stratum Poll Reach LastRx Last sample
    ===============================================================================
    ^+ time.cloudflare.com           3  10   377   187   -209us[ -209us] +/-   32ms
    ^+ t1.time.ir2.yahoo.com         2  10   377   185  -4382us[-4382us] +/-   23ms
    ^+ time.cloudflare.com           3  10   377   198   -996us[-1220us] +/-   33ms
    ^* brenbox.westnet.ie            1  10   377   193  -9538us[-9761us] +/-   24ms

  3. Use the ping command to ensure that the node can access an NTP server, for example:

    $ ping time.cloudflare.com

    Example output

    PING time.cloudflare.com (162.159.200.123) 56(84) bytes of data.
    64 bytes from time.cloudflare.com (162.159.200.123): icmp_seq=1 ttl=54 time=32.3 ms
    64 bytes from time.cloudflare.com (162.159.200.123): icmp_seq=2 ttl=54 time=30.9 ms
    64 bytes from time.cloudflare.com (162.159.200.123): icmp_seq=3 ttl=54 time=36.7 ms
    ...

3.4. Configuring networking

Before installation, you must configure the networking on the provisioner node. Installer-provisioned clusters deploy with a bare-metal bridge and network, and an optional provisioning bridge and network.

Configure networking
Note

You can also configure networking from the web console.

Procedure

  1. Export the bare-metal network NIC name by running the following command:

    $ export PUB_CONN=<baremetal_nic_name>
  2. Configure the bare-metal network:

    Note

    The SSH connection might disconnect after executing these steps.

    1. For a network using DHCP, run the following command:

      $ sudo nohup bash -c "
          nmcli con down \"$PUB_CONN\"
          nmcli con delete \"$PUB_CONN\"
          # RHEL 8.1 appends the word \"System\" in front of the connection, delete in case it exists
          nmcli con down \"System $PUB_CONN\"
          nmcli con delete \"System $PUB_CONN\"
          nmcli connection add ifname baremetal type bridge <con_name> baremetal bridge.stp no 1
          nmcli con add type bridge-slave ifname \"$PUB_CONN\" master baremetal
          pkill dhclient;dhclient baremetal
      "
      1
      Replace <con_name> with the connection name.
    2. For a network using static IP addressing and no DHCP network, run the following command:

      $ sudo nohup bash -c "
          nmcli con down \"$PUB_CONN\"
          nmcli con delete \"$PUB_CONN\"
          # RHEL 8.1 appends the word \"System\" in front of the connection, delete in case it exists
          nmcli con down \"System $PUB_CONN\"
          nmcli con delete \"System $PUB_CONN\"
          nmcli connection add ifname baremetal type bridge con-name baremetal bridge.stp no ipv4.method manual ipv4.addr "x.x.x.x/yy" ipv4.gateway "a.a.a.a" ipv4.dns "b.b.b.b" 1
          nmcli con add type bridge-slave ifname \"$PUB_CONN\" master baremetal
          nmcli con up baremetal
      "
      1
      Replace <con_name> with the connection name. Replace x.x.x.x/yy with the IP address and CIDR for the network. Replace a.a.a.a with the network gateway. Replace b.b.b.b with the IP address of the DNS server.
  3. Optional: If you are deploying with a provisioning network, export the provisioning network NIC name by running the following command:

    $ export PROV_CONN=<prov_nic_name>
  4. Optional: If you are deploying with a provisioning network, configure the provisioning network by running the following command:

    $ sudo nohup bash -c "
        nmcli con down \"$PROV_CONN\"
        nmcli con delete \"$PROV_CONN\"
        nmcli connection add ifname provisioning type bridge con-name provisioning
        nmcli con add type bridge-slave ifname \"$PROV_CONN\" master provisioning
        nmcli connection modify provisioning ipv6.addresses fd00:1101::1/64 ipv6.method manual
        nmcli con down provisioning
        nmcli con up provisioning
    "
    Note

    The SSH connection might disconnect after executing these steps.

    The IPv6 address can be any address that is not routable through the bare-metal network.

    Ensure that UEFI is enabled and UEFI PXE settings are set to the IPv6 protocol when using IPv6 addressing.

  5. Optional: If you are deploying with a provisioning network, configure the IPv4 address on the provisioning network connection by running the following command:

    $ nmcli connection modify provisioning ipv4.addresses 172.22.0.254/24 ipv4.method manual
  6. SSH back into the provisioner node (if required) by running the following command:

    # ssh kni@provisioner.<cluster-name>.<domain>
  7. Verify that the connection bridges have been properly created by running the following command:

    $ sudo nmcli con show

    Example output

    NAME               UUID                                  TYPE      DEVICE
    baremetal          4d5133a5-8351-4bb9-bfd4-3af264801530  bridge    baremetal
    provisioning       43942805-017f-4d7d-a2c2-7cb3324482ed  bridge    provisioning
    virbr0             d9bca40f-eee1-410b-8879-a2d4bb0465e7  bridge    virbr0
    bridge-slave-eno1  76a8ed50-c7e5-4999-b4f6-6d9014dd0812  ethernet  eno1
    bridge-slave-eno2  f31c3353-54b7-48de-893a-02d2b34c4736  ethernet  eno2

3.5. Establishing communication between subnets

In a typical OpenShift Container Platform cluster setup, all nodes, including the control plane and worker nodes, reside in the same network. However, for edge computing scenarios, it can be beneficial to locate worker nodes closer to the edge. This often involves using different network segments or subnets for the remote worker nodes than the subnet used by the control plane and local worker nodes. Such a setup can reduce latency for the edge and allow for enhanced scalability. However, the network must be configured properly before installing OpenShift Container Platform to ensure that the edge subnets containing the remote worker nodes can reach the subnet containing the control plane nodes and receive traffic from the control plane too.

Important

All control plane nodes must run in the same subnet. When using more than one subnet, you can also configure the Ingress VIP to run on the control plane nodes by using a manifest. See "Configuring network components to run on the control plane" for details.

Deploying a cluster with multiple subnets requires using virtual media.

This procedure details the network configuration required to allow the remote worker nodes in the second subnet to communicate effectively with the control plane nodes in the first subnet and to allow the control plane nodes in the first subnet to communicate effectively with the remote worker nodes in the second subnet.

In this procedure, the cluster spans two subnets:

  • The first subnet (10.0.0.0) contains the control plane and local worker nodes.
  • The second subnet (192.168.0.0) contains the edge worker nodes.

Procedure

  1. Configure the first subnet to communicate with the second subnet:

    1. Log in as root to a control plane node by running the following command:

      $ sudo su -
    2. Get the name of the network interface:

      # nmcli dev status
    3. Add a route to the second subnet (192.168.0.0) via the gateway: s+
# nmcli connection modify <interface_name> +ipv4.routes "192.168.0.0/24 via <gateway>"

+ Replace <interface_name> with the interface name. Replace <gateway> with the IP address of the actual gateway.

+ .Example

+

# nmcli connection modify eth0 +ipv4.routes "192.168.0.0/24 via 192.168.0.1"
  1. Apply the changes:

    # nmcli connection up <interface_name>

    Replace <interface_name> with the interface name.

  2. Verify the routing table to ensure the route has been added successfully:

    # ip route
  3. Repeat the previous steps for each control plane node in the first subnet.

    Note

    Adjust the commands to match your actual interface names and gateway.

    1. Configure the second subnet to communicate with the first subnet:
  4. Log in as root to a remote worker node:

    $ sudo su -
  5. Get the name of the network interface:

    # nmcli dev status
  6. Add a route to the first subnet (10.0.0.0) via the gateway:

    # nmcli connection modify <interface_name> +ipv4.routes "10.0.0.0/24 via <gateway>"

    Replace <interface_name> with the interface name. Replace <gateway> with the IP address of the actual gateway.

    Example

    # nmcli connection modify eth0 +ipv4.routes "10.0.0.0/24 via 10.0.0.1"

  7. Apply the changes:

    # nmcli connection up <interface_name>

    Replace <interface_name> with the interface name.

  8. Verify the routing table to ensure the route has been added successfully:

    # ip route
  9. Repeat the previous steps for each worker node in the second subnet.

    Note

    Adjust the commands to match your actual interface names and gateway.

    1. Once you have configured the networks, test the connectivity to ensure the remote worker nodes can reach the control plane nodes and the control plane nodes can reach the remote worker nodes.
  10. From the control plane nodes in the first subnet, ping a remote worker node in the second subnet:

    $ ping <remote_worker_node_ip_address>

    If the ping is successful, it means the control plane nodes in the first subnet can reach the remote worker nodes in the second subnet. If you don’t receive a response, review the network configurations and repeat the procedure for the node.

  11. From the remote worker nodes in the second subnet, ping a control plane node in the first subnet:

    $ ping <control_plane_node_ip_address>

    If the ping is successful, it means the remote worker nodes in the second subnet can reach the control plane in the first subnet. If you don’t receive a response, review the network configurations and repeat the procedure for the node.

3.6. Retrieving the OpenShift Container Platform installer

Use the stable-4.x version of the installation program and your selected architecture to deploy the generally available stable version of OpenShift Container Platform:

$ export VERSION=stable-4.13
$ export RELEASE_ARCH=<architecture>
$ export RELEASE_IMAGE=$(curl -s https://mirror.openshift.com/pub/openshift-v4/$RELEASE_ARCH/clients/ocp/$VERSION/release.txt | grep 'Pull From: quay.io' | awk -F ' ' '{print $3}')

3.7. Extracting the OpenShift Container Platform installer

After retrieving the installer, the next step is to extract it.

Procedure

  1. Set the environment variables:

    $ export cmd=openshift-baremetal-install
    $ export pullsecret_file=~/pull-secret.txt
    $ export extract_dir=$(pwd)
  2. Get the oc binary:

    $ curl -s https://mirror.openshift.com/pub/openshift-v4/clients/ocp/$VERSION/openshift-client-linux.tar.gz | tar zxvf - oc
  3. Extract the installer:

    $ sudo cp oc /usr/local/bin
    $ oc adm release extract --registry-config "${pullsecret_file}" --command=$cmd --to "${extract_dir}" ${RELEASE_IMAGE}
    $ sudo cp openshift-baremetal-install /usr/local/bin

3.8. Optional: Creating an RHCOS images cache

To employ image caching, you must download the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image used by the bootstrap VM to provision the cluster nodes. Image caching is optional, but it is especially useful when running the installation program on a network with limited bandwidth.

Note

The installation program no longer needs the clusterOSImage RHCOS image because the correct image is in the release payload.

If you are running the installation program on a network with limited bandwidth and the RHCOS images download takes more than 15 to 20 minutes, the installation program will timeout. Caching images on a web server will help in such scenarios.

Warning

If you enable TLS for the HTTPD server, you must confirm the root certificate is signed by an authority trusted by the client and verify the trusted certificate chain between your OpenShift Container Platform hub and spoke clusters and the HTTPD server. Using a server configured with an untrusted certificate prevents the images from being downloaded to the image creation service. Using untrusted HTTPS servers is not supported.

Install a container that contains the images.

Procedure

  1. Install podman:

    $ sudo dnf install -y podman
  2. Open firewall port 8080 to be used for RHCOS image caching:

    $ sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=8080/tcp --zone=public --permanent
    $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
  3. Create a directory to store the bootstraposimage:

    $ mkdir /home/kni/rhcos_image_cache
  4. Set the appropriate SELinux context for the newly created directory:

    $ sudo semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_content_t "/home/kni/rhcos_image_cache(/.*)?"
    $ sudo restorecon -Rv /home/kni/rhcos_image_cache/
  5. Get the URI for the RHCOS image that the installation program will deploy on the bootstrap VM:

    $ export RHCOS_QEMU_URI=$(/usr/local/bin/openshift-baremetal-install coreos print-stream-json | jq -r --arg ARCH "$(arch)" '.architectures[$ARCH].artifacts.qemu.formats["qcow2.gz"].disk.location')
  6. Get the name of the image that the installation program will deploy on the bootstrap VM:

    $ export RHCOS_QEMU_NAME=${RHCOS_QEMU_URI##*/}
  7. Get the SHA hash for the RHCOS image that will be deployed on the bootstrap VM:

    $ export RHCOS_QEMU_UNCOMPRESSED_SHA256=$(/usr/local/bin/openshift-baremetal-install coreos print-stream-json | jq -r --arg ARCH "$(arch)" '.architectures[$ARCH].artifacts.qemu.formats["qcow2.gz"].disk["uncompressed-sha256"]')
  8. Download the image and place it in the /home/kni/rhcos_image_cache directory:

    $ curl -L ${RHCOS_QEMU_URI} -o /home/kni/rhcos_image_cache/${RHCOS_QEMU_NAME}
  9. Confirm SELinux type is of httpd_sys_content_t for the new file:

    $ ls -Z /home/kni/rhcos_image_cache
  10. Create the pod:

    $ podman run -d --name rhcos_image_cache \1
    -v /home/kni/rhcos_image_cache:/var/www/html \
    -p 8080:8080/tcp \
    registry.access.redhat.com/ubi9/httpd-24
    1
    Creates a caching webserver with the name rhcos_image_cache. This pod serves the bootstrapOSImage image in the install-config.yaml file for deployment.
  11. Generate the bootstrapOSImage configuration:

    $ export BAREMETAL_IP=$(ip addr show dev baremetal | awk '/inet /{print $2}' | cut -d"/" -f1)
    $ export BOOTSTRAP_OS_IMAGE="http://${BAREMETAL_IP}:8080/${RHCOS_QEMU_NAME}?sha256=${RHCOS_QEMU_UNCOMPRESSED_SHA256}"
    $ echo "    bootstrapOSImage=${BOOTSTRAP_OS_IMAGE}"
  12. Add the required configuration to the install-config.yaml file under platform.baremetal:

    platform:
      baremetal:
        bootstrapOSImage: <bootstrap_os_image>  1
    1
    Replace <bootstrap_os_image> with the value of $BOOTSTRAP_OS_IMAGE.

    See the "Configuring the install-config.yaml file" section for additional details.

3.9. Setting the cluster node hostnames through DHCP

On Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) machines, NetworkManager sets the hostnames. By default, DHCP provides the hostnames to NetworkManager, which is the recommended method. NetworkManager gets the hostnames through a reverse DNS lookup in the following cases:

  • If DHCP does not provide the hostnames
  • If you use kernel arguments to set the hostnames
  • If you use another method to set the hostnames

Reverse DNS lookup occurs after the network has been initialized on a node, and can increase the time it takes NetworkManager to set the hostname. Other system services can start prior to NetworkManager setting the hostname, which can cause those services to use a default hostname such as localhost.

Tip

You can avoid the delay in setting hostnames by using DHCP to provide the hostname for each cluster node. Additionally, setting the hostnames through DHCP can bypass manual DNS record name configuration errors in environments that have a DNS split-horizon implementation.

3.10. Configuring the install-config.yaml file

3.10.1. Configuring the install-config.yaml file

The install-config.yaml file requires some additional details. Most of the information teaches the installation program and the resulting cluster enough about the available hardware that it is able to fully manage it.

Note

The installation program no longer needs the clusterOSImage RHCOS image because the correct image is in the release payload.

  1. Configure install-config.yaml. Change the appropriate variables to match the environment, including pullSecret and sshKey:

    apiVersion: v1
    baseDomain: <domain>
    metadata:
      name: <cluster_name>
    networking:
      machineNetwork:
      - cidr: <public_cidr>
      networkType: OVNKubernetes
    compute:
    - name: worker
      replicas: 2 1
    controlPlane:
      name: master
      replicas: 3
      platform:
        baremetal: {}
    platform:
      baremetal:
        apiVIPs:
          - <api_ip>
        ingressVIPs:
          - <wildcard_ip>
        provisioningNetworkCIDR: <CIDR>
        bootstrapExternalStaticIP: <bootstrap_static_ip_address> 2
        bootstrapExternalStaticGateway: <bootstrap_static_gateway> 3
        hosts:
          - name: openshift-master-0
            role: master
            bmc:
              address: ipmi://<out_of_band_ip> 4
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            rootDeviceHints:
             deviceName: "<installation_disk_drive_path>" 5
          - name: <openshift_master_1>
            role: master
            bmc:
              address: ipmi://<out_of_band_ip>
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            rootDeviceHints:
             deviceName: "<installation_disk_drive_path>"
          - name: <openshift_master_2>
            role: master
            bmc:
              address: ipmi://<out_of_band_ip>
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            rootDeviceHints:
             deviceName: "<installation_disk_drive_path>"
          - name: <openshift_worker_0>
            role: worker
            bmc:
              address: ipmi://<out_of_band_ip>
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
          - name: <openshift_worker_1>
            role: worker
            bmc:
              address: ipmi://<out_of_band_ip>
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            rootDeviceHints:
             deviceName: "<installation_disk_drive_path>"
    pullSecret: '<pull_secret>'
    sshKey: '<ssh_pub_key>'
    1
    Scale the worker machines based on the number of worker nodes that are part of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster. Valid options for the replicas value are 0 and integers greater than or equal to 2. Set the number of replicas to 0 to deploy a three-node cluster, which contains only three control plane machines. A three-node cluster is a smaller, more resource-efficient cluster that can be used for testing, development, and production. You cannot install the cluster with only one worker.
    2
    When deploying a cluster with static IP addresses, you must set the bootstrapExternalStaticIP configuration setting to specify the static IP address of the bootstrap VM when there is no DHCP server on the bare-metal network.
    3
    When deploying a cluster with static IP addresses, you must set the bootstrapExternalStaticGateway configuration setting to specify the gateway IP address for the bootstrap VM when there is no DHCP server on the bare-metal network.
    4
    See the BMC addressing sections for more options.
    5
    To set the path to the installation disk drive, enter the kernel name of the disk. For example, /dev/sda.
    Important

    Because the disk discovery order is not guaranteed, the kernel name of the disk can change across booting options for machines with multiple disks. For example, /dev/sda becomes /dev/sdb and vice versa. To avoid this issue, you must use persistent disk attributes, such as the disk World Wide Name (WWN) or /dev/disk/by-path/. It is recommended to use the /dev/disk/by-path/<device_path> link to the storage location. To use the disk WWN, replace the deviceName parameter with the wwnWithExtension parameter. Depending on the parameter that you use, enter either of the following values:

    • The disk name. For example, /dev/sda, or /dev/disk/by-path/.
    • The disk WWN. For example, "0x64cd98f04fde100024684cf3034da5c2". Ensure that you enter the disk WWN value within quotes so that it is used as a string value and not a hexadecimal value.

    Failure to meet these requirements for the rootDeviceHints parameter might result in the following error:

    ironic-inspector inspection failed: No disks satisfied root device hints
    Note

    Before OpenShift Container Platform 4.12, the cluster installation program only accepted an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address for the apiVIP and ingressVIP configuration settings. In OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 and later, these configuration settings are deprecated. Instead, use a list format in the apiVIPs and ingressVIPs configuration settings to specify IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses, or both IP address formats.

  2. Create a directory to store the cluster configuration:

    $ mkdir ~/clusterconfigs
  3. Copy the install-config.yaml file to the new directory:

    $ cp install-config.yaml ~/clusterconfigs
  4. Ensure all bare metal nodes are powered off prior to installing the OpenShift Container Platform cluster:

    $ ipmitool -I lanplus -U <user> -P <password> -H <management-server-ip> power off
  5. Remove old bootstrap resources if any are left over from a previous deployment attempt:

    for i in $(sudo virsh list | tail -n +3 | grep bootstrap | awk {'print $2'});
    do
      sudo virsh destroy $i;
      sudo virsh undefine $i;
      sudo virsh vol-delete $i --pool $i;
      sudo virsh vol-delete $i.ign --pool $i;
      sudo virsh pool-destroy $i;
      sudo virsh pool-undefine $i;
    done

3.10.2. Additional install-config parameters

See the following tables for the required parameters, the hosts parameter, and the bmc parameter for the install-config.yaml file.

Table 3.1. Required parameters
ParametersDefaultDescription

baseDomain

 

The domain name for the cluster. For example, example.com.

bootMode

UEFI

The boot mode for a node. Options are legacy, UEFI, and UEFISecureBoot. If bootMode is not set, Ironic sets it while inspecting the node.

bootstrapExternalStaticIP

 

The static IP address for the bootstrap VM. You must set this value when deploying a cluster with static IP addresses when there is no DHCP server on the bare-metal network.

bootstrapExternalStaticGateway

 

The static IP address of the gateway for the bootstrap VM. You must set this value when deploying a cluster with static IP addresses when there is no DHCP server on the bare-metal network.

sshKey

 

The sshKey configuration setting contains the key in the ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub file required to access the control plane nodes and worker nodes. Typically, this key is from the provisioner node.

pullSecret

 

The pullSecret configuration setting contains a copy of the pull secret downloaded from the Install OpenShift on Bare Metal page when preparing the provisioner node.

metadata:
    name:
 

The name to be given to the OpenShift Container Platform cluster. For example, openshift.

networking:
    machineNetwork:
    - cidr:
 

The public CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) of the external network. For example, 10.0.0.0/24.

compute:
  - name: worker
 

The OpenShift Container Platform cluster requires a name be provided for worker (or compute) nodes even if there are zero nodes.

compute:
    replicas: 2
 

Replicas sets the number of worker (or compute) nodes in the OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

controlPlane:
    name: master
 

The OpenShift Container Platform cluster requires a name for control plane (master) nodes.

controlPlane:
    replicas: 3
 

Replicas sets the number of control plane (master) nodes included as part of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

provisioningNetworkInterface

 

The name of the network interface on nodes connected to the provisioning network. For OpenShift Container Platform 4.9 and later releases, use the bootMACAddress configuration setting to enable Ironic to identify the IP address of the NIC instead of using the provisioningNetworkInterface configuration setting to identify the name of the NIC.

defaultMachinePlatform

 

The default configuration used for machine pools without a platform configuration.

apiVIPs

 

(Optional) The virtual IP address for Kubernetes API communication.

This setting must either be provided in the install-config.yaml file as a reserved IP from the MachineNetwork or preconfigured in the DNS so that the default name resolves correctly. Use the virtual IP address and not the FQDN when adding a value to the apiVIPs configuration setting in the install-config.yaml file. The primary IP address must be from the IPv4 network when using dual stack networking. If not set, the installation program uses api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> to derive the IP address from the DNS.

Note

Before OpenShift Container Platform 4.12, the cluster installation program only accepted an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address for the apiVIP configuration setting. From OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 or later, the apiVIP configuration setting is deprecated. Instead, use a list format for the apiVIPs configuration setting to specify an IPv4 address, an IPv6 address or both IP address formats.

disableCertificateVerification

False

redfish and redfish-virtualmedia need this parameter to manage BMC addresses. The value should be True when using a self-signed certificate for BMC addresses.

ingressVIPs

 

(Optional) The virtual IP address for ingress traffic.

This setting must either be provided in the install-config.yaml file as a reserved IP from the MachineNetwork or preconfigured in the DNS so that the default name resolves correctly. Use the virtual IP address and not the FQDN when adding a value to the ingressVIPs configuration setting in the install-config.yaml file. The primary IP address must be from the IPv4 network when using dual stack networking. If not set, the installation program uses test.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> to derive the IP address from the DNS.

Note

Before OpenShift Container Platform 4.12, the cluster installation program only accepted an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address for the ingressVIP configuration setting. In OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 and later, the ingressVIP configuration setting is deprecated. Instead, use a list format for the ingressVIPs configuration setting to specify an IPv4 addresses, an IPv6 addresses or both IP address formats.

Table 3.2. Optional Parameters
ParametersDefaultDescription

provisioningDHCPRange

172.22.0.10,172.22.0.100

Defines the IP range for nodes on the provisioning network.

provisioningNetworkCIDR

172.22.0.0/24

The CIDR for the network to use for provisioning. This option is required when not using the default address range on the provisioning network.

clusterProvisioningIP

The third IP address of the provisioningNetworkCIDR.

The IP address within the cluster where the provisioning services run. Defaults to the third IP address of the provisioning subnet. For example, 172.22.0.3.

bootstrapProvisioningIP

The second IP address of the provisioningNetworkCIDR.

The IP address on the bootstrap VM where the provisioning services run while the installer is deploying the control plane (master) nodes. Defaults to the second IP address of the provisioning subnet. For example, 172.22.0.2 or 2620:52:0:1307::2.

externalBridge

baremetal

The name of the bare-metal bridge of the hypervisor attached to the bare-metal network.

provisioningBridge

provisioning

The name of the provisioning bridge on the provisioner host attached to the provisioning network.

architecture

 

Defines the host architecture for your cluster. Valid values are amd64 or arm64.

defaultMachinePlatform

 

The default configuration used for machine pools without a platform configuration.

bootstrapOSImage

 

A URL to override the default operating system image for the bootstrap node. The URL must contain a SHA-256 hash of the image. For example: https://mirror.openshift.com/rhcos-<version>-qemu.qcow2.gz?sha256=<uncompressed_sha256>.

provisioningNetwork

 

The provisioningNetwork configuration setting determines whether the cluster uses the provisioning network. If it does, the configuration setting also determines if the cluster manages the network.

Disabled: Set this parameter to Disabled to disable the requirement for a provisioning network. When set to Disabled, you must only use virtual media based provisioning, or bring up the cluster using the assisted installer. If Disabled and using power management, BMCs must be accessible from the bare-metal network. If Disabled, you must provide two IP addresses on the bare-metal network that are used for the provisioning services.

Managed: Set this parameter to Managed, which is the default, to fully manage the provisioning network, including DHCP, TFTP, and so on.

Unmanaged: Set this parameter to Unmanaged to enable the provisioning network but take care of manual configuration of DHCP. Virtual media provisioning is recommended but PXE is still available if required.

httpProxy

 

Set this parameter to the appropriate HTTP proxy used within your environment.

httpsProxy

 

Set this parameter to the appropriate HTTPS proxy used within your environment.

noProxy

 

Set this parameter to the appropriate list of exclusions for proxy usage within your environment.

Hosts

The hosts parameter is a list of separate bare metal assets used to build the cluster.

Table 3.3. Hosts
NameDefaultDescription

name

 

The name of the BareMetalHost resource to associate with the details. For example, openshift-master-0.

role

 

The role of the bare metal node. Either master or worker.

bmc

 

Connection details for the baseboard management controller. See the BMC addressing section for additional details.

bootMACAddress

 

The MAC address of the NIC that the host uses for the provisioning network. Ironic retrieves the IP address using the bootMACAddress configuration setting. Then, it binds to the host.

Note

You must provide a valid MAC address from the host if you disabled the provisioning network.

networkConfig

 

Set this optional parameter to configure the network interface of a host. See "(Optional) Configuring host network interfaces" for additional details.

3.10.3. BMC addressing

Most vendors support Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) addressing with the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). IPMI does not encrypt communications. It is suitable for use within a data center over a secured or dedicated management network. Check with your vendor to see if they support Redfish network boot. Redfish delivers simple and secure management for converged, hybrid IT and the Software Defined Data Center (SDDC). Redfish is human readable and machine capable, and leverages common internet and web services standards to expose information directly to the modern tool chain. If your hardware does not support Redfish network boot, use IPMI.

IPMI

Hosts using IPMI use the ipmi://<out-of-band-ip>:<port> address format, which defaults to port 623 if not specified. The following example demonstrates an IPMI configuration within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: ipmi://<out-of-band-ip>
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
Important

The provisioning network is required when PXE booting using IPMI for BMC addressing. It is not possible to PXE boot hosts without a provisioning network. If you deploy without a provisioning network, you must use a virtual media BMC addressing option such as redfish-virtualmedia or idrac-virtualmedia. See "Redfish virtual media for HPE iLO" in the "BMC addressing for HPE iLO" section or "Redfish virtual media for Dell iDRAC" in the "BMC addressing for Dell iDRAC" section for additional details.

Redfish network boot

To enable Redfish, use redfish:// or redfish+http:// to disable TLS. The installer requires both the hostname or the IP address and the path to the system ID. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>

While it is recommended to have a certificate of authority for the out-of-band management addresses, you must include disableCertificateVerification: True in the bmc configuration if using self-signed certificates. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration using the disableCertificateVerification: True configuration parameter within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
          disableCertificateVerification: True
Redfish APIs

Several redfish API endpoints are called onto your BCM when using the bare-metal installer-provisioned infrastructure.

Important

You need to ensure that your BMC supports all of the redfish APIs before installation.

List of redfish APIs
  • Power on

    curl -u $USER:$PASS -X POST -H'Content-Type: application/json' -H'Accept: application/json' -d '{"ResetType": "On"}' https://$SERVER/redfish/v1/Systems/$SystemID/Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset
  • Power off

    curl -u $USER:$PASS -X POST -H'Content-Type: application/json' -H'Accept: application/json' -d '{"ResetType": "ForceOff"}' https://$SERVER/redfish/v1/Systems/$SystemID/Actions/ComputerSystem.Reset
  • Temporary boot using pxe

    curl -u $USER:$PASS -X PATCH -H "Content-Type: application/json"  https://$Server/redfish/v1/Systems/$SystemID/ -d '{"Boot": {"BootSourceOverrideTarget": "pxe", "BootSourceOverrideEnabled": "Once"}}
  • Set BIOS boot mode using Legacy or UEFI

    curl -u $USER:$PASS -X PATCH -H "Content-Type: application/json"  https://$Server/redfish/v1/Systems/$SystemID/ -d '{"Boot": {"BootSourceOverrideMode":"UEFI"}}
List of redfish-virtualmedia APIs
  • Set temporary boot device using cd or dvd

    curl -u $USER:$PASS -X PATCH -H "Content-Type: application/json" https://$Server/redfish/v1/Systems/$SystemID/ -d '{"Boot": {"BootSourceOverrideTarget": "cd", "BootSourceOverrideEnabled": "Once"}}'
  • Mount virtual media

    curl -u $USER:$PASS -X PATCH -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "If-Match: *" https://$Server/redfish/v1/Managers/$ManagerID/VirtualMedia/$VmediaId -d '{"Image": "https://example.com/test.iso", "TransferProtocolType": "HTTPS", "UserName": "", "Password":""}'
Note

The PowerOn and PowerOff commands for redfish APIs are the same for the redfish-virtualmedia APIs.

Important

HTTPS and HTTP are the only supported parameter types for TransferProtocolTypes.

3.10.4. BMC addressing for Dell iDRAC

The address field for each bmc entry is a URL for connecting to the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes, including the type of controller in the URL scheme and its location on the network.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: <hostname>
        role: <master | worker>
        bmc:
          address: <address> 1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
1
The address configuration setting specifies the protocol.

For Dell hardware, Red Hat supports integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC) virtual media, Redfish network boot, and IPMI.

BMC address formats for Dell iDRAC
ProtocolAddress Format

iDRAC virtual media

idrac-virtualmedia://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1

Redfish network boot

redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1

IPMI

ipmi://<out-of-band-ip>

Important

Use idrac-virtualmedia as the protocol for Redfish virtual media. redfish-virtualmedia will not work on Dell hardware. Dell’s idrac-virtualmedia uses the Redfish standard with Dell’s OEM extensions.

See the following sections for additional details.

Redfish virtual media for Dell iDRAC

For Redfish virtual media on Dell servers, use idrac-virtualmedia:// in the address setting. Using redfish-virtualmedia:// will not work.

Note

Use idrac-virtualmedia:// as the protocol for Redfish virtual media. Using redfish-virtualmedia:// will not work on Dell hardware, because the idrac-virtualmedia:// protocol corresponds to the idrac hardware type and the Redfish protocol in Ironic. Dell’s idrac-virtualmedia:// protocol uses the Redfish standard with Dell’s OEM extensions. Ironic also supports the idrac type with the WSMAN protocol. Therefore, you must specify idrac-virtualmedia:// to avoid unexpected behavior when electing to use Redfish with virtual media on Dell hardware.

The following example demonstrates using iDRAC virtual media within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: idrac-virtualmedia://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>

While it is recommended to have a certificate of authority for the out-of-band management addresses, you must include disableCertificateVerification: True in the bmc configuration if using self-signed certificates.

Note

Ensure the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes have AutoAttach enabled through the iDRAC console. The menu path is: ConfigurationVirtual MediaAttach ModeAutoAttach.

The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration using the disableCertificateVerification: True configuration parameter within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: idrac-virtualmedia://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
          disableCertificateVerification: True
Redfish network boot for iDRAC

To enable Redfish, use redfish:// or redfish+http:// to disable transport layer security (TLS). The installer requires both the hostname or the IP address and the path to the system ID. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>

While it is recommended to have a certificate of authority for the out-of-band management addresses, you must include disableCertificateVerification: True in the bmc configuration if using self-signed certificates. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration using the disableCertificateVerification: True configuration parameter within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/System.Embedded.1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
          disableCertificateVerification: True
Note

There is a known issue on Dell iDRAC 9 with firmware version 04.40.00.00 and all releases up to including the 5.xx series for installer-provisioned installations on bare metal deployments. The virtual console plugin defaults to eHTML5, an enhanced version of HTML5, which causes problems with the InsertVirtualMedia workflow. Set the plugin to use HTML5 to avoid this issue. The menu path is ConfigurationVirtual consolePlug-in TypeHTML5 .

Ensure the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes have AutoAttach enabled through the iDRAC console. The menu path is: ConfigurationVirtual MediaAttach ModeAutoAttach .

3.10.5. BMC addressing for HPE iLO

The address field for each bmc entry is a URL for connecting to the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes, including the type of controller in the URL scheme and its location on the network.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: <hostname>
        role: <master | worker>
        bmc:
          address: <address> 1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
1
The address configuration setting specifies the protocol.

For HPE integrated Lights Out (iLO), Red Hat supports Redfish virtual media, Redfish network boot, and IPMI.

Table 3.4. BMC address formats for HPE iLO
ProtocolAddress Format

Redfish virtual media

redfish-virtualmedia://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1

Redfish network boot

redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1

IPMI

ipmi://<out-of-band-ip>

See the following sections for additional details.

Redfish virtual media for HPE iLO

To enable Redfish virtual media for HPE servers, use redfish-virtualmedia:// in the address setting. The following example demonstrates using Redfish virtual media within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish-virtualmedia://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>

While it is recommended to have a certificate of authority for the out-of-band management addresses, you must include disableCertificateVerification: True in the bmc configuration if using self-signed certificates. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration using the disableCertificateVerification: True configuration parameter within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish-virtualmedia://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
          disableCertificateVerification: True
Note

Redfish virtual media is not supported on 9th generation systems running iLO4, because Ironic does not support iLO4 with virtual media.

Redfish network boot for HPE iLO

To enable Redfish, use redfish:// or redfish+http:// to disable TLS. The installer requires both the hostname or the IP address and the path to the system ID. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>

While it is recommended to have a certificate of authority for the out-of-band management addresses, you must include disableCertificateVerification: True in the bmc configuration if using self-signed certificates. The following example demonstrates a Redfish configuration using the disableCertificateVerification: True configuration parameter within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: redfish://<out-of-band-ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
          disableCertificateVerification: True

3.10.6. BMC addressing for Fujitsu iRMC

The address field for each bmc entry is a URL for connecting to the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes, including the type of controller in the URL scheme and its location on the network.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: <hostname>
        role: <master | worker>
        bmc:
          address: <address> 1
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
1
The address configuration setting specifies the protocol.

For Fujitsu hardware, Red Hat supports integrated Remote Management Controller (iRMC) and IPMI.

Table 3.5. BMC address formats for Fujitsu iRMC
ProtocolAddress Format

iRMC

irmc://<out-of-band-ip>

IPMI

ipmi://<out-of-band-ip>

iRMC

Fujitsu nodes can use irmc://<out-of-band-ip> and defaults to port 443. The following example demonstrates an iRMC configuration within the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    hosts:
      - name: openshift-master-0
        role: master
        bmc:
          address: irmc://<out-of-band-ip>
          username: <user>
          password: <password>
Note

Currently Fujitsu supports iRMC S5 firmware version 3.05P and above for installer-provisioned installation on bare metal.

3.10.7. Root device hints

The rootDeviceHints parameter enables the installer to provision the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image to a particular device. The installer examines the devices in the order it discovers them, and compares the discovered values with the hint values. The installer uses the first discovered device that matches the hint value. The configuration can combine multiple hints, but a device must match all hints for the installer to select it.

Table 3.6. Subfields
SubfieldDescription

deviceName

A string containing a Linux device name such as /dev/vda or /dev/disk/by-path/. It is recommended to use the /dev/disk/by-path/<device_path> link to the storage location. The hint must match the actual value exactly.

hctl

A string containing a SCSI bus address like 0:0:0:0. The hint must match the actual value exactly.

model

A string containing a vendor-specific device identifier. The hint can be a substring of the actual value.

vendor

A string containing the name of the vendor or manufacturer of the device. The hint can be a sub-string of the actual value.

serialNumber

A string containing the device serial number. The hint must match the actual value exactly.

minSizeGigabytes

An integer representing the minimum size of the device in gigabytes.

wwn

A string containing the unique storage identifier. The hint must match the actual value exactly.

wwnWithExtension

A string containing the unique storage identifier with the vendor extension appended. The hint must match the actual value exactly.

wwnVendorExtension

A string containing the unique vendor storage identifier. The hint must match the actual value exactly.

rotational

A boolean indicating whether the device should be a rotating disk (true) or not (false).

Example usage

     - name: master-0
       role: master
       bmc:
         address: ipmi://10.10.0.3:6203
         username: admin
         password: redhat
       bootMACAddress: de:ad:be:ef:00:40
       rootDeviceHints:
         deviceName: "/dev/sda"

3.10.8. Optional: Setting proxy settings

To deploy an OpenShift Container Platform cluster using a proxy, make the following changes to the install-config.yaml file.

apiVersion: v1
baseDomain: <domain>
proxy:
  httpProxy: http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@proxy.example.com:PORT
  httpsProxy: https://USERNAME:PASSWORD@proxy.example.com:PORT
  noProxy: <WILDCARD_OF_DOMAIN>,<PROVISIONING_NETWORK/CIDR>,<BMC_ADDRESS_RANGE/CIDR>

The following is an example of noProxy with values.

noProxy: .example.com,172.22.0.0/24,10.10.0.0/24

With a proxy enabled, set the appropriate values of the proxy in the corresponding key/value pair.

Key considerations:

  • If the proxy does not have an HTTPS proxy, change the value of httpsProxy from https:// to http://.
  • If using a provisioning network, include it in the noProxy setting, otherwise the installer will fail.
  • Set all of the proxy settings as environment variables within the provisioner node. For example, HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY, and NO_PROXY.
Note

When provisioning with IPv6, you cannot define a CIDR address block in the noProxy settings. You must define each address separately.

3.10.9. Optional: Deploying with no provisioning network

To deploy an OpenShift Container Platform cluster without a provisioning network, make the following changes to the install-config.yaml file.

platform:
  baremetal:
    apiVIPs:
      - <api_VIP>
    ingressVIPs:
      - <ingress_VIP>
    provisioningNetwork: "Disabled" 1
1
Add the provisioningNetwork configuration setting, if needed, and set it to Disabled.
Important

The provisioning network is required for PXE booting. If you deploy without a provisioning network, you must use a virtual media BMC addressing option such as redfish-virtualmedia or idrac-virtualmedia. See "Redfish virtual media for HPE iLO" in the "BMC addressing for HPE iLO" section or "Redfish virtual media for Dell iDRAC" in the "BMC addressing for Dell iDRAC" section for additional details.

3.10.10. Optional: Deploying with dual-stack networking

For dual-stack networking in OpenShift Container Platform clusters, you can configure IPv4 and IPv6 address endpoints for cluster nodes. To configure IPv4 and IPv6 address endpoints for cluster nodes, edit the machineNetwork, clusterNetwork, and serviceNetwork configuration settings in the install-config.yaml file. Each setting must have two CIDR entries each. For a cluster with the IPv4 family as the primary address family, specify the IPv4 setting first. For a cluster with the IPv6 family as the primary address family, specify the IPv6 setting first.

machineNetwork:
- cidr: {{ extcidrnet }}
- cidr: {{ extcidrnet6 }}
clusterNetwork:
- cidr: 10.128.0.0/14
  hostPrefix: 23
- cidr: fd02::/48
  hostPrefix: 64
serviceNetwork:
- 172.30.0.0/16
- fd03::/112
Important

On a bare-metal platform, if you specified an NMState configuration in the networkConfig section of your install-config.yaml file, add interfaces.wait-ip: ipv4+ipv6 to the NMState YAML file to resolve an issue that prevents your cluster from deploying on a dual-stack network.

Example NMState YAML configuration file that includes the wait-ip parameter

networkConfig:
  nmstate:
    interfaces:
    - name: <interface_name>
# ...
      wait-ip: ipv4+ipv6
# ...

To provide an interface to the cluster for applications that use IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, configure IPv4 and IPv6 virtual IP (VIP) address endpoints for the Ingress VIP and API VIP services. To configure IPv4 and IPv6 address endpoints, edit the apiVIPs and ingressVIPs configuration settings in the install-config.yaml file . The apiVIPs and ingressVIPs configuration settings use a list format. The order of the list indicates the primary and secondary VIP address for each service.

platform:
  baremetal:
    apiVIPs:
      - <api_ipv4>
      - <api_ipv6>
    ingressVIPs:
      - <wildcard_ipv4>
      - <wildcard_ipv6>

3.10.11. Optional: Configuring host network interfaces

Before installation, you can set the networkConfig configuration setting in the install-config.yaml file to configure host network interfaces using NMState.

The most common use case for this functionality is to specify a static IP address on the bare-metal network, but you can also configure other networks such as a storage network. This functionality supports other NMState features such as VLAN, VXLAN, bridges, bonds, routes, MTU, and DNS resolver settings.

Prerequisites

  • Configure a PTR DNS record with a valid hostname for each node with a static IP address.
  • Install the NMState CLI (nmstate).

Procedure

  1. Optional: Consider testing the NMState syntax with nmstatectl gc before including it in the install-config.yaml file, because the installer will not check the NMState YAML syntax.

    Note

    Errors in the YAML syntax might result in a failure to apply the network configuration. Additionally, maintaining the validated YAML syntax is useful when applying changes using Kubernetes NMState after deployment or when expanding the cluster.

    1. Create an NMState YAML file:

      interfaces:
      - name: <nic1_name> 1
        type: ethernet
        state: up
        ipv4:
          address:
          - ip: <ip_address> 2
            prefix-length: 24
          enabled: true
      dns-resolver:
        config:
          server:
          - <dns_ip_address> 3
      routes:
        config:
        - destination: 0.0.0.0/0
          next-hop-address: <next_hop_ip_address> 4
          next-hop-interface: <next_hop_nic1_name> 5
      1 2 3 4 5
      Replace <nic1_name>, <ip_address>, <dns_ip_address>, <next_hop_ip_address> and <next_hop_nic1_name> with appropriate values.
    2. Test the configuration file by running the following command:

      $ nmstatectl gc <nmstate_yaml_file>

      Replace <nmstate_yaml_file> with the configuration file name.

  2. Use the networkConfig configuration setting by adding the NMState configuration to hosts within the install-config.yaml file:

        hosts:
          - name: openshift-master-0
            role: master
            bmc:
              address: redfish+http://<out_of_band_ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
              disableCertificateVerification: null
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            bootMode: UEFI
            rootDeviceHints:
              deviceName: "/dev/sda"
            networkConfig: 1
              interfaces:
              - name: <nic1_name> 2
                type: ethernet
                state: up
                ipv4:
                  address:
                  - ip: <ip_address> 3
                    prefix-length: 24
                  enabled: true
              dns-resolver:
                config:
                  server:
                  - <dns_ip_address> 4
              routes:
                config:
                - destination: 0.0.0.0/0
                  next-hop-address: <next_hop_ip_address> 5
                  next-hop-interface: <next_hop_nic1_name> 6
    1
    Add the NMState YAML syntax to configure the host interfaces.
    2 3 4 5 6
    Replace <nic1_name>, <ip_address>, <dns_ip_address>, <next_hop_ip_address> and <next_hop_nic1_name> with appropriate values.
    Important

    After deploying the cluster, you cannot modify the networkConfig configuration setting of install-config.yaml file to make changes to the host network interface. Use the Kubernetes NMState Operator to make changes to the host network interface after deployment.

3.10.12. Configuring host network interfaces for subnets

For edge computing scenarios, it can be beneficial to locate compute nodes closer to the edge. To locate remote nodes in subnets, you might use different network segments or subnets for the remote nodes than you used for the control plane subnet and local compute nodes. You can reduce latency for the edge and allow for enhanced scalability by setting up subnets for edge computing scenarios.

Important

When using the default load balancer, OpenShiftManagedDefault and adding remote nodes to your OpenShift Container Platform cluster, all control plane nodes must run in the same subnet. When using more than one subnet, you can also configure the Ingress VIP to run on the control plane nodes by using a manifest. See "Configuring network components to run on the control plane" for details.

If you have established different network segments or subnets for remote nodes as described in the section on "Establishing communication between subnets", you must specify the subnets in the machineNetwork configuration setting if the workers are using static IP addresses, bonds or other advanced networking. When setting the node IP address in the networkConfig parameter for each remote node, you must also specify the gateway and the DNS server for the subnet containing the control plane nodes when using static IP addresses. This ensures that the remote nodes can reach the subnet containing the control plane and that they can receive network traffic from the control plane.

Note

Deploying a cluster with multiple subnets requires using virtual media, such as redfish-virtualmedia or idrac-virtualmedia, because remote nodes cannot access the local provisioning network.

Procedure

  1. Add the subnets to the machineNetwork in the install-config.yaml file when using static IP addresses:

    networking:
      machineNetwork:
      - cidr: 10.0.0.0/24
      - cidr: 192.168.0.0/24
      networkType: OVNKubernetes
  2. Add the gateway and DNS configuration to the networkConfig parameter of each edge compute node using NMState syntax when using a static IP address or advanced networking such as bonds:

    networkConfig:
      interfaces:
      - name: <interface_name> 1
        type: ethernet
        state: up
        ipv4:
          enabled: true
          dhcp: false
          address:
          - ip: <node_ip> 2
            prefix-length: 24
          gateway: <gateway_ip> 3
      dns-resolver:
        config:
          server:
          - <dns_ip> 4
    1
    Replace <interface_name> with the interface name.
    2
    Replace <node_ip> with the IP address of the node.
    3
    Replace <gateway_ip> with the IP address of the gateway.
    4
    Replace <dns_ip> with the IP address of the DNS server.

3.10.13. Optional: Configuring address generation modes for SLAAC in dual-stack networks

For dual-stack clusters that use Stateless Address AutoConfiguration (SLAAC), you must specify a global value for the ipv6.addr-gen-mode network setting. You can set this value using NMState to configure the ramdisk and the cluster configuration files. If you don’t configure a consistent ipv6.addr-gen-mode in these locations, IPv6 address mismatches can occur between CSR resources and BareMetalHost resources in the cluster.

Prerequisites

  • Install the NMState CLI (nmstate).

Procedure

  1. Optional: Consider testing the NMState YAML syntax with the nmstatectl gc command before including it in the install-config.yaml file because the installation program will not check the NMState YAML syntax.

    1. Create an NMState YAML file:

      interfaces:
      - name: eth0
        ipv6:
          addr-gen-mode: <address_mode> 1
      1
      Replace <address_mode> with the type of address generation mode required for IPv6 addresses in the cluster. Valid values are eui64, stable-privacy, or random.
    2. Test the configuration file by running the following command:

      $ nmstatectl gc <nmstate_yaml_file> 1
      1
      Replace <nmstate_yaml_file> with the name of the test configuration file.
  2. Add the NMState configuration to the hosts.networkConfig section within the install-config.yaml file:

        hosts:
          - name: openshift-master-0
            role: master
            bmc:
              address: redfish+http://<out_of_band_ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
              disableCertificateVerification: null
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            bootMode: UEFI
            rootDeviceHints:
              deviceName: "/dev/sda"
            networkConfig:
              interfaces:
              - name: eth0
                ipv6:
                  addr-gen-mode: <address_mode> 1
    ...
    1
    Replace <address_mode> with the type of address generation mode required for IPv6 addresses in the cluster. Valid values are eui64, stable-privacy, or random.

3.10.14. Optional: Configuring host network interfaces for dual port NIC

Before installation, you can set the networkConfig configuration setting in the install-config.yaml file to configure host network interfaces by using NMState to support dual port NIC.

Important

Support for Day 1 operations associated with enabling NIC partitioning for SR-IOV devices is a Technology Preview feature only. Technology Preview features are not supported with Red Hat production service level agreements (SLAs) and might not be functionally complete. Red Hat does not recommend using them in production. These features provide early access to upcoming product features, enabling customers to test functionality and provide feedback during the development process.

For more information about the support scope of Red Hat Technology Preview features, see Technology Preview Features Support Scope.

OpenShift Virtualization only supports the following bond modes:

  • mode=1 active-backup
  • mode=2 balance-xor
  • mode=4 802.3ad

Prerequisites

  • Configure a PTR DNS record with a valid hostname for each node with a static IP address.
  • Install the NMState CLI (nmstate).
Note

Errors in the YAML syntax might result in a failure to apply the network configuration. Additionally, maintaining the validated YAML syntax is useful when applying changes by using Kubernetes NMState after deployment or when expanding the cluster.

Procedure

  1. Add the NMState configuration to the networkConfig field to hosts within the install-config.yaml file:

        hosts:
          - name: worker-0
            role: worker
            bmc:
              address: redfish+http://<out_of_band_ip>/redfish/v1/Systems/
              username: <user>
              password: <password>
              disableCertificateVerification: false
            bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
            bootMode: UEFI
            networkConfig: 1
              interfaces: 2
               - name: eno1 3
                 type: ethernet 4
                 state: up
                 mac-address: 0c:42:a1:55:f3:06
                 ipv4:
                   enabled: true
                   dhcp: false 5
                 ethernet:
                   sr-iov:
                     total-vfs: 2 6
                 ipv6:
                   enabled: false
                   dhcp: false
               - name: sriov:eno1:0
                 type: ethernet
                 state: up 7
                 ipv4:
                   enabled: false 8
                 ipv6:
                   enabled: false
               - name: sriov:eno1:1
                 type: ethernet
                 state: down
               - name: eno2
                 type: ethernet
                 state: up
                 mac-address: 0c:42:a1:55:f3:07
                 ipv4:
                   enabled: true
                 ethernet:
                   sr-iov:
                     total-vfs: 2
                 ipv6:
                   enabled: false
               - name: sriov:eno2:0
                 type: ethernet
                 state: up
                 ipv4:
                   enabled: false
                 ipv6:
                   enabled: false
               - name: sriov:eno2:1
                 type: ethernet
                 state: down
               - name: bond0
                 type: bond
                 state: up
                 min-tx-rate: 100 9
                 max-tx-rate: 200 10
                 link-aggregation:
                   mode: active-backup 11
                   options:
                     primary: sriov:eno1:0 12
                   port:
                     - sriov:eno1:0
                     - sriov:eno2:0
                 ipv4:
                   address:
                     - ip: 10.19.16.57 13
                       prefix-length: 23
                   dhcp: false
                   enabled: true
                 ipv6:
                   enabled: false
              dns-resolver:
                config:
                  server:
                    - 10.11.5.160
                    - 10.2.70.215
              routes:
                config:
                  - destination: 0.0.0.0/0
                    next-hop-address: 10.19.17.254
                    next-hop-interface: bond0 14
                    table-id: 254
    1
    The networkConfig field has information about the network configuration of the host, with subfields including interfaces, dns-resolver, and routes.
    2
    The interfaces field is an array of network interfaces defined for the host.
    3
    The name of the interface.
    4
    The type of interface. This example creates a ethernet interface.
    5
    Set this to `false to disable DHCP for the physical function (PF) if it is not strictly required.
    6
    Set to the number of SR-IOV virtual functions (VFs) to instantiate.
    7
    Set this to up.
    8
    Set this to false to disable IPv4 addressing for the VF attached to the bond.
    9
    Sets a minimum transmission rate, in Mbps, for the VF. This sample value sets a rate of 100 Mbps.
    • This value must be less than or equal to the maximum transmission rate.
    • Intel NICs do not support the min-tx-rate parameter. For more information, see BZ#1772847.
    10
    Sets a maximum transmission rate, in Mbps, for the VF. This sample value sets a rate of 200 Mbps.
    11
    Sets the desired bond mode.
    12
    Sets the preferred port of the bonding interface. The bond uses the primary device as the first device of the bonding interfaces. The bond does not abandon the primary device interface unless it fails. This setting is particularly useful when one NIC in the bonding interface is faster and, therefore, able to handle a bigger load. This setting is only valid when the bonding interface is in active-backup mode (mode 1) and balance-tlb (mode 5).
    13
    Sets a static IP address for the bond interface. This is the node IP address.
    14
    Sets bond0 as the gateway for the default route.
    Important

    After deploying the cluster, you cannot change the networkConfig configuration setting of the install-config.yaml file to make changes to the host network interface. Use the Kubernetes NMState Operator to make changes to the host network interface after deployment.

Additional resources

3.10.15. Configuring multiple cluster nodes

You can simultaneously configure OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes with identical settings. Configuring multiple cluster nodes avoids adding redundant information for each node to the install-config.yaml file. This file contains specific parameters to apply an identical configuration to multiple nodes in the cluster.

Compute nodes are configured separately from the controller node. However, configurations for both node types use the highlighted parameters in the install-config.yaml file to enable multi-node configuration. Set the networkConfig parameters to BOND, as shown in the following example:

hosts:
- name: ostest-master-0
 [...]
 networkConfig: &BOND
   interfaces:
   - name: bond0
     type: bond
     state: up
     ipv4:
       dhcp: true
       enabled: true
     link-aggregation:
       mode: active-backup
       port:
       - enp2s0
       - enp3s0
- name: ostest-master-1
 [...]
 networkConfig: *BOND
- name: ostest-master-2
 [...]
 networkConfig: *BOND
Note

Configuration of multiple cluster nodes is only available for initial deployments on installer-provisioned infrastructure.

3.10.16. Optional: Configuring managed Secure Boot

You can enable managed Secure Boot when deploying an installer-provisioned cluster using Redfish BMC addressing, such as redfish, redfish-virtualmedia, or idrac-virtualmedia. To enable managed Secure Boot, add the bootMode configuration setting to each node:

Example

hosts:
  - name: openshift-master-0
    role: master
    bmc:
      address: redfish://<out_of_band_ip> 1
      username: <username>
      password: <password>
    bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address>
    rootDeviceHints:
     deviceName: "/dev/sda"
    bootMode: UEFISecureBoot 2

1
Ensure the bmc.address setting uses redfish, redfish-virtualmedia, or idrac-virtualmedia as the protocol. See "BMC addressing for HPE iLO" or "BMC addressing for Dell iDRAC" for additional details.
2
The bootMode setting is UEFI by default. Change it to UEFISecureBoot to enable managed Secure Boot.
Note

See "Configuring nodes" in the "Prerequisites" to ensure the nodes can support managed Secure Boot. If the nodes do not support managed Secure Boot, see "Configuring nodes for Secure Boot manually" in the "Configuring nodes" section. Configuring Secure Boot manually requires Redfish virtual media.

Note

Red Hat does not support Secure Boot with IPMI, because IPMI does not provide Secure Boot management facilities.

3.11. Manifest configuration files

3.11.1. Creating the OpenShift Container Platform manifests

  1. Create the OpenShift Container Platform manifests.

    $ ./openshift-baremetal-install --dir ~/clusterconfigs create manifests
    INFO Consuming Install Config from target directory
    WARNING Making control-plane schedulable by setting MastersSchedulable to true for Scheduler cluster settings
    WARNING Discarding the OpenShift Manifest that was provided in the target directory because its dependencies are dirty and it needs to be regenerated

3.11.2. Optional: Configuring NTP for disconnected clusters

OpenShift Container Platform installs the chrony Network Time Protocol (NTP) service on the cluster nodes.

Configuring NTP for disconnected clusters

OpenShift Container Platform nodes must agree on a date and time to run properly. When worker nodes retrieve the date and time from the NTP servers on the control plane nodes, it enables the installation and operation of clusters that are not connected to a routable network and thereby do not have access to a higher stratum NTP server.

Procedure

  1. Install Butane on your installation host by using the following command:

    $ sudo dnf -y install butane
  2. Create a Butane config, 99-master-chrony-conf-override.bu, including the contents of the chrony.conf file for the control plane nodes.

    Note

    See "Creating machine configs with Butane" for information about Butane.

    Butane config example

    variant: openshift
    version: 4.13.0
    metadata:
      name: 99-master-chrony-conf-override
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: master
    storage:
      files:
        - path: /etc/chrony.conf
          mode: 0644
          overwrite: true
          contents:
            inline: |
              # Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.
              # Please consider joining the pool (https://www.pool.ntp.org/join.html).
    
              # The Machine Config Operator manages this file
              server openshift-master-0.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst 1
              server openshift-master-1.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
              server openshift-master-2.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
    
              stratumweight 0
              driftfile /var/lib/chrony/drift
              rtcsync
              makestep 10 3
              bindcmdaddress 127.0.0.1
              bindcmdaddress ::1
              keyfile /etc/chrony.keys
              commandkey 1
              generatecommandkey
              noclientlog
              logchange 0.5
              logdir /var/log/chrony
    
              # Configure the control plane nodes to serve as local NTP servers
              # for all worker nodes, even if they are not in sync with an
              # upstream NTP server.
    
              # Allow NTP client access from the local network.
              allow all
              # Serve time even if not synchronized to a time source.
              local stratum 3 orphan

    1
    You must replace <cluster-name> with the name of the cluster and replace <domain> with the fully qualified domain name.
  3. Use Butane to generate a MachineConfig object file, 99-master-chrony-conf-override.yaml, containing the configuration to be delivered to the control plane nodes:

    $ butane 99-master-chrony-conf-override.bu -o 99-master-chrony-conf-override.yaml
  4. Create a Butane config, 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.bu, including the contents of the chrony.conf file for the worker nodes that references the NTP servers on the control plane nodes.

    Butane config example

    variant: openshift
    version: 4.13.0
    metadata:
      name: 99-worker-chrony-conf-override
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: worker
    storage:
      files:
        - path: /etc/chrony.conf
          mode: 0644
          overwrite: true
          contents:
            inline: |
              # The Machine Config Operator manages this file.
              server openshift-master-0.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst 1
              server openshift-master-1.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
              server openshift-master-2.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
    
              stratumweight 0
              driftfile /var/lib/chrony/drift
              rtcsync
              makestep 10 3
              bindcmdaddress 127.0.0.1
              bindcmdaddress ::1
              keyfile /etc/chrony.keys
              commandkey 1
              generatecommandkey
              noclientlog
              logchange 0.5
              logdir /var/log/chrony

    1
    You must replace <cluster-name> with the name of the cluster and replace <domain> with the fully qualified domain name.
  5. Use Butane to generate a MachineConfig object file, 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.yaml, containing the configuration to be delivered to the worker nodes:

    $ butane 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.bu -o 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.yaml

3.11.3. Configuring network components to run on the control plane

You can configure networking components to run exclusively on the control plane nodes. By default, OpenShift Container Platform allows any node in the machine config pool to host the ingressVIP virtual IP address. However, some environments deploy worker nodes in separate subnets from the control plane nodes, which requires configuring the ingressVIP virtual IP address to run on the control plane nodes.

Important

When deploying remote workers in separate subnets, you must place the ingressVIP virtual IP address exclusively with the control plane nodes.

Installer-provisioned networking

Procedure

  1. Change to the directory storing the install-config.yaml file:

    $ cd ~/clusterconfigs
  2. Switch to the manifests subdirectory:

    $ cd manifests
  3. Create a file named cluster-network-avoid-workers-99-config.yaml:

    $ touch cluster-network-avoid-workers-99-config.yaml
  4. Open the cluster-network-avoid-workers-99-config.yaml file in an editor and enter a custom resource (CR) that describes the Operator configuration:

    apiVersion: machineconfiguration.openshift.io/v1
    kind: MachineConfig
    metadata:
      name: 50-worker-fix-ipi-rwn
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: worker
    spec:
      config:
        ignition:
          version: 3.2.0
        storage:
          files:
            - path: /etc/kubernetes/manifests/keepalived.yaml
              mode: 0644
              contents:
                source: data:,

    This manifest places the ingressVIP virtual IP address on the control plane nodes. Additionally, this manifest deploys the following processes on the control plane nodes only:

    • openshift-ingress-operator
    • keepalived
  5. Save the cluster-network-avoid-workers-99-config.yaml file.
  6. Create a manifests/cluster-ingress-default-ingresscontroller.yaml file:

    apiVersion: operator.openshift.io/v1
    kind: IngressController
    metadata:
      name: default
      namespace: openshift-ingress-operator
    spec:
      nodePlacement:
        nodeSelector:
          matchLabels:
            node-role.kubernetes.io/master: ""
  7. Consider backing up the manifests directory. The installer deletes the manifests/ directory when creating the cluster.
  8. Modify the cluster-scheduler-02-config.yml manifest to make the control plane nodes schedulable by setting the mastersSchedulable field to true. Control plane nodes are not schedulable by default. For example:

    $ sed -i "s;mastersSchedulable: false;mastersSchedulable: true;g" clusterconfigs/manifests/cluster-scheduler-02-config.yml
    Note

    If control plane nodes are not schedulable after completing this procedure, deploying the cluster will fail.

3.11.4. Optional: Deploying routers on worker nodes

During installation, the installer deploys router pods on worker nodes. By default, the installer installs two router pods. If a deployed cluster requires additional routers to handle external traffic loads destined for services within the OpenShift Container Platform cluster, you can create a yaml file to set an appropriate number of router replicas.

Important

Deploying a cluster with only one worker node is not supported. While modifying the router replicas will address issues with the degraded state when deploying with one worker, the cluster loses high availability for the ingress API, which is not suitable for production environments.

Note

By default, the installer deploys two routers. If the cluster has no worker nodes, the installer deploys the two routers on the control plane nodes by default.

Procedure

  1. Create a router-replicas.yaml file:

    apiVersion: operator.openshift.io/v1
    kind: IngressController
    metadata:
      name: default
      namespace: openshift-ingress-operator
    spec:
      replicas: <num-of-router-pods>
      endpointPublishingStrategy:
        type: HostNetwork
      nodePlacement:
        nodeSelector:
          matchLabels:
            node-role.kubernetes.io/worker: ""
    Note

    Replace <num-of-router-pods> with an appropriate value. If working with just one worker node, set replicas: to 1. If working with more than 3 worker nodes, you can increase replicas: from the default value 2 as appropriate.

  2. Save and copy the router-replicas.yaml file to the clusterconfigs/openshift directory:

    $ cp ~/router-replicas.yaml clusterconfigs/openshift/99_router-replicas.yaml

3.11.5. Optional: Configuring the BIOS

The following procedure configures the BIOS during the installation process.

Procedure

  1. Create the manifests.
  2. Modify the BareMetalHost resource file corresponding to the node:

    $ vim clusterconfigs/openshift/99_openshift-cluster-api_hosts-*.yaml
  3. Add the BIOS configuration to the spec section of the BareMetalHost resource:

    spec:
      firmware:
        simultaneousMultithreadingEnabled: true
        sriovEnabled: true
        virtualizationEnabled: true
    Note

    Red Hat supports three BIOS configurations. Only servers with BMC type irmc are supported. Other types of servers are currently not supported.

  4. Create the cluster.

Additional resources

3.11.6. Optional: Configuring the RAID

The following procedure configures a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) during the installation process.

Note
  1. OpenShift Container Platform supports hardware RAID for baseboard management controllers (BMCs) using the iRMC protocol only. OpenShift Container Platform 4.13 does not support software RAID.
  2. If you want to configure a hardware RAID for the node, verify that the node has a RAID controller.

Procedure

  1. Create the manifests.
  2. Modify the BareMetalHost resource corresponding to the node:

    $ vim clusterconfigs/openshift/99_openshift-cluster-api_hosts-*.yaml
    Note

    The following example uses a hardware RAID configuration because OpenShift Container Platform 4.13 does not support software RAID.

    1. If you added a specific RAID configuration to the spec section, this causes the node to delete the original RAID configuration in the preparing phase and perform a specified configuration on the RAID. For example:

      spec:
        raid:
          hardwareRAIDVolumes:
          - level: "0" 1
            name: "sda"
            numberOfPhysicalDisks: 1
            rotational: true
            sizeGibibytes: 0
      1
      level is a required field, and the others are optional fields.
    2. If you added an empty RAID configuration to the spec section, the empty configuration causes the node to delete the original RAID configuration during the preparing phase, but does not perform a new configuration. For example:

      spec:
        raid:
          hardwareRAIDVolumes: []
    3. If you do not add a raid field in the spec section, the original RAID configuration is not deleted, and no new configuration will be performed.
  3. Create the cluster.

3.11.7. Optional: Configuring storage on nodes

You can make changes to operating systems on OpenShift Container Platform nodes by creating MachineConfig objects that are managed by the Machine Config Operator (MCO).

The MachineConfig specification includes an ignition config for configuring the machines at first boot. This config object can be used to modify files, systemd services, and other operating system features running on OpenShift Container Platform machines.

Procedure

Use the ignition config to configure storage on nodes. The following MachineSet manifest example demonstrates how to add a partition to a device on a primary node. In this example, apply the manifest before installation to have a partition named recovery with a size of 16 GiB on the primary node.

  1. Create a custom-partitions.yaml file and include a MachineConfig object that contains your partition layout:

    apiVersion: machineconfiguration.openshift.io/v1
    kind: MachineConfig
    metadata:
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: primary
      name: 10_primary_storage_config
    spec:
      config:
        ignition:
          version: 3.2.0
        storage:
          disks:
            - device: </dev/xxyN>
              partitions:
                - label: recovery
                  startMiB: 32768
                  sizeMiB: 16384
          filesystems:
            - device: /dev/disk/by-partlabel/recovery
              label: recovery
              format: xfs
  2. Save and copy the custom-partitions.yaml file to the clusterconfigs/openshift directory:

    $ cp ~/<MachineConfig_manifest> ~/clusterconfigs/openshift

3.12. Creating a disconnected registry

In some cases, you might want to install an OpenShift Container Platform cluster using a local copy of the installation registry. This could be for enhancing network efficiency because the cluster nodes are on a network that does not have access to the internet.

A local, or mirrored, copy of the registry requires the following:

  • A certificate for the registry node. This can be a self-signed certificate.
  • A web server that a container on a system will serve.
  • An updated pull secret that contains the certificate and local repository information.
Note

Creating a disconnected registry on a registry node is optional. If you need to create a disconnected registry on a registry node, you must complete all of the following sub-sections.

Prerequisites

3.12.1. Preparing the registry node to host the mirrored registry

The following steps must be completed prior to hosting a mirrored registry on bare metal.

Procedure

  1. Open the firewall port on the registry node:

    $ sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=5000/tcp --zone=libvirt  --permanent
    $ sudo firewall-cmd --add-port=5000/tcp --zone=public   --permanent
    $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
  2. Install the required packages for the registry node:

    $ sudo yum -y install python3 podman httpd httpd-tools jq
  3. Create the directory structure where the repository information will be held:

    $ sudo mkdir -p /opt/registry/{auth,certs,data}

3.12.2. Mirroring the OpenShift Container Platform image repository for a disconnected registry

Complete the following steps to mirror the OpenShift Container Platform image repository for a disconnected registry.

Prerequisites

  • Your mirror host has access to the internet.
  • You configured a mirror registry to use in your restricted network and can access the certificate and credentials that you configured.
  • You downloaded the pull secret from the Red Hat OpenShift Cluster Manager and modified it to include authentication to your mirror repository.

Procedure

  1. Review the OpenShift Container Platform downloads page to determine the version of OpenShift Container Platform that you want to install and determine the corresponding tag on the Repository Tags page.
  2. Set the required environment variables:

    1. Export the release version:

      $ OCP_RELEASE=<release_version>

      For <release_version>, specify the tag that corresponds to the version of OpenShift Container Platform to install, such as 4.5.4.

    2. Export the local registry name and host port:

      $ LOCAL_REGISTRY='<local_registry_host_name>:<local_registry_host_port>'

      For <local_registry_host_name>, specify the registry domain name for your mirror repository, and for <local_registry_host_port>, specify the port that it serves content on.

    3. Export the local repository name:

      $ LOCAL_REPOSITORY='<local_repository_name>'

      For <local_repository_name>, specify the name of the repository to create in your registry, such as ocp4/openshift4.

    4. Export the name of the repository to mirror:

      $ PRODUCT_REPO='openshift-release-dev'

      For a production release, you must specify openshift-release-dev.

    5. Export the path to your registry pull secret:

      $ LOCAL_SECRET_JSON='<path_to_pull_secret>'

      For <path_to_pull_secret>, specify the absolute path to and file name of the pull secret for your mirror registry that you created.

    6. Export the release mirror:

      $ RELEASE_NAME="ocp-release"

      For a production release, you must specify ocp-release.

    7. Export the type of architecture for your cluster:

      $ ARCHITECTURE=<cluster_architecture> 1
      1
      Specify the architecture of the cluster, such as x86_64, aarch64, s390x, or ppc64le.
    8. Export the path to the directory to host the mirrored images:

      $ REMOVABLE_MEDIA_PATH=<path> 1
      1
      Specify the full path, including the initial forward slash (/) character.
  3. Mirror the version images to the mirror registry:

    • If your mirror host does not have internet access, take the following actions:

      1. Connect the removable media to a system that is connected to the internet.
      2. Review the images and configuration manifests to mirror:

        $ oc adm release mirror -a ${LOCAL_SECRET_JSON}  \
             --from=quay.io/${PRODUCT_REPO}/${RELEASE_NAME}:${OCP_RELEASE}-${ARCHITECTURE} \
             --to=${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY} \
             --to-release-image=${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY}:${OCP_RELEASE}-${ARCHITECTURE} --dry-run
      3. Record the entire imageContentSources section from the output of the previous command. The information about your mirrors is unique to your mirrored repository, and you must add the imageContentSources section to the install-config.yaml file during installation.
      4. Mirror the images to a directory on the removable media:

        $ oc adm release mirror -a ${LOCAL_SECRET_JSON} --to-dir=${REMOVABLE_MEDIA_PATH}/mirror quay.io/${PRODUCT_REPO}/${RELEASE_NAME}:${OCP_RELEASE}-${ARCHITECTURE}
      5. Take the media to the restricted network environment and upload the images to the local container registry.

        $ oc image mirror -a ${LOCAL_SECRET_JSON} --from-dir=${REMOVABLE_MEDIA_PATH}/mirror "file://openshift/release:${OCP_RELEASE}*" ${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY} 1
        1
        For REMOVABLE_MEDIA_PATH, you must use the same path that you specified when you mirrored the images.
    • If the local container registry is connected to the mirror host, take the following actions:

      1. Directly push the release images to the local registry by using following command:

        $ oc adm release mirror -a ${LOCAL_SECRET_JSON}  \
             --from=quay.io/${PRODUCT_REPO}/${RELEASE_NAME}:${OCP_RELEASE}-${ARCHITECTURE} \
             --to=${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY} \
             --to-release-image=${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY}:${OCP_RELEASE}-${ARCHITECTURE}

        This command pulls the release information as a digest, and its output includes the imageContentSources data that you require when you install your cluster.

      2. Record the entire imageContentSources section from the output of the previous command. The information about your mirrors is unique to your mirrored repository, and you must add the imageContentSources section to the install-config.yaml file during installation.

        Note

        The image name gets patched to Quay.io during the mirroring process, and the podman images will show Quay.io in the registry on the bootstrap virtual machine.

  4. To create the installation program that is based on the content that you mirrored, extract it and pin it to the release:

    • If your mirror host does not have internet access, run the following command:

      $ oc adm release extract -a ${LOCAL_SECRET_JSON} --command=openshift-baremetal-install "${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY}:${OCP_RELEASE}"
    • If the local container registry is connected to the mirror host, run the following command:

      $ oc adm release extract -a ${LOCAL_SECRET_JSON} --command=openshift-baremetal-install "${LOCAL_REGISTRY}/${LOCAL_REPOSITORY}:${OCP_RELEASE}-${ARCHITECTURE}"
      Important

      To ensure that you use the correct images for the version of OpenShift Container Platform that you selected, you must extract the installation program from the mirrored content.

      You must perform this step on a machine with an active internet connection.

      If you are in a disconnected environment, use the --image flag as part of must-gather and point to the payload image.

  5. For clusters using installer-provisioned infrastructure, run the following command:

    $ openshift-baremetal-install

3.12.3. Modify the install-config.yaml file to use the disconnected registry

On the provisioner node, the install-config.yaml file should use the newly created pull-secret from the pull-secret-update.txt file. The install-config.yaml file must also contain the disconnected registry node’s certificate and registry information.

Procedure

  1. Add the disconnected registry node’s certificate to the install-config.yaml file:

    $ echo "additionalTrustBundle: |" >> install-config.yaml

    The certificate should follow the "additionalTrustBundle: |" line and be properly indented, usually by two spaces.

    $ sed -e 's/^/  /' /opt/registry/certs/domain.crt >> install-config.yaml
  2. Add the mirror information for the registry to the install-config.yaml file:

    $ echo "imageContentSources:" >> install-config.yaml
    $ echo "- mirrors:" >> install-config.yaml
    $ echo "  - registry.example.com:5000/ocp4/openshift4" >> install-config.yaml

    Replace registry.example.com with the registry’s fully qualified domain name.

    $ echo "  source: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-release" >> install-config.yaml
    $ echo "- mirrors:" >> install-config.yaml
    $ echo "  - registry.example.com:5000/ocp4/openshift4" >> install-config.yaml

    Replace registry.example.com with the registry’s fully qualified domain name.

    $ echo "  source: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-v4.0-art-dev" >> install-config.yaml

3.13. Assigning a static IP address to the bootstrap VM

If you are deploying OpenShift Container Platform without a DHCP server on the baremetal network, you must configure a static IP address for the bootstrap VM using Ignition.

Procedure

  1. Create the ignition configuration files:

    $ ./openshift-baremetal-install --dir <cluster_configs> create ignition-configs

    Replace <cluster_configs> with the path to your cluster configuration files.

  2. Create the bootstrap_config.sh file:

    #!/bin/bash
    
    BOOTSTRAP_CONFIG="[connection]
    type=ethernet
    interface-name=ens3
    [ethernet]
    [ipv4]
    method=manual
    addresses=<ip_address>/<cidr>
    gateway=<gateway_ip_address>
    dns=<dns_ip_address>"
    
    cat <<_EOF_ > bootstrap_network_config.ign
    {
      "path": "/etc/NetworkManager/system-connections/ens3.nmconnection",
      "mode": 384,
      "contents": {
        "source": "data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,$(echo "${BOOTSTRAP_CONFIG}" | base64 -w 0)"
      }
    }
    _EOF_
    
    mv <cluster_configs>/bootstrap.ign <cluster_configs>/bootstrap.ign.orig
    
    jq '.storage.files += $input' <cluster_configs>/bootstrap.ign.orig --slurpfile input bootstrap_network_config.ign > <cluster_configs>/bootstrap.ign

    Replace <ip_address> and <cidr> with the IP address and CIDR of the address range. Replace <gateway_ip_address> with the IP address of the gateway on the baremetal network. Replace <dns_ip_address> with the IP address of the DNS server on the baremetal network. Replace <cluster_configs> with the path to your cluster configuration files.

  3. Make the bootstrap_config.sh file executable:

    $ chmod 755 bootstrap_config.sh
  4. Run the bootstrap_config.sh script to create the bootstrap_network_config.ign file:

    $ ./bootstrap_config.sh

3.14. Validation checklist for installation

  • ❏ OpenShift Container Platform installer has been retrieved.
  • ❏ OpenShift Container Platform installer has been extracted.
  • ❏ Required parameters for the install-config.yaml have been configured.
  • ❏ The hosts parameter for the install-config.yaml has been configured.
  • ❏ The bmc parameter for the install-config.yaml has been configured.
  • ❏ Conventions for the values configured in the bmc address field have been applied.
  • ❏ Created the OpenShift Container Platform manifests.
  • ❏ (Optional) Deployed routers on worker nodes.
  • ❏ (Optional) Created a disconnected registry.
  • ❏ (Optional) Validate disconnected registry settings if in use.

Chapter 4. Installing a cluster

4.1. Deploying the cluster via the OpenShift Container Platform installer

Run the OpenShift Container Platform installer:

$ ./openshift-baremetal-install --dir ~/clusterconfigs --log-level debug create cluster

4.2. Following the progress of the installation

During the deployment process, you can check the installation’s overall status by issuing the tail command to the .openshift_install.log log file in the install directory folder:

$ tail -f /path/to/install-dir/.openshift_install.log

4.3. Verifying static IP address configuration

If the DHCP reservation for a cluster node specifies an infinite lease, after the installer successfully provisions the node, the dispatcher script checks the node’s network configuration. If the script determines that the network configuration contains an infinite DHCP lease, it creates a new connection using the IP address of the DHCP lease as a static IP address.

Note

The dispatcher script might run on successfully provisioned nodes while the provisioning of other nodes in the cluster is ongoing.

Verify the network configuration is working properly.

Procedure

  1. Check the network interface configuration on the node.
  2. Turn off the DHCP server and reboot the OpenShift Container Platform node and ensure that the network configuration works properly.

4.4. Preparing to reinstall a cluster on bare metal

Before you reinstall a cluster on bare metal, you must perform cleanup operations.

Procedure

  1. Remove or reformat the disks for the bootstrap, control plane node, and worker nodes. If you are working in a hypervisor environment, you must add any disks you removed.
  2. Delete the artifacts that the previous installation generated:

    $ cd ; /bin/rm -rf auth/ bootstrap.ign master.ign worker.ign metadata.json \
    .openshift_install.log .openshift_install_state.json
  3. Generate new manifests and Ignition config files. See “Creating the Kubernetes manifest and Ignition config files" for more information.
  4. Upload the new bootstrap, control plane, and compute node Ignition config files that the installation program created to your HTTP server. This will overwrite the previous Ignition files.

4.5. Additional resources

Chapter 5. Installer-provisioned postinstallation configuration

After successfully deploying an installer-provisioned cluster, consider the following postinstallation procedures.

5.1. Optional: Configuring NTP for disconnected clusters

OpenShift Container Platform installs the chrony Network Time Protocol (NTP) service on the cluster nodes. Use the following procedure to configure NTP servers on the control plane nodes and configure worker nodes as NTP clients of the control plane nodes after a successful deployment.

Configuring NTP for disconnected clusters

OpenShift Container Platform nodes must agree on a date and time to run properly. When worker nodes retrieve the date and time from the NTP servers on the control plane nodes, it enables the installation and operation of clusters that are not connected to a routable network and thereby do not have access to a higher stratum NTP server.

Procedure

  1. Install Butane on your installation host by using the following command:

    $ sudo dnf -y install butane
  2. Create a Butane config, 99-master-chrony-conf-override.bu, including the contents of the chrony.conf file for the control plane nodes.

    Note

    See "Creating machine configs with Butane" for information about Butane.

    Butane config example

    variant: openshift
    version: 4.13.0
    metadata:
      name: 99-master-chrony-conf-override
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: master
    storage:
      files:
        - path: /etc/chrony.conf
          mode: 0644
          overwrite: true
          contents:
            inline: |
              # Use public servers from the pool.ntp.org project.
              # Please consider joining the pool (https://www.pool.ntp.org/join.html).
    
              # The Machine Config Operator manages this file
              server openshift-master-0.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst 1
              server openshift-master-1.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
              server openshift-master-2.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
    
              stratumweight 0
              driftfile /var/lib/chrony/drift
              rtcsync
              makestep 10 3
              bindcmdaddress 127.0.0.1
              bindcmdaddress ::1
              keyfile /etc/chrony.keys
              commandkey 1
              generatecommandkey
              noclientlog
              logchange 0.5
              logdir /var/log/chrony
    
              # Configure the control plane nodes to serve as local NTP servers
              # for all worker nodes, even if they are not in sync with an
              # upstream NTP server.
    
              # Allow NTP client access from the local network.
              allow all
              # Serve time even if not synchronized to a time source.
              local stratum 3 orphan

    1
    You must replace <cluster-name> with the name of the cluster and replace <domain> with the fully qualified domain name.
  3. Use Butane to generate a MachineConfig object file, 99-master-chrony-conf-override.yaml, containing the configuration to be delivered to the control plane nodes:

    $ butane 99-master-chrony-conf-override.bu -o 99-master-chrony-conf-override.yaml
  4. Create a Butane config, 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.bu, including the contents of the chrony.conf file for the worker nodes that references the NTP servers on the control plane nodes.

    Butane config example

    variant: openshift
    version: 4.13.0
    metadata:
      name: 99-worker-chrony-conf-override
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: worker
    storage:
      files:
        - path: /etc/chrony.conf
          mode: 0644
          overwrite: true
          contents:
            inline: |
              # The Machine Config Operator manages this file.
              server openshift-master-0.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst 1
              server openshift-master-1.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
              server openshift-master-2.<cluster-name>.<domain> iburst
    
              stratumweight 0
              driftfile /var/lib/chrony/drift
              rtcsync
              makestep 10 3
              bindcmdaddress 127.0.0.1
              bindcmdaddress ::1
              keyfile /etc/chrony.keys
              commandkey 1
              generatecommandkey
              noclientlog
              logchange 0.5
              logdir /var/log/chrony

    1
    You must replace <cluster-name> with the name of the cluster and replace <domain> with the fully qualified domain name.
  5. Use Butane to generate a MachineConfig object file, 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.yaml, containing the configuration to be delivered to the worker nodes:

    $ butane 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.bu -o 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.yaml
  6. Apply the 99-master-chrony-conf-override.yaml policy to the control plane nodes.

    $ oc apply -f 99-master-chrony-conf-override.yaml

    Example output

    machineconfig.machineconfiguration.openshift.io/99-master-chrony-conf-override created

  7. Apply the 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.yaml policy to the worker nodes.

    $ oc apply -f 99-worker-chrony-conf-override.yaml

    Example output

    machineconfig.machineconfiguration.openshift.io/99-worker-chrony-conf-override created

  8. Check the status of the applied NTP settings.

    $ oc describe machineconfigpool

5.2. Enabling a provisioning network after installation

The assisted installer and installer-provisioned installation for bare metal clusters provide the ability to deploy a cluster without a provisioning network. This capability is for scenarios such as proof-of-concept clusters or deploying exclusively with Redfish virtual media when each node’s baseboard management controller is routable via the baremetal network.

You can enable a provisioning network after installation using the Cluster Baremetal Operator (CBO).

Prerequisites

  • A dedicated physical network must exist, connected to all worker and control plane nodes.
  • You must isolate the native, untagged physical network.
  • The network cannot have a DHCP server when the provisioningNetwork configuration setting is set to Managed.
  • You can omit the provisioningInterface setting in OpenShift Container Platform 4.10 to use the bootMACAddress configuration setting.

Procedure

  1. When setting the provisioningInterface setting, first identify the provisioning interface name for the cluster nodes. For example, eth0 or eno1.
  2. Enable the Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) on the provisioning network interface of the cluster nodes.
  3. Retrieve the current state of the provisioning network and save it to a provisioning custom resource (CR) file:

    $ oc get provisioning -o yaml > enable-provisioning-nw.yaml
  4. Modify the provisioning CR file:

    $ vim ~/enable-provisioning-nw.yaml

    Scroll down to the provisioningNetwork configuration setting and change it from Disabled to Managed. Then, add the provisioningIP, provisioningNetworkCIDR, provisioningDHCPRange, provisioningInterface, and watchAllNameSpaces configuration settings after the provisioningNetwork setting. Provide appropriate values for each setting.

    apiVersion: v1
    items:
    - apiVersion: metal3.io/v1alpha1
      kind: Provisioning
      metadata:
        name: provisioning-configuration
      spec:
        provisioningNetwork: 1
        provisioningIP: 2
        provisioningNetworkCIDR: 3
        provisioningDHCPRange: 4
        provisioningInterface: 5
        watchAllNameSpaces: 6
    1
    The provisioningNetwork is one of Managed, Unmanaged, or Disabled. When set to Managed, Metal3 manages the provisioning network and the CBO deploys the Metal3 pod with a configured DHCP server. When set to Unmanaged, the system administrator configures the DHCP server manually.
    2
    The provisioningIP is the static IP address that the DHCP server and ironic use to provision the network. This static IP address must be within the provisioning subnet, and outside of the DHCP range. If you configure this setting, it must have a valid IP address even if the provisioning network is Disabled. The static IP address is bound to the metal3 pod. If the metal3 pod fails and moves to another server, the static IP address also moves to the new server.
    3
    The Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) address. If you configure this setting, it must have a valid CIDR address even if the provisioning network is Disabled. For example: 192.168.0.1/24.
    4
    The DHCP range. This setting is only applicable to a Managed provisioning network. Omit this configuration setting if the provisioning network is Disabled. For example: 192.168.0.64, 192.168.0.253.
    5
    The NIC name for the provisioning interface on cluster nodes. The provisioningInterface setting is only applicable to Managed and Unmanaged provisioning networks. Omit the provisioningInterface configuration setting if the provisioning network is Disabled. Omit the provisioningInterface configuration setting to use the bootMACAddress configuration setting instead.
    6
    Set this setting to true if you want metal3 to watch namespaces other than the default openshift-machine-api namespace. The default value is false.
  5. Save the changes to the provisioning CR file.
  6. Apply the provisioning CR file to the cluster:

    $ oc apply -f enable-provisioning-nw.yaml

5.3. Services for an external load balancer

You can configure an OpenShift Container Platform cluster to use an external load balancer in place of the default load balancer.

Important

Configuring an external load balancer depends on your vendor’s load balancer.

The information and examples in this section are for guideline purposes only. Consult the vendor documentation for more specific information about the vendor’s load balancer.

Red Hat supports the following services for an external load balancer:

  • Ingress Controller
  • OpenShift API
  • OpenShift MachineConfig API

You can choose whether you want to configure one or all of these services for an external load balancer. Configuring only the Ingress Controller service is a common configuration option. To better understand each service, view the following diagrams:

Figure 5.1. Example network workflow that shows an Ingress Controller operating in an OpenShift Container Platform environment

An image that shows an example network workflow of an Ingress Controller operating in an OpenShift Container Platform environment.

Figure 5.2. Example network workflow that shows an OpenShift API operating in an OpenShift Container Platform environment

An image that shows an example network workflow of an OpenShift API operating in an OpenShift Container Platform environment.

Figure 5.3. Example network workflow that shows an OpenShift MachineConfig API operating in an OpenShift Container Platform environment

An image that shows an example network workflow of an OpenShift MachineConfig API operating in an OpenShift Container Platform environment.

The following configuration options are supported for external load balancers:

  • Use a node selector to map the Ingress Controller to a specific set of nodes. You must assign a static IP address to each node in this set, or configure each node to receive the same IP address from the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Infrastructure nodes commonly receive this type of configuration.
  • Target all IP addresses on a subnet. This configuration can reduce maintenance overhead, because you can create and destroy nodes within those networks without reconfiguring the load balancer targets. If you deploy your ingress pods by using a machine set on a smaller network, such as a /27 or /28, you can simplify your load balancer targets.

    Tip

    You can list all IP addresses that exist in a network by checking the machine config pool’s resources.

Before you configure an external load balancer for your OpenShift Container Platform cluster, consider the following information:

  • For a front-end IP address, you can use the same IP address for the front-end IP address, the Ingress Controller’s load balancer, and API load balancer. Check the vendor’s documentation for this capability.
  • For a back-end IP address, ensure that an IP address for an OpenShift Container Platform control plane node does not change during the lifetime of the external load balancer. You can achieve this by completing one of the following actions:

    • Assign a static IP address to each control plane node.
    • Configure each node to receive the same IP address from the DHCP every time the node requests a DHCP lease. Depending on the vendor, the DHCP lease might be in the form of an IP reservation or a static DHCP assignment.
  • Manually define each node that runs the Ingress Controller in the external load balancer for the Ingress Controller back-end service. For example, if the Ingress Controller moves to an undefined node, a connection outage can occur.

5.3.1. Configuring an external load balancer

You can configure an OpenShift Container Platform cluster to use an external load balancer in place of the default load balancer.

Important

Before you configure an external load balancer, ensure that you read the "Services for an external load balancer" section.

Read the following prerequisites that apply to the service that you want to configure for your external load balancer.

Note

MetalLB, that runs on a cluster, functions as an external load balancer.

OpenShift API prerequisites

  • You defined a front-end IP address.
  • TCP ports 6443 and 22623 are exposed on the front-end IP address of your load balancer. Check the following items:

    • Port 6443 provides access to the OpenShift API service.
    • Port 22623 can provide ignition startup configurations to nodes.
  • The front-end IP address and port 6443 are reachable by all users of your system with a location external to your OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
  • The front-end IP address and port 22623 are reachable only by OpenShift Container Platform nodes.
  • The load balancer backend can communicate with OpenShift Container Platform control plane nodes on port 6443 and 22623.

Ingress Controller prerequisites

  • You defined a front-end IP address.
  • TCP ports 443 and 80 are exposed on the front-end IP address of your load balancer.
  • The front-end IP address, port 80 and port 443 are be reachable by all users of your system with a location external to your OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
  • The front-end IP address, port 80 and port 443 are reachable to all nodes that operate in your OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
  • The load balancer backend can communicate with OpenShift Container Platform nodes that run the Ingress Controller on ports 80, 443, and 1936.

Prerequisite for health check URL specifications

You can configure most load balancers by setting health check URLs that determine if a service is available or unavailable. OpenShift Container Platform provides these health checks for the OpenShift API, Machine Configuration API, and Ingress Controller backend services.

The following examples demonstrate health check specifications for the previously listed backend services:

Example of a Kubernetes API health check specification

Path: HTTPS:6443/readyz
Healthy threshold: 2
Unhealthy threshold: 2
Timeout: 10
Interval: 10

Example of a Machine Config API health check specification

Path: HTTPS:22623/healthz
Healthy threshold: 2
Unhealthy threshold: 2
Timeout: 10
Interval: 10

Example of an Ingress Controller health check specification

Path: HTTP:1936/healthz/ready
Healthy threshold: 2
Unhealthy threshold: 2
Timeout: 5
Interval: 10

Procedure

  1. Configure the HAProxy Ingress Controller, so that you can enable access to the cluster from your load balancer on ports 6443, 443, and 80:

    Example HAProxy configuration

    #...
    listen my-cluster-api-6443
        bind 192.168.1.100:6443
        mode tcp
        balance roundrobin
      option httpchk
      http-check connect
      http-check send meth GET uri /readyz
      http-check expect status 200
        server my-cluster-master-2 192.168.1.101:6443 check inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
        server my-cluster-master-0 192.168.1.102:6443 check inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
        server my-cluster-master-1 192.168.1.103:6443 check inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
    
    listen my-cluster-machine-config-api-22623
        bind 192.168.1.100:22623
        mode tcp
        balance roundrobin
      option httpchk
      http-check connect
      http-check send meth GET uri /healthz
      http-check expect status 200
        server my-cluster-master-2 192.168.1.101:22623 check inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
        server my-cluster-master-0 192.168.1.102:22623 check inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
        server my-cluster-master-1 192.168.1.103:22623 check inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
    
    listen my-cluster-apps-443
            bind 192.168.1.100:443
            mode tcp
            balance roundrobin
        option httpchk
        http-check connect
        http-check send meth GET uri /healthz/ready
        http-check expect status 200
            server my-cluster-worker-0 192.168.1.111:443 check port 1936 inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
            server my-cluster-worker-1 192.168.1.112:443 check port 1936 inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
            server my-cluster-worker-2 192.168.1.113:443 check port 1936 inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
    
    listen my-cluster-apps-80
            bind 192.168.1.100:80
            mode tcp
            balance roundrobin
        option httpchk
        http-check connect
        http-check send meth GET uri /healthz/ready
        http-check expect status 200
            server my-cluster-worker-0 192.168.1.111:80 check port 1936 inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
            server my-cluster-worker-1 192.168.1.112:80 check port 1936 inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
            server my-cluster-worker-2 192.168.1.113:80 check port 1936 inter 10s rise 2 fall 2
    # ...

  2. Use the curl CLI command to verify that the external load balancer and its resources are operational:

    1. Verify that the cluster machine configuration API is accessible to the Kubernetes API server resource, by running the following command and observing the response:

      $ curl https://<loadbalancer_ip_address>:6443/version --insecure

      If the configuration is correct, you receive a JSON object in response:

      {
        "major": "1",
        "minor": "11+",
        "gitVersion": "v1.11.0+ad103ed",
        "gitCommit": "ad103ed",
        "gitTreeState": "clean",
        "buildDate": "2019-01-09T06:44:10Z",
        "goVersion": "go1.10.3",
        "compiler": "gc",
        "platform": "linux/amd64"
      }
    2. Verify that the cluster machine configuration API is accessible to the Machine config server resource, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl -v https://<loadbalancer_ip_address>:22623/healthz --insecure

      If the configuration is correct, the output from the command shows the following response:

      HTTP/1.1 200 OK
      Content-Length: 0
    3. Verify that the controller is accessible to the Ingress Controller resource on port 80, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl -I -L -H "Host: console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>" http://<load_balancer_front_end_IP_address>

      If the configuration is correct, the output from the command shows the following response:

      HTTP/1.1 302 Found
      content-length: 0
      location: https://console-openshift-console.apps.ocp4.private.opequon.net/
      cache-control: no-cache
    4. Verify that the controller is accessible to the Ingress Controller resource on port 443, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl -I -L --insecure --resolve console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>:443:<Load Balancer Front End IP Address> https://console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>

      If the configuration is correct, the output from the command shows the following response:

      HTTP/1.1 200 OK
      referrer-policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
      set-cookie: csrf-token=UlYWOyQ62LWjw2h003xtYSKlh1a0Py2hhctw0WmV2YEdhJjFyQwWcGBsja261dGLgaYO0nxzVErhiXt6QepA7g==; Path=/; Secure; SameSite=Lax
      x-content-type-options: nosniff
      x-dns-prefetch-control: off
      x-frame-options: DENY
      x-xss-protection: 1; mode=block
      date: Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:29:38 GMT
      content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8
      set-cookie: 1e2670d92730b515ce3a1bb65da45062=1bf5e9573c9a2760c964ed1659cc1673; path=/; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=None
      cache-control: private
  3. Configure the DNS records for your cluster to target the front-end IP addresses of the external load balancer. You must update records to your DNS server for the cluster API and applications over the load balancer.

    Examples of modified DNS records

    <load_balancer_ip_address>  A  api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>
    A record pointing to Load Balancer Front End

    <load_balancer_ip_address>   A apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>
    A record pointing to Load Balancer Front End
    Important

    DNS propagation might take some time for each DNS record to become available. Ensure that each DNS record propagates before validating each record.

  4. Use the curl CLI command to verify that the external load balancer and DNS record configuration are operational:

    1. Verify that you can access the cluster API, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl https://api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>:6443/version --insecure

      If the configuration is correct, you receive a JSON object in response:

      {
        "major": "1",
        "minor": "11+",
        "gitVersion": "v1.11.0+ad103ed",
        "gitCommit": "ad103ed",
        "gitTreeState": "clean",
        "buildDate": "2019-01-09T06:44:10Z",
        "goVersion": "go1.10.3",
        "compiler": "gc",
        "platform": "linux/amd64"
        }
    2. Verify that you can access the cluster machine configuration, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl -v https://api.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>:22623/healthz --insecure

      If the configuration is correct, the output from the command shows the following response:

      HTTP/1.1 200 OK
      Content-Length: 0
    3. Verify that you can access each cluster application on port, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl http://console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> -I -L --insecure

      If the configuration is correct, the output from the command shows the following response:

      HTTP/1.1 302 Found
      content-length: 0
      location: https://console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster-name>.<base domain>/
      cache-control: no-cacheHTTP/1.1 200 OK
      referrer-policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
      set-cookie: csrf-token=39HoZgztDnzjJkq/JuLJMeoKNXlfiVv2YgZc09c3TBOBU4NI6kDXaJH1LdicNhN1UsQWzon4Dor9GWGfopaTEQ==; Path=/; Secure
      x-content-type-options: nosniff
      x-dns-prefetch-control: off
      x-frame-options: DENY
      x-xss-protection: 1; mode=block
      date: Tue, 17 Nov 2020 08:42:10 GMT
      content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8
      set-cookie: 1e2670d92730b515ce3a1bb65da45062=9b714eb87e93cf34853e87a92d6894be; path=/; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=None
      cache-control: private
    4. Verify that you can access each cluster application on port 443, by running the following command and observing the output:

      $ curl https://console-openshift-console.apps.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> -I -L --insecure

      If the configuration is correct, the output from the command shows the following response:

      HTTP/1.1 200 OK
      referrer-policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin
      set-cookie: csrf-token=UlYWOyQ62LWjw2h003xtYSKlh1a0Py2hhctw0WmV2YEdhJjFyQwWcGBsja261dGLgaYO0nxzVErhiXt6QepA7g==; Path=/; Secure; SameSite=Lax
      x-content-type-options: nosniff
      x-dns-prefetch-control: off
      x-frame-options: DENY
      x-xss-protection: 1; mode=block
      date: Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:29:38 GMT
      content-type: text/html; charset=utf-8
      set-cookie: 1e2670d92730b515ce3a1bb65da45062=1bf5e9573c9a2760c964ed1659cc1673; path=/; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=None
      cache-control: private

Chapter 6. Expanding the cluster

After deploying an installer-provisioned OpenShift Container Platform cluster, you can use the following procedures to expand the number of worker nodes. Ensure that each prospective worker node meets the prerequisites.

Note

Expanding the cluster using RedFish Virtual Media involves meeting minimum firmware requirements. See Firmware requirements for installing with virtual media in the Prerequisites section for additional details when expanding the cluster using RedFish Virtual Media.

6.1. Preparing the bare metal node

To expand your cluster, you must provide the node with the relevant IP address. This can be done with a static configuration, or with a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration protocol) server. When expanding the cluster using a DHCP server, each node must have a DHCP reservation.

Reserving IP addresses so they become static IP addresses

Some administrators prefer to use static IP addresses so that each node’s IP address remains constant in the absence of a DHCP server. To configure static IP addresses with NMState, see "Optional: Configuring host network interfaces in the install-config.yaml file" in the "Setting up the environment for an OpenShift installation" section for additional details.

Preparing the bare metal node requires executing the following procedure from the provisioner node.

Procedure

  1. Get the oc binary:

    $ curl -s https://mirror.openshift.com/pub/openshift-v4/clients/ocp/$VERSION/openshift-client-linux-$VERSION.tar.gz | tar zxvf - oc
    $ sudo cp oc /usr/local/bin
  2. Power off the bare metal node by using the baseboard management controller (BMC), and ensure it is off.
  3. Retrieve the user name and password of the bare metal node’s baseboard management controller. Then, create base64 strings from the user name and password:

    $ echo -ne "root" | base64
    $ echo -ne "password" | base64
  4. Create a configuration file for the bare metal node. Depending on whether you are using a static configuration or a DHCP server, use one of the following example bmh.yaml files, replacing values in the YAML to match your environment:

    $ vim bmh.yaml
    • Static configuration bmh.yaml:

      ---
      apiVersion: v1 1
      kind: Secret
      metadata:
       name: openshift-worker-<num>-network-config-secret 2
       namespace: openshift-machine-api
      type: Opaque
      stringData:
       nmstate: | 3
        interfaces: 4
        - name: <nic1_name> 5
          type: ethernet
          state: up
          ipv4:
            address:
            - ip: <ip_address> 6
              prefix-length: 24
            enabled: true
        dns-resolver:
          config:
            server:
            - <dns_ip_address> 7
        routes:
          config:
          - destination: 0.0.0.0/0
            next-hop-address: <next_hop_ip_address> 8
            next-hop-interface: <next_hop_nic1_name> 9
      ---
      apiVersion: v1
      kind: Secret
      metadata:
        name: openshift-worker-<num>-bmc-secret 10
        namespace: openshift-machine-api
      type: Opaque
      data:
        username: <base64_of_uid> 11
        password: <base64_of_pwd> 12
      ---
      apiVersion: metal3.io/v1alpha1
      kind: BareMetalHost
      metadata:
        name: openshift-worker-<num> 13
        namespace: openshift-machine-api
      spec:
        online: True
        bootMACAddress: <nic1_mac_address> 14
        bmc:
          address: <protocol>://<bmc_url> 15
          credentialsName: openshift-worker-<num>-bmc-secret 16
          disableCertificateVerification: True 17
          username: <bmc_username> 18
          password: <bmc_password> 19
        rootDeviceHints:
          deviceName: <root_device_hint> 20
        preprovisioningNetworkDataName: openshift-worker-<num>-network-config-secret 21
      1
      To configure the network interface for a newly created node, specify the name of the secret that contains the network configuration. Follow the nmstate syntax to define the network configuration for your node. See "Optional: Configuring host network interfaces in the install-config.yaml file" for details on configuring NMState syntax.
      2 10 13 16
      Replace <num> for the worker number of the bare metal node in the name fields, the credentialsName field, and the preprovisioningNetworkDataName field.
      3
      Add the NMState YAML syntax to configure the host interfaces.
      4
      Optional: If you have configured the network interface with nmstate, and you want to disable an interface, set state: up with the IP addresses set to enabled: false as shown:
      ---
         interfaces:
         - name: <nic_name>
           type: ethernet
           state: up
           ipv4:
             enabled: false
           ipv6:
             enabled: false
      5 6 7 8 9
      Replace <nic1_name>, <ip_address>, <dns_ip_address>, <next_hop_ip_address> and <next_hop_nic1_name> with appropriate values.
      11 12
      Replace <base64_of_uid> and <base64_of_pwd> with the base64 string of the user name and password.
      14
      Replace <nic1_mac_address> with the MAC address of the bare metal node’s first NIC. See the "BMC addressing" section for additional BMC configuration options.
      15
      Replace <protocol> with the BMC protocol, such as IPMI, RedFish, or others. Replace <bmc_url> with the URL of the bare metal node’s baseboard management controller.
      17
      To skip certificate validation, set disableCertificateVerification to true.
      18 19
      Replace <bmc_username> and <bmc_password> with the string of the BMC user name and password.
      20
      Optional: Replace <root_device_hint> with a device path if you specify a root device hint.
      21
      Optional: If you have configured the network interface for the newly created node, provide the network configuration secret name in the preprovisioningNetworkDataName of the BareMetalHost CR.
    • DHCP configuration bmh.yaml:

      ---
      apiVersion: v1
      kind: Secret
      metadata:
        name: openshift-worker-<num>-bmc-secret 1
        namespace: openshift-machine-api
      type: Opaque
      data:
        username: <base64_of_uid> 2
        password: <base64_of_pwd> 3
      ---
      apiVersion: metal3.io/v1alpha1
      kind: BareMetalHost
      metadata:
        name: openshift-worker-<num> 4
        namespace: openshift-machine-api
      spec:
        online: True
        bootMACAddress: <nic1_mac_address> 5
        bmc:
          address: <protocol>://<bmc_url> 6
          credentialsName: openshift-worker-<num>-bmc-secret 7
          disableCertificateVerification: True 8
          username: <bmc_username> 9
          password: <bmc_password> 10
        rootDeviceHints:
          deviceName: <root_device_hint> 11
        preprovisioningNetworkDataName: openshift-worker-<num>-network-config-secret 12
      1 4 7
      Replace <num> for the worker number of the bare metal node in the name fields, the credentialsName field, and the preprovisioningNetworkDataName field.
      2 3
      Replace <base64_of_uid> and <base64_of_pwd> with the base64 string of the user name and password.
      5
      Replace <nic1_mac_address> with the MAC address of the bare metal node’s first NIC. See the "BMC addressing" section for additional BMC configuration options.
      6
      Replace <protocol> with the BMC protocol, such as IPMI, RedFish, or others. Replace <bmc_url> with the URL of the bare metal node’s baseboard management controller.
      8
      To skip certificate validation, set disableCertificateVerification to true.
      9 10
      Replace <bmc_username> and <bmc_password> with the string of the BMC user name and password.
      11
      Optional: Replace <root_device_hint> with a device path if you specify a root device hint.
      12
      Optional: If you have configured the network interface for the newly created node, provide the network configuration secret name in the preprovisioningNetworkDataName of the BareMetalHost CR.
    Note

    If the MAC address of an existing bare metal node matches the MAC address of a bare metal host that you are attempting to provision, then the Ironic installation will fail. If the host enrollment, inspection, cleaning, or other Ironic steps fail, the Bare Metal Operator retries the installation continuously. See "Diagnosing a host duplicate MAC address" for more information.

  5. Create the bare metal node:

    $ oc -n openshift-machine-api create -f bmh.yaml

    Example output

    secret/openshift-worker-<num>-network-config-secret created
    secret/openshift-worker-<num>-bmc-secret created
    baremetalhost.metal3.io/openshift-worker-<num> created

    Where <num> will be the worker number.

  6. Power up and inspect the bare metal node:

    $ oc -n openshift-machine-api get bmh openshift-worker-<num>

    Where <num> is the worker node number.

    Example output

    NAME                    STATE       CONSUMER   ONLINE   ERROR
    openshift-worker-<num>  available              true

    Note

    To allow the worker node to join the cluster, scale the machineset object to the number of the BareMetalHost objects. You can scale nodes either manually or automatically. To scale nodes automatically, use the metal3.io/autoscale-to-hosts annotation for machineset.

Additional resources

6.2. Replacing a bare-metal control plane node

Use the following procedure to replace an installer-provisioned OpenShift Container Platform control plane node.

Important

If you reuse the BareMetalHost object definition from an existing control plane host, do not leave the externallyProvisioned field set to true.

Existing control plane BareMetalHost objects may have the externallyProvisioned flag set to true if they were provisioned by the OpenShift Container Platform installation program.

Prerequisites

  • You have access to the cluster as a user with the cluster-admin role.
  • You have taken an etcd backup.

    Important

    Take an etcd backup before performing this procedure so that you can restore your cluster if you encounter any issues. For more information about taking an etcd backup, see the Additional resources section.

Procedure

  1. Ensure that the Bare Metal Operator is available:

    $ oc get clusteroperator baremetal

    Example output

    NAME        VERSION   AVAILABLE   PROGRESSING   DEGRADED   SINCE   MESSAGE
    baremetal   4.13.0   True        False         False      3d15h

  2. Remove the old BareMetalHost and Machine objects:

    $ oc delete bmh -n openshift-machine-api <host_name>
    $ oc delete machine -n openshift-machine-api <machine_name>

    Replace <host_name> with the name of the host and <machine_name> with the name of the machine. The machine name appears under the CONSUMER field.

    After you remove the BareMetalHost and Machine objects, then the machine controller automatically deletes the Node object.

  3. Create the new BareMetalHost object and the secret to store the BMC credentials:

    $ cat <<EOF | oc apply -f -
    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Secret
    metadata:
      name: control-plane-<num>-bmc-secret 1
      namespace: openshift-machine-api
    data:
      username: <base64_of_uid> 2
      password: <base64_of_pwd> 3
    type: Opaque
    ---
    apiVersion: metal3.io/v1alpha1
    kind: BareMetalHost
    metadata:
      name: control-plane-<num> 4
      namespace: openshift-machine-api
    spec:
      automatedCleaningMode: disabled
      bmc:
        address: <protocol>://<bmc_ip> 5
        credentialsName: control-plane-<num>-bmc-secret 6
      bootMACAddress: <NIC1_mac_address> 7
      bootMode: UEFI
      externallyProvisioned: false
      online: true
    EOF
    1 4 6
    Replace <num> for the control plane number of the bare metal node in the name fields and the credentialsName field.
    2
    Replace <base64_of_uid> with the base64 string of the user name.
    3
    Replace <base64_of_pwd> with the base64 string of the password.
    5
    Replace <protocol> with the BMC protocol, such as redfish, redfish-virtualmedia, idrac-virtualmedia, or others. Replace <bmc_ip> with the IP address of the bare metal node’s baseboard management controller. For additional BMC configuration options, see "BMC addressing" in the Additional resources section.
    7
    Replace <NIC1_mac_address> with the MAC address of the bare metal node’s first NIC.

    After the inspection is complete, the BareMetalHost object is created and available to be provisioned.

  4. View available BareMetalHost objects:

    $ oc get bmh -n openshift-machine-api

    Example output

    NAME                          STATE                    CONSUMER                   ONLINE   ERROR   AGE
    control-plane-1.example.com   available                control-plane-1            true             1h10m
    control-plane-2.example.com   externally provisioned   control-plane-2            true             4h53m
    control-plane-3.example.com   externally provisioned   control-plane-3            true             4h53m
    compute-1.example.com         provisioned              compute-1-ktmmx            true             4h53m
    compute-1.example.com         provisioned              compute-2-l2zmb            true             4h53m

    There are no MachineSet objects for control plane nodes, so you must create a Machine object instead. You can copy the providerSpec from another control plane Machine object.

  5. Create a Machine object:

    $ cat <<EOF | oc apply -f -
    apiVersion: machine.openshift.io/v1beta1
    kind: Machine
    metadata:
      annotations:
        metal3.io/BareMetalHost: openshift-machine-api/control-plane-<num> 1
      labels:
        machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: control-plane-<num> 2
        machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-role: master
        machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-type: master
      name: control-plane-<num> 3
      namespace: openshift-machine-api
    spec:
      metadata: {}
      providerSpec:
        value:
          apiVersion: baremetal.cluster.k8s.io/v1alpha1
          customDeploy:
            method: install_coreos
          hostSelector: {}
          image:
            checksum: ""
            url: ""
          kind: BareMetalMachineProviderSpec
          metadata:
            creationTimestamp: null
          userData:
            name: master-user-data-managed
    EOF
    1 2 3
    Replace <num> for the control plane number of the bare metal node in the name, labels and annotations fields.
  6. To view the BareMetalHost objects, run the following command:

    $ oc get bmh -A

    Example output

    NAME                          STATE                    CONSUMER                   ONLINE   ERROR   AGE
    control-plane-1.example.com   provisioned              control-plane-1            true             2h53m
    control-plane-2.example.com   externally provisioned   control-plane-2            true             5h53m
    control-plane-3.example.com   externally provisioned   control-plane-3            true             5h53m
    compute-1.example.com         provisioned              compute-1-ktmmx            true             5h53m
    compute-2.example.com         provisioned              compute-2-l2zmb            true             5h53m

  7. After the RHCOS installation, verify that the BareMetalHost is added to the cluster:

    $ oc get nodes

    Example output

    NAME                           STATUS      ROLES     AGE   VERSION
    control-plane-1.example.com    available   master    4m2s  v1.26.9
    control-plane-2.example.com    available   master    141m  v1.26.9
    control-plane-3.example.com    available   master    141m  v1.26.9
    compute-1.example.com          available   worker    87m   v1.26.9
    compute-2.example.com          available   worker    87m   v1.26.9

    Note

    After replacement of the new control plane node, the etcd pod running in the new node is in crashloopback status. See "Replacing an unhealthy etcd member" in the Additional resources section for more information.

6.3. Preparing to deploy with Virtual Media on the baremetal network

If the provisioning network is enabled and you want to expand the cluster using Virtual Media on the baremetal network, use the following procedure.

Prerequisites

  • There is an existing cluster with a baremetal network and a provisioning network.

Procedure

  1. Edit the provisioning custom resource (CR) to enable deploying with Virtual Media on the baremetal network:

    oc edit provisioning
      apiVersion: metal3.io/v1alpha1
      kind: Provisioning
      metadata:
        creationTimestamp: "2021-08-05T18:51:50Z"
        finalizers:
        - provisioning.metal3.io
        generation: 8
        name: provisioning-configuration
        resourceVersion: "551591"
        uid: f76e956f-24c6-4361-aa5b-feaf72c5b526
      spec:
        provisioningDHCPRange: 172.22.0.10,172.22.0.254
        provisioningIP: 172.22.0.3
        provisioningInterface: enp1s0
        provisioningNetwork: Managed
        provisioningNetworkCIDR: 172.22.0.0/24
        virtualMediaViaExternalNetwork: true 1
      status:
        generations:
        - group: apps
          hash: ""
          lastGeneration: 7
          name: metal3
          namespace: openshift-machine-api
          resource: deployments
        - group: apps
          hash: ""
          lastGeneration: 1
          name: metal3-image-cache
          namespace: openshift-machine-api
          resource: daemonsets
        observedGeneration: 8
        readyReplicas: 0
    1
    Add virtualMediaViaExternalNetwork: true to the provisioning CR.
  2. If the image URL exists, edit the machineset to use the API VIP address. This step only applies to clusters installed in versions 4.9 or earlier.

    oc edit machineset
      apiVersion: machine.openshift.io/v1beta1
      kind: MachineSet
      metadata:
        creationTimestamp: "2021-08-05T18:51:52Z"
        generation: 11
        labels:
          machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: ostest-hwmdt
          machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-role: worker
          machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-type: worker
        name: ostest-hwmdt-worker-0
        namespace: openshift-machine-api
        resourceVersion: "551513"
        uid: fad1c6e0-b9da-4d4a-8d73-286f78788931
      spec:
        replicas: 2
        selector:
          matchLabels:
            machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: ostest-hwmdt
            machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: ostest-hwmdt-worker-0
        template:
          metadata:
            labels:
              machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-cluster: ostest-hwmdt
              machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-role: worker
              machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machine-type: worker
              machine.openshift.io/cluster-api-machineset: ostest-hwmdt-worker-0
          spec:
            metadata: {}
            providerSpec:
              value:
                apiVersion: baremetal.cluster.k8s.io/v1alpha1
                hostSelector: {}
                image:
                  checksum: http:/172.22.0.3:6181/images/rhcos-<version>.<architecture>.qcow2.<md5sum> 1
                  url: http://172.22.0.3:6181/images/rhcos-<version>.<architecture>.qcow2 2
                kind: BareMetalMachineProviderSpec
                metadata:
                  creationTimestamp: null
                userData:
                  name: worker-user-data
      status:
        availableReplicas: 2
        fullyLabeledReplicas: 2
        observedGeneration: 11
        readyReplicas: 2
        replicas: 2
    1
    Edit the checksum URL to use the API VIP address.
    2
    Edit the url URL to use the API VIP address.

6.4. Diagnosing a duplicate MAC address when provisioning a new host in the cluster

If the MAC address of an existing bare-metal node in the cluster matches the MAC address of a bare-metal host you are attempting to add to the cluster, the Bare Metal Operator associates the host with the existing node. If the host enrollment, inspection, cleaning, or other Ironic steps fail, the Bare Metal Operator retries the installation continuously. A registration error is displayed for the failed bare-metal host.

You can diagnose a duplicate MAC address by examining the bare-metal hosts that are running in the openshift-machine-api namespace.

Prerequisites

  • Install an OpenShift Container Platform cluster on bare metal.
  • Install the OpenShift Container Platform CLI oc.
  • Log in as a user with cluster-admin privileges.

Procedure

To determine whether a bare-metal host that fails provisioning has the same MAC address as an existing node, do the following:

  1. Get the bare-metal hosts running in the openshift-machine-api namespace:

    $ oc get bmh -n openshift-machine-api

    Example output

    NAME                 STATUS   PROVISIONING STATUS      CONSUMER
    openshift-master-0   OK       externally provisioned   openshift-zpwpq-master-0
    openshift-master-1   OK       externally provisioned   openshift-zpwpq-master-1
    openshift-master-2   OK       externally provisioned   openshift-zpwpq-master-2
    openshift-worker-0   OK       provisioned              openshift-zpwpq-worker-0-lv84n
    openshift-worker-1   OK       provisioned              openshift-zpwpq-worker-0-zd8lm
    openshift-worker-2   error    registering

  2. To see more detailed information about the status of the failing host, run the following command replacing <bare_metal_host_name> with the name of the host:

    $ oc get -n openshift-machine-api bmh <bare_metal_host_name> -o yaml

    Example output

    ...
    status:
      errorCount: 12
      errorMessage: MAC address b4:96:91:1d:7c:20 conflicts with existing node openshift-worker-1
      errorType: registration error
    ...

6.5. Provisioning the bare metal node

Provisioning the bare metal node requires executing the following procedure from the provisioner node.

Procedure

  1. Ensure the STATE is available before provisioning the bare metal node.

    $  oc -n openshift-machine-api get bmh openshift-worker-<num>

    Where <num> is the worker node number.

    NAME              STATE     ONLINE ERROR  AGE
    openshift-worker  available true          34h
  2. Get a count of the number of worker nodes.

    $ oc get nodes
    NAME                                                STATUS   ROLES           AGE     VERSION
    openshift-master-1.openshift.example.com            Ready    master          30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-master-2.openshift.example.com            Ready    master          30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-master-3.openshift.example.com            Ready    master          30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-worker-0.openshift.example.com            Ready    worker          30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-worker-1.openshift.example.com            Ready    worker          30h     v1.26.0
  3. Get the compute machine set.

    $ oc get machinesets -n openshift-machine-api
    NAME                                DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AVAILABLE   AGE
    ...
    openshift-worker-0.example.com      1         1         1       1           55m
    openshift-worker-1.example.com      1         1         1       1           55m
  4. Increase the number of worker nodes by one.

    $ oc scale --replicas=<num> machineset <machineset> -n openshift-machine-api

    Replace <num> with the new number of worker nodes. Replace <machineset> with the name of the compute machine set from the previous step.

  5. Check the status of the bare metal node.

    $ oc -n openshift-machine-api get bmh openshift-worker-<num>

    Where <num> is the worker node number. The STATE changes from ready to provisioning.

    NAME                    STATE             CONSUMER                          ONLINE   ERROR
    openshift-worker-<num>  provisioning      openshift-worker-<num>-65tjz      true

    The provisioning status remains until the OpenShift Container Platform cluster provisions the node. This can take 30 minutes or more. After the node is provisioned, the state will change to provisioned.

    NAME                    STATE             CONSUMER                          ONLINE   ERROR
    openshift-worker-<num>  provisioned       openshift-worker-<num>-65tjz      true
  6. After provisioning completes, ensure the bare metal node is ready.

    $ oc get nodes
    NAME                                          STATUS   ROLES   AGE     VERSION
    openshift-master-1.openshift.example.com      Ready    master  30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-master-2.openshift.example.com      Ready    master  30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-master-3.openshift.example.com      Ready    master  30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-worker-0.openshift.example.com      Ready    worker  30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-worker-1.openshift.example.com      Ready    worker  30h     v1.26.0
    openshift-worker-<num>.openshift.example.com  Ready    worker  3m27s   v1.26.0

    You can also check the kubelet.

    $ ssh openshift-worker-<num>
    [kni@openshift-worker-<num>]$ journalctl -fu kubelet

Chapter 7. Troubleshooting

7.1. Troubleshooting the installer workflow

Prior to troubleshooting the installation environment, it is critical to understand the overall flow of the installer-provisioned installation on bare metal. The diagrams below provide a troubleshooting flow with a step-by-step breakdown for the environment.

Flow-Diagram-1

Workflow 1 of 4 illustrates a troubleshooting workflow when the install-config.yaml file has errors or the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) images are inaccessible. Troubleshooting suggestions can be found at Troubleshooting install-config.yaml.

Flow-Diagram-2

Workflow 2 of 4 illustrates a troubleshooting workflow for bootstrap VM issues, bootstrap VMs that cannot boot up the cluster nodes, and inspecting logs. When installing an OpenShift Container Platform cluster without the provisioning network, this workflow does not apply.

Flow-Diagram-3

Workflow 3 of 4 illustrates a troubleshooting workflow for cluster nodes that will not PXE boot. If installing using RedFish Virtual Media, each node must meet minimum firmware requirements for the installer to deploy the node. See Firmware requirements for installing with virtual media in the Prerequisites section for additional details.

Flow-Diagram-4

Workflow 4 of 4 illustrates a troubleshooting workflow from a non-accessible API to a validated installation.

7.2. Troubleshooting install-config.yaml

The install-config.yaml configuration file represents all of the nodes that are part of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster. The file contains the necessary options consisting of but not limited to apiVersion, baseDomain, imageContentSources and virtual IP addresses. If errors occur early in the deployment of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster, the errors are likely in the install-config.yaml configuration file.

Procedure

  1. Use the guidelines in YAML-tips.
  2. Verify the YAML syntax is correct using syntax-check.
  3. Verify the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) QEMU images are properly defined and accessible via the URL provided in the install-config.yaml. For example:

    $ curl -s -o /dev/null -I -w "%{http_code}\n" http://webserver.example.com:8080/rhcos-44.81.202004250133-0-qemu.<architecture>.qcow2.gz?sha256=7d884b46ee54fe87bbc3893bf2aa99af3b2d31f2e19ab5529c60636fbd0f1ce7

    If the output is 200, there is a valid response from the webserver storing the bootstrap VM image.

7.3. Bootstrap VM issues

The OpenShift Container Platform installation program spawns a bootstrap node virtual machine, which handles provisioning the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes.

Procedure

  1. About 10 to 15 minutes after triggering the installation program, check to ensure the bootstrap VM is operational using the virsh command:

    $ sudo virsh list
     Id    Name                           State
     --------------------------------------------
     12    openshift-xf6fq-bootstrap      running
    Note

    The name of the bootstrap VM is always the cluster name followed by a random set of characters and ending in the word "bootstrap."

    If the bootstrap VM is not running after 10-15 minutes, troubleshoot why it is not running. Possible issues include:

  2. Verify libvirtd is running on the system:

    $ systemctl status libvirtd
    ● libvirtd.service - Virtualization daemon
       Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/libvirtd.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
       Active: active (running) since Tue 2020-03-03 21:21:07 UTC; 3 weeks 5 days ago
         Docs: man:libvirtd(8)
               https://libvirt.org
     Main PID: 9850 (libvirtd)
        Tasks: 20 (limit: 32768)
       Memory: 74.8M
       CGroup: /system.slice/libvirtd.service
               ├─ 9850 /usr/sbin/libvirtd

    If the bootstrap VM is operational, log in to it.

  3. Use the virsh console command to find the IP address of the bootstrap VM:

    $ sudo virsh console example.com
    Connected to domain example.com
    Escape character is ^]
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS 43.81.202001142154.0 (Ootpa) 4.3
    SSH host key: SHA256:BRWJktXZgQQRY5zjuAV0IKZ4WM7i4TiUyMVanqu9Pqg (ED25519)
    SSH host key: SHA256:7+iKGA7VtG5szmk2jB5gl/5EZ+SNcJ3a2g23o0lnIio (ECDSA)
    SSH host key: SHA256:DH5VWhvhvagOTaLsYiVNse9ca+ZSW/30OOMed8rIGOc (RSA)
    ens3:  fd35:919d:4042:2:c7ed:9a9f:a9ec:7
    ens4: 172.22.0.2 fe80::1d05:e52e:be5d:263f
    localhost login:
    Important

    When deploying an OpenShift Container Platform cluster without the provisioning network, you must use a public IP address and not a private IP address like 172.22.0.2.

  4. After you obtain the IP address, log in to the bootstrap VM using the ssh command:

    Note

    In the console output of the previous step, you can use the IPv6 IP address provided by ens3 or the IPv4 IP provided by ens4.

    $ ssh core@172.22.0.2

If you are not successful logging in to the bootstrap VM, you have likely encountered one of the following scenarios:

  • You cannot reach the 172.22.0.0/24 network. Verify the network connectivity between the provisioner and the provisioning network bridge. This issue might occur if you are using a provisioning network. `
  • You cannot reach the bootstrap VM through the public network. When attempting to SSH via baremetal network, verify connectivity on the provisioner host specifically around the baremetal network bridge.
  • You encountered Permission denied (publickey,password,keyboard-interactive). When attempting to access the bootstrap VM, a Permission denied error might occur. Verify that the SSH key for the user attempting to log in to the VM is set within the install-config.yaml file.

7.3.1. Bootstrap VM cannot boot up the cluster nodes

During the deployment, it is possible for the bootstrap VM to fail to boot the cluster nodes, which prevents the VM from provisioning the nodes with the RHCOS image. This scenario can arise due to:

  • A problem with the install-config.yaml file.
  • Issues with out-of-band network access when using the baremetal network.

To verify the issue, there are three containers related to ironic:

  • ironic
  • ironic-inspector

Procedure

  1. Log in to the bootstrap VM:

    $ ssh core@172.22.0.2
  2. To check the container logs, execute the following:

    [core@localhost ~]$ sudo podman logs -f <container_name>

    Replace <container_name> with one of ironic or ironic-inspector. If you encounter an issue where the control plane nodes are not booting up from PXE, check the ironic pod. The ironic pod contains information about the attempt to boot the cluster nodes, because it attempts to log in to the node over IPMI.

Potential reason

The cluster nodes might be in the ON state when deployment started.

Solution

Power off the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes before you begin the installation over IPMI:

$ ipmitool -I lanplus -U root -P <password> -H <out_of_band_ip> power off

7.3.2. Inspecting logs

When experiencing issues downloading or accessing the RHCOS images, first verify that the URL is correct in the install-config.yaml configuration file.

Example of internal webserver hosting RHCOS images

bootstrapOSImage: http://<ip:port>/rhcos-43.81.202001142154.0-qemu.<architecture>.qcow2.gz?sha256=9d999f55ff1d44f7ed7c106508e5deecd04dc3c06095d34d36bf1cd127837e0c
clusterOSImage: http://<ip:port>/rhcos-43.81.202001142154.0-openstack.<architecture>.qcow2.gz?sha256=a1bda656fa0892f7b936fdc6b6a6086bddaed5dafacedcd7a1e811abb78fe3b0

The coreos-downloader container downloads resources from a webserver or from the external quay.io registry, whichever the install-config.yaml configuration file specifies. Verify that the coreos-downloader container is up and running and inspect its logs as needed.

Procedure

  1. Log in to the bootstrap VM:

    $ ssh core@172.22.0.2
  2. Check the status of the coreos-downloader container within the bootstrap VM by running the following command:

    [core@localhost ~]$ sudo podman logs -f coreos-downloader

    If the bootstrap VM cannot access the URL to the images, use the curl command to verify that the VM can access the images.

  3. To inspect the bootkube logs that indicate if all the containers launched during the deployment phase, execute the following:

    [core@localhost ~]$ journalctl -xe
    [core@localhost ~]$ journalctl -b -f -u bootkube.service
  4. Verify all the pods, including dnsmasq, mariadb, httpd, and ironic, are running:

    [core@localhost ~]$ sudo podman ps
  5. If there are issues with the pods, check the logs of the containers with issues. To check the logs of the ironic service, run the following command:

    [core@localhost ~]$ sudo podman logs ironic

7.4. Cluster nodes will not PXE boot

When OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes will not PXE boot, execute the following checks on the cluster nodes that will not PXE boot. This procedure does not apply when installing an OpenShift Container Platform cluster without the provisioning network.

Procedure

  1. Check the network connectivity to the provisioning network.
  2. Ensure PXE is enabled on the NIC for the provisioning network and PXE is disabled for all other NICs.
  3. Verify that the install-config.yaml configuration file includes the rootDeviceHints parameter and boot MAC address for the NIC connected to the provisioning network. For example:

    control plane node settings

    bootMACAddress: 24:6E:96:1B:96:90 # MAC of bootable provisioning NIC

    Worker node settings

    bootMACAddress: 24:6E:96:1B:96:90 # MAC of bootable provisioning NIC

7.5. Unable to discover new bare metal hosts using the BMC

In some cases, the installation program will not be able to discover the new bare metal hosts and issue an error, because it cannot mount the remote virtual media share.

For example:

ProvisioningError 51s metal3-baremetal-controller Image provisioning failed: Deploy step deploy.deploy failed with BadRequestError: HTTP POST
https://<bmc_address>/redfish/v1/Managers/iDRAC.Embedded.1/VirtualMedia/CD/Actions/VirtualMedia.InsertMedia
returned code 400.
Base.1.8.GeneralError: A general error has occurred. See ExtendedInfo for more information
Extended information: [
  {
    "Message": "Unable to mount remote share https://<ironic_address>/redfish/boot-<uuid>.iso.",
    "MessageArgs": [
      "https://<ironic_address>/redfish/boot-<uuid>.iso"
    ],
    "MessageArgs@odata.count": 1,
    "MessageId": "IDRAC.2.5.RAC0720",
    "RelatedProperties": [
      "#/Image"
    ],
    "RelatedProperties@odata.count": 1,
    "Resolution": "Retry the operation.",
    "Severity": "Informational"
  }
].

In this situation, if you are using virtual media with an unknown certificate authority, you can configure your baseboard management controller (BMC) remote file share settings to trust an unknown certificate authority to avoid this error.

Note

This resolution was tested on OpenShift Container Platform 4.11 with Dell iDRAC 9 and firmware version 5.10.50.

7.6. The API is not accessible

When the cluster is running and clients cannot access the API, domain name resolution issues might impede access to the API.

Procedure

  1. Hostname Resolution: Check the cluster nodes to ensure they have a fully qualified domain name, and not just localhost.localdomain. For example:

    $ hostname

    If a hostname is not set, set the correct hostname. For example:

    $ hostnamectl set-hostname <hostname>
  2. Incorrect Name Resolution: Ensure that each node has the correct name resolution in the DNS server using dig and nslookup. For example:

    $ dig api.<cluster_name>.example.com
    ; <<>> DiG 9.11.4-P2-RedHat-9.11.4-26.P2.el8 <<>> api.<cluster_name>.example.com
    ;; global options: +cmd
    ;; Got answer:
    ;; ->>HEADER<<- opcode: QUERY, status: NOERROR, id: 37551
    ;; flags: qr aa rd ra; QUERY: 1, ANSWER: 1, AUTHORITY: 1, ADDITIONAL: 2
    
    ;; OPT PSEUDOSECTION:
    ; EDNS: version: 0, flags:; udp: 4096
    ; COOKIE: 866929d2f8e8563582af23f05ec44203d313e50948d43f60 (good)
    ;; QUESTION SECTION:
    ;api.<cluster_name>.example.com. IN A
    
    ;; ANSWER SECTION:
    api.<cluster_name>.example.com. 10800 IN	A 10.19.13.86
    
    ;; AUTHORITY SECTION:
    <cluster_name>.example.com. 10800 IN NS	<cluster_name>.example.com.
    
    ;; ADDITIONAL SECTION:
    <cluster_name>.example.com. 10800 IN A	10.19.14.247
    
    ;; Query time: 0 msec
    ;; SERVER: 10.19.14.247#53(10.19.14.247)
    ;; WHEN: Tue May 19 20:30:59 UTC 2020
    ;; MSG SIZE  rcvd: 140

    The output in the foregoing example indicates that the appropriate IP address for the api.<cluster_name>.example.com VIP is 10.19.13.86. This IP address should reside on the baremetal network.

7.7. Troubleshooting worker nodes that cannot join the cluster

Installer-provisioned clusters deploy with a DNS server that includes a DNS entry for the api-int.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> URL. If the nodes within the cluster use an external or upstream DNS server to resolve the api-int.<cluster_name>.<base_domain> URL and there is no such entry, worker nodes might fail to join the cluster. Ensure that all nodes in the cluster can resolve the domain name.

Procedure

  1. Add a DNS A/AAAA or CNAME record to internally identify the API load balancer. For example, when using dnsmasq, modify the dnsmasq.conf configuration file:

    $ sudo nano /etc/dnsmasq.conf
    address=/api-int.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>/<IP_address>
    address=/api-int.mycluster.example.com/192.168.1.10
    address=/api-int.mycluster.example.com/2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
  2. Add a DNS PTR record to internally identify the API load balancer. For example, when using dnsmasq, modify the dnsmasq.conf configuration file:

    $ sudo nano /etc/dnsmasq.conf
    ptr-record=<IP_address>.in-addr.arpa,api-int.<cluster_name>.<base_domain>
    ptr-record=10.1.168.192.in-addr.arpa,api-int.mycluster.example.com
  3. Restart the DNS server. For example, when using dnsmasq, execute the following command:

    $ sudo systemctl restart dnsmasq

These records must be resolvable from all the nodes within the cluster.

7.8. Cleaning up previous installations

In the event of a previous failed deployment, remove the artifacts from the failed attempt before attempting to deploy OpenShift Container Platform again.

Procedure

  1. Power off all bare metal nodes prior to installing the OpenShift Container Platform cluster:

    $ ipmitool -I lanplus -U <user> -P <password> -H <management_server_ip> power off
  2. Remove all old bootstrap resources if any are left over from a previous deployment attempt:

    for i in $(sudo virsh list | tail -n +3 | grep bootstrap | awk {'print $2'});
    do
      sudo virsh destroy $i;
      sudo virsh undefine $i;
      sudo virsh vol-delete $i --pool $i;
      sudo virsh vol-delete $i.ign --pool $i;
      sudo virsh pool-destroy $i;
      sudo virsh pool-undefine $i;
    done
  3. Remove the following from the clusterconfigs directory to prevent Terraform from failing:

    $ rm -rf ~/clusterconfigs/auth ~/clusterconfigs/terraform* ~/clusterconfigs/tls ~/clusterconfigs/metadata.json

7.9. Issues with creating the registry

When creating a disconnected registry, you might encounter a "User Not Authorized" error when attempting to mirror the registry. This error might occur if you fail to append the new authentication to the existing pull-secret.txt file.

Procedure

  1. Check to ensure authentication is successful:

    $ /usr/local/bin/oc adm release mirror \
      -a pull-secret-update.json
      --from=$UPSTREAM_REPO \
      --to-release-image=$LOCAL_REG/$LOCAL_REPO:${VERSION} \
      --to=$LOCAL_REG/$LOCAL_REPO
    Note

    Example output of the variables used to mirror the install images:

    UPSTREAM_REPO=${RELEASE_IMAGE}
    LOCAL_REG=<registry_FQDN>:<registry_port>
    LOCAL_REPO='ocp4/openshift4'

    The values of RELEASE_IMAGE and VERSION were set during the Retrieving OpenShift Installer step of the Setting up the environment for an OpenShift installation section.

  2. After mirroring the registry, confirm that you can access it in your disconnected environment:

    $ curl -k -u <user>:<password> https://registry.example.com:<registry_port>/v2/_catalog
    {"repositories":["<Repo_Name>"]}

7.10. Miscellaneous issues

7.10.1. Addressing the runtime network not ready error

After the deployment of a cluster you might receive the following error:

`runtime network not ready: NetworkReady=false reason:NetworkPluginNotReady message:Network plugin returns error: Missing CNI default network`

The Cluster Network Operator is responsible for deploying the networking components in response to a special object created by the installer. It runs very early in the installation process, after the control plane (master) nodes have come up, but before the bootstrap control plane has been torn down. It can be indicative of more subtle installer issues, such as long delays in bringing up control plane (master) nodes or issues with apiserver communication.

Procedure

  1. Inspect the pods in the openshift-network-operator namespace:

    $ oc get all -n openshift-network-operator
    NAME                                    READY STATUS            RESTARTS   AGE
    pod/network-operator-69dfd7b577-bg89v   0/1   ContainerCreating 0          149m
  2. On the provisioner node, determine that the network configuration exists:

    $ kubectl get network.config.openshift.io cluster -oyaml
    apiVersion: config.openshift.io/v1
    kind: Network
    metadata:
      name: cluster
    spec:
      serviceNetwork:
      - 172.30.0.0/16
      clusterNetwork:
      - cidr: 10.128.0.0/14
        hostPrefix: 23
      networkType: OVNKubernetes

    If it does not exist, the installer did not create it. To determine why the installer did not create it, execute the following:

    $ openshift-install create manifests
  3. Check that the network-operator is running:

    $ kubectl -n openshift-network-operator get pods
  4. Retrieve the logs:

    $ kubectl -n openshift-network-operator logs -l "name=network-operator"

    On high availability clusters with three or more control plane (master) nodes, the Operator will perform leader election and all other Operators will sleep. For additional details, see Troubleshooting.

7.10.2. Addressing the "No disk found with matching rootDeviceHints" error message

After you deploy a cluster, you might receive the following error message:

No disk found with matching rootDeviceHints

To address the No disk found with matching rootDeviceHints error message, a temporary workaround is to change the rootDeviceHints to minSizeGigabytes: 300.

After you change the rootDeviceHints settings, boot the CoreOS and then verify the disk information by using the following command:

$ udevadm info /dev/sda

If you are using DL360 Gen 10 servers, be aware that they have an SD-card slot that might be assigned the /dev/sda device name. If no SD card is present in the server, it can cause conflicts. Ensure that the SD card slot is disabled in the server’s BIOS settings.

If the minSizeGigabytes workaround is not fulfilling the requirements, you might need to revert rootDeviceHints back to /dev/sda. This change allows ironic images to boot successfully.

An alternative approach to fixing this problem is by using the serial ID of the disk. However, be aware that finding the serial ID can be challenging and might make the configuration file less readable. If you choose this path, ensure that you gather the serial ID using the previously documented command and incorporate it into your configuration.

7.10.3. Cluster nodes not getting the correct IPv6 address over DHCP

If the cluster nodes are not getting the correct IPv6 address over DHCP, check the following:

  1. Ensure the reserved IPv6 addresses reside outside the DHCP range.
  2. In the IP address reservation on the DHCP server, ensure the reservation specifies the correct DHCP Unique Identifier (DUID). For example:

    # This is a dnsmasq dhcp reservation, 'id:00:03:00:01' is the client id and '18:db:f2:8c:d5:9f' is the MAC Address for the NIC
    id:00:03:00:01:18:db:f2:8c:d5:9f,openshift-master-1,[2620:52:0:1302::6]
  3. Ensure that route announcements are working.
  4. Ensure that the DHCP server is listening on the required interfaces serving the IP address ranges.

7.10.4. Cluster nodes not getting the correct hostname over DHCP

During IPv6 deployment, cluster nodes must get their hostname over DHCP. Sometimes the NetworkManager does not assign the hostname immediately. A control plane (master) node might report an error such as:

Failed Units: 2
  NetworkManager-wait-online.service
  nodeip-configuration.service

This error indicates that the cluster node likely booted without first receiving a hostname from the DHCP server, which causes kubelet to boot with a localhost.localdomain hostname. To address the error, force the node to renew the hostname.

Procedure

  1. Retrieve the hostname:

    [core@master-X ~]$ hostname

    If the hostname is localhost, proceed with the following steps.

    Note

    Where X is the control plane node number.

  2. Force the cluster node to renew the DHCP lease:

    [core@master-X ~]$ sudo nmcli con up "<bare_metal_nic>"

    Replace <bare_metal_nic> with the wired connection corresponding to the baremetal network.

  3. Check hostname again:

    [core@master-X ~]$ hostname
  4. If the hostname is still localhost.localdomain, restart NetworkManager:

    [core@master-X ~]$ sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
  5. If the hostname is still localhost.localdomain, wait a few minutes and check again. If the hostname remains localhost.localdomain, repeat the previous steps.
  6. Restart the nodeip-configuration service:

    [core@master-X ~]$ sudo systemctl restart nodeip-configuration.service

    This service will reconfigure the kubelet service with the correct hostname references.

  7. Reload the unit files definition since the kubelet changed in the previous step:

    [core@master-X ~]$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
  8. Restart the kubelet service:

    [core@master-X ~]$ sudo systemctl restart kubelet.service
  9. Ensure kubelet booted with the correct hostname:

    [core@master-X ~]$ sudo journalctl -fu kubelet.service

If the cluster node is not getting the correct hostname over DHCP after the cluster is up and running, such as during a reboot, the cluster will have a pending csr. Do not approve a csr, or other issues might arise.

Addressing a csr

  1. Get CSRs on the cluster:

    $ oc get csr
  2. Verify if a pending csr contains Subject Name: localhost.localdomain:

    $ oc get csr <pending_csr> -o jsonpath='{.spec.request}' | base64 --decode | openssl req -noout -text
  3. Remove any csr that contains Subject Name: localhost.localdomain:

    $ oc delete csr <wrong_csr>

7.10.5. Routes do not reach endpoints

During the installation process, it is possible to encounter a Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP) conflict. This conflict might occur if a previously used OpenShift Container Platform node that was once part of a cluster deployment using a specific cluster name is still running but not part of the current OpenShift Container Platform cluster deployment using that same cluster name. For example, a cluster was deployed using the cluster name openshift, deploying three control plane (master) nodes and three worker nodes. Later, a separate install uses the same cluster name openshift, but this redeployment only installed three control plane (master) nodes, leaving the three worker nodes from a previous deployment in an ON state. This might cause a Virtual Router Identifier (VRID) conflict and a VRRP conflict.

  1. Get the route:

    $ oc get route oauth-openshift
  2. Check the service endpoint:

    $ oc get svc oauth-openshift
    NAME              TYPE        CLUSTER-IP      EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)   AGE
    oauth-openshift   ClusterIP   172.30.19.162   <none>        443/TCP   59m
  3. Attempt to reach the service from a control plane (master) node:

    [core@master0 ~]$ curl -k https://172.30.19.162
    {
      "kind": "Status",
      "apiVersion": "v1",
      "metadata": {
      },
      "status": "Failure",
      "message": "forbidden: User \"system:anonymous\" cannot get path \"/\"",
      "reason": "Forbidden",
      "details": {
      },
      "code": 403
  4. Identify the authentication-operator errors from the provisioner node:

    $ oc logs deployment/authentication-operator -n openshift-authentication-operator
    Event(v1.ObjectReference{Kind:"Deployment", Namespace:"openshift-authentication-operator", Name:"authentication-operator", UID:"225c5bd5-b368-439b-9155-5fd3c0459d98", APIVersion:"apps/v1", ResourceVersion:"", FieldPath:""}): type: 'Normal' reason: 'OperatorStatusChanged' Status for clusteroperator/authentication changed: Degraded message changed from "IngressStateEndpointsDegraded: All 2 endpoints for oauth-server are reporting"

Solution

  1. Ensure that the cluster name for every deployment is unique, ensuring no conflict.
  2. Turn off all the rogue nodes which are not part of the cluster deployment that are using the same cluster name. Otherwise, the authentication pod of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster might never start successfully.

7.10.6. Failed Ignition during Firstboot

During the Firstboot, the Ignition configuration may fail.

Procedure

  1. Connect to the node where the Ignition configuration failed:

    Failed Units: 1
      machine-config-daemon-firstboot.service
  2. Restart the machine-config-daemon-firstboot service:

    [core@worker-X ~]$ sudo systemctl restart machine-config-daemon-firstboot.service

7.10.7. NTP out of sync

The deployment of OpenShift Container Platform clusters depends on NTP synchronized clocks among the cluster nodes. Without synchronized clocks, the deployment may fail due to clock drift if the time difference is greater than two seconds.

Procedure

  1. Check for differences in the AGE of the cluster nodes. For example:

    $ oc get nodes
    NAME                         STATUS   ROLES    AGE   VERSION
    master-0.cloud.example.com   Ready    master   145m   v1.26.0
    master-1.cloud.example.com   Ready    master   135m   v1.26.0
    master-2.cloud.example.com   Ready    master   145m   v1.26.0
    worker-2.cloud.example.com   Ready    worker   100m   v1.26.0
  2. Check for inconsistent timing delays due to clock drift. For example:

    $ oc get bmh -n openshift-machine-api
    master-1   error registering master-1  ipmi://<out_of_band_ip>
    $ sudo timedatectl
                   Local time: Tue 2020-03-10 18:20:02 UTC
               Universal time: Tue 2020-03-10 18:20:02 UTC
                     RTC time: Tue 2020-03-10 18:36:53
                    Time zone: UTC (UTC, +0000)
    System clock synchronized: no
                  NTP service: active
              RTC in local TZ: no

Addressing clock drift in existing clusters

  1. Create a Butane config file including the contents of the chrony.conf file to be delivered to the nodes. In the following example, create 99-master-chrony.bu to add the file to the control plane nodes. You can modify the file for worker nodes or repeat this procedure for the worker role.

    Note

    See "Creating machine configs with Butane" for information about Butane.

    variant: openshift
    version: 4.13.0
    metadata:
      name: 99-master-chrony
      labels:
        machineconfiguration.openshift.io/role: master
    storage:
      files:
      - path: /etc/chrony.conf
        mode: 0644
        overwrite: true
        contents:
          inline: |
            server <NTP_server> iburst 1
            stratumweight 0
            driftfile /var/lib/chrony/drift
            rtcsync
            makestep 10 3
            bindcmdaddress 127.0.0.1
            bindcmdaddress ::1
            keyfile /etc/chrony.keys
            commandkey 1
            generatecommandkey
            noclientlog
            logchange 0.5
            logdir /var/log/chrony
    1
    Replace <NTP_server> with the IP address of the NTP server.
  2. Use Butane to generate a MachineConfig object file, 99-master-chrony.yaml, containing the configuration to be delivered to the nodes:

    $ butane 99-master-chrony.bu -o 99-master-chrony.yaml
  3. Apply the MachineConfig object file:

    $ oc apply -f 99-master-chrony.yaml
  4. Ensure the System clock synchronized value is yes:

    $ sudo timedatectl
                   Local time: Tue 2020-03-10 19:10:02 UTC
               Universal time: Tue 2020-03-10 19:10:02 UTC
                     RTC time: Tue 2020-03-10 19:36:53
                    Time zone: UTC (UTC, +0000)
    System clock synchronized: yes
                  NTP service: active
              RTC in local TZ: no

    To setup clock synchronization prior to deployment, generate the manifest files and add this file to the openshift directory. For example:

    $ cp chrony-masters.yaml ~/clusterconfigs/openshift/99_masters-chrony-configuration.yaml

    Then, continue to create the cluster.

7.11. Reviewing the installation

After installation, ensure the installer deployed the nodes and pods successfully.

Procedure

  1. When the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes are installed appropriately, the following Ready state is seen within the STATUS column:

    $ oc get nodes
    NAME                   STATUS   ROLES           AGE  VERSION
    master-0.example.com   Ready    master,worker   4h   v1.26.0
    master-1.example.com   Ready    master,worker   4h   v1.26.0
    master-2.example.com   Ready    master,worker   4h   v1.26.0
  2. Confirm the installer deployed all pods successfully. The following command removes any pods that are still running or have completed as part of the output.

    $ oc get pods --all-namespaces | grep -iv running | grep -iv complete

Legal Notice

Copyright © 2024 Red Hat, Inc.

OpenShift documentation is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0).

Modified versions must remove all Red Hat trademarks.

Portions adapted from https://github.com/kubernetes-incubator/service-catalog/ with modifications by Red Hat.

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