Chapter 4. Installing a cluster quickly on Azure
In OpenShift Container Platform version 4.15, you can install a cluster on Microsoft Azure that uses the default configuration options.
4.1. Prerequisites
- You reviewed details about the OpenShift Container Platform installation and update processes.
- You read the documentation on selecting a cluster installation method and preparing it for users.
- You configured an Azure account to host the cluster and determined the tested and validated region to deploy the cluster to.
- If you use a firewall, you configured it to allow the sites that your cluster requires access to.
4.2. Internet access for OpenShift Container Platform
In OpenShift Container Platform 4.15, you require access to the internet to install your cluster.
You must have internet access to:
- Access OpenShift Cluster Manager to download the installation program and perform subscription management. If the cluster has internet access and you do not disable Telemetry, that service automatically entitles your cluster.
- Access Quay.io to obtain the packages that are required to install your cluster.
- Obtain the packages that are required to perform cluster updates.
If your cluster cannot have direct internet access, you can perform a restricted network installation on some types of infrastructure that you provision. During that process, you download the required content and use it to populate a mirror registry with the installation packages. With some installation types, the environment that you install your cluster in will not require internet access. Before you update the cluster, you update the content of the mirror registry.
4.3. Generating a key pair for cluster node SSH access
During an OpenShift Container Platform installation, you can provide an SSH public key to the installation program. The key is passed to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) nodes through their Ignition config files and is used to authenticate SSH access to the nodes. The key is added to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
list for the core
user on each node, which enables password-less authentication.
After the key is passed to the nodes, you can use the key pair to SSH in to the RHCOS nodes as the user core
. To access the nodes through SSH, the private key identity must be managed by SSH for your local user.
If you want to SSH in to your cluster nodes to perform installation debugging or disaster recovery, you must provide the SSH public key during the installation process. The ./openshift-install gather
command also requires the SSH public key to be in place on the cluster nodes.
Do not skip this procedure in production environments, where disaster recovery and debugging is required.
You must use a local key, not one that you configured with platform-specific approaches such as AWS key pairs.
Procedure
If you do not have an existing SSH key pair on your local machine to use for authentication onto your cluster nodes, create one. For example, on a computer that uses a Linux operating system, run the following command:
$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -N '' -f <path>/<file_name> 1
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- Specify the path and file name, such as
~/.ssh/id_ed25519
, of the new SSH key. If you have an existing key pair, ensure your public key is in the your~/.ssh
directory.
NoteIf you plan to install an OpenShift Container Platform cluster that uses the RHEL cryptographic libraries that have been submitted to NIST for FIPS 140-2/140-3 Validation on only the
x86_64
,ppc64le
, ands390x
architectures, do not create a key that uses theed25519
algorithm. Instead, create a key that uses thersa
orecdsa
algorithm.View the public SSH key:
$ cat <path>/<file_name>.pub
For example, run the following to view the
~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
public key:$ cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
Add the SSH private key identity to the SSH agent for your local user, if it has not already been added. SSH agent management of the key is required for password-less SSH authentication onto your cluster nodes, or if you want to use the
./openshift-install gather
command.NoteOn some distributions, default SSH private key identities such as
~/.ssh/id_rsa
and~/.ssh/id_dsa
are managed automatically.If the
ssh-agent
process is not already running for your local user, start it as a background task:$ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
Example output
Agent pid 31874
NoteIf your cluster is in FIPS mode, only use FIPS-compliant algorithms to generate the SSH key. The key must be either RSA or ECDSA.
Add your SSH private key to the
ssh-agent
:$ ssh-add <path>/<file_name> 1
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- Specify the path and file name for your SSH private key, such as
~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Example output
Identity added: /home/<you>/<path>/<file_name> (<computer_name>)
Next steps
- When you install OpenShift Container Platform, provide the SSH public key to the installation program.
4.4. Obtaining the installation program
Before you install OpenShift Container Platform, download the installation file on the host you are using for installation.
Prerequisites
- You have a computer that runs Linux or macOS, with at least 1.2 GB of local disk space.
Procedure
- Go to the Cluster Type page on the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console. If you have a Red Hat account, log in with your credentials. If you do not, create an account.
- Select your infrastructure provider from the Run it yourself section of the page.
- Select your host operating system and architecture from the dropdown menus under OpenShift Installer and click Download Installer.
Place the downloaded file in the directory where you want to store the installation configuration files.
Important- The installation program creates several files on the computer that you use to install your cluster. You must keep the installation program and the files that the installation program creates after you finish installing the cluster. Both of the files are required to delete the cluster.
- Deleting the files created by the installation program does not remove your cluster, even if the cluster failed during installation. To remove your cluster, complete the OpenShift Container Platform uninstallation procedures for your specific cloud provider.
Extract the installation program. For example, on a computer that uses a Linux operating system, run the following command:
$ tar -xvf openshift-install-linux.tar.gz
- Download your installation pull secret from Red Hat OpenShift Cluster Manager. This pull secret allows you to authenticate with the services that are provided by the included authorities, including Quay.io, which serves the container images for OpenShift Container Platform components.
Alternatively, you can retrieve the installation program from the Red Hat Customer Portal, where you can specify a version of the installation program to download. However, you must have an active subscription to access this page.
4.5. Deploying the cluster
You can install OpenShift Container Platform on a compatible cloud platform.
You can run the create cluster
command of the installation program only once, during initial installation.
Prerequisites
- You have configured an account with the cloud platform that hosts your cluster.
- You have the OpenShift Container Platform installation program and the pull secret for your cluster.
- You have an Azure subscription ID and tenant ID.
- You have the application ID and password of a service principal.
Procedure
Optional: If you have run the installation program on this computer before, and want to use an alternative service principal, go to the
~/.azure/
directory and delete theosServicePrincipal.json
configuration file.Deleting this file prevents the installation program from automatically reusing subscription and authentication values from a previous installation.
Change to the directory that contains the installation program and initialize the cluster deployment:
$ ./openshift-install create cluster --dir <installation_directory> \ 1 --log-level=info 2
When specifying the directory:
-
Verify that the directory has the
execute
permission. This permission is required to run Terraform binaries under the installation directory. - Use an empty directory. Some installation assets, such as bootstrap X.509 certificates, have short expiration intervals, therefore you must not reuse an installation directory. If you want to reuse individual files from another cluster installation, you can copy them into your directory. However, the file names for the installation assets might change between releases. Use caution when copying installation files from an earlier OpenShift Container Platform version.
-
Verify that the directory has the
Provide values at the prompts:
Optional: Select an SSH key to use to access your cluster machines.
NoteFor production OpenShift Container Platform clusters on which you want to perform installation debugging or disaster recovery, specify an SSH key that your
ssh-agent
process uses.Select azure as the platform to target.
If the installation program cannot locate the
osServicePrincipal.json
configuration file from a previous installation, you are prompted for Azure subscription and authentication values.Specify the following Azure parameter values for your subscription and service principal:
- azure subscription id: Enter the subscription ID to use for the cluster.
- azure tenant id: Enter the tenant ID.
- azure service principal client id: Enter its application ID.
- azure service principal client secret: Enter its password.
- Select the region to deploy the cluster to.
- Select the base domain to deploy the cluster to. The base domain corresponds to the Azure DNS Zone that you created for your cluster.
Enter a descriptive name for your cluster.
ImportantAll Azure resources that are available through public endpoints are subject to resource name restrictions, and you cannot create resources that use certain terms. For a list of terms that Azure restricts, see Resolve reserved resource name errors in the Azure documentation.
- Paste the pull secret from Red Hat OpenShift Cluster Manager.
If previously not detected, the installation program creates an osServicePrincipal.json
configuration file and stores this file in the ~/.azure/
directory on your computer. This ensures that the installation program can load the profile when it is creating an OpenShift Container Platform cluster on the target platform.
Verification
When the cluster deployment completes successfully:
-
The terminal displays directions for accessing your cluster, including a link to the web console and credentials for the
kubeadmin
user. -
Credential information also outputs to
<installation_directory>/.openshift_install.log
.
Do not delete the installation program or the files that the installation program creates. Both are required to delete the cluster.
Example output
... INFO Install complete! INFO To access the cluster as the system:admin user when using 'oc', run 'export KUBECONFIG=/home/myuser/install_dir/auth/kubeconfig' INFO Access the OpenShift web-console here: https://console-openshift-console.apps.mycluster.example.com INFO Login to the console with user: "kubeadmin", and password: "password" INFO Time elapsed: 36m22s
-
The Ignition config files that the installation program generates contain certificates that expire after 24 hours, which are then renewed at that time. If the cluster is shut down before renewing the certificates and the cluster is later restarted after the 24 hours have elapsed, the cluster automatically recovers the expired certificates. The exception is that you must manually approve the pending
node-bootstrapper
certificate signing requests (CSRs) to recover kubelet certificates. See the documentation for Recovering from expired control plane certificates for more information. - It is recommended that you use Ignition config files within 12 hours after they are generated because the 24-hour certificate rotates from 16 to 22 hours after the cluster is installed. By using the Ignition config files within 12 hours, you can avoid installation failure if the certificate update runs during installation.
4.6. Installing the OpenShift CLI by downloading the binary
You can install the OpenShift CLI (oc
) to interact with OpenShift Container Platform from a command-line interface. You can install oc
on Linux, Windows, or macOS.
If you installed an earlier version of oc
, you cannot use it to complete all of the commands in OpenShift Container Platform 4.15. Download and install the new version of oc
.
Installing the OpenShift CLI on Linux
You can install the OpenShift CLI (oc
) binary on Linux by using the following procedure.
Procedure
- Navigate to the OpenShift Container Platform downloads page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
- Select the architecture from the Product Variant drop-down list.
- Select the appropriate version from the Version drop-down list.
- Click Download Now next to the OpenShift v4.15 Linux Clients entry and save the file.
Unpack the archive:
$ tar xvf <file>
Place the
oc
binary in a directory that is on yourPATH
.To check your
PATH
, execute the following command:$ echo $PATH
Verification
After you install the OpenShift CLI, it is available using the
oc
command:$ oc <command>
Installing the OpenShift CLI on Windows
You can install the OpenShift CLI (oc
) binary on Windows by using the following procedure.
Procedure
- Navigate to the OpenShift Container Platform downloads page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
- Select the appropriate version from the Version drop-down list.
- Click Download Now next to the OpenShift v4.15 Windows Client entry and save the file.
- Unzip the archive with a ZIP program.
Move the
oc
binary to a directory that is on yourPATH
.To check your
PATH
, open the command prompt and execute the following command:C:\> path
Verification
After you install the OpenShift CLI, it is available using the
oc
command:C:\> oc <command>
Installing the OpenShift CLI on macOS
You can install the OpenShift CLI (oc
) binary on macOS by using the following procedure.
Procedure
- Navigate to the OpenShift Container Platform downloads page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
- Select the appropriate version from the Version drop-down list.
Click Download Now next to the OpenShift v4.15 macOS Clients entry and save the file.
NoteFor macOS arm64, choose the OpenShift v4.15 macOS arm64 Client entry.
- Unpack and unzip the archive.
Move the
oc
binary to a directory on your PATH.To check your
PATH
, open a terminal and execute the following command:$ echo $PATH
Verification
Verify your installation by using an
oc
command:$ oc <command>
4.7. Logging in to the cluster by using the CLI
You can log in to your cluster as a default system user by exporting the cluster kubeconfig
file. The kubeconfig
file contains information about the cluster that is used by the CLI to connect a client to the correct cluster and API server. The file is specific to a cluster and is created during OpenShift Container Platform installation.
Prerequisites
- You deployed an OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
-
You installed the
oc
CLI.
Procedure
Export the
kubeadmin
credentials:$ export KUBECONFIG=<installation_directory>/auth/kubeconfig 1
- 1
- For
<installation_directory>
, specify the path to the directory that you stored the installation files in.
Verify you can run
oc
commands successfully using the exported configuration:$ oc whoami
Example output
system:admin
Additional resources
- See Accessing the web console for more details about accessing and understanding the OpenShift Container Platform web console.
4.8. Telemetry access for OpenShift Container Platform
In OpenShift Container Platform 4.15, the Telemetry service, which runs by default to provide metrics about cluster health and the success of updates, requires internet access. If your cluster is connected to the internet, Telemetry runs automatically, and your cluster is registered to OpenShift Cluster Manager.
After you confirm that your OpenShift Cluster Manager inventory is correct, either maintained automatically by Telemetry or manually by using OpenShift Cluster Manager, use subscription watch to track your OpenShift Container Platform subscriptions at the account or multi-cluster level.
Additional resources
- See About remote health monitoring for more information about the Telemetry service
4.9. Next steps
- Customize your cluster.
- If necessary, you can opt out of remote health reporting.