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Installing GitOps

Red Hat OpenShift GitOps 1.20

Installing the OpenShift GitOps Operator, logging in to the Argo CD instance, and installing the GitOps CLI

Red Hat OpenShift Documentation Team

Abstract

This document provides information about sizing requirements and prerequisites for installing the OpenShift GitOps Operator. It also discusses how to install the OpenShift GitOps Operator, log in to the Argo CD instance, and install the GitOps CLI.

Read the following sizing requirements before you install Red Hat OpenShift GitOps on OpenShift Container Platform. This information includes the sizing details for the default Argo CD instance that is instantiated by the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator.

1.1. Sizing requirements for GitOps
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Red Hat OpenShift GitOps is a declarative way to implement continuous deployment for cloud-native applications. Through GitOps, you can define and configure the CPU and memory requirements of your application.

When you install the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator, the resources are deployed to the namespace within the defined limits. If the namespace has resource quotas configured and the installation does not set limits or requests, the Operator installation may fail. Additionally, without sufficient resources, the cluster cannot schedule Argo CD related pods.

The following table details the resource requests and limits for the default workloads.

Expand
WorkloadCPU requestsCPU limitsMemory requestsMemory limits

openshift-gitops-application-controller

250m

2

1024Mi

2048Mi

applicationset-controller

250m

2

512Mi

1024Mi

openshift-gitops-server

125m

500m

128Mi

256Mi

openshift-gitops-repo-server

250m

1

256Mi

1024Mi

openshift-gitops-redis

250m

500m

128Mi

256Mi

openshift-gitops-dex-server

250m

500m

128Mi

256Mi

openshift-gitops-redis-ha-haproxy

250m

500m

128Mi

256Mi

Optionally, you can also use the ArgoCD custom resource with the oc command to see the specifics and modify them: 

oc edit argocd <name of argo cd> -n namespace

1.1.1. Sizing requirements for Argo CD redis
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During the capacity planning stage for your application in the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator, you must ensure that an adequate amount of resources, such as memory, CPU, and storage, are allocated for the argocd-redis pod.

The default memory limit for the Redis pod might not be enough to manage a large number of resources. In these instances, you must increase the memory limit, monitor the memory metrics, and change the memory configuration while the application deployment scales up.

The following command shows the example of the memory configuration for a Redis pod in the openshift-gitops namespace: 

$ oc get argocd -n openshift-gitops openshift-gitops -o json | jq '.spec.redis.resources'

Example Output: 

{
    "limits": {
        "cpu": "500m",
        "memory": "256Mi"
  },
  "requests": {
    "cpu": "250m",
    "memory": "128Mi"
  }
}

where:

limits
Specifies the highest resource limit threshold allocated to the pod.
requests
Specifies the lowest resource limit threshold allocated to the pod.

The following example command changes the memory configuration for a Redis pod. The highest resource limit threshold is set to 8 Gi and the lowest is set to 256 Mi. 

$ oc patch argocd -n openshift-gitops openshift-gitops --type json -p '[{"op": "replace", "path":  \
  "/spec/redis/resources/limits/memory", "value": "8Gi"}, {"op": "replace", "path": \
  "/spec/redis/resources/requests/memory", "value": "256Mi"}]'

Example Output: 

argocd.argoproj.io/openshift-gitops patched

Chapter 2. Installing Red Hat OpenShift GitOps
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Red Hat OpenShift GitOps uses Argo CD to manage specific cluster-scoped resources, including cluster Operators, optional Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) Operators, and user management.

2.1. Prerequisites
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  • You have access to the OpenShift Container Platform web console.
  • You are logged in to the OpenShift Container Platform cluster as an administrator.
  • Your cluster has the Marketplace capability enabled or the Red Hat Operator catalog source configured manually.
Warning

If you have already installed the Community version of the Argo CD Operator, remove the Argo CD Community Operator before you install the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator.

This guide explains how to install the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator to an OpenShift Container Platform cluster and log in to the Argo CD instance.

Important

The latest channel enables installation of the most recent stable version of the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator. Currently, it is the default channel for installing the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator.

To install a specific version of the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator, cluster administrators can use the corresponding gitops-<version> channel. For example, to install the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator version 1.19.x, you can use the gitops-1.19 channel.

You can install Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator from the OperatorHub by using the web console.

Procedure

  1. Open the Administrator perspective of the web console and go to Operators → OperatorHub.
  2. Search for OpenShift GitOps, click the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps tile, and then click Install.

  3. On the Install Operator page:

    1. Select an Update channel.
    2. Select a GitOps Version to install.

    3. Choose an Installed Namespace. The default installation namespace is openshift-gitops-operator.

      Note

      For the GitOps version 1.10 and later, the default namespace changed from openshift-operators to openshift-gitops operator.

    4. Select the Enable Operator recommended cluster monitoring on this Namespace checkbox to enable cluster monitoring.

      Note

      You can enable cluster monitoring on any namespace by applying the openshift.io/cluster-monitoring=true label: 

      $ oc label namespace <namespace> openshift.io/cluster-monitoring=true

      Example output: 

      namespace/<namespace> labeled

  4. Click Install to make the GitOps Operator available on the OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

    Red Hat OpenShift GitOps is installed in all namespaces of the cluster.

  5. Verify that the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator is listed in Operators → Installed Operators. The Status should resolve to Succeeded.

After the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator is installed, it automatically sets up a ready-to-use Argo CD instance that is available in the openshift-gitops namespace, and an Argo CD icon is displayed in the console toolbar. You can create subsequent Argo CD instances for your applications under your projects.

You can install Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator from the OperatorHub by using the CLI.

Note

For the GitOps version 1.10 and later, the default namespace changed from openshift-operators to openshift-gitops operator.

Prerequisite

  • You have login credentials to access the OpenShift Container Platform cluster with cluster-admin privileges.
  • You have installed the oc CLI.

Procedure

  1. Create a openshift-gitops-operator namespace: 

    $ oc create ns openshift-gitops-operator

    Example output: 

    namespace/openshift-gitops-operator created
    Note

    You can enable cluster monitoring on openshift-gitops-operator, or any namespace, by applying the openshift.io/cluster-monitoring=true label: 

    $ oc label namespace <namespace> openshift.io/cluster-monitoring=true

    Example output: 

    namespace/<namespace> labeled

  2. Create a OperatorGroup object YAML file, for example, gitops-operator-group.yaml:

    Example OperatorGroup: 

    apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1
kind: OperatorGroup
metadata:
  name: openshift-gitops-operator
  namespace: openshift-gitops-operator
spec:
  upgradeStrategy: Default

  3. Apply the OperatorGroup to the cluster: 

    $ oc apply -f gitops-operator-group.yaml

    Example output: 

    operatorgroup.operators.coreos.com/openshift-gitops-operator created

  4. Create a Subscription object YAML file to subscribe a namespace to the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator, for example, openshift-gitops-sub.yaml:

    Example Subscription: 

    apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: Subscription
metadata:
  name: openshift-gitops-operator
  namespace: openshift-gitops-operator
spec:
  channel: latest
  installPlanApproval: Automatic
  name: openshift-gitops-operator
  source: redhat-operators
  sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace

    where:

    metadata.name
    Specifies the specify the channel name from where you want to subscribe the Operator.
    metadata.namespace
    Specifies the specify the name of the Operator to subscribe to.
    spec.channel
    Specifies the specify the name of the CatalogSource that provides the Operator.
    spec.source (openshift-marketplace namespace)
    Specifies the namespace of the CatalogSource. Use openshift-marketplace for the default OperatorHub CatalogSources.

  5. Apply the Subscription to the cluster: 

    $ oc apply -f openshift-gitops-sub.yaml

    Example output: 

    subscription.operators.coreos.com/openshift-gitops-operator created

  6. After the installation is complete, verify that all the pods in the openshift-gitops namespace are running: 

    $ oc get pods -n openshift-gitops

    Example output: 

    NAME                                                      	  READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
cluster-785cfc5f75-669wq                                      1/1     Running   0          76s
gitops-plugin-6664c749dd-dx64s                                1/1     Running   0          76s
openshift-gitops-application-controller-0                     1/1     Running   0          74s
openshift-gitops-applicationset-controller-549d7f6686-wzckt   1/1     Running   0          74s
openshift-gitops-dex-server-5d4ffdb9b9-lb7b7                  1/1     Running   0          74s
openshift-gitops-redis-6d65c94d4b-k9l8k                       1/1     Running   0          75s
openshift-gitops-repo-server-79db854c58-279jr                 1/1     Running   0          75s
openshift-gitops-server-f488b848-xntbc                        1/1     Running   0          75s

  7. Verify that the pods in the openshift-gitops-operator namespace are running: 

    $ oc get pods -n openshift-gitops-operator

    Example output: 

    NAME                                                            READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
openshift-gitops-operator-controller-manager-6fdc5cd9dc-jr9mn   2/2     Running   0          41s

Red Hat OpenShift GitOps automatically creates a ready-to-use Argo CD instance that is available in the openshift-gitops namespace. Optionally, you can create a new Argo CD instance to manage cluster configurations or deploy applications.

Use the Argo CD admin account to log in to the default ready-to-use Argo CD instance or the newly installed and deployed Argo CD instance.

Prerequisites

  • You have installed the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator on your OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

Procedure

  1. In the Administrator perspective of the web console, navigate to Operators → Installed Operators to verify that the Red Hat OpenShift GitOps Operator is installed.
  2. Navigate to the red hat applications menu icon menu → OpenShift GitOps → Cluster Argo CD. The login page of the Argo CD UI is displayed in a new window.

  3. Optional: To log in with your OpenShift Container Platform credentials, ensure you are a user of the cluster-admins group and then select the LOG IN VIA OPENSHIFT option in the Argo CD user interface.

    Note

    To be a user of the cluster-admins group, use the oc adm groups new cluster-admins <user> command, where <user> is the default cluster role that you can bind to users and groups cluster-wide or locally.

  4. Obtain the password for the Argo CD instance:

    1. Use the navigation panel to go to the Workloads → Secrets page.
    2. Use the Project drop-down list and select the namespace where the Argo CD instance is created.
    3. Select the <argo_CD_instance_name>-cluster instance to display the password.
    4. On the Details tab, copy the password under Data → admin.password.
  5. Use admin as the Username and the copied password as the Password to log in to the Argo CD UI in the new window.
Note

You cannot create two Argo CD CRs in the same namespace.

Warning

Avoid modifying the argocd-secret secret that GitOps creates, using external secret management solutions such as the External Secrets Operator or Vault plugins. The openshift-gitops-operator manages this secret as part of its core functionality. If you modify this secret externally, it can cause reconciliation conflicts, unpredictable behavior, or disruption of Argo CD instances and GitOps workflows. To maintain consistency and reliability, allow the GitOps Operator to exclusively manage the argocd-secret secret.

Chapter 3. Installing the GitOps CLI
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Important

The Red Hat OpenShift GitOps argocd CLI tool 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.

Use the GitOps argocd CLI tool to configure and manage Red Hat OpenShift GitOps and Argo CD resources from the command line. You can install it on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Note

Both the compressed archives and the RPMs contain the argocd executable binary file. If you have an active OpenShift Container Platform subscription on your Red Hat account, install the CLI tool as an RPM by using a package manager, such as yum or dnf.

For Linux distributions, you can download the GitOps argocd CLI as a tar.gz archive.

Procedure

  1. Download the latest version of the CLI tool from the content gateway for your operating system and architecture.

    Expand
    Operating systemArchitectureTarball

    Linux

    x86_64, amd64

    argocd-linux-amd64.tar.gz

    Linux on IBM zSystems and IBM® LinuxONE

    s390x

    argocd-linux-s390x.tar.gz

    Linux on IBM Power

    ppc64le

    argocd-linux-ppc64le.tar.gz

    Linux on ARM

    aarch64, arm64

    argocd-linux-arm64.tar.gz

    Note

    Newer versions of the CLI tool are compatible with the older versions of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps server, but not vice versa.

  2. Extract the archive by running the following command: 

    $ tar xvzf <file>

  3. Move the binary to a directory on your PATH environment variable by running the following command: 

    $ sudo mv argocd /usr/local/bin/argocd

  4. Make the file executable by running the following command: 

    $ sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/argocd

  5. After you install the GitOps argocd CLI, verify that it is available by running the following command: 

    $ argocd version --client

    Example output: 

    argocd: v2.9.5+f943664
  BuildDate: 2024-02-15T05:19:27Z
  GitCommit: f9436641a616d277ab1f98694e5ce4c986d4ea05
  GitTreeState: clean
  GoVersion: go1.20.10
  Compiler: gc
  Platform: linux/amd64
  ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version: 1.19.0, release: 0015022024

    where:

    ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version
    Specifies the build information of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps built by Red Hat.

For Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) version 8 or later, you can install the GitOps argocd CLI as an RPM by using a package manager, such as yum or dnf. This allows the GitOps argocd CLI version to be automatically managed by the system. For example, using a command such as dnf upgrade upgrades all packages, including argocd, if a new version is available.

Prerequisites

  • You have an active OpenShift Container Platform subscription on your Red Hat account.
  • You have root or sudo privileges on your local system.

Procedure

  1. Register with Red Hat Subscription Manager by running the following command: 

    # subscription-manager register

  2. Pull the latest subscription data by running the following command: 

    # subscription-manager refresh

  3. List the available subscriptions by running the following command: 

    # subscription-manager list --available --matches '*gitops*'

  4. In the output for the previous command, find the pool ID for your OpenShift Container Platform subscription, and attach the subscription to the registered system by running the following command: 

    # subscription-manager attach --pool=<pool_id>

  5. Enable the repositories required by Red Hat OpenShift GitOps for RHEL version 8 or later by running the following command:

    • Linux (x86_64, amd64) 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-<gitops_version>-for-rhel-<rhel_version>-x86_64-rpms"

      Example command: 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-1.20-for-rhel-8-x86_64-rpms"

    • Linux on IBM zSystems and IBM® LinuxONE (s390x) 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-<gitops_version>-for-rhel-<rhel_version>-s390x-rpms"

      Example command: 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-1.20-for-rhel-8-s390x-rpms"

    • Linux on IBM Power (ppc64le) 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-<gitops_version>-for-rhel-<rhel_version>-ppc64le-rpms"

      Example command: 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-1.20-for-rhel-8-ppc64le-rpms"

    • Linux on ARM (aarch64, arm64) 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-<gitops_version>-for-rhel-<rhel_version>-aarch64-rpms"

      Example command: 

      # subscription-manager repos --enable="gitops-1.20-for-rhel-8-aarch64-rpms"

  6. Install the openshift-gitops-argocd-cli package by running the following command: 

    # yum install openshift-gitops-argocd-cli

  7. After you install the GitOps argocd CLI, verify that it is available by running the following command: 

    $ argocd version --client

    Example output: 

    argocd: v2.9.5+f943664
  BuildDate: 2024-02-15T05:19:27Z
  GitCommit: f9436641a616d277ab1f98694e5ce4c986d4ea05
  GitTreeState: clean
  GoVersion: go1.20.10
  Compiler: gc
  Platform: linux/amd64
  ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version: 1.19.0, release: 0015022024

    where:

    ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version
    Specifies the build information of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps built by Red Hat.

For Windows, you can download the GitOps argocd CLI as a compressed zip archive.

Procedure

  1. Download the latest version of the CLI tool from the content gateway for your operating system and architecture.

    Expand
    Operating systemArchitectureArchive

    Windows

    x86_64

    argocd-windows-amd64.zip

    Note

    Newer versions of the CLI tool are compatible with the older versions of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps server, but not vice versa.

  2. Extract the archive with a ZIP program.

  3. Move the binary to a directory on your PATH environment variable by running the following command: 

    C:\> move argocd.exe <directory>

  4. After you install the GitOps argocd CLI, verify that it is available by running the following command: 

    $ argocd version --client

    Example output: 

    argocd: v2.9.5+f943664
  BuildDate: 2024-02-15T05:19:27Z
  GitCommit: f9436641a616d277ab1f98694e5ce4c986d4ea05
  GitTreeState: clean
  GoVersion: go1.20.10
  Compiler: gc
  Platform: windows/amd64
  ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version: 1.19.0, release: 0015022024

    where:

    ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version
    Specifies the build information of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps built by Red Hat.

For macOS, you can download the GitOps argocd CLI as a tar.gz archive.

Procedure

  1. Download the latest version of the CLI tool from the content gateway for your operating system and architecture.

    Expand
    Operating systemArchitectureTarball

    macOS on Intel

    x86_64

    argocd-macos-amd64.tar.gz

    macOS on ARM

    arm64

    argocd-macos-arm64.tar.gz

    Note

    Newer versions of the CLI tool are compatible with the older versions of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps server, but not vice versa.

  2. Extract the archive by running the following command: 

    $ tar xvzf <file>

  3. Move the binary to a directory on your PATH environment variable by running the following command: 

    $ sudo mv argocd /usr/local/bin/argocd

  4. Make the file executable by running the following command: 

    $ sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/argocd

  5. After you install the GitOps argocd CLI, verify that it is available by running the following command: 

    $ argocd version --client

    Example output: 

    argocd: v2.9.5+f943664
  BuildDate: 2024-02-15T05:19:27Z
  GitCommit: f9436641a616d277ab1f98694e5ce4c986d4ea05
  GitTreeState: clean
  GoVersion: go1.20.10
  Compiler: gc
  Platform: darwin/amd64
  ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version: 1.19.0, release: 0015022024

    where:

    ExtraBuildInfo: openshift-gitops-version
    Specifies the build information of Red Hat OpenShift GitOps built by Red Hat.

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