Deploying a validated pattern

• How to deploy a pattern using the Validated Patterns Operator in the OpenShift web console
• How to deploy a pattern using the patterns.sh script in the command line interface (CLI)

• An available cluster that meets the minimum storage requirements of your pattern
• The OpenShift CLI (oc)
• The git binary

In general, you can deploy a validated pattern in one of two ways:

• Using a community operator called the Validated Patterns Operator
• Using the pattern.sh script via the CLI

The Validated Patterns Operator is not supported by Red Hat, but is designed by the upstream community as an easy way to install and deploy a pattern repository via the Red Hat OpenShift web console. If using this option, you must load the secrets file separately after the pattern components have been deployed. 

Whether you install the validated pattern with the community operator or via CLI, you’ll need to first fork the pattern repository and edit your values files.

1. Fork the Multicloud GitOps validated pattern repository on GitHub.
2. Clone the forked repository:

   git clone git@github.com:your-username/multicloud-gitops.git
   cd multicloud-gitops

3. Make the values changes you determined when preparing your environment. Commit and push the changes to GitHub.

   git checkout -b my-branch
   vim values-*.yaml
   git add values-*.yaml
   git commit values-*.yaml
   git push origin my-branch

   
   Do not commit the secrets file to GitHub, as it will contain confidential information that should not be publicly accessible.
4. Optional: If you want to customize credentials, create a local copy of the secrets values file. Again, do not push the secrets file to GitHub.

   cp ./values-secret.yaml.template ~/values-secret-multicloud-gitops.yaml
   vim ~/values-secret-multicloud-gitops.yaml

Install the operator

1. Access the Red Hat OpenShift web console by running oc whoami --show-console. You’ll see the URL for the console and your login credentials.
2. In the left sidebar, click Operators and then OperatorHub. 
3. In the Filter by box, type “pattern,” which should show you the Validated Patterns Operator. Select this operator, click Continue, then click Install.

   

4. On the following Install Operator page, you can leave the defaults and click Install.

   

Create the pattern

1. Once you finish installing the operator, click View Operator and then Create instance.
2. Fill out the Create a pattern form, including the following:
   1. Choose a name for the pattern deployment. This name will be used in the projects created.
   2. Apply any other labels you may need to this deployment.
   3. Choose a cluster group name. For the Multicloud GitOps pattern, we’ll use “hub” as a cluster group name. Check with your specific validated pattern to determine the correct cluster group.
   4. Select Git Config and change the Target Repo URL to your forked repository URL.
   5. You may need to change the Target Revision, depending on if you are using a specific version or branch.
   6. For this learning path, you don’t need to make changes to your values-*.yaml files, but if you are changing any parameters, you would confirm at this point that those have been made locally and pushed to your forked repository.
   7. Change any other form fields that require specifications.

      

3. Select Create, then go back to Installed Operators. You should soon see the OpenShift GitOps and Validated Patterns operators show up, along with any other operators and assets you will need.

   

4. You can monitor the progress of your application deployment by selecting the dropdown menu to the left of your console notifications and waiting for the two Argo CD applications to show up. Select Hub Argo CD, which redirects you to the Argo CD login page. Click Login using OpenShift, and enter your OpenShift credentials. 

   

From here, OpenShift GitOps will install the rest of the assets and artifacts for the pattern, including Red Hat Advanced Cluster Manager.

Load secrets

The final step in using the Validated Patterns Operator is to load the secrets file separately. Run the following command in the CLI:

~/values-secret-multicloud-gitops.yaml> ./pattern.sh make load-secrets

You should see the secrets loading from the OpenShift GitOps hub screen. This may take some time.

1. Login to your cluster using oc login.
2. Run the following command to install the pattern and load the secrets at the same time:

   ./pattern.sh make install

Congratulations, you have now successfully deployed a validated pattern to your cluster.