---
title: Installing a cluster on IBM Cloud in a disconnected environment
---

# Installing a cluster on IBM Cloud in a disconnected environment {#installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

In OpenShift Container Platform 4.22, you can install a cluster in a restricted network by creating an internal mirror of the installation release content that is accessible to an existing Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) on IBM Cloud(R).

## Prerequisites for installing a cluster on IBM Cloud(R) in a disconnected environment {#prereqs-ibm-cloud-restricted_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

Before installing an OpenShift Container Platform cluster on IBM Cloud(R) in a disconnected environment, ensure that you have configured your IBM Cloud(R) account, a mirror registry, an existing VPC with access to the mirror registry, and the `ccoctl` utility.

- You reviewed details about the OpenShift Container Platform installation and update processes.
- You configured an IBM Cloud(R) account to host the cluster.
- You have a container image registry that is accessible to the internet and your restricted network. The container image registry should mirror the contents of the OpenShift image registry and contain the installation media.
- You have an existing Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) on IBM Cloud(R) that meets the following requirements:

  - The VPC contains the mirror registry or has firewall rules or a peering connection to access the mirror registry that is hosted elsewhere.
  - The VPC can access IBM Cloud(R) service endpoints using a public endpoint. If network restrictions limit access to public service endpoints, evaluate those services for alternate endpoints that might be available.

    You cannot use the VPC that the installation program provisions by default.
- If you plan on configuring endpoint gateways to use IBM Cloud(R) Virtual Private Endpoints, consider the following requirements:

  - Endpoint gateway support is currently limited to the `us-east` and `us-south` regions.
  - The VPC must allow traffic to and from the endpoint gateways. You can use the VPC’s default security group, or a new security group, to allow traffic on port 443.
- You configured the `ccoctl` utility before you installed the cluster.

**Additional resources**
{._additional-resources}

- [OpenShift Container Platform installation and update](/openshift-docs-markdown/architecture/architecture-installation#architecture-installation)
- [Configuring an IBM Cloud(R) account](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/installing-ibm-cloud-account#installing-ibm-cloud-account)
- [Mirroring images for a disconnected installation by using the oc-mirror plugin v2](/openshift-docs-markdown/disconnected/about-installing-oc-mirror-v2#about-installing-oc-mirror-v2)
- [Access to IBM service endpoints](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/installing-ibm-cloud-restricted#access-to-ibm-service-endpoints_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted)
- [Allowing endpoint gateway traffic](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/installing-ibm-cloud-restricted#installation-ibm-cloud-configure-vpc-for-endpoint-gateways_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted)
- [Configuring your firewall](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/install_config/configuring-firewall#configuring-firewall-module_configuring-firewall)
- [Configuring IAM for IBM Cloud(R)](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/configuring-iam-ibm-cloud#configuring-iam-ibm-cloud)

## About installations in restricted networks {#installation-about-restricted-networks_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

You can install OpenShift Container Platform 4.22 in a restricted network without an active internet connection to obtain software components. Restricted network installations can use installer-provisioned or user-provisioned infrastructure, depending on the cloud platform to which you are installing the cluster.

### Required internet access and an installation host {#required-internet-access-and-an-installation-host_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

You complete the installation using a bastion host or portable device that can access both the internet and your closed network. You must use a host with internet access to:

- Download the installation program, the OpenShift CLI (`oc`), and the CCO utility (`ccoctl`).
- Use the installation program to locate the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image and create the installation configuration file.
- Use `oc` to extract `ccoctl` from the CCO container image.
- Use `oc` and `ccoctl` to configure IAM for IBM Cloud(R).

### Access to a mirror registry {#access-to-a-mirror-registry_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To complete a restricted network installation, you must create a registry that mirrors the contents of the OpenShift image registry and contains the installation media.

You can create this registry on a mirror host, which can access both the internet and your restricted network, or by using other methods that meet your organization’s security restrictions.

For more information on mirroring images for a disconnected installation, see "Additional resources".

### Access to IBM service endpoints {#access-to-ibm-service-endpoints_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

The installation program requires access to the following IBM Cloud(R) service endpoints:

- Cloud Object Storage
- DNS Services
- Global Search
- Global Tagging
- Identity Services
- Resource Controller
- Resource Manager
- VPC

> [!NOTE]
> If you are specifying an IBM(R) Key Protect for IBM Cloud(R) root key as part of the installation process, the service endpoint for Key Protect is also required.

By default, the public endpoint is used to access the service. If network restrictions limit access to public service endpoints, you can override the default behavior.

Before deploying the cluster, you can update the installation configuration file (`install-config.yaml`) to specify the URI of an alternate service endpoint. For more information on usage, see "Additional resources".

### Additional limits {#installation-restricted-network-limits_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

Clusters in restricted networks have the following additional limitations and restrictions:

- The `ClusterVersion` status includes an `Unable to retrieve available updates` error.
- By default, you cannot use the contents of the Developer Catalog because you cannot access the required image stream tags.

**Additional resources**
{._additional-resources}

- [Mirroring images for a disconnected installation by using the oc-mirror plugin v2](/openshift-docs-markdown/disconnected/about-installing-oc-mirror-v2#about-installing-oc-mirror-v2)
- [Additional IBM Cloud configuration parameters](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/installation-config-parameters-ibm-cloud-vpc#installation-configuration-parameters-additional-ibm-cloud_installation-config-parameters-ibm-cloud-vpc)

## About using a custom VPC {#installation-custom-ibm-cloud-vpc_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

You can deploy OpenShift Container Platform into the subnets of an existing IBM(R) Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to avoid account limit constraints or comply with your company’s infrastructure guidelines.

Because the installation program cannot know what other components are in your existing subnets, it cannot choose subnet CIDRs and so forth. You must configure networking for the subnets to which you will install the cluster.

### Requirements for using your VPC {#installation-custom-ibm-cloud-vpc-requirements_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

You must correctly configure the existing VPC and its subnets before you install the cluster. The installation program does not create the following components:

- NAT gateways
- Subnets
- Route tables
- VPC network

The installation program cannot:

- Subdivide network ranges for the cluster to use
- Set route tables for the subnets
- Set VPC options like DHCP

> [!NOTE]
> The installation program requires that you use the cloud-provided DNS server. Using a custom DNS server is not supported and causes the installation to fail.

### VPC validation {#installation-custom-ibm-cloud-vpc-validation_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

The VPC and all of the subnets must be in an existing resource group. The cluster is deployed to the existing VPC.

As part of the installation, specify the following in the `install-config.yaml` file:

- The name of the existing resource group that contains the VPC and subnets (`networkResourceGroupName`)
- The name of the existing VPC (`vpcName`)
- The subnets that were created for control plane machines and compute machines (`controlPlaneSubnets` and `computeSubnets`)

> [!NOTE]
> Additional installer-provisioned cluster resources are deployed to a separate resource group (`resourceGroupName`). You can specify this resource group before installing the cluster. If undefined, a new resource group is created for the cluster.

To ensure that the subnets that you provide are suitable, the installation program confirms the following:

- All of the subnets that you specify exist.
- For each availability zone in the region, you specify:

  - One subnet for control plane machines.
  - One subnet for compute machines.
- The machine CIDR that you specified contains the subnets for the compute machines and control plane machines.

> [!NOTE]
> Subnet IDs are not supported.

### Isolation between clusters {#installation-custom-ibm-cloud-vpc-isolation_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

If you deploy OpenShift Container Platform to an existing network, the isolation of cluster services is reduced in the following ways:

- You can install multiple OpenShift Container Platform clusters in the same VPC.
- ICMP ingress is allowed to the entire network.
- TCP port 22 ingress (SSH) is allowed to the entire network.
- Control plane TCP 6443 ingress (Kubernetes API) is allowed to the entire network.
- Control plane TCP 22623 ingress (MCS) is allowed to the entire network.

### Allowing endpoint gateway traffic {#installation-ibm-cloud-configure-vpc-for-endpoint-gateways_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

If you are using IBM Cloud(R) Virtual Private endpoints, your Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) must be configured to allow traffic to and from the endpoint gateways.

A VPC’s default security group is configured to allow all outbound traffic to endpoint gateways. Therefore, the simplest way to allow traffic between your VPC and endpoint gateways is to modify the default security group to allow inbound traffic on port 443.

> [!NOTE]
> If you choose to configure a new security group, the security group must be configured to allow both inbound and outbound traffic.

**Prerequisites**

- You have installed the IBM Cloud(R) Command Line Interface utility (`ibmcloud`).

**Procedure**

1. Obtain the identifier for the default security group by running the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ DEFAULT_SG=$(ibmcloud is vpc <your_vpc_name> --output JSON | jq -r '.default_security_group.id')
   ```
2. Add a rule that allows inbound traffic on port 443 by running the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ ibmcloud is security-group-rule-add $DEFAULT_SG inbound tcp --remote 0.0.0.0/0 --port-min 443 --port-max 443
   ```

   > [!NOTE]
   > Be sure that your endpoint gateways are configured to use this security group.

## Generating a key pair for cluster node SSH access {#ssh-agent-using_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

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.

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.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Do not skip this procedure in production environments, where disaster recovery and debugging is required.

> [!NOTE]
> You must use a local key, not one that you configured with platform-specific approaches.

**Procedure**

1. 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:

   ```terminal
   $ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -N '' -f <path>/<file_name>
   ```

   Specifies 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.

   > [!NOTE]
   > If 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`, and `s390x` architectures, do not create a key that uses the `ed25519` algorithm. Instead, create a key that uses the `rsa` or `ecdsa` algorithm.
2. View the public SSH key:

   ```terminal
   $ cat <path>/<file_name>.pub
   ```

   For example, run the following to view the `~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub` public key:

   ```terminal
   $ cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
   ```
3. 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.

   > [!NOTE]
   > On some distributions, default SSH private key identities such as `~/.ssh/id_rsa` and `~/.ssh/id_dsa` are managed automatically.

   1. If the `ssh-agent` process is not already running for your local user, start it as a background task:

      ```terminal
      $ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
      ```

      ```terminal {title="Example output"}
      Agent pid 31874
      ```

      > [!NOTE]
      > If your cluster is in FIPS mode, only use FIPS-compliant algorithms to generate the SSH key. The key must be either RSA or ECDSA.
4. Add your SSH private key to the `ssh-agent`:

   ```terminal
   $ ssh-add <path>/<file_name>
   ```

   Specify the path and file name for your SSH private key, such as `~/.ssh/id_ed25519`.

   ```terminal {title="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.

## Exporting the API key {#installation-ibm-cloud-export-variables_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

You must set the API key you created as a global variable; the installation program ingests the variable during startup to set the API key.

**Prerequisites**

- You have created either a user API key or service ID API key for your IBM Cloud(R) account.

**Procedure**

- Export your API key for your account as a global variable:

  ```terminal
  $ export IC_API_KEY=<api_key>
  ```

  > [!IMPORTANT]
  > You must set the variable name exactly as specified; the installation program expects the variable name to be present during startup.

## Downloading the RHCOS cluster image {#installation-ibm-cloud-download-rhcos_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

The installation program requires the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image to install the cluster. While optional, downloading the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image before deploying removes the need for internet access when creating the cluster.

**Prerequisites**

- The host running the installation program has internet access.

**Procedure**

1. Change to the directory that contains the installation program and run the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ ./openshift-install coreos print-stream-json
   ```
2. Use the output of the command to find the location of the IBM Cloud(R) image.

   ```terminal {title="Example output"}
     "release": "415.92.202311241643-0",
     "formats": {
       "qcow2.gz": {
         "disk": {
           "location": "https://rhcos.mirror.openshift.com/art/storage/prod/streams/4.15-9.2/builds/415.92.202311241643-0/x86_64/rhcos-415.92.202311241643-0-ibmcloud.x86_64.qcow2.gz",
           "sha256": "6b562dee8431bec3b93adeac1cfefcd5e812d41e3b7d78d3e28319870ffc9eae",
           "uncompressed-sha256": "5a0f9479505e525a30367b6a6a6547c86a8f03136f453c1da035f3aa5daa8bc9"
   ```
3. Download and extract the image archive. Make the image available on the host that the installation program uses to create the cluster.

## Manually creating the installation configuration file {#installation-initializing-manual_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

Installing the cluster requires that you manually create the installation configuration file.

**Prerequisites**

- You have obtained the OpenShift Container Platform installation program and the pull secret for your cluster.
- You have the `imageContentSourcePolicy.yaml` file that was created when you mirrored your registry.
- You have obtained the contents of the certificate for your mirror registry.

**Procedure**

1. Create an installation directory to store your required installation assets in:

   ```terminal
   $ mkdir <installation_directory>
   ```

   > [!IMPORTANT]
   > You must create a directory. Some installation assets, such as bootstrap X.509 certificates have short expiration intervals, so 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.
2. Customize the provided sample `install-config.yaml` file template and save the file in the `<installation_directory>`.

   > [!NOTE]
   > You must name this configuration file `install-config.yaml`.

   When customizing the sample template, be sure to provide the information that is required for an installation in a restricted network:

   1. Update the `pullSecret` value to contain the authentication information for your registry:

      ```yaml
      pullSecret: '{"auths":{"<mirror_host_name>:5000": {"auth": "<credentials>","email": "you@example.com"}}}'
      ```

      For `<mirror_host_name>`, specify the registry domain name that you specified in the certificate for your mirror registry, and for `<credentials>`, specify the base64-encoded user name and password for your mirror registry.
   2. Add the `additionalTrustBundle` parameter and value.

      ```yaml
      additionalTrustBundle: |
        -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
        ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
        -----END CERTIFICATE-----
      ```

      The value must be the contents of the certificate file that you used for your mirror registry. The certificate file can be an existing, trusted certificate authority, or the self-signed certificate that you generated for the mirror registry.
   3. Define the network and subnets for the VPC to install the cluster in under the parent `platform.ibmcloud` field:

      ```yaml
      vpcName: <existing_vpc>
      controlPlaneSubnets: <control_plane_subnet>
      computeSubnets: <compute_subnet>
      ```

      For `platform.ibmcloud.vpcName`, specify the name for the existing IBM Cloud Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network. For `platform.ibmcloud.controlPlaneSubnets` and `platform.ibmcloud.computeSubnets`, specify the existing subnets to deploy the control plane machines and compute machines, respectively.
   4. Add the image content resources, which resemble the following YAML excerpt:

      ```yaml
      imageContentSources:
      - mirrors:
        - <mirror_host_name>:5000/<repo_name>/release
        source: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-release
      - mirrors:
        - <mirror_host_name>:5000/<repo_name>/release
        source: registry.redhat.io/ocp/release
      ```

      For these values, use the `imageContentSourcePolicy.yaml` file that was created when you mirrored the registry.
   5. If network restrictions limit the use of public endpoints to access the required IBM Cloud(R) services, add the `serviceEndpoints` stanza to `platform.ibmcloud` to specify an alternate service endpoint.

      > [!NOTE]
      > You can specify only one alternate service endpoint for each service.

      ```yaml {title="Example of using alternate services endpoints"}
      # ...
      serviceEndpoints:
        - name: IAM
          url: <iam_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: VPC
          url: <vpc_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: ResourceController
          url: <resource_controller_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: ResourceManager
          url: <resource_manager_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: DNSServices
          url: <dns_services_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: COS
          url: <cos_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: GlobalSearch
          url: <global_search_alternate_endpoint_url>
        - name: GlobalTagging
          url: <global_tagging_alternate_endpoint_url>
      # ...
      ```
   6. Optional: Set the publishing strategy to `Internal`:

      ```yaml
      publish: Internal
      ```

      By setting this option, you create an internal Ingress Controller and a private load balancer.

      > [!NOTE]
      > If you use the default value of `External`, your network must be able to access the public endpoint for IBM Cloud(R) Internet Services (CIS). CIS is not enabled for Virtual Private Endpoints.
3. Back up the `install-config.yaml` file so that you can use it to install many clusters.

   > [!IMPORTANT]
   > Back up the `install-config.yaml` file now, because the installation process consumes the file in the next step.

### Configuring the cluster-wide proxy during installation {#installation-configure-proxy_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

Production environments can deny direct access to the internet and instead have an HTTP or HTTPS proxy available. You can configure a new OpenShift Container Platform cluster to use a proxy by configuring the proxy settings in the `install-config.yaml` file.

**Prerequisites**

- You have an existing `install-config.yaml` file.
- You have reviewed the sites that your cluster requires access to and determined whether any of them need to bypass the proxy. By default, the proxy handles all cluster egress traffic, including calls to hosting cloud provider APIs. You added sites to the `Proxy` object’s `spec.noProxy` field to bypass the proxy if necessary.

  > [!NOTE]
  > The `Proxy` object `status.noProxy` field includes the values of the `networking.machineNetwork[].cidr`, `networking.clusterNetwork[].cidr`, and `networking.serviceNetwork[]` fields from your installation configuration.
  >
  > For installations on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOSP), the `Proxy` object `status.noProxy` field also includes the instance metadata endpoint (`169.254.169.254`).

**Procedure**

1. Edit your `install-config.yaml` file and add the proxy settings. For example:

   ```yaml
   apiVersion: v1
   baseDomain: my.domain.com
   proxy:
     httpProxy: http://<username>:<pswd>@<ip>:<port>
     httpsProxy: https://<username>:<pswd>@<ip>:<port>
     noProxy: example.com
   additionalTrustBundle: |
       -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
       <MY_TRUSTED_CA_CERT>
       -----END CERTIFICATE-----
   additionalTrustBundlePolicy: <policy_to_add_additionalTrustBundle>
   # ...
   ```

   where:

   `proxy.httpProxy`
   :   Specifies a proxy URL to use for creating HTTP connections outside the cluster. The URL scheme must be `http`.

   `proxy.httpsProxy`
   :   Specifies a proxy URL to use for creating HTTPS connections outside the cluster.

   `proxy.noProxy`
   :   Specifies a comma-separated list of destination domain names, IP addresses, or other network CIDRs to exclude from proxying. Preface a domain with `.` to match subdomains only. For example, `.y.com` matches `x.y.com`, but not `y.com`. Use `*` to bypass the proxy for all destinations.

   `additionalTrustBundle`
   :   If you specify this value, the installation program generates a config map named `user-ca-bundle` in the `openshift-config` namespace to hold the additional CA certificates. If you specify `additionalTrustBundle` and at least one proxy setting, the `Proxy` object references the `user-ca-bundle` config map in the `trustedCA` field. The Cluster Network Operator then creates a `trusted-ca-bundle` config map that merges the contents specified for the `trustedCA` parameter with the RHCOS trust bundle. You must set the `additionalTrustBundle` field unless an authority from the RHCOS trust bundle signs the proxy’s identity certificate.

   `additionalTrustBundlePolicy`
   :   Specifies the policy that determines the configuration of the `Proxy` object to reference the `user-ca-bundle` config map in the `trustedCA` field. The allowed values are `Proxyonly` and `Always`. Use `Proxyonly` to reference the `user-ca-bundle` config map only when you configure an `http/https` proxy. Use `Always` to always reference the `user-ca-bundle` config map. The default value is `Proxyonly`. Optional parameter.

   > [!NOTE]
   > The installation program does not support the proxy `readinessEndpoints` field.

   > [!NOTE]
   > If the installation program times out, restart and then complete the deployment by using the `wait-for` command of the installation program. For example:
   >
   > ```terminal
   > $ ./openshift-install wait-for install-complete --log-level debug
   > ```
2. Save the file and reference it when installing OpenShift Container Platform.

   The installation program creates a cluster-wide proxy named `cluster` that uses the proxy settings in the `install-config.yaml` file. If you do not give proxy settings, the installation program still creates a `cluster` `Proxy` object, but it has a nil `spec`.

   > [!NOTE]
   > Only the `Proxy` object named `cluster` is supported, and you cannot create additional proxies.

**Additional resources**
{._additional-resources}

- [Installation configuration parameters for IBM Cloud(R)](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/installation-config-parameters-ibm-cloud-vpc#installation-config-parameters-ibm-cloud-vpc)

### Minimum resource requirements for cluster installation {#installation-minimum-resource-requirements_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To ensure that your OpenShift Container Platform cluster runs as expected, each cluster machine must meet minimum CPU, memory, and storage requirements.

**Minimum resource requirements**

<table>
<thead>
<tr>
  <th>Machine</th>
  <th>Operating system</th>
  <th>vCPU</th>
  <th>Virtual RAM</th>
  <th>Storage</th>
  <th>Input/Output Per Second (IOPS)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
  <td>Bootstrap</td>
  <td>RHCOS</td>
  <td>4</td>
  <td>16 GB</td>
  <td>100 GB</td>
  <td>300</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td>Control plane</td>
  <td>RHCOS</td>
  <td>4</td>
  <td>16 GB</td>
  <td>100 GB</td>
  <td>300</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td>Compute</td>
  <td>RHCOS</td>
  <td>2</td>
  <td>8 GB</td>
  <td>100 GB</td>
  <td>300</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

> [!NOTE]
> In OpenShift Container Platform version 4.22, RHCOS uses RHEL version 9.8, which updates the micro-architecture requirements. Each architecture requires the following minimum instruction set architectures (ISA):
>
> - x86-64 architecture requires x86-64-v2 ISA
> - ARM64 architecture requires ARMv8.0-A ISA
> - ppc64le architecture requires IBM(R) Power9 ISA
> - s390x architecture requires IBM(R) z14 ISA
>
> For more information, see [Architectures](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html-single/9.8_release_notes/index#architectures) in the RHEL documentation.

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

### Tested instance types for IBM Cloud {#installation-ibm-cloud-tested-machine-types_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

Use these tested IBM Cloud(R) instance types to ensure compatibility when selecting machine types for your OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

See the following machine series:

- `bx2-8x32`
- `bx2d-4x16`
- `bx3d-4x20`
- `bx3dc-8x40`
- `cx2-8x16`
- `cx2d-4x8`
- `cx3d-8x20`
- `cx3dc-4x10`
- `gx2-8x64x1v100`
- `gx3-16x80x1l4`
- `gx3d-160x1792x8h100`
- `mx2-8x64`
- `mx2d-4x32`
- `mx3d-4x40`
- `ox2-8x64`
- `ux2d-2x56`
- `vx2d-4x56`

### Sample customized install-config.yaml file for IBM Cloud {#installation-ibm-cloud-config-yaml_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

You can customize the `install-config.yaml` file to specify more details about your OpenShift Container Platform cluster’s platform or change the values of the required parameters.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> This sample YAML file is for reference only. You must obtain your `install-config.yaml` file by using the installation program and then change it.

```yaml
apiVersion: v1
baseDomain: example.com
controlPlane:
  hyperthreading: Enabled
  name: master
  platform:
    ibmcloud: {}
  replicas: 3
compute:
- hyperthreading: Enabled
  name: worker
  platform:
    ibmcloud: {}
  replicas: 3
metadata:
  name: test-cluster
networking:
  clusterNetwork:
  - cidr: 10.128.0.0/14
    hostPrefix: 23
  machineNetwork:
  - cidr: 10.0.0.0/16
  networkType: OVNKubernetes
  serviceNetwork:
  - 172.30.0.0/16
platform:
  ibmcloud:
    region: us-east
    resourceGroupName: us-east-example-cluster-rg
    serviceEndpoints:
      - name: IAM
        url: https://private.us-east.iam.cloud.ibm.com
      - name: VPC
        url: https://us-east.private.iaas.cloud.ibm.com/v1
      - name: ResourceController
        url: https://private.us-east.resource-controller.cloud.ibm.com
      - name: ResourceManager
        url: https://private.us-east.resource-controller.cloud.ibm.com
      - name: DNSServices
        url: https://api.private.dns-svcs.cloud.ibm.com/v1
      - name: COS
        url: https://s3.direct.us-east.cloud-object-storage.appdomain.cloud
      - name: GlobalSearch
        url: https://api.private.global-search-tagging.cloud.ibm.com
      - name: GlobalTagging
        url: https://tags.private.global-search-tagging.cloud.ibm.com
    networkResourceGroupName: us-east-example-existing-network-rg
    vpcName: us-east-example-network-1
    controlPlaneSubnets:
      - us-east-example-network-1-cp-us-east-1
      - us-east-example-network-1-cp-us-east-2
      - us-east-example-network-1-cp-us-east-3
    computeSubnets:
      - us-east-example-network-1-compute-us-east-1
      - us-east-example-network-1-compute-us-east-2
      - us-east-example-network-1-compute-us-east-3
        credentialsMode: Manual
        pullSecret: '{"auths":{"<local_registry>": {"auth": "<credentials>","email": "you@example.com"}}}'
        fips: false
        sshKey: ssh-ed25519 AAAA...
        additionalTrustBundle: |
    -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
    <MY_TRUSTED_CA_CERT>
    -----END CERTIFICATE-----
imageContentSources:
- mirrors:
  - <local_registry>/<local_repository_name>/release
  source: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-release
- mirrors:
  - <local_registry>/<local_repository_name>/release
  source: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-v4.0-art-dev
```

where:

`baseDomain`
:   Specifies the base domain of your cluster. This value is required.

`metadata.name`
:   Specifies the name of your cluster. This value is required.

`platform.ibmcloud.region`
:   Specifies the IBM Cloud(R) region to deploy the cluster to. This value is required.

`pullSecret`
:   Specifies the pull secret for your mirror registry. For `<local_registry>`, specify the registry domain name, and optionally the port, that your mirror registry uses to serve content. For example, `registry.example.com` or `registry.example.com:5000`. For `<credentials>`, specify the base64-encoded user name and password for your mirror registry.

`compute`
:   Specifies parameters where, if you do not supply values, the installation program uses the default value. The first line of the `compute` section must begin with a hyphen, `-`. Both sections currently define a single machine pool.

`compute.hyperthreading`
:   Specifies whether to enable or disable simultaneous multithreading, also known as Hyper-Threading. By default, simultaneous multithreading is enabled to increase the performance of your machines' cores. You can disable it by setting the parameter value to `Disabled`. If you disable simultaneous multithreading in some cluster machines, you must disable it in all cluster machines.

`controlPlane`
:   Specifies parameters where, if you do not supply values, the installation program uses the default value. The `controlPlane` section is a single mapping, and its first line must not begin with a hyphen. Only one control plane pool is used.

`controlPlane.hyperthreading`
:   Specifies whether to enable or disable simultaneous multithreading, also known as Hyper-Threading. By default, simultaneous multithreading is enabled to increase the performance of your machines' cores. You can disable it by setting the parameter value to `Disabled`. If you disable simultaneous multithreading in some cluster machines, you must disable it in all cluster machines.

    > [!IMPORTANT]
    > If you disable simultaneous multithreading, ensure that your capacity planning accounts for the dramatically decreased machine performance. Use larger machine types, such as `n1-standard-8`, for your machines if you disable simultaneous multithreading.

`networking.clusterNetwork.cidr`
:   Specifies the CIDR. The machine CIDR must contain the subnets for the compute machines and control plane machines.

`networking.machineNetwork.cidr`
:   Specifies the CIDR. The CIDR must contain the subnets defined in `platform.ibmcloud.controlPlaneSubnets` and `platform.ibmcloud.computeSubnets`.

`networking.networkType`
:   Specifies the cluster network plugin to install. The default value `OVNKubernetes` is the only supported value.

`platform.ibmcloud.resourceGroupName`
:   Specifies the name of an existing resource group. All installer-provisioned cluster resources are deployed to this resource group. If undefined, a new resource group is created for the cluster.

`platform.ibmcloud.serviceEndpoints`
:   Specifies alternate service endpoints based on the network restrictions of the VPC. This overrides the default public endpoint for the service.

`platform.ibmcloud.networkResourceGroupName`
:   Specifies the name of the resource group that contains the existing virtual private cloud (VPC). The existing VPC and subnets must be in this resource group. The cluster is installed to this VPC.

`platform.ibmcloud.vpcName`
:   Specifies the name of an existing VPC.

`platform.ibmcloud.controlPlaneSubnets`
:   Specifies the name of the existing subnets to which to deploy the control plane machines. The subnets must belong to the VPC that you specified. Specify a subnet for each availability zone in the region.

`platform.ibmcloud.computeSubnets`
:   Specifies the name of the existing subnets to which to deploy the compute machines. The subnets must belong to the VPC that you specified. Specify a subnet for each availability zone in the region.

`fips`
:   Specifies whether to enable or disable FIPS mode. By default, FIPS mode is not enabled. If FIPS mode is enabled, the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) machines that OpenShift Container Platform runs on bypass the default Kubernetes cryptography suite and use the cryptography modules that are provided with RHCOS instead.

    > [!IMPORTANT]
    > The use of FIPS Validated or Modules in Process cryptographic libraries is only supported on OpenShift Container Platform deployments on the `x86_64` architecture.

`sshKey`
:   Specifies the SSH key to use to access the machines in your cluster. This value is optional.

`additionalTrustBundle`
:   Specifies the contents of the certificate file that you used for your mirror registry.

`imageContentSources`
:   Specifies the values from the `metadata.name: release-0` section of the `imageContentSourcePolicy.yaml` file that was created when you mirrored the registry.

    > [!NOTE]
    > For 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.

## Installing the OpenShift CLI on Linux {#cli-installing-cli-linux_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To manage your cluster and deploy applications from the command line on Linux, install the OpenShift CLI (`oc`) binary. You can download the OpenShift CLI (`oc`) from the Red  Customer Portal.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> If you installed an earlier version of `oc`, you cannot use it to complete all of the commands in OpenShift Container Platform.
>
> Download and install the new version of `oc`.

**Procedure**

1. Navigate to the [Download OpenShift Container Platform](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/290) page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
2. Select the architecture from the **Product Variant** list.
3. Select the appropriate version from the **Version** list.
4. Click **Download Now** next to the **OpenShift v4.22 Linux Clients** entry and save the file.
5. Unpack the archive:

   ```terminal
   $ tar xvf <file>
   ```
6. Place the `oc` binary in a directory that is on your `PATH`.

   To check your `PATH`, run the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ echo $PATH
   ```

**Verification**

- After you install the OpenShift CLI, it is available using the `oc` command:

  ```terminal
  $ oc <command>
  ```

## Installing the OpenShift CLI on Windows {#cli-installing-cli-windows_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To manage your cluster and deploy applications from the command line on Windows, install the OpenShift CLI (`oc`) binary. You can download the OpenShift CLI (`oc`) from the Red  Customer Portal.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> If you installed an earlier version of `oc`, you cannot use it to complete all of the commands in OpenShift Container Platform.
>
> Download and install the new version of `oc`.

**Procedure**

1. Navigate to the [Download OpenShift Container Platform](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/290) page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
2. Select the appropriate version from the **Version** list.
3. Click **Download Now** next to the **OpenShift v4.22 Windows Client** entry and save the file.
4. Extract the archive with a ZIP program.
5. Move the `oc` binary to a directory that is on your `PATH` variable.

   To check your `PATH` variable, open the Command Prompt and run the following command:

   ```terminal
   C:\> path
   ```

**Verification**

- After you install the OpenShift CLI, it is available using the `oc` command:

  ```terminal
  C:\> oc <command>
  ```

## Installing the OpenShift CLI on macOS {#cli-installing-cli-macos_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To manage your cluster and deploy applications from the command line on macOS, install the OpenShift CLI (`oc`) binary. You can download the OpenShift CLI (`oc`) from the Red  Customer Portal.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> If you installed an earlier version of `oc`, you cannot use it to complete all of the commands in OpenShift Container Platform.
>
> Download and install the new version of `oc`.

**Procedure**

1. Navigate to the [Download OpenShift Container Platform](https://access.redhat.com/downloads/content/290) page on the Red Hat Customer Portal.
2. Select the architecture from the **Product Variant** list.
3. Select the appropriate version from the **Version** list.
4. Click **Download Now** next to the **OpenShift v4.22 macOS Clients** entry and save the file.

   > [!NOTE]
   > For macOS arm64, choose the **OpenShift v4.22 macOS arm64 Client** entry.
5. Extract the archive.
6. Move the `oc` binary to a directory on your `PATH` variable.

   To check your `PATH` variable, open a terminal and run the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ echo $PATH
   ```

**Verification**

- Verify your installation by using an `oc` command:

  ```terminal
  $ oc <command>
  ```

## Manually creating IAM {#manually-create-iam-ibm-cloud_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To install OpenShift Container Platform, the Cloud Credential Operator (CCO) must operate in manual mode. While the installation program configures the CCO for manual mode, you must specify the identity and access management secrets for your cloud provider.

You can use the Cloud Credential Operator (CCO) utility (`ccoctl`) to create the required IBM Cloud(R) resources.

**Prerequisites**

- You have configured the `ccoctl` binary.
- You have an existing `install-config.yaml` file.

**Procedure**

1. Edit the `install-config.yaml` configuration file so that the file includes the `credentialsMode` parameter set to `Manual`.

   ```yaml {title="Example install-config.yaml configuration file"}
   apiVersion: v1
   baseDomain: cluster1.example.com
   credentialsMode: Manual
   compute:
   - architecture: amd64
     hyperthreading: Enabled
   ```

   where:

   `credentialsMode`
   :   Specifies the CCO credentials mode. Set the value to `Manual`.
2. To generate the manifests, run the following command from the directory that includes the installation program:

   ```terminal
   $ ./openshift-install create manifests --dir <installation_directory>
   ```
3. From the directory that includes the installation program, set a `$RELEASE_IMAGE` variable with the release image from your installation file by running the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ RELEASE_IMAGE=$(./openshift-install version | awk '/release image/ {print $3}')
   ```
4. Extract the list of `CredentialsRequest` custom resources (CRs) from the OpenShift Container Platform release image by running the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ oc adm release extract \
     --from=$RELEASE_IMAGE \
     --credentials-requests \
     --included \
     --install-config=<path_to_directory_with_installation_configuration>/install-config.yaml \
     --to=<path_to_directory_for_credentials_requests>
   ```

   where:

   `--included`
   :   Specifies that only the manifests that your specific cluster configuration requires are included.

   `--install-config`
   :   Specifies the location of the `install-config.yaml` file.

   `--to`
   :   Specifies the path to the directory where you want to store the `CredentialsRequest` objects. If the specified directory does not exist, this command creates it. This command creates a YAML file for each `CredentialsRequest` object.

   ```yaml {title="Sample CredentialsRequest object"}
     apiVersion: cloudcredential.openshift.io/v1
     kind: CredentialsRequest
     metadata:
       labels:
         controller-tools.k8s.io: "1.0"
       name: openshift-image-registry-ibmcos
       namespace: openshift-cloud-credential-operator
     spec:
       secretRef:
         name: installer-cloud-credentials
         namespace: openshift-image-registry
       providerSpec:
         apiVersion: cloudcredential.openshift.io/v1
         kind: IBMCloudProviderSpec
         policies:
         - attributes:
           - name: serviceName
             value: cloud-object-storage
           roles:
           - crn:v1:bluemix:public:iam::::role:Viewer
           - crn:v1:bluemix:public:iam::::role:Operator
           - crn:v1:bluemix:public:iam::::role:Editor
           - crn:v1:bluemix:public:iam::::serviceRole:Reader
           - crn:v1:bluemix:public:iam::::serviceRole:Writer
         - attributes:
           - name: resourceType
             value: resource-group
           roles:
           - crn:v1:bluemix:public:iam::::role:Viewer
   ```
5. Create the service ID for each credential request, assign the policies defined, create an API key, and generate the secret:

   ```terminal
   $ ccoctl ibmcloud create-service-id \
     --credentials-requests-dir=<path_to_credential_requests_directory> \
     --name=<cluster_name> \
     --output-dir=<installation_directory> \
     --resource-group-name=<resource_group_name>
   ```

   where:

   `<path_to_credential_requests_directory>`
   :   Specifies the directory that has the files for the `CredentialsRequest` objects.

   `<cluster_name>`
   :   Specifies the name of the OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

   `<installation_directory>`
   :   Specifies the directory in which you want the `ccoctl` utility to create objects. By default, the utility creates objects in the directory in which you run the commands. This parameter is optional.

   `<resource_group_name>`
   :   Specifies the name of the resource group used for scoping the access policies. This parameter is optional.

   > [!NOTE]
   > If you enabled Technology Preview features by using the `TechPreviewNoUpgrade` feature set for your cluster, you must include the `--enable-tech-preview` parameter in the configuration for the `CredentialsRequest` object.
   >
   > If you provided a wrong resource group name, the installation fails during the bootstrap phase. To find the correct resource group name, run the following command:
   >
   > ```terminal
   > $ grep resourceGroupName <installation_directory>/manifests/cluster-infrastructure-02-config.yml
   > ```

**Verification**

- Check that the appropriate secrets exist in the `manifests` directory of your cluster.

## Deploying the cluster {#installation-launching-installer_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To deploy your OpenShift Container Platform cluster, you initialize installation by running the `openshift-install create cluster` command from the directory that contains the installation program. The installation program provisions the required infrastructure and completes the cluster setup.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> 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.

  If the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image is available locally, the host running the installation program does not require internet access.
- You have verified that the cloud provider account on your host has the correct permissions to deploy the cluster. An account with incorrect permissions causes the installation process to fail with an error message that displays the missing permissions.

**Procedure**

````
. Export the `OPENSHIFT_INSTALL_OS_IMAGE_OVERRIDE` variable to specify the location of the Red&#160;Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) image by running the following command:
+
```terminal
$ export OPENSHIFT_INSTALL_OS_IMAGE_OVERRIDE="<path_to_image>/rhcos-<image_version>-ibmcloud.x86_64.qcow2.gz"
```
````

1. In the directory that contains the installation program, initialize the cluster deployment by running the following command:

```terminal
$ ./openshift-install create cluster --dir <installation_directory> \
    --log-level=info
```

where:

- `<installation_directory>`: Specifies the location of your customized `./install-config.yaml` file.
- `--log-level`: Specifies the log level. To view different installation details, specify `warn`, `debug`, or `error` instead of `info`.

**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`.

  > [!IMPORTANT]
  > Do not delete the installation program or the files that the installation program creates. Both are required to delete the cluster.

  The following example shows the expected output:

  ```terminal
  ...
  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
  ```

  > [!IMPORTANT]
  > - 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.

## Logging in to the cluster by using the CLI {#cli-logging-in-kubeadmin_installing-ibm-cloud-restricted}

To log in to your cluster as the default system user, export the `kubeconfig` file. This configuration enables the CLI to authenticate and connect to the specific API server created during OpenShift Container Platform installation.

The `kubeconfig` file is specific to a cluster and OpenShift Container Platform generates it during installation.

**Prerequisites**

- You deployed an OpenShift Container Platform cluster.
- You installed the OpenShift CLI (`oc`).

**Procedure**

1. Export the `kubeadmin` credentials by running the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ export KUBECONFIG=<installation_directory>/auth/kubeconfig
   ```

   where:

   `<installation_directory>`
   :   Specifies the path to the directory that stores the installation files.
2. Verify you can run `oc` commands successfully using the exported configuration by running the following command:

   ```terminal
   $ oc whoami
   ```

   ```terminal {title="Example output"}
   system:admin
   ```

**Next steps**

- "Customize your cluster"
- "Remote health reporting"

**Additional resources**
{._additional-resources}

- [Accessing the web console](/openshift-docs-markdown/web_console/web-console#web-console)
- [Postinstallation configuration for a disconnected IBM Cloud cluster](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_ibm_cloud/installing-ibm-cloud-restricted-postinstallation-configuration#installing-ibm-cloud-restricted-postinstallation-configuration)
