--- title: Preparing an Agent-based installed cluster for the multicluster engine for Kubernetes Operator --- # Preparing an Agent-based installed cluster for the multicluster engine for Kubernetes Operator {#preparing-an-agent-based-installed-cluster-for-mce} You can install the multicluster engine Operator and deploy a hub cluster with the Agent-based Installer. The following procedure is partially automated and requires manual steps after the initial cluster is deployed. ## Prerequisites {#prerequisites_preparing-an-agent-based-installed-cluster-for-mce} Before installing the multicluster engine Operator and deploying a hub cluster with the Agent-based Installer, you must complete several prerequisites. The following prerequisites must be completed: - You have read the following documentation: - "Cluster lifecycle with multicluster engine operator overview" - "Persistent storage using local volumes" - "Using GitOps ZTP to provision clusters at the network far edge" - "Preparing to install with the Agent-based Installer" - "About disconnected installation mirroring" - You have access to the internet to obtain the necessary container images. - You have installed the OpenShift CLI (`oc`). - If you are installing in a disconnected environment, you must have a configured local mirror registry for disconnected installation mirroring. **Additional resources** {._additional-resources} - [Cluster lifecycle with multicluster engine operator overview](https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_advanced_cluster_management_for_kubernetes/2.9/html/clusters/cluster_mce_overview) - [Persistent storage using local volumes](/openshift-docs-markdown/storage/persistent_storage_local/persistent-storage-local#persistent-storage-using-local-volume) - [Using GitOps ZTP to provision clusters at the network far edge](/openshift-docs-markdown/edge_computing/ztp-deploying-far-edge-clusters-at-scale#about-ztp_ztp-deploying-far-edge-clusters-at-scale) - [Preparing to install with the Agent-based Installer](/openshift-docs-markdown/installing/installing_with_agent_based_installer/preparing-to-install-with-agent-based-installer#preparing-to-install-with-agent-based-installer) - [About disconnected installation mirroring](/openshift-docs-markdown/disconnected/index#installing-mirroring-disconnected-about) ## Preparing an Agent-based cluster deployment for the multicluster engine for Kubernetes Operator while disconnected {#preparing-an-initial-cluster-deployment-for-mce-disconnected_preparing-an-agent-based-installed-cluster-for-mce} You can mirror the required OpenShift Container Platform container images, the multicluster engine Operator, and the Local Storage Operator (LSO) into your local mirror registry in a disconnected environment. Ensure that you note the local DNS hostname and port of your mirror registry. > [!NOTE] > To mirror your OpenShift Container Platform image repository to your mirror registry, you can use either the `oc adm release image` or `oc mirror` command. In this procedure, the `oc mirror` command is used as an example. **Procedure** 1. Create an `` folder to contain valid `install-config.yaml` and `agent-config.yaml` files. This directory is used to store all the assets. 2. To mirror an OpenShift Container Platform image repository, the multicluster engine, and the LSO, create a `ImageSetConfiguration.yaml` file with the following settings: ```yaml {title="Example ImageSetConfiguration.yaml"} kind: ImageSetConfiguration apiVersion: mirror.openshift.io/v1alpha2 archiveSize: 4 storageConfig: imageURL: :/mirror/oc-mirror-metadata skipTLS: true mirror: platform: architectures: - "amd64" channels: - name: stable-4.22 type: ocp additionalImages: - name: registry.redhat.io/ubi9/ubi:latest operators: - catalog: registry.redhat.io/redhat/redhat-operator-index:v4.22 packages: - name: multicluster-engine - name: local-storage-operator ``` where: `archiveSize` : Specifies the maximum size, in GiB, of each file within the image set. `storageConfig` : Specifies the back-end location to receive the image set metadata. This location can be a registry or local directory. It is required to specify `storageConfig` values. `storageConfig.imageURL` : Specifies the registry URL for the storage backend. `channels.name` : Specifies the channel that contains the OpenShift Container Platform images for the version you are installing. `operators.catalog` : Specifies the Operator catalog that contains the OpenShift Container Platform images that you are installing. `packages` : Specifies only certain Operator packages and channels to include in the image set. Remove this field to retrieve all packages in the catalog. In this example, a `package.name` value of `multicluster-engine` includes the multicluster engine packages and channels, and `local-storage-operator` includes the LSO packages and channels. > [!NOTE] > This file is required by the `oc mirror` command when mirroring content. 3. To mirror a specific OpenShift Container Platform image repository, the multicluster engine, and the LSO, run the following command: ```terminal $ oc mirror --dest-skip-tls --config ocp-mce-imageset.yaml docker://: ``` 4. Update the registry and certificate in the `install-config.yaml` file: ```yaml {title="Example imageContentSources.yaml"} imageContentSources: - source: "quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-release" mirrors: - ":/openshift/release-images" - source: "quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-v4.0-art-dev" mirrors: - ":/openshift/release" - source: "registry.redhat.io/ubi9" mirrors: - ":/ubi9" - source: "registry.redhat.io/multicluster-engine" mirrors: - ":/multicluster-engine" - source: "registry.redhat.io/rhel8" mirrors: - ":/rhel8" - source: "registry.redhat.io/redhat" mirrors: - ":/redhat" ``` Additionally, ensure your certificate is present in the `additionalTrustBundle` field of the `install-config.yaml`. ```yaml {title="Example install-config.yaml"} additionalTrustBundle: | -----BEGIN CERTIFICATE----- zzzzzzzzzzz -----END CERTIFICATE------- ``` > [!IMPORTANT] > The `oc mirror` command creates a folder called `oc-mirror-workspace` with several outputs. This includes the `imageContentSourcePolicy.yaml` file that identifies all the mirrors you need for OpenShift Container Platform and your selected Operators. 5. Generate the cluster manifests by running the following command: ```terminal $ openshift-install agent create cluster-manifests ``` This command updates the cluster manifests folder to include a `mirror` folder that contains your mirror configuration. ## Preparing an Agent-based cluster deployment for the multicluster engine for Kubernetes Operator while connected {#preparing-an-initial-cluster-deployment-for-mce-connected_preparing-an-agent-based-installed-cluster-for-mce} Create the required manifests for the multicluster engine Operator, the Local Storage Operator (LSO), and to deploy an agent-based OpenShift Container Platform cluster as a hub cluster. **Procedure** 1. Create a sub-folder named `openshift` in the `` folder. This sub-folder is used to store the extra manifests that will be applied during the installation to further customize the deployed cluster. The `` folder contains all the assets including the `install-config.yaml` and `agent-config.yaml` files. > [!NOTE] > The installer does not validate extra manifests. 2. For the multicluster engine, create the following manifests and save them in the `/openshift` folder: ```yaml {title="Example mce_namespace.yaml"} apiVersion: v1 kind: Namespace metadata: labels: openshift.io/cluster-monitoring: "true" name: multicluster-engine ``` ```yaml {title="Example mce_operatorgroup.yaml"} apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1 kind: OperatorGroup metadata: name: multicluster-engine-operatorgroup namespace: multicluster-engine spec: targetNamespaces: - multicluster-engine ``` ```yaml {title="Example mce_subscription.yaml"} apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1 kind: Subscription metadata: name: multicluster-engine namespace: multicluster-engine spec: channel: "stable-2.3" name: multicluster-engine source: redhat-operators sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace ``` > [!NOTE] > You can install a distributed unit (DU) at scale with the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (RHACM) using the assisted installer (AI). These distributed units must be enabled in the hub cluster. The AI service requires persistent volumes (PVs), which are manually created. 3. For the AI service, create the following manifests and save them in the `/openshift` folder: ```yaml {title="Example lso_namespace.yaml"} apiVersion: v1 kind: Namespace metadata: annotations: openshift.io/cluster-monitoring: "true" name: openshift-local-storage ``` ```yaml {title="Example lso_operatorgroup.yaml"} apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1 kind: OperatorGroup metadata: name: local-operator-group namespace: openshift-local-storage spec: targetNamespaces: - openshift-local-storage ``` ```yaml {title="Example lso_subscription.yaml"} apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1 kind: Subscription metadata: name: local-storage-operator namespace: openshift-local-storage spec: installPlanApproval: Automatic name: local-storage-operator source: redhat-operators sourceNamespace: openshift-marketplace ``` > [!NOTE] > After creating all the manifests, your filesystem must display as follows: > > ```terminal {title="Example Filesystem"} > > ├─ install-config.yaml > ├─ agent-config.yaml > └─ /openshift > ├─ mce_namespace.yaml > ├─ mce_operatorgroup.yaml > ├─ mce_subscription.yaml > ├─ lso_namespace.yaml > ├─ lso_operatorgroup.yaml > └─ lso_subscription.yaml > ``` 4. Create the agent ISO image by running the following command: ```terminal $ openshift-install agent create image --dir ``` 5. When the image is ready, boot the target machine and wait for the installation to complete. 6. To monitor the installation, run the following command: ```terminal $ openshift-install agent wait-for install-complete --dir ``` > [!NOTE] > To configure a fully functional hub cluster, you must create the following manifests and manually apply them by running the command `$ oc apply -f `. The order of the manifest creation is important and where required, the waiting condition is displayed. 7. For the PVs that are required by the AI service, create the following manifests: ```yaml apiVersion: local.storage.openshift.io/v1 kind: LocalVolume metadata: name: assisted-service namespace: openshift-local-storage spec: logLevel: Normal managementState: Managed storageClassDevices: - devicePaths: - /dev/vda - /dev/vdb storageClassName: assisted-service volumeMode: Filesystem ``` 8. Use the following command to wait for the availability of the PVs, before applying the subsequent manifests: ```terminal $ oc wait localvolume -n openshift-local-storage assisted-service --for condition=Available --timeout 10m ``` > [!NOTE] > ``` > The `devicePath` is an example and may vary depending on the actual hardware configuration used. > ``` 9. Create a manifest for a multicluster engine instance. ```yaml {title="Example MultiClusterEngine.yaml"} apiVersion: multicluster.openshift.io/v1 kind: MultiClusterEngine metadata: name: multiclusterengine spec: {} ``` 10. Create a manifest to enable the AI service. ```yaml {title="Example agentserviceconfig.yaml"} apiVersion: agent-install.openshift.io/v1beta1 kind: AgentServiceConfig metadata: name: agent namespace: assisted-installer spec: databaseStorage: storageClassName: assisted-service accessModes: - ReadWriteOnce resources: requests: storage: 10Gi filesystemStorage: storageClassName: assisted-service accessModes: - ReadWriteOnce resources: requests: storage: 10Gi ``` 11. Create a manifest to deploy subsequently spoke clusters. ```yaml {title="Example clusterimageset.yaml"} apiVersion: hive.openshift.io/v1 kind: ClusterImageSet metadata: name: "4.22" spec: releaseImage: quay.io/openshift-release-dev/ocp-release:4.22.0-x86_64 ``` 12. Create a manifest to import the agent installed cluster (that hosts the multicluster engine and the Assisted Service) as the hub cluster. ```yaml {title="Example autoimport.yaml"} apiVersion: cluster.open-cluster-management.io/v1 kind: ManagedCluster metadata: labels: local-cluster: "true" cloud: auto-detect vendor: auto-detect name: local-cluster spec: hubAcceptsClient: true ``` 13. Wait for the managed cluster to be created. ```terminal $ oc wait -n multicluster-engine managedclusters local-cluster --for condition=ManagedClusterJoined=True --timeout 10m ``` **Verification** - To confirm that the managed cluster installation is successful, run the following command: ```terminal $ oc get managedcluster NAME HUB ACCEPTED MANAGED CLUSTER URLS JOINED AVAILABLE AGE local-cluster true https://:6443 True True 77m ``` **Additional resources** {._additional-resources} - [The Local Storage Operator](/openshift-docs-markdown/storage/persistent_storage_local/persistent-storage-local#persistent-storage-using-local-volume)