Automating the deployment of a kubernetes/ocp cluster

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Before you start
• Prerequisites
  • Python
  • Ansible
  • Kind
  • Minikube
• Cloud provider
  • Red Hat
    • OpenStack - RHOS PSI
    • Resource Hub
  • IBM Cloud
  • Hetzner
    • Bare metal
    • Virtualized machine
• Cluster Deployment
  • Kubernetes
  • OpenShift
• Sandbox

Introduction

This project details the prerequisites and steps necessary to automate the installation of a Kubernetes (aka k8s) cluster or Openshift 4 top of one of the following cloud provider:

• Red Hat OpenStack (RHOS-PSI)

• Red Hat ResourceHub - Work in progress

• IBM Cloud

• Hetzner

• Kind**

ℹ️	kind is not a cloud provider but a tool able to run a k8s cluster on a container engine

Before you start

⚠️	All the commands mentioned on this project are to be executed at the root folder of the repository, except if stated otherwise.

Prerequisites

This project uses Ansible. Check the Ansible Document for the installation and usage instructions.

To use the scripts, playbooks, part of this project, some prerequisites are needed. It is not mandatory to install all of them and the following chapters will mention which ones are needed.

• kind

• Docker or podman

• Ansible. Version >= 2.14

• Python. Version >= 3.11

• passwordstore

• hcloud (optional) *

Python

Several requirements are provided as Python libraries, including Ansible, and are identified on the requirements.txt file.

Using a Python Virtual Environment is recommended and can be created using the following command:

python3 -m venv .snowdrop-venv

After creating the virtual environment start using it with the following command:

source .snowdrop-venv/bin/activate

The venv will be in use when the (.snowdrop-venv) prefix is shown on the bash prompt.

The python requirements can be installed by executing:

pip3 install -r requirements.txt

ℹ️	For more information check the Python Virtual Env section on our Ansible README.

Ansible

Several Ansible Galaxy collections are used as part of this project and are listed in the collections/requirements.yml file. To install them execute the following command.

ansible-galaxy collection install -r ./collections/requirements.yml --upgrade

Kind

Tools: docker (or podman), kind

To automate the installation of a k8s "kind" cluster locally like also to set up an ingress controller or a docker container registry, use our opinionated bash scripts :-).

You can find more information about kind tool using the official documentation - https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/docs/user/quick-start/

Minikube

Tools: docker (or podman), minikube

See the official documentation to install minikube on Macos, Linux or Windows

Cloud provider

The provisioning process towards the cloud providers relies on the following assumptions:

• Password store is installed/configured and needed k/v created

• Flavor, volume, capacity (cpu/ram/volume) and OS can be mapped with the playbook of the target cloud provider

• Permissions have been set to allow to provision a VM top of the target cloud provider

• SSH key exist and has been imported (or could be created during provisioning process)

and will include the following basic steps:

• Create a VM, mount a volume and import the SSH key

• Execute a pos installation script to install some needed services

• Register the Hostnames against the domain name (using Lets’encrypt and DNS provider)

• Deploy an ocp4 cluster and configure the different ingress routes to access the console, API, registry, etc

ℹ️	Optionally, we could also install different kubernetes tools if we would like to access/use the VM (e.g. kubectl, oc, helm, k9s, konfig, ect - see tooling section).

Red Hat

This section details how to provision an Openshift 4 cluster using one of Red Hat environments available such as:

OpenStack - RHOS PSI

Tools: password store, ansible

The OpenStack page explains the process using the RHOS cloud provider.

Resource Hub

Tools: password store, ansible

Work in progress

IBM Cloud

Tools: password store, ansible

See ibm-cloud

Hetzner

Bare metal

Tools: password store, ansible, hcloud

See hetzner page explaining how to create a vm.

Virtualized machine

Tools: password store, ansible, hcloud

See hetzner-cloud page explaining how to create a cloud vm.

Cluster Deployment

As the vm is now running and the docker daemon is up, you can install your k8s distribution using either one of the following approaches :

Kubernetes

You can then use the following instructions to install a Kubernetes cluster with the help of Ansible and the roles we created

OpenShift

• Simple using the oc binary tool and the command oc cluster up within the vm

• More elaborated using Ansible tool and one of the following playbook/role:

  • oc cluster up role

  • openshift-ansible all-in-one playbook as described here

Sandbox

Material not actively maintained to create a VM, run on your desktop a k8s cluster or provision it with Istio, Jaeger, Fabric8 launcher, Ansible Broker catalog, etc