Create OCCNE Instance

This section describes the steps and procedures required to create an OCCNE instance at a customer site. The following diagrams shows the installation context:

Figure 2-5 OCCNE Installation Overview

The following is an overview or basic install flow for reference to understand the overall effort contained within these procedures:

Check that the hardware is on-site and properly cabled and powered up.
Pre-assemble the basic ingredients needed to perform a successful install:
1. Identify
  1. Download and stage software and other configuration files using provided manifests. Refer to Artifact Acquisition and Hosting for manifests information.
  2. Identify the layer 2 (MAC) and layer 3 (IP) addresses for the equipment in the target frame
  3. Identify the addresses of key external network services (e.g., NTP, DNS, etc.)
  4. Verify / Set all of the credentials for the target frame hardware to known settings
2. Prepare
  1. Software Repositories: Load the various SW repositories (YUM, Helm, Docker, etc.) using the downloaded software and configuration
  2. Configuration Files: Populate the hosts inventory file with credentials and layer 2 and layer 3 network information, switch configuration files with assigned IP addresses, and yaml files with appropriate information.
Bootstrap the System:
1. Manually configure a Minimal Bootstrapping Environment (MBE); perform the minimal set of manual operations to enable networking and initial loading of a single Rack Mount Server - RMS1 - the transient Installer Bootstrap Host. In this procedure, a minimal set of packages needed to configure switches, iLOs, PXE boot environment, and provision RMS2 as an OCCNE Storage Host are installed.
2. Using the newly constructed MBE, automatically create the first (complete) Management VM on RMS2. This freshly installed Storage Host will include a virtual machine for hosting the Bastion Host.
3. Using the newly constructed Bastion Host on RMS2, automatically deploy and configure the OCCNE on the other servers in the frame
Final Steps
1. Perform post installation checks
2. Perform recommended security hardening steps

Cluster Bootstrapping Overview

This install procedure is targeted at installing OCCNE onto a new hardware absent of any networking configurations to switches, or operating systems provisioned. Therefore, the initial step in the installation process is to provision RMS1 (see Installation Procedures) as a temporary Installer Bootstrap Host. The Bootstrap Host is configured with a minimal set of packages needed to configure switches, iLOs, PXE boot environment, and provision RMS2 as an OCCNE Storage Host. A virtual Bastion Host is also provisioned on RMS2. The Bastion Host is then used to provision (and in the case of the Bootstrap Host, re-provision) the remaining OCCNE hosts, install Kubernetes, Database services, and Common Services running within the Kubernetes cluster.