OpenShift 4.18/4.19 Bare Metal Deployment Workshop

Introduction

This comprehensive workshop provides hands-on experience with deploying OpenShift 4.18/4.19 on bare metal infrastructure, covering both connected and disconnected environments. The workshop follows a structured knowledge graph approach, guiding participants through essential concepts, multiple installation methods, and advanced post-deployment configurations.

Built on the Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS) immutable operating system and Kubernetes 1.31/1.32 container orchestration, this workshop enables participants to master enterprise-grade OpenShift deployments with advanced storage, networking, and optional features like OpenShift Virtualization and OpenShift AI.

For your convenience, you may fork this repository and use it as a reference guide when implementing your own bare metal deployments using OpenShift.

OpenShift empowers users to deploy and manage containerized workloads with enterprise-grade scalability, robust security, and flexibility across diverse infrastructures - from connected cloud environments to air-gapped edge deployments.

During this workshop, we will explore common deployment and management activities that platform administrators and infrastructure engineers encounter in their day-to-day workflows, with a focus on practical, production-ready configurations.

Who Will Benefit Most from Attending This Workshop?

Infrastructure Administrators

Those responsible for the day-to-day management of bare metal infrastructure and supporting environments for OpenShift.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Provisioning hardware and configuring BIOS, firmware, and network settings

• Ensuring the stability and performance of the underlying infrastructure

Platform Engineers

Those responsible for deploying, managing, and scaling OpenShift clusters.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Setting up and configuring OpenShift components like networking, storage, and advanced features

• Integrating OpenShift with existing IT environments and workloads

Workshop Structure and Learning Path

This workshop follows a knowledge graph approach with 7 comprehensive modules, designed to accommodate both connected and disconnected deployment scenarios:

Module 1: Introduction - Foundation Concepts

• Platform Architecture: Components & benefits of OpenShift 4.18/4.19

• Installation Methods: Assisted vs Agent-based installer comparison

• Workshop Learning Path: Structured approach to bare metal mastery

Module 2: Infrastructure Preparation - Essential Requirements

• C1: Red Hat Account & Resources - Pull secrets & tools acquisition

• C2: Hardware & DNS Planning - Inventory & network requirements

• C3: Boot Preparation - BIOS configuration & discovery methods

Installation Method Decision Point

After completing the foundation modules, choose your deployment path based on your environment:

Connected Environment Path → Module 3: Assisted Installer

Cloud-guided Installation with Web-based UI

• D1: Red Hat Console Access - Web-based configuration interface

• D2: Cluster Configuration - Network, nodes, and feature settings

• D3: Discovery ISO Generation - Custom boot media creation

• D4: Hardware Discovery - Automatic detection & validation

• D5: Installation Monitoring - Real-time progress tracking

Disconnected Environment Path → Module 4: Agent-based Installer

Air-gapped Installation with CLI-based Approach

• E1: install-config.yaml - Declarative configuration management

• E2: agent-config.yaml - Node-specific settings and roles

• E3: Mirror Registry Setup - Disconnected image storage

• E4: Agent ISO Creation - Self-contained installation media

• E5: Offline Installation - Complete air-gapped deployment

Module 5: Storage Configuration - OpenShift Data Foundation

• Prepare storage infrastructure for ODF

• Install and configure the Local Storage Operator

• Deploy and configure OpenShift Data Foundation

• Configure the OpenShift Image Registry with ODF backend

Module 6: Network Configuration - Advanced Networking

• Secondary networks overview and use cases

• Configuring advanced networks using Nmstate

• Exposing networks through NetworkAttachmentDefinitions

• Production networking best practices

Module 7: Optional Features - Advanced Capabilities

• OpenShift Virtualization: Managing virtual machines within OpenShift

• OpenShift AI: Enabling AI/ML workloads with OpenShift’s AI capabilities

• Integration patterns and best practices

Key Workshop Features

This workshop emphasizes several advanced OpenShift deployment capabilities:

Simplified Architecture Benefits

• No Bootstrap Node Required: Both installation methods eliminate the need for temporary bootstrap infrastructure

• Virtual IP Management: Built-in load balancer functionality without external dependencies

• Automatic Hardware Discovery: Intelligent detection and validation of bare metal resources

Flexible Deployment Options

• Standard HA Cluster: 3 control plane + 2+ worker nodes for production workloads

• Compact Cluster: 3 nodes serving dual control plane + worker roles for resource-constrained environments

• Connected vs Disconnected: Full support for both internet-connected and air-gapped deployments

Enterprise-Grade Foundation

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS: Immutable, security-hardened operating system

• Kubernetes 1.31/1.32: Latest container orchestration with enterprise support

• Production-Ready Configurations: Real-world deployment patterns and best practices

For Developers

Interested in contributing to this workshop? We welcome contributions from the community! Please see our Contributing Guide for detailed information on:

• Setting up your development environment

• Repository structure and organization

• Using our utility scripts and Makefile

• Content guidelines and best practices

• Building and testing locally

• Submitting changes

• And more!

We use GitHub Actions for automated deployments and provide several utility scripts to make development easier. Check out the Contributing Guide to get started.

Version Information

This edition of the OpenShift 4.18/4.19 Bare Metal Deployment Workshop has been developed using the following software versions:

• OpenShift 4.18 Documentation - Primary version

• OpenShift 4.19 Documentation - Latest features

• Kubernetes: 1.31/1.32 (embedded within OpenShift)

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS: Latest immutable OS foundation

• OpenShift Data Foundation: Latest version for enterprise storage

• OpenShift Virtualization: Latest version (Optional module)

• OpenShift AI: Latest version (Optional module)

Installation Methods Covered

• Assisted Installer: 2025 Documentation - Connected environments

• Agent-based Installer: 4.18 Documentation - Disconnected environments

About

This lab guide is based on the East Region RTO Workshop Template.

For more details, visit: red-hat-se-rto.github.io/se-redhat-rto-workshop-template/

Resources

Primary Documentation

• OpenShift 4.18 Documentation - Complete platform guide

• OpenShift 4.19 Documentation - Latest features and updates

• Assisted Installer 2025 Documentation - Connected installations

• Agent-based Installer Documentation - Disconnected installations

Platform and Tools

• Red Hat Demo Platform (RHDP) - Lab environments

• Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console - Assisted Installer access

• OpenShift Data Foundation - Enterprise storage solution

Advanced Features

• OpenShift Virtualization Documentation

• OpenShift AI Documentation

• Nmstate Networking Documentation