Chapter 4. Release images

When you create a cluster on a provider by using the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes, you must specify a release image to use for the new cluster. The release image specifies which version of Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is used to build the cluster.

The files that reference the release images are yaml files that are maintained in the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository. Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes uses those files to create the list of the available release images in the console. The repository contains the clusterImageSets directory and the subscription directory, which are the directories that you use when working with the release images.

The clusterImageSets directory contains the following directories:

  • Fast - Contains files that reference the latest two versions of the release images for each OpenShift Container Platform version that is supported
  • Releases - Contains files that reference all of the release images for each OpenShift Container Platform version that is supported. Note: These releases have not all been tested and determined to be stable.
  • Stable - Contains files that reference the latest two stable versions of the release images for each OpenShift Container Platform version that is supported. The release images in this folder are tested and verified.

The subscription directory contains files that specify where the list of release images is pulled from. The default release images for Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management are provided in a Quay.io directory. They are referenced by the files in the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository.

4.1. Synchronizing available release images

The release images are updated frequently, so you might want to synchronize the list of release images to ensure that you can select the latest available versions. The release images are available in the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository.

There are three levels of stability of the release images:

Table 4.1. Stability levels of release images

Category

Description

stable

Fully tested images that are confirmed to install and build clusters correctly.

fast

Partially tested, but likely less stable than a stable version.

candidate

Not tested, but the most current image. Might have some bugs.

Complete the following steps to refresh the list:

  1. Clone the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository.
  2. Connect to your Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes hub cluster by entering the following command:

    oc apply -k subscription/

    After about one minute, the latest two fast entries are available.

  3. To synchronize your list of stable release images after you have cloned the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository, enter the following command to update the stable images:

    make subscribe-stable

    Note: You can only run this make command when you are using the Linux or MacOS operating system. If you are using the Windows operating system, enter the following command to update the stable images:

    oc apply -f subscription-stable

    After running this command, the list of available stable release images updates with the currently available images in about one minute.

    • To synchronize and display the fast release images, enter the following command:

      make subscribe-fast

      Note: You can only run this make command when you are using the Linux or MacOS operating system. If you are using the Windows operating system, enter the following command to updated the fast images:

      oc apply -f subscription/subscription-fast.yaml

      After running the command, the list of available stable and fast release images updates with the currently available images in about one minute.

    • To synchronize and display the candidate release images, enter the following command:

      make subscribe-candidate

      Note: You can only run this make command when you are using the Linux or MacOS operating system. If you are using the Windows operating system, enter the following command to updated the candidate images:

      oc apply -f subscription/subscription-candidate.yaml

      After running the command, the list of available stable, fast, and candidate release images updates with the currently available images in about 1 minute.

  4. View the list of currently available release images in the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management console when you are creating a cluster.
  5. You can unsubscribe from any of these channels to stop viewing the updates by entering a command in the following format:

    oc delete -f subscription/subscription-stable

4.1.1. Maintaining a custom list of release images when connected

You might want to ensure that you use the same release image for all of your clusters. To simplify, you can create your own custom list of release images that are available when creating a cluster. Complete the following steps to manage your available release images:

  1. Fork the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository.
  2. Update the ./subscription/channel.yaml file by changing the spec: pathname to access your the GitHub name for your forked repository, instead of open-cluster-management. This step specifies where the hub cluster retrieves the release images. Your updated content should look similar to the following example:

    spec:
      type: GitHub
      pathname: https://github.com/<forked_content>/acm-hive-openshift-releases.git

    Replace forked_content with the path to your forked repository.

  3. Add the yaml files for the images that you want available when you create a cluster by using the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes console to the ./clusterImageSets/stable/ or ./clusterImageSets/fast/ directory. Tip: You can retrieve the available yaml files from the main repository by merging changes into your forked repository.
  4. Commit and merge your changes to your forked repository.
  5. To synchronize your list of stable release images after you have cloned the acm-hive-openshift-releases repository, enter the following command to update the stable images:

    make subscribe-stable

    Note: You can only run this make command when you are using the Linux or MacOS operating system. If you are using the Windows operating system, enter the following commands:

    oc apply -k subscription/
    oc delete -f subscription/subscription-fast.yaml
    oc apply -f subscription/subscription-stable.yaml

    After running this command, the list of available stable release images updates with the currently available images in about one minute.

  6. By default, only the stable images are listed. To synchronize and display the fast release images, enter the following command:

    make subscribe-fast

    Note: You can only run this make command when you are using the Linux or MacOS operating system. If you are using the Windows operating system, enter the following commands:

    oc apply -k subscription/
    oc apply -f subscription/subscription-fast.yaml

    After running this command, the list of available fast release images updates with the currently available images in about 1 minute.

  7. By default, Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management pre-loads a few ClusterImageSets. Use the following commands to list what is available and remove the defaults, if desired.

    oc get clusterImageSets
    oc delete clusterImageSet <clusterImageSet_NAME>
  8. View the list of currently available release images in the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management console when you are creating a cluster.

4.1.2. Maintaining a custom list of release images while disconnected

In some cases, you need to maintain a custom list of release images when the hub cluster has no Internet connection. You can create your own custom list of release images that are available when creating a cluster. Complete the following steps to manage your available release images while disconnected:

  1. While you are on a connected system, navigate to the acm-hive-openshift-releases GitHub repository.
  2. Copy the clusterImageSets directory to a system that can access the disconnected Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes hub cluster.
  3. Add the yaml files for the images that you want available when you create a cluster by using the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes console by manually adding the clusterImageSet yamls.
  4. Create clusterImageSets command:

    oc create -f <clusterImageSet_FILE>

    After running this command for each resource you want to add, the list of available release images will be available.

  5. Alternately you can paste the image url directly in the the create cluster console in Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management. This will create new clusterImageSets if they do not exist.
  6. View the list of currently available release images in the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management console when you are creating a cluster.