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Install VerteX

Palette VerteX can be installed on VMware vSphere in an airgap environment. When you install VerteX, a three-node cluster is created. You use the interactive Palette CLI to install VerteX on VMware vSphere. Refer to Access Palette for instructions on requesting the required credentials and assets.

Prerequisites​

  • You have completed the Environment Setup steps and deployed the airgap support VM.

  • You can choose between two Operating Systems (OS) when installing Vertex. Review the requirements for each OS.

    • Ubuntu Pro - you need an Ubuntu Pro subscription token.

    • Red Hat Linux Enterprise - you need a Red Hat subscription and a custom RHEL vSphere template with Kubernetes available in your vSphere environment. To learn how to create the required template, refer to the RHEL and PXK guide.

      warning

      Do not proceed with the installation until you have the met the OS requirements.

  • Review the required VMware vSphere permissions. Ensure you have created the proper custom roles and zone tags.

  • We recommended the following resources for Palette VerteX. Refer to the Palette VerteX size guidelines for additional sizing information.

    • 8 CPUs per VM.

    • 16 GB Memory per VM.

    • 100 GB Disk Space per VM.

  • The following network ports must be accessible for Palette VerteX to operate successfully.

    • TCP/443: Inbound to and outbound from the Palette VerteX management cluster.

    • TCP/6443: Outbound traffic from the Palette VerteX management cluster to the deployed cluster's Kubernetes API server.

  • The network IP address range you specify during the installation must not overlap with any existing IP addresses in your environment. The IP address range must also have connectivity to the VMware vSphere environment.

  • Ensure you have an SSL certificate that matches the domain name you will assign to Palette VerteX. You will need this to enable HTTPS encryption for Palette VerteX. Reach out to your network administrator or security team to obtain the SSL certificate. You need the following files:

    • x509 SSL certificate file in base64 format.

    • x509 SSL certificate key file in base64 format.

    • x509 SSL certificate authority file in base64 format. This file is optional.

  • Zone tagging is required for dynamic storage allocation across fault domains when provisioning workloads that require persistent storage. Refer to Zone Tagging for information.

  • Assigned IP addresses for application workload services, such as Load Balancer services.

  • Shared Storage between VMware vSphere hosts.

info

Self-hosted Palette VerteX installations provide a system Private Cloud Gateway (PCG) out-of-the-box and typically do not require a separate, user-installed PCG. However, you can create additional PCGs as needed to support provisioning into remote data centers that do not have a direct incoming connection from the Palette console. To learn how to install a PCG on VMware, check out the Deploy to VMware vSphere guide.

warning

Palette VerteX does not support insecure connections. Ensure you have the Certificate Authority (CA) available, in PEM format, when using a custom packs and image registry. Otherwise, VerteX will not be able to pull packs and images from the registry. The Palette CLI will prompt you to provide the CA certificate file path when necessary.

Deployment​

The video below demonstrates the installation wizard and the prompts you will encounter. Take a moment to watch the video before you begin the installation process. Make sure to use values that are appropriate for your environment. Use the three-dots Menu in the lower right corner of the video to expand the video to full screen and to change the playback speed.

Use the following steps to install Palette VerteX.

  1. In your terminal, use the following command template to SSH into the airgap support VM. Enter the path to your private SSH key, your username, and the IP or domain of the airgap support VM. The default username is ubuntu.

    ssh -i </path/to/private/key> ubuntu@<vm-ip-or-domain>

    Consider the following command example for reference.

    ssh -i /docs/ssh-private-key.pem ubuntu@vertex.example.com
    tip

    Alternatively, you can use any Linux x86-64 system that has the Docker daemon and Palette CLI installed, as well as connectivity to the VMware vSphere environment where Palette VerteX will be deployed.

  2. Invoke the Palette CLI by using the ec command to install the enterprise cluster. The interactive CLI prompts you for configuration details and then initiates the installation. For more information about the ec subcommand, refer to Palette Commands.

    palette ec install
    warning

    If you deployed the airgap support VM using a generic OVA, the Palette CLI may not be in the usr/bin path. Ensure that you complete step 22 of the Environment Setup guide, which installs the VerteX airgap binary and moves the Palette CLI to the correct path.

  3. At the Enterprise Cluster Type prompt, choose Palette VerteX.

  4. Select the desired OS you want to use for the installation. Review the table below for more information about each option.

    OptionDescriptionRequirements
    Ubuntu ProUbuntu Pro is the default option. It provides access to FIPS 140-2 certified cryptographic packages.Ubuntu Pro token.
    Red Hat Linux EnterpriseRed Hat Linux Enterprise provides access to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.Red Hat subscription and a custom RHEL vSphere template with Kubernetes. Review the RHEL and PXK to learn how to create the required template.

  5. Depending on your OS selection, you will be prompted to provide the required information. For Ubuntu Pro, you will need to provide your Ubuntu Pro token. For Red Hat Linux Enterprise, you will need to provide the path to the vSphere template and specify the version.

    warning

    If you selected Ubuntu, to ensure FIPS compliance, be sure to enter your Ubuntu Pro token. If RHEL is the selected OS, you will need to provide the path to the vSphere template and specify the version.

  6. Specify the URL or IP address of the Spectro Cloud Repository that is provided to you by the airgap setup script. Make sure to specify the file path to the CA certificate when prompted.

    info

    If you are using the Palette CLI from inside an airgap support VM, the CLI will automatically detect the airgap environment and prompt you to Use local, air-gapped Spectro Cloud Artifact Repository (SCAR) configuration. Type y to use the local resources and skip filling in the repository URL and credentials.

  7. Enter the repository credentials. Our support team provides the credentials you need to access the public Spectro Cloud repository. Airgap installations, provide the credentials to your private repository provided to you by the airgap setup script .

  8. Choose VMware vSphere as the cloud type. This is the default.

  9. Type an enterprise cluster name. Your VM instances will use this name as a prefix.

  10. When prompted, enter the information listed in each of the following tables.

    Environment Configuration​

    ParameterDescription
    HTTPS ProxyLeave this blank unless you are using an HTTPS Proxy. This setting will be propagated to all EC nodes and all of its target cluster nodes. Example: https://USERNAME:PASSWORD@PROXYIP:PROXYPORT.
    HTTP ProxyLeave this blank unless you are using an HTTP Proxy. This setting will be propagated to all EC nodes and all of its target cluster nodes. Example: http://USERNAME:PASSWORD@PROXYIP:PROXYPORT.
    No ProxyThe default is blank. You can add a comma-separated list of local network CIDR addresses, hostnames, and domain names that should be excluded from being a proxy. This setting will be propagated to all the nodes to bypass the proxy server. Example if you have a self-hosted environment: maas.company.com,10.10.0.0/16.
    Proxy CA Certificate FilepathThe default is blank. You can provide the filepath of a CA certificate on the installer host. If provided, this CA certificate will be copied to each host in the PCG cluster during deployment. The provided path will be used on the PCG cluster hosts. Example: /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/ca.crt.
    Pod CIDREnter the CIDR pool IP that will be used to assign IP addresses to pods in the EC cluster. The pod IP addresses should be unique and not overlap with any machine IPs in the environment.
    Service IP RangeEnter the IP address range that will be used to assign IP addresses to services in the EC cluster. The service IP addresses should be unique and not overlap with any machine IPs in the environment.

  11. Select the OCI registry type and provide the configuration values. Review the following table for more information. If you are using the Palette CLI from inside an airgap support VM, the CLI will automatically detect the airgap environment and prompt you to Use local, air-gapped Pack Registry? Type y to use the local resources and skip filling in the OCI registry URL and credentials.

    warning

    For self-hosted OCI registries, ensure you have the server Certificate Authority (CA) certificate file available on the host where you are using the Palette CLI. You will be prompted to provide the file path to the OCI CA certificate. Failure to provide the OCI CA certificate will result in self-linking errors. Refer to the Self-linking Error troubleshooting guide for more information.

    Pack & Image Registry Configuration​

    ParameterDescription
    Registry TypeSpecify the type of registry. Allowed values are OCI or OCI ECR. Airgap users, select OCI.
    Registry NameEnter the name of the registry.
    Registry EndpointEnter the registry endpoint. Airgap users, provide the Spectro Cloud Repository URL or hostname shared by the airgap setup script.
    Registry Base PathEnter the registry base path.
    Allow Insecure ConnectionBypasses x509 verification. Type n to specify a certificate authority in the follow-up prompt. Airgap user, ensure you select n.
    Registry CA certificate filepathSpecify the file path to the certificate authority. Use absolute paths. Airgap users, provide the filepath displayed by the aurgap setup script.
    Registry Username or Registry Access KeyEnter the registry username or the access key if using OCI ECR.
    Registry Password or Registry Secret KeyEnter the registry password or the secret key if using OCI ECR.
    Registry RegionEnter the registry region. This option is only available if you are using OCI ECR.
    ECR Registry PrivateType y if the registry is private. Otherwise, type n.
    Use Public Registry for ImagesType y to use a public registry for images. Type n to a different registry for images. If you are using another registry for images, you will be prompted to enter the registry URL, base path, username, and password. Airgap users, select n so that you can specify the values for the OCI registry that contains all the required images.

    When prompted to Pull images from public registry, type n and specify the OCI registry configuration values for your image registry. If you are on an airgap support VM, the CLI will automatically detect the airgap environment and prompt you to Use local, air-gapped Image Registry?. Type y to use the local resources and skip filling in the OCI registry URL and credentials. Refer to the table above for more information.

    info

    You will be provided with an opportunity to update the mirror registries values. To exit vi press the Escape key and type :wq to save and exit.

  12. The next set of prompts is for the VMware vSphere account information. Enter the information listed in the following table.

    VMware vSphere Account Information​

    ParameterDescription
    vSphere EndpointVMware vSphere endpoint. Must be a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or IP address without a scheme - that is, without an IP protocol, such as https://. Example: vcenter.mycompany.com.
    vSphere UsernameVMware vSphere account username.
    vSphere PasswordVMware vSphere account password.
    Allow Insecure ConnectionBypasses x509 verification. Type Y if using a VMware vSphere instance with self-signed Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates. Otherwise, type n.

    VMware vSphere Cluster Configuration​

    This information determines where Palette will be deployed in your VMware vSphere environment. The Palette CLI will use the provided VMware credentials to retrieve information from your VMware vSphere environment and present options for you to select from.

    ParameterDescription
    DatacenterThe installer retrieves the Datacenter automatically.
    FolderSelect the folder that contains the VM instance.
    ClusterSelect the cluster where you want to deploy Palette.
    NetworkSelect the network where you want to deploy Palette.
    Resource PoolSelect the resource pool where you want to deploy Palette.
    DatastoreSelect the datastore where you want to deploy Palette.
    Fault DomainsConfigure one or more fault domains by selecting values for these properties: Cluster, Network (with network connectivity), Resource Pool, and Storage Type (Datastore or VM Storage Policy). Note that when configuring the Network, if you are using a distributed switch, choose the network that contains the switch.
    NTP ServersYou can provide a list of Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, such as pool.ntp.org.
    SSH Public KeysProvide any public SSH keys to access your Palette VMs. This option opens up your system's default text editor. Vi is the default text editor for most Linux distributions. To review basic vi commands, check out the vi Commands reference.

  13. Specify the IP pool configuration. The placement type can be Static or Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Choosing static placement creates an IP pool from which VMs are assigned IP addresses. Choosing DHCP assigns IP addresses using DNS.

    Static Placement Configuration​

    ParameterDescription
    IP Start rangeEnter the first address in the EC IP pool range.
    IP End rangeEnter the last address in the EC IP pool range.
    Network PrefixEnter the network prefix for the IP pool range. Valid values are in [0, 32]. Example: 18.
    Gateway IP AddressEnter the IP address of the static IP gateway.
    Name serversComma-separated list of DNS name server IP addresses.
    Name server search suffixesAn optional comma-separated list of DNS search domains.

  14. The last set of prompts are for the vSphere machine and database configuration. Use the following table for guidance.

    vSphere Machine Configuration​

    ParameterDescription
    SmallDeploy VM nodes with 8 CPU, 16 GB memory, 60 GB storage. The database specs are 20 GB database with 2 CPU limit and 4 GB memory limit.
    MediumDeploy VM nodes with 16 CPU, 32 GB memory, 100 GB storage. The database specs are 60 GB database with 4 CPU limit and 8 GB memory limit.
    LargeDeploy VM nodes with 32 CPU, 64 GB memory, 120 GB storage. The database specs are 80 GB database with 8 CPU limit and 16 GB memory limit.
    CustomDeploy VM nodes with custom CPU, memory, storage, database size, CPU limit, and memory limit. If you specify custom, you will be prompted for the CPU, memory, and storage.

    Additional vSphere Machine Configuration​

    ParameterDescription
    Node AffinitySelect the node affinity. Enter y to schedule all Palette pods on control plane nodes.

    The installation process stands up a kind cluster locally that will orchestrate the remainder of the installation. The installation takes some time.

    Upon completion, the enterprise cluster configuration file named ec.yaml contains the information you provided, and its location is displayed in the terminal. Credentials and tokens are encrypted in the YAML file.

    ==== Enterprise Cluster config saved ====
    Location: :/home/spectro/.palette/ec/ec-20230706150945/ec.yaml
    tip

    If an error occurs during installation, remove the kind cluster that was created and restart the installation. To remove the kind cluster, issue the following command. Replace spectro-mgmt-cluster with the name of your cluster if you used a different name.

    kind delete cluster spectro-mgmt-cluster

    Restart the install process by referencing the ec.yaml file that was created during the first installation attempt. For example:

    palette ec install --config /home/spectro/.palette/ec/ec-20230706150945/ec.yaml

    When the installation is complete, Enterprise Cluster Details that include a URL and default credentials are displayed in the terminal. You will use these to access the Palette VerteX System Console. The Palette CLI has the kubectl CLI included. You can find the kubectl binary in the bin directory of the Palette CLI configuration directory, located at ~/.palette/bin/kubectl.

    ===========================================
    ==== Enterprise Cluster System Console ====
    ===========================================
    Console URL: https://10.10.100.0/system
    Username:    ************
    Password:    ************

    The first of three Enterprise Cluster nodes is online and will now provision nodes two and three.

    It will take another ~30-45 minutes for the installation to complete.

    You can monitor its progress via kubectl/k9s or by viewing the system console.

    export KUBECONFIG=/ubuntu/.palette/ec/ec-20231012215923/spectro_mgmt.conf

  15. To avoid potential vulnerabilities, once the installation is complete, remove the kind images that were installed in the environment where you initiated the installation.

    Issue the following command to list all instances of kind that exist in the environment.

    docker images
    REPOSITORY     TAG        IMAGE ID       CREATED        SIZE
    kindest/node   v1.26.13   131ad18222cc   5 months ago   910MB

    Then, use the following command template to remove all instances of kind.

    docker image rm kindest/node:<version>

    Consider the following example for reference.

    docker image rm kindest/node:v1.26.13
    Untagged: kindest/node:v1.26.13
    Untagged: kindest/node@sha256:15ae92d507b7d4aec6e8920d358fc63d3b980493db191d7327541fbaaed1f789
    Deleted: sha256:131ad18222ccb05561b73e86bb09ac3cd6475bb6c36a7f14501067cba2eec785
    Deleted: sha256:85a1a4dfc468cfeca99e359b74231e47aedb007a206d0e2cae2f8290e7290cfd

  16. Log in to the system console using the credentials provided in the Enterprise Cluster Details output. After login, you will be prompted to create a new password. Enter a new password and save your changes. Refer to the password requirements documentation page to learn more about the password requirements.

    Use the username admin and your new password to log in to the system console. You can create additional system administrator accounts and assign roles to users in the system console. Refer to the Account Management documentation page for more information.

    info

    The first time you visit the VerteX system console, a warning message about an untrusted SSL certificate may appear. This is expected, as you have not yet uploaded your SSL certificate to Palette. You can ignore this warning message and proceed.

    Screenshot of the Palette VerteX system console showing Username and Password fields.

  17. After login, a Summary page is displayed. Palette VerteX is installed with a self-signed SSL certificate. To assign a different SSL certificate you must upload the SSL certificate, SSL certificate key, and SSL certificate authority files to Palette VerteX. You can upload the files using the Palette VerteX system console. Refer to the Configure HTTPS Encryption page for instructions on how to upload the SSL certificate files to Palette VerteX.

  18. The last step is to start setting up a tenant. To learn how to create a tenant, check out the Tenant Management guide.

    Screenshot of the Summary page showing where to click Go to Tenant Management button.

Validate​

You can verify the installation is successful if you can access the system console using the IP address provided in Enterprise Cluster Details and if the Summary page displays the Go to Tenant Management button.

You can also validate that a three-node Kubernetes cluster is launched and Palette VerteX is deployed on it.

  1. Log in to the vCenter Server by using vSphere Client.

  2. Navigate to your vSphere Datacenter and locate your Palette VM instances. The VMs are prefixed with the name you provided during the installation. For example, if you provided spectro-mgmt-cluster as the name, the VMs are named spectro-mgmt-cluster-, followed by a unique set of alphanumeric values. Verify three nodes are available.

  3. Open a web browser session, and use the IP address provided in Enterprise Cluster Details at the completion of the installation to connect to the Palette system console. Copy the IP address to the address bar and append /system.

  4. Log in using your credentials.

  5. A Summary page will be displayed that contains a tile with a Go to Tenant Management button. After initial installation, the Summary page shows there are zero tenants.

Next Steps​

You have successfully installed Palette VerteX in vSphere. Your next steps are to configure Palette VerteX for your organization. Start by creating the first tenant to host your users. Refer to Create a Tenant for instructions.

After you create the tenant, you are ready to configure authentication types in tenant settings and create users and teams.

Resources​