Operator reference

Operators extend a Kubernetes cluster by adding and managing additional resource types in the Kubernetes API. These resource types enable the installation and management of instances by using standard Kubernetes tools.

Every instance type in IBM Cloud Pak® for Integration (for example, the Platform UI or Queue manager), is provided by an operator that you must install before you can deploy that instance. After installation, the operator automates the management of an instance, doing the kind of tasks that an engineering team normally handles. For example, the operator can automatically manage upgrades and availability.

Operators in OpenShift

Operators are provided through a catalog source. You add catalog sources to make the Cloud Pak for Integration operators available to the OpenShift cluster. In OpenShift, operators are installed and managed by the OpenShift Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM).

How operators work with Kubernetes resources

Operators create instances by reconciling Kubernetes resources. Operators reconcile a resource when it changes in any way, and they perform reconciliations to check the health of the instance. If there are any changes to the resource, the instance is updated. During the reconciliation, the operator creates a set of resources, such as pods, secrets, and routes. All these resources make up the instance.

Tip: Do not directly edit the set of resources that are created by the operator, because the operator reverts those changes on the next reconciliation. In this way, the operator ensures that all the resources that make up a given instance are kept in sync. If you want to change a resource that is part of an instance, update the parent resource for the instance.

When the spec.version field for an instance is changed, the operator upgrades the instance.

Dependencies

Some Cloud Pak for Integration instances can be deployed by an operator only if other operators are also installed.

  • Instances that are configured to use identity and access management, such as the Platform UI, require the IBM Cloud Pak foundational services operator when running on OpenShift.

  • API Connect cluster instances require the IBM DataPower Gateway operator, if you are using an API Gateway.

  • API Connect cluster instances require the IBM Cloud Pak foundational services operator to install EDB Postgres for Kubernetes, if you are using an API Manager.

  • Assembly instances require the operators that reconcile the instance types that are defined in a given assembly.

Increasing resources for an operator

If the default resources do not meet your needs, complete the following steps to increase the resources that are available to the operator.

Tip: If you try to update the CSV directly (rather than the Subscription, as described in these steps) your changes will not persist.

  1. Log in to the OpenShift web console as an administrator.

  2. In the navigation panel, click Operators > Installed Operators.

  3. Click the name of the operator.

  4. Click the Subscription tab.

  5. Click the Actions drop-down at the top right and select Edit Subscription to open the YAML file.

  6. In the spec section, add a config.resources section as in the example below. Enter values that meet the CPU and memory needs of your cluster.

    kind: Subscription
metadata:
...
spec:
  ...
  config:
    resources:
      limits:
        cpu: 2000m
        memory: 2Gi
      requests:
        cpu: 1000m
        memory: 1Gi

    The operator is now re-deployed and the new resources are reflected in Workloads > Deployments.