Client workstation requirements

You can use a client workstation, such as a laptop, to run the IBM® Cloud Pak for Data command-line interface (cpd-cli).

The cpd-cli is comprised of several plug-ins. Some of the plug-ins have different hardware requirements, container runtime requirements, and internet access requirements. Use the information in the following table to determine which plug-ins you will need to run based on your role in installing and administering Cloud Pak for Data:
Plug-in How is this plug-in used? Related documentation
config Create a local user configuration and profile to enable you to run the following cpd-cli commands against an existing Cloud Pak for Data instance:
  • cpd-cli diag
  • cpd-cli export-import
  • cpd-cli service-instance
  • cpd-cli user-mgmt
cpdbr Backup and restore Cloud Pak for Data volumes.
cpdbr-oadp Backup and restore Cloud Pak for Data deployments, including volumes.
cpdtool Export and import platform and service data, including metadata.
manage Install and upgrade Cloud Pak for Data
migrate Migrate your LDAP configuration from Cloud Pak for Data to the IBM Cloud Pak® foundational services IAM Service.
platform-diag Gather diagnostic information about a Cloud Pak for Data deployment.
platform-mgmt Manage the service instances and users associated with a Cloud Pak for Data deployment.
Service instances
Users

Hardware requirements for client workstations

Some of the cpd-cli plug-ins support a subset of the hardware that Cloud Pak for Data supports.

Note: The hardware on the client workstation does not need to be the same as the hardware on the cluster. For example, if your cluster is running s390x hardware, you can run the cpd-cli on an x86-64 client workstation.

Use the following table to determine whether you have the appropriate operating system to run the plug-ins that you plan to use:

Plug-in x86-64 ppc64le s390x
config ✓ ✓ ✓
cpdbr ✓ ✓  
cpdbr-oadp ✓ ✓  
cpdtool ✓ ✓  
manage ✓    
migrate ✓ ✓  
platform-diag ✓ ✓ ✓
platform-mgmt ✓ ✓ ✓

If your workstation has x86-64 hardware, you can run the cpd-cli on the following operating systems:

Operating system Notes
Linux®  
Mac OS You cannot use Mac OS workstations with the following chips:
  • M1
  • M2
Windows To run on Windows, you must install Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Container runtime requirements for client workstations

Some of the cpd-cli plug-ins require a container runtime, such as Docker.

It is strongly recommended that you use the latest version of the container runtime.

Plug-in Runtime required Runtimes supported
config    
cpdbr ✓
  • Docker
cpdbr-oadp ✓
  • Docker
cpdtool ✓
  • Docker
manage ✓
  • Docker
  • Podman

    (Not supported on Mac OS workstations.)
migrate    
platform-diag    
platform-mgmt    
If you are running one of the following operating systems, keep the following restrictions in mind:
Mac OS
If you are running the cpd-cli manage commands on a Mac OS client, you must use Docker.
If you have both Docker and Podman on the workstation, the cpd-cli automatically attempts to use Podman.
You can add the following entry to your ~/.bash_profile file to ensure that the cpd-cli uses Docker: 
export OLM_UTILS_DOCKEREXE=docker
Windows
Set up the container runtime inside Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Internet access requirements for client workstations

The cpd-cli plug-ins have various internet access requirements. At a minimum, the workstation must be able to access the cluster network. However, some of the plug-ins require public internet access to complete a subset of tasks, such as downloading files and containerized software images. Use the following table to determine whether the plug-ins that you plan to use require internet access:

Plug-in Requires public internet connection?
config No.
cpdbr Required to obtain the cpdbr image.

Also required if your S3 storage is not in your cluster network.
cpdbr-oadp Required to obtain the cpdbr-velero-plugin and ubi8/ubi-minimal images.

Also required if your object storage is not in your cluster network.
cpdtool Required to obtain the cpdtool image.
manage Required to:
  • Obtain the olm-utils-play image.
  • Download the required CASE packages
  • Mirror images to a private container registry or to an intermediary container registry on the workstation.
migrate Required to obtain the zen-ldapmigrate image.
platform-diag No.
platform-mgmt No.

If your cluster is in a restricted network, you can:

  • Move the workstation behind the firewall after you complete the tasks that require an internet connection
  • Prepare a client workstation that can connect to the internet and a client workstation that can connect to the cluster and transfer any files from the internet-connected workstation to the cluster-connected workstation.