Preparing for installation

Set up your OpenShift environment in preparation for deploying API Connect.

1. Ensure that your environment meets the following prerequisites:
   • IBM API Connect Version 10 software product compatibility requirements

   • Deployment requirements

   • If you want to use the OpenShift web console, Cluster admin access is required.

   • API Connect requires block storage as the storage class for all subsystems.

   • Set the default SCC (security context constraint) to restricted.

     API Connect supports only the restricted SCC on OpenShift.

   • If your OpenShift deployment uses a LimitRange and a CPU maxLimitRequestRatio is set, then its value must be at least 25; otherwise some API Connect pods might fail to start.

   • S3 object-store available for storing API Connect subsystem database backups.
2. Plan your deployment as explained in Planning your deployment.
3. Review Operator, CASE, and platform requirements to determine the operator, operand, and CASE versions that you need for your deployment.
4. Obtain the API Connect files..
   From the IBM Fix Central site, download the following files:

   IBM® API Connect <version> for Containers

   Docker images for all API Connect subsystems. Filename is apiconnect-image-tool_<version>.

   IBM® API Connect <version> Operator Release Files for Containers

   Kubernetes operators and API Connect Custom Resource (CR) templates. Filename is apiconnect-operator-release-files_<version>.

   IBM API Connect <version> Security Signature Bundle File

   Signature files for verifying the integrity of your downloads.

   Filename is signatures_<version>.

   IBM API Connect <version> Toolkit for <operating_system>

   Toolkit command-line utility. Packaged as a stand-alone file, or with API Designer:

   • IBM API Connect <version> Toolkit for <operating_system>
   • IBM API Connect <version> Toolkit Designer for <operating_system>

   Filename is toolkit-...<operating system>_<version>.

   Not required during initial installation. After installation, you can download directly from the Cloud Manager UI and API Manager UI as explained in Installing the toolkit.

   IBM API Connect <version> Local Test Environment

   Optional test environment for testing locally as explained in Testing an API with the Local Test Environment.

   Filename is apic-lte-<operating system>_<version>.

5. Complete the steps in Verifying the integrity of IBM product files to verify that the downloaded product files are not corrupted.
6. Decide whether to install API Connect with a top-level CR, or with individual subsystem CRs, or using Cloud Pak for Integration.
   Installing with a top-level CR means you have a single APIConnectCluster CR which includes sections for all subsystem CRs: Management, Gateway, Analytics, and Portal. Installing with individual subsystem CRs means no APIConnectCluster CR, only subsystem CRs, for example ManagementCluster, PortalCluster.
7. Optional: Specify additional settings in each subsystem CR to define the deployment's configuration before beginning the installation.

   In particular, consider increasing the timeout value for Management endpoints as explained in Configuring timeouts for management endpoints.

   For information on other configuration settings, see API Connect configuration settings.

   Tip: If you choose not to specify configuration settings now, you can modify the installation CRs later and then re-apply them to update the deployment.