Release notes for IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0

Review these release notes for information about supported versions, new features and enhancements, and any deprecated or removed features.

Version information

This release relates to IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0.

About Long Term Support Cycle-3: This version of the IBM App Connect Operator is available as a Long Term Support Cycle-3 (SC3) release. The SC3 release is a replacement for the Continuous Delivery (CD) release of Operator 12.21.0 or earlier, and the Long Term Support Cycle-2 (SC2) release of Operator 12.0.x. SC3 releases undergo continuous testing, integration, and deployment to rapidly deliver new features, fixes, and security updates typically at monthly intervals, and offer a minimum of three years of support.

The support requirements for the IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0 are as follows:

Option Supported requirement
Deployment platforms
  • Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform 4.12, 4.14, 4.16, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, or 4.21 (More information)
  • Kubernetes 1.27.x, 1.28.x, 1.29.x, 1.30.x, 1.31.x, 1.32.x, 1.33.x, or 1.34.x (More information)

    To receive support for IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0, you must be running a supported version of the underlying Kubernetes platform. Operator 13.3.0 supports each listed Kubernetes version until it reaches end of life (EOL). After the EOL date, support is dropped for Operator deployments that run solely on the EOL version. For information about the Kubernetes support lifecycle and EOL dates, see Release History and Non-Active Branch history.

  • Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS (More information)
Image Contains an image of IBM App Connect Enterprise 13.0.8.0
Installation
  • Compatible with IBM Cloud Pak for Integration 16.2.0
  • Supported as an independent deployment of IBM App Connect Enterprise certified container to a cluster

New features and enhancements

Support for a new IBM App Connect Operator channel, and custom resource (or operand) channels or versions

IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0 is delivered on a new v13.3 Operator channel, which you must select to install 13.3.0 versions of the Operator, or to initialize an upgrade from a 13.2.0 or earlier Operator. You can alternatively select the v13-sc3 Operator channel, which enables you to automatically receive updates whenever a new Operator version becomes available.

Accompanying versions and licenses are provided for the App Connect Dashboard, App Connect Designer Authoring, Switch Server, and Integration Runtime custom resources (or operands). To create an instance or upgrade to a 13.3.0-specific version of a custom resource (CR), you must choose both of these options:
  • Subscribe to the 13.0 or 13.0.8 channel for custom resources, or specify a fully qualified version of 13.0.8.0-r1.
  • Select a 13.3.0-specific license for approval.
More information:
Ongoing support for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12, 4.14, 4.16, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, and 4.21

IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0 supports Red Hat OpenShift 4.12, 4.14, 4.16, 4.18, 4.19, 4.20, and 4.21, but on a 4.21 cluster, you can create App Connect Dashboard, App Connect Designer, switch server, and integration runtime instances at version 13.0.6.2-r1 or later only. Similarly, if you upgrade your cluster to Red Hat OpenShift 4.21, you must upgrade all your existing instances to version 13.0.6.2-r1 or later.

More information:
Remote administration of App Connect Enterprise integration nodes and independent integration servers from the App Connect Dashboard

A new remote runtimes capability enables you to set up remote administration for your App Connect Enterprise integration nodes and independent integration servers to make them visible in a Dashboard UI in your cluster. Your Dashboard instance must be enabled for remote runtimes with a new spec.remoteRuntimes.enabled parameter that is set to true. An associated switch server, which is in the same namespace as the Dashboard, is also needed to provide secure connectivity between the containerized and on-premises environments. When set to true, the spec.remoteRuntimes.enabled setting also provides the option to automatically create a switch server if you don't want to manually create one to use with the Dashboard.

For each remote integration node or independent integration server that you want to discover as a remote runtime in the Dashboard UI, you can then complete these steps:

  1. Use your Dashboard to create a unique private network connection that provides a secure agent configuration in a switchclient.json file.
  2. Apply this configuration to the integration node or independent integration server and then restart it. When a connection is established to the switch server, the connected integration node or independent integration server becomes visible in the Dashboard.

The administration of remote runtimes is read-only, so you can browse the details of your connected integration nodes and independent integration servers, but cannot make any changes from the Dashboard. However, changes that you make in your on-premises environment are automatically reflected in the Dashboard UI.

More information:
Support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that expose REST API operations from a deployed integration runtime as MCP tools

From the App Connect Dashboard, you can now create and manage MCP servers that expose REST API operations from a deployed integration runtime as MCP tools. By exposing your REST API operations as MCP tools, you can make your integrations available to AI agents without any code changes to your existing flows. This capability extends the MCP functionality that was introduced in Dashboard instances at version 13.0.6.1-r1 to expose connector actions as MCP tools.

More information: Creating and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers

Support for a new configuration type for integration runtimes

A new configuration type is available for integration runtimes.

Configuration type spec.type CR value Description
mcpoverride mcpoverride Use the mcpoverride type to create a configuration object that defines which Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools to enable in an MCP server. This configuration type is applicable only for MCP servers that expose REST API operations from a deployed integration runtime as MCP tools.
More information:
New connectors for use in App Connect Designer flows and deployed integration runtimes

New connectors are available:

  • HashiCorp Vault (IBM Vault) (Supports actions)
  • Hive (Supports events and actions)
  • Salesloft (Supports events and actions)
  • SAP Commerce Cloud (Supports actions)
More information:

Deprecated or removed features

Deprecated operand versions and channels

A number of operand versions and channels are deprecated for IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0 and might no longer be reconciled by future versions of the Operator. A deprecation notice is displayed if you try to save a new or existing Dashboard, Designer, switch server, or integration runtime custom resource if its spec.version value resolves to a deprecated version.

More information: spec.version values

Removed operand channels and versions
The following operand version, which was deprecated in IBM App Connect Operator 13.2.0, is removed from IBM App Connect Operator 13.3.0:
  • 12.0.12-r24

After you upgrade to version 13.3.0 of the Operator, existing App Connect Designer, App Connect Dashboard, switch server, or integration runtime instances that resolve to a removed version are no longer supported and cannot be reconciled by the Operator.

  • You can upgrade the instance to a supported version by updating the spec.version value and accepting the appropriate license.
  • You can delete the instance if it's no longer required.
  • You cannot save modifications to the custom resource settings if the instance is at an unsupported version. If you require an instance at a version that is unsupported in Operator 13.3.0, you must install an Operator version from the v13.2 or earlier channel, and then create an instance at the version that you require.

More information: