Release notes for IBM App Connect Operator 12.4.0

This release relates to IBM App Connect Operator 12.4.0.

The support requirements for the IBM App Connect Operator 12.4.0 are as follows:

This documentation relates to the release for these listed versions. Documentation for the previous releases of the Operator is available in PDF format at Documentation for previous releases.

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

IBM App Connect Operator 12.4.0 is delivered on a new v12.4 Operator channel, which you must select to install 12.4.0 versions of the Operator, or to initialize an upgrade from a 12.3.0 or earlier Operator.

Accompanying versions and licenses are provided for the App Connect Dashboard, App Connect Designer Authoring, Switch Server, Integration Server, and Integration Runtime custom resources (or operands). To create an instance or upgrade to a 12.4.0-specific version of a custom resource (CR), you must choose both of these options:

• Subscribe to the 13.0 or 13.0.1 channel for custom resources, or specify a fully qualified version of 13.0.1.0-r1.
• Select a 12.4.0-specific license for approval.

More information:

• Release models, packaging, and versions for the IBM App Connect Operator
• Installing IBM App Connect on Red Hat OpenShift or Kubernetes environments
• Upgrading Operator releases
• Licensing reference for IBM App Connect Operator
• spec.version values

Navigation pane changes in App Connect Designer and App Connect Dashboard

The color of the navigation pane in Designer and Dashboard instances has changed from a dark theme to a light theme. The navigation pane now also expands when you hover over it and reveals the tooltips for the navigation pane icons.

New storage option of none for the App Connect Dashboard

To support the deployment of BAR files that are stored in external repositories or in baked container images, it is now possible to deploy an App Connect Dashboard instance with no storage attached. You can do so by setting the spec.storage.type custom resource (CR) parameter to none.

A Dashboard with no attached storage does not include a content server for storing BAR files and the following implications apply:

• The BAR files icon is not shown in the Dashboard's navigation pane and a corresponding BAR files page, which is used to manage BAR files that are stored in the content server, is also not available.
• When you are creating an integration server or integration runtime from the Dashboard UI, the Integrations view, which you can use to upload BAR files to the content server for deployment, or to select BAR files for deployment, is omitted. You instead need to specify the URLs of one or more externally stored BAR files when you get to the Properties view where details about the integration are defined.
• The deployed Dashboard does not run a content-server container so any values that are set for the spec.pod.containers.content-server.* Dashboard parameters are ignored.

Deprecated operand versions and channels

A number of operand versions and channels are deprecated for the IBM App Connect Operator 12.4.0 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, integration 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 versions, which were deprecated in IBM App Connect Operator 12.3.0, are removed from IBM App Connect Operator 12.4.0:

• 12.0.12-r3
• 12.0.12.4-r1-lts

After you upgrade to version 12.4.0 of the Operator, existing App Connect Designer, App Connect Dashboard, switch server, integration 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 12.4.0, you must install an Operator version from the v12.3 or earlier channel, and then create an instance at the version that you require.

More information:

• spec.version values
• Licensing reference for IBM App Connect Operator