Configuring instance locations

Configure the locations of all deployed instances on your organization's clusters and namespaces from a single instance of the Platform UI. You need to be assigned the admin role. For more information, see Cloud Pak roles and permissions.

Configuration involves connecting the central hub Platform UI to other OpenShift clusters and namespaces where your instances are deployed. When connected, the location name, namespace name, and URL for the instances are displayed on the Platform UI home page for the hub cluster.

For more information on use cases, see Managing instances across multiple locations.

Tip: At this time, information about other clusters is read-only.

Overview of steps

  1. Add a new location in the hub Platform UI.

  2. Download the agent configuration (from secret or UI).

  3. Deploy the location agent (and associated configuration secret) on the target location.

Add a new location in the hub

  1. Log in to the Platform UI.

  2. In the navigation menu, click Administration, then click Manage locations. The "Manage locations" page opens. This page contains a list of all locations configured in this hub Platform UI.

  3. Enable the instance locations feature by setting Instance locations to Enabled. The Add location button becomes active.

  4. Click Add location. The "Add location" side panel opens.

  5. Enter the name you want for the location

  6. Click Add location at the bottom right. The creation process for the agent configuration begins. This can take up to one minute. Stay on this panel. When the configuration is complete, you are presented with instructions for setting up the agent.

  7. Follow the on-screen instructions to deploy the agent in the target location. The same steps are in the next section, "Deploy the location agent on the target location".

Deploy the location agent on the target location

When a location is added to the hub Platform UI, you must deploy a location agent and configuration secret on the target location.

The target location must be able to create outbound connections to the hub Platform UI.

  1. Log into the Kubernetes CLI of the target location with your user credentials.

  2. Ensure that the IBM Cloud Pak for Integration operator (version 8.1.0 or later) is already installed in the location.

  3. Switch to the namespace where you want to deploy the location agent. If this location has the operators installed in "A single namespace on the cluster" mode, then this namespace must be the namespace where the IBM Cloud Pak for Integration operator is installed.

  4. Create the agent and the secret that contains the credentials:

    • Copy the command from the side panel. This command contains the configuration that you created in the previous section, "Add a new location in the hub". Paste the command in the CLI.

    • Alternatively, click Download credentials in the ""Add location" side panel (from the previous section). Copy the YAML and apply it to the location.

  5. Check the status of the agent in the namespace where it was deployed:

    oc get LocationAgent

  6. When the command returns a status of Ready, return to the "Manage locations" page in the hub Platform UI. The location that you configured should have a status of "Connected" in the Status column.

When you configure the location, entries for instances in that location are added in the instances table on the Platform UI home page. If an instance has a user interface, clicking the instance name takes you to that instance on a new tab.

Removing a location

Removing a location consists of removing the location in the hub and deleting the location agent.

  1. Log in to the hub Platform UI.

  2. In the navigation panel, click Administration, then click Manage locations. The "Manage locations" page opens. This page contains a list of all locations configured in this hub Platform UI.

  3. In the table, identify the location to remove. Click the overflow menu (three-dot icon) for that location, then click Remove.

  4. The Remove location modal opens. Enter the location name and click Remove. The location is removed.

  5. To delete the location agent, log into the Kubernetes CLI of the target location.

  6. Get a list of all location agents by running the following command:

    oc get locationagent --all-namespaces

  7. Find the location agent that you want to delete, then run the following command. Replace <agent-name> with the name of the location agent, and <namespace> with the namespace where the agent is installed.

    oc delete locationagent <agent-name> -n <namespace>

    The location agent is deleted.