Mirroring images for an air-gapped cluster
If your cluster is not connected to the internet, you can install IBM Cloud Pak® for Integration in your cluster by using either a bastion host, or a portable compute device or storage device (file system).
Background
In production, it is common to have a cluster that does not have internet access. In these cases, you can still install IBM Cloud Pak for Integration, other IBM Cloud Pak® solutions, and OpenShift Container Platform in an air-gapped (otherwise known as offline or disconnected) environment. Unlike online installations, air-gapped installations require you mimic a typical online installation using images in your own registry.
The following diagram provides an overview of air-gapped installation scenarios for portable compute, portable storage, and bastion hosts:
All of these scenarios use Container Application Software for Enterprises (CASE) files to mirror content from a source to a target. CASE is a specification that defines metadata and structure for packaging, managing, and unpacking containerized applications.
You can store the product code and images in a file system (such as a portable compute device or portable storage device), or in a bastion host, and then transfer them to a local air-gapped network. If you are using a file system, you don't need a bastion host to install in your air-gapped environment.