What's new in IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management version 2.3.x

Get a quick overview of what is added, changed, improved, or deprecated in the release.

Find out new features and enhancements for IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management version 2.3, fix pack releases, and Monitoring Agents refreshes.

Note: IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management is making changes to support the IBM® initiative to replace racially biased and other discriminatory language in our code and content with more inclusive language. While IBM values the use of inclusive language, terms that are outside of IBM's direct influence are sometimes required for the sake of maintaining user understanding. As other industry leaders join IBM in embracing the use of inclusive language, IBM will continue to update the documentation to reflect those changes.

Fix pack availability

You can install or upgrade to a fix pack to fix known issues with IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management.

What's new in Fix Pack 7

Included features and fixes

The latest fix pack is Fix Pack 7 and became available on August 09, 2023. It includes the following features and fixes:

Installing and upgrading

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install or upgrade to Fix Pack 7.

What's new in Fix Pack 6

Included features and fixes

The latest fix pack is Fix Pack 6 (version 2.3.28) and became available on December 7, 2022. It includes the following features and fixes:

Installing and upgrading

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install or upgrade to Fix Pack 6.

Coming soon

What's new in Fix Pack 5

The latest fix pack is Fix Pack 5 (version 2.3.27) and became available on June 27 2022. It includes the following features and fixes:

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install or upgrade to Fix Pack 5.

To install, you need to follow the same procedure for installing IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management, but use the latest available installation packages. For more information, see:

To upgrade to Fix Pack 5, you can choose to complete either an online or offline upgrade. For more information, see Upgrading.

What's new in Fix Pack 4

The latest fix pack is Fix Pack 4 (version 2.3.24) and became available on January 14 2022. It includes the following features and fixes:

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install or upgrade to the fix pack version.

To install, you need to follow the same procedure for installing IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management, but use the latest available installation packages. For more information, see:

To upgrade to the fix pack version, you can choose to complete either an online or offline upgrade. For more information, see Upgrading.

What's new in Fix Pack 3

Fix Pack 3 (version 2.3.23) became available on 20 December 2021. It includes the following features and fixes:

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install, or upgrade, to the fix pack version.

To install, you need to follow the same procedure for installing IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management, but use the latest available installation packages. For more information, see:

To upgrade to the fix pack version, you can choose to complete either an online or offline upgrade. For more information, see Upgrading to Fix Pack 3.

What's new in Fix Pack 2

Fix Pack 2 (version 2.3.21) became available on 8 November 2021. It includes the following features and fixes:

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install, or upgrade, to the fix pack version.

To install, you need to follow the same procedure for installing IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management, but use the latest available installation packages. For more information, see:

To upgrade to the fix pack version, you can choose to complete either an online or offline upgrade. For more information, see Upgrading to Fix Pack 2.

What's new in Fix Pack 1

Fix Pack 1 (version 2.3.10) became available on 23 July 2021. It includes the following features and fixes:

To update IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to include these fixes, you must install, or upgrade, to the fix pack version.

To install, you need to follow the same procedure for installing IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management, but use the latest available installation packages. For more information, see:

To upgrade to the fix pack version, you can choose to complete either an online or offline upgrade. For more information, see:

Monitoring Agent refreshes

The following sections summarize the new features and enhancements that are introduced in various refreshes.

Monitoring Agents 2.3.0.2 refresh

Monitoring Agents are refreshed as version 2.3.0.2 on August 02, 2022. Here are the new features and enhancements for this 2.3.0.2 refresh. For instructions about how to install agents, see Installing and configuring agents, data collectors, and plug-ins.

Expanded platform support for agents

Agent enhancements

Monitoring Agents 2.3.0.1 refresh

Monitoring Agents are refreshed as version 2.3.0.1 on January 28, 2022. Here are the new features and enhancements for this 2.3.0.1 refresh. For instructions about how to install agents, see Installing and configuring agents, data collectors, and plug-ins.

Expanded platform support for agents

Agent enhancements

Unified Agent

What's new in IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management version 2.3

IBM Cloud Pak® for Multicloud Management version 2.3 introduces the following new features and enhancements:

Installation and configuration

Supported OpenShift Container Platform versions

IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management Version 2.3.x now supports OpenShift Container Platform version 4.6. For all the supported OpenShift Container Platform versions, see Supported OpenShift versions and platforms.

Backup and restore

Monitoring

IBM Monitoring DataProvider Management

To monitor a Kubernetes managed cluster that is managed by the IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management hub cluster, you must install Monitoring DataProvider Management, which was formerly called Cloud Native Monitoring. The method by which you install Monitoring DataProvider Management is also changed. It is now operator-based.

After you install Monitoring DataProvider Management, you can monitor Kubernetes resources and events from the IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management console.

For more information about installing Monitoring DataProvider Management, see Installing and uninstalling IBM Monitoring DataProvider Management.

New data collector

A new RUM data collector is added. For more information, see RUM data collector for Tomcat light weight data collector.

Unified Agent

New plug-in
Enhancements

The installation method of Unified Agent is changed. For more information, see Installing the Unified Agent.

Agent enhancements

Cluster management and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes

If you need cluster management capabilities for managing multiple clusters, you need an integration with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes. By default without this integration, IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management capabilities manage only your hub cluster.

With the IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management console and CLI tools, you can view information about your hub cluster.

With Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes, you can create, import, scale, and delete additional managed clusters. You can use the Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes console, CLI tools, and cluster API to create and manage clusters. For more information about the cluster management capabilities within Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes, see Managing clusters with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management Opens in a new tab.

For more information on the integration between Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes for Kubernetes and IBM Cloud Pak® for Multicloud Management, see Supported Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management version.

Application management and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes

If you need application management capabilities for managing purely kubernetes-based application resources, such as subscriptions, channels, and non-hybrid deployables, placement rules or application, you need an integration with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes.

The capabilities for managing non-hybrid application resources is no longer available within IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management. You must use Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes to create, manage, and monitor any non-hybrid application resources.

When you have an integration with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes set up, any Kubernetes-based application resources that you create in either IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management or Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes are automatically detected within the other product.

However, hybrid application resources (hybrid applications, hybrid deployables, hybrid placement rules, deployers, and application assembler), which are not purely Kubernetes-based resources are not detected by Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes. You can only create, view, and manage hybrid application resources with IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management. For instance, you can only use the Hybrid Application Model within IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management to manage infrastructure as application resources.

For more information about Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management, see the OpenShift documentation Opens in a new tab.

For more information on the support for the integration, see Supported Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management version.

Security and administration

Secure Tunnel

Secure Tunnel is introduced to break the network barriers, and to enable more flexible server access, service calling, and infrastructure management across different cloud or on-premises deployments. You can use it to:

For more information, see Using Secure Tunnel to access resources in a private network.

Default service ibm-management-hybridgrc-core

The ibm-management-hybridgrc-core default service is now included in the foundation services that are installed in the kube-services namespace during IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management installation. For more information, see ibm-management-hybridgrc-core.

Amazon Web Services policy controller

Use the Amazon Web Services (AWS) policy controller to monitor your AWS accounts for compliance with a list of CIS controls and report rule violations to the Governance and risk dashboard Policies tab. For more information, see AWS policy controller.

Node selector and tolerations enablement

You can now add a code snippet to the install YAML for ibm-management-mutation-advisor or a similar snippet for ibm-management-vulnerability-advisor to enable the Node Selector feature, which restricts deployment of the Mutation Advisor or Vulnerability Advisor (or both) to a specific node in the cluster. Likewise, you can add another snippet to enable tolerations for the node selected. For details, see these entries in Security configuration: ibm-management-mutation advisor and ibm-management-vulnerability advisor.

Common container policies

The common container policies between IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes have changed in Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes. The object template is no longer used; the policy template with the child policy ConfigurationPolicy is being used. During migration of existing IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management policies, the child policies are updated automatically. See Policy samples.

Infrastructure and Service management

Infrastructure management

You can now create and run Chargeback reports for Containers. Chargeback reports now support using multiple tags. The IBM Terraform provider has been updated to allow Chargeback reports to be based on "Configured Systems", those created from the IBM Terraform provider.

For more information, see Chargeback.

Support for additional providers have been added:

For more information, see Support Matrix.

Service management

You can now execute Terraform templates by using Terraform engine version 0.13.x and 0.14.x. By default the product installs Terraform engine version 0.13.6 and 0.14.4. You can add new versions of 0.13.x and 0.14.x, for more information, see Creating a Terraform version. Terraform engine version 0.12.21 is the default version. The following pages provide more information on support added for Terraform engine version 0.13.x and 0.14.x.

Starting from this version, pre-populated Terraform and service content in the Managed services Library has been shortened. While the entire content is in GitHub External link icon and can be imported into the product, only those templates listed in Supported Terraform Templates are officially supported by IBM. If the templates in GitHub External link icon do not satisfy your requirements, then you can fork the repository and change the template to suite your requirements.

Technology preview

The following technology preview is new for this version. For all of the features that are available in IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management as technology preview code (TPC) only, see the Technology preview section.

Security findings from public cloud

Governance and risk in IBM Cloud Pak for Multicloud Management provides the compliance posture of your Kubernetes clusters and virtual machines. The scope of this capability has been expanded to include findings from public cloud providers. You create a configuration map to specify the findings to get from IBM Cloud® that are then presented in the Governance and risk dashboard Security findings tab. For more information, see Showing security findings from public cloud.