Custom resource pattern structure

The custom resource pattern files are divided into sections, which define the attributes of each capability. The custom resource metadata along with the shared and data source configuration sections in the specification (spec) are always present.

Your custom resource file that you apply to the operator must include the necessary sections. The sections define specific parts of your intended deployment, and are used to compile a custom resource file.

The metadata section applies to all of the included capabilities.
The spec section defines the target platform, the deployment type, the license, and security and storage information.
The shared LDAP and data source section defines parameters for the LDAP and datasource configurations for all capabilities that use them.
The component sections define parameters that you want to customize for each included component.

Note: Section 4 is needed only if you want to customize components in any other included pattern.

In many places in the documentation, configuration parameters are referred to by their section.parameter or section.component.parameter location in the custom resource file. The dot separator is shorthand for the indentation of the YAML in the custom resource. For example, spec.appVersion refers to the appVersion parameter in the specification section (spec) of the custom resource.

spec:
  appVersion: <version>

Components that are recognized by a pattern (for example ecm_configuration in the simplified Content Cortex pattern) are not listed in the respective custom resource template file. The pattern is aware of these parameters and includes them by default.

A custom resource file for a single pattern, for example, might include only the LDAP and data source section.

###############################################################################
##
##Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
##
##(C) Copyright IBM Corp. 2026. All Rights Reserved.
##
##US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or
##disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
##
###############################################################################
apiVersion: fncm.ibm.com/v1
kind: FNCMCluster
metadata:
  name: content
  labels:
    app.kubernetes.io/instance: ibm-content
    app.kubernetes.io/managed-by: ibm-content
    app.kubernetes.io/name: ibm-content
    release: 26.0.0
spec:
  ##########################################################################
  ## This section contains the shared configuration for all FNCM components #
  ##########################################################################
  appVersion: 26.0.0

  ## MUST exist, used to accept ibm license; valid value only can be "true"
  license:
    accept:

For Content Cortex AI Services, use a separate custom resource file with the CCXAIServices kind:

###############################################################################
##
##Licensed Materials - Property of IBM
##
##(C) Copyright IBM Corp. 2021, 2026. All Rights Reserved.
##
##US Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or
##disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.
##
###############################################################################
apiVersion: ccxaiservices.operator.ibm.com/v1
kind: CCXAIServices
metadata:
  name: ai-services
  labels:
    app.kubernetes.io/instance: ibm-ccx-ai-services
    app.kubernetes.io/managed-by: ibm-ccx-ai-services
    app.kubernetes.io/name: ibm-ccx-ai-services
    release: 26.0.0
spec:
  ## The version of the AI Services operator that is being used.
  appVersion: 26.0.0

  ## MUST exist, used to accept ibm license; valid value only can be "true"
  license:
    accept:

If you want to customize individual components, then you can add the component configuration parameter (xxx_configuration) along with the list of parameters that you want to customize. Templates are provided with the full list of configuration parameters for each component. Each component has a clear section header that highlights where the set of parameters starts.

Tip: Copy the entire header from the full configuration templates into the compiled custom resource so that you can identify where the component configuration starts and finishes.


  ########################################################################
  #######          Content Cortex configuration           #######
  ########################################################################
  ecm_configuration:
     ...

  ########################################################################
  #######        Business Automation Navigator configuration       #######
  ########################################################################
  navigator_configuration:
     ...

For Content Cortex AI Services components, you can customize the Reasoning Service and Content Cortex MCP Server configurations:

  ########################################################################
  #######        Reasoning Service configuration       #######
  ########################################################################
  reasoning_service_configuration:
     ...

  ########################################################################
  #######        Core MCP Server configuration       #######
  ########################################################################
  core_mcp_server_configuration:
     ...