Client workstation requirements

You can use a client workstation, such as a laptop, to run the IBM® Software Hub command-line interface (cpd-cli).

The cpd-cli is comprised of several plug-ins. Some of the plug-ins have different hardware requirements, container runtime requirements, and internet access requirements. Use the information in the following table to determine which plug-ins you will need to run based on your role in installing and administering IBM Software Hub:
Plug-in How is this plug-in used? Related documentation
config Create a local user configuration and profile to enable you to run the following cpd-cli commands against an existing IBM Software Hub instance:
  • cpd-cli diag
  • cpd-cli export-import
  • cpd-cli service-instance
  • cpd-cli user-mgmt
cpdbr Backup and restore IBM Software Hub volumes.
cpdbr-oadp Backup and restore IBM Software Hub deployments, including volumes.
cpdctl Automate activities performed on different types of workspace and assets across multiple IBM Software Hub instances.
cpdtool Export and import platform and service data, including metadata.
health Query the health of your Red Hat OpenShift cluster and IBM Software Hub.
manage Install and upgrade IBM Software Hub
platform-diag Gather diagnostic information about an IBM Software Hub deployment.
platform-mgmt Manage the service instances and users associated with an IBM Software Hub deployment.
Service instances
Users

Hardware requirements for client workstations

Some of the cpd-cli plug-ins support a subset of the hardware that IBM Software Hub supports.

Note: The hardware on the client workstation does not need to be the same as the hardware on the cluster. For example, if your cluster is running s390x hardware, you can run the cpd-cli on an x86-64 client workstation.

Use the following table to determine whether you have the appropriate operating system to run the plug-ins that you plan to use:

Plug-in x86-64 ppc64le s390x
config ✓ ✓ ✓
cpdbr ✓ ✓ ✓
cpdbr-oadp ✓ ✓ ✓
cpdctl ✓ ✓  
cpdtool ✓ ✓ ✓
health ✓ ✓ ✓
manage ✓ ✓ ✓
platform-diag ✓ ✓ ✓
platform-mgmt ✓ ✓ ✓

Operating system requirements for client workstations

The hardware that you are running determines which operating system the client workstation can run.

Operating system x86-64 ppc64le s390x Notes
Linux® ✓ ✓ ✓ Red Hat® Enterprise Linux 8 or later is required.
Mac OS ✓      
Windows ✓     To run on Windows, you must install Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Container runtime requirements for client workstations

Some of the cpd-cli plug-ins require a container runtime, such as Docker or Podman, on the client workstation.

It is strongly recommended that you use the latest version of the container runtime that is compatible with your operating system.

The minimum recommended versions are:
Plug-in Runtime required Runtimes supported
config    
cpdbr    
cpdbr-oadp    
cpdctl    
cpdtool    
health ✓
  • Docker
  • Podman
manage ✓
  • Docker
  • Podman
platform-diag    
platform-mgmt    
Windows users: If you are running the cpd-cli on the Windows operating system, you must set up the container runtime inside Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Internet access requirements for client workstations

The cpd-cli plug-ins have various internet access requirements. At a minimum, the workstation must be able to access the cluster network. However, some of the plug-ins require public internet access to complete a subset of tasks, such as downloading files and containerized software images. Use the following table to determine whether the plug-ins that you plan to use require internet access:

Plug-in Requires public internet connection?
config No.
cpdbr An internet connection is required to:
  • Obtain the following images:
    • cpdbr
  • Access your S3 storage if it is not in your cluster network.
cpdbr-oadp An internet connection is required to:
  • Obtain the following images:
    • ose-cli
    • ubi-minimal
    • cpdbr-velero-plugin
    • cpdbr-oadp
    • cpdbr-api
  • Access your object storage if it is not in your cluster network.
cpdctl No.
cpdtool An internet connection is required to obtain following images:
  • cpdtool
health An internet connection is required to obtain the following images:
  • ibm-network-performance
  • ibm-service-functionality
  • k8s-storage-test
  • k8s-storage-perf
manage An internet connection is required to:
  • Obtain the following images:
    • olm-utils-v3
    • zen-rsi-adm-controller
  • Download the required CASE packages.
  • Mirror images to a private container registry or to an intermediary container registry on the workstation.
platform-diag No.
platform-mgmt No.
Additional guidance for clusters in a restricted network
The following images are automatically mirrored when you mirror the IBM Software Hub (cpd_platform) images:
  • cpdbr
  • cpdbr-velero-plugin
  • cpdbr-oadp
  • cpdbr-api
  • cpdtool
  • ibm-network-performance
  • ibm-service-functionality
  • k8s-storage-test
  • k8s-storage-perf
  • olm-utils-v3
  • zen-rsi-adm-controller
You must manually obtain the following images before you move the client workstation behind the cluster firewall:
  • ose-cli
  • ubi-minimal

For more information, see Moving images for cpd-cli plug-ins to a private container registry.