Installing watsonx BI

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An instance administrator can install watsonx BI on IBM® Software Hub Version 5.2.

Who needs to complete this task?

Instance administrator To install watsonx BI, you must be an instance administrator. An instance administrator has permission to install software in the following projects:

The operators project for the instance

The operators for this instance of watsonx BI are installed in the operators project.

In the installation commands, the ${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERATORS} environment variable refers to the operators project.

The operands project for the instance

The custom resources for the control plane and watsonx BI are installed in the operands project.

In the installation commands, the ${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} environment variable refers to the operands project.

When do you need to complete this task?

Review the following options to determine whether you need to complete this task:

  • If you want to install multiple services at the same time, follow the process in Running a batch installation of solutions and services instead.
  • If you didn't install watsonx BI as part of a batch installation, complete this task to add watsonx BI to your environment.

    Repeat as needed If you are responsible for multiple instances of IBM Software Hub, you can repeat this task to install more instances of watsonx BI on the cluster.

Information you need to complete this task

Review the following information before you install watsonx BI:

Version requirements

All of the components that are associated with an instance of IBM Software Hub must be installed at the same release. For example, if the IBM Software Hub control plane is installed at Version 5.2.2, you must install watsonx BI at Version 5.2.2.

Environment variables

The commands in this task use environment variables so that you can run the commands exactly as written.

  • If you don't have the script that defines the environment variables, see Setting up installation environment variables.
  • To use the environment variables from the script, you must source the environment variables before you run the commands in this task. For example, run:
    source ./cpd_vars.sh
Security context constraint

watsonx BI works with the default Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform security context constraint, restricted-v2.

Common core services

watsonx BI requires the IBM Software Hub common core services.

If the common core services are not installed in the operands project for the instance, the common core services are automatically installed when you install watsonx BI. The common core services installation increases the amount of time the installation takes to complete.

Storage requirements
You must specify storage classes when you install watsonx BI. The following storage classes are recommended. However, if you don't use these storage classes on your cluster, ensure that you specify a storage class with an equivalent definition.
Storage Notes Storage classes
OpenShift Data Foundation When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.
  • File storage: ocs-storagecluster-cephfs
  • Block storage: ocs-storagecluster-ceph-rbd
IBM Fusion Data Foundation When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.
  • File storage: ocs-storagecluster-cephfs
  • Block storage: ocs-storagecluster-ceph-rbd
IBM Fusion Global Data Platform When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.
  • File storage:

    Either of the following storage classes:

    • ibm-spectrum-scale-sc
    • ibm-storage-fusion-cp-sc
  • Block storage:

    Either of the following storage classes:

    • ibm-spectrum-scale-sc
    • ibm-storage-fusion-cp-sc
IBM Storage Scale Container Native When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.
  • File storage: ibm-spectrum-scale-sc
  • Block storage: ibm-spectrum-scale-sc
Portworx When you install the service, the --storage_vendor=portworx option ensures that the service uses the correct storage classes.
  • File storage: portworx-rwx-gp3-sc

    (Equivalent to portworx-shared-gp3 in older installations)

  • Block storage:
    • portworx-couchdb-sc
    • portworx-elastic-sc
    • portworx-gp3-sc
NFS When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.
  • File storage: managed-nfs-storage
  • Block storage: managed-nfs-storage
Amazon Elastic storage When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.

File storage is provided by Amazon Elastic File System. Block storage is provided by Amazon Elastic Block Store.
  • File storage: efs-nfs-client
  • Block storage:

    Either of the following storage classes:

    • gp2-csi
    • gp3-csi
NetApp Trident When you install the service, specify file storage and block storage.
  • File storage: ontap-nas
  • Block storage: ontap-nas
Nutanix Not supported. Not applicable.

Before you begin

This task assumes that the following prerequisites are met:

System requirements
This task assumes that the cluster meets the minimum requirements for watsonx BI.
Where to find more information
If this task is not complete, see System requirements.
Workstation
This task assumes that the workstation from which you will run the installation is set up as a client workstation and has the following command-line interfaces:
  • IBM Software Hub CLI: cpd-cli
  • OpenShift CLI: oc
Where to find more information
If this task is not complete, see Setting up a client workstation.
Control plane
This task assumes that the IBM Software Hub control plane is installed.
Where to find more information
If this task is not complete, see Installing an instance of IBM Software Hub.
Private container registry
If your environment uses a private container registry (for example, your cluster is air-gapped), this task assumes that the following tasks are complete:
  1. The watsonx BI software images are mirrored to the private container registry.
    Where to find more information
    If this task is not complete, see Mirroring images to a private container registry.
  2. The cpd-cli is configured to pull the olm-utils-v3 image from the private container registry.
    Where to find more information
    If this task is not complete, see Pulling the olm-utils-v3 image from the private container registry.
GPU operators
This task assumes that the operators required to use GPUs are installed.
Where to find more information
If this task is not complete, see Installing operators for services that require GPUs.

For more information about GPU requirements, see GPU requirements for models.

Red Hat OpenShift AI
This task assumes that Red Hat OpenShift AI is installed.
Where to find more information
If this task is not complete, see Installing Red Hat OpenShift AI.

Prerequisite services

Before you install watsonx BI, ensure that the following services are installed and running:

  • watsonx.data™ intelligence
    1. Check whether semantic embedding is enabled for watsonx.data intelligence and whether the service is configured to run on local GPU:
      oc get watsonxdataintelligence watsonxdataintelligence-cr \
-n ${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
-o custom-columns='enableModelsOn:.spec.enableModelsOn,enableSemanticEmbedding:.spec.enableSemanticEmbedding'

      The command returns output with the following format:

      enableModelsOn           enableSemanticEmbedding
<enableModelsOn-value>   <enableSemanticEmbedding-value>
    2. Take the appropriate action based on the values returned by the preceding command:
      enableModelsOn
      Value What to do
      cpu Update the enableModelsOn setting in the watsonxdataintelligence-cr custom resource.
      gpu No change needed.
      remote Update the enableModelsOn setting in the watsonxdataintelligence-cr custom resource.
      enableSemanticEmbedding
      Value What to do
      false Update the enableSemanticEmbedding setting in the watsonxdataintelligence-cr custom resource.
      true No change needed.
      If the value of either parameter is incorrect, update the watsonxdataintelligence-cr custom resource:
      oc patch watsonxdataintelligence watsonxdataintelligence-cr \
--namespace="${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS}" \
--type='json' \
--patch='[{"op": "replace", "path": "/spec/enableModelsOn", "value": "gpu"},{"op": "replace", "path": "/spec/enableSemanticEmbedding", "value":true}]'
    3. Wait for the watsonxdataintelligenceStatus to be Completed:
      oc get watsonxdataintelligence watsonxdataintelligence-cr \
--namespace="${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS}" \
-o jsonpath="{.status.watsonxdataintelligenceStatus}"
    4. Check which models are installed:
      oc get watsonxaiifm watsonxaiifm-cr \
-n ${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
-o jsonpath="{.spec.install_model_list}"

      The command returns output with the following format:

      ["<model-ID1>","<model-ID2>",..."<model-IDN>"]
    5. Watsonx BI uses the following models:
      Model name Model ID  
      IBM granite-3-8b-instruct granite-3-8b-instruct Required
      IBM slate-30m-english-rtrvr ibm-slate-30m-english-rtrvr Required
      OpenAI gpt-oss-120b gpt-oss-120b Recommended for advanced, configurable reasoning in complex queries
      Take the appropriate action based on the list of model IDs returned by the preceding command:
      All models are present or only the required models are present and you don't want to use the gpt-oss-120b model
      No action is required. Continue to the Procedure section.
      None of the listed models are present
      Add the required models to Inference foundation models:
      MODEL_LIST="\"granite-3-8b-instruct\", \"ibm-slate-30m-english-rtrvr\""
      The gpt-oss-120b model is not present
      Add the model to Inference foundation models:
      MODEL_LIST="${MODEL_LIST}, \"gpt-oss-120b\""
    6. Update the watsonxaiifm custom resource:
      oc patch watsonxaiifm-cr \
-n ${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
-\-type=merge \
-\-patch="{\"spec\":{\"installed_model_list\":[${MODEL_LIST}]}}"
    7. Confirm that the models were added to the spec section of the watsonxaiifm custom resource:
      oc get watsonxaiifm watsonxaiifm-cr \
-n ${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
-o jsonpath="{.spec.install_model_list}"
    8. 5.2.0 Complete this step only if you installed IBM Software Hub Version 5.2.0.

      Skip this step if you installed IBM Software Hub Version 5.2.1 or later.

      Configure the watsonx.data intelligence semantic capabilities to work with watsonx BI. For more information, see Applying the Semantic Automation hot fix.

Procedure

Complete the following tasks to install watsonx BI:

  1. Specifying installation options
  2. Installing the service
  3. Validating the installation
  4. What to do next

Specifying installation options

If you plan to install watsonx™ BI, you must specify the following installation option in a file named install-options.yml in the cpd-cli work directory (For example: cpd-cli-workspace/olm-utils-workspace/work).

The parameter is required.

Replace <license> with the appropriate value for your environment..

########################################################################
# watsonx BI parameters
########################################################################
wxbi_license_type: <license>
Property Description
wxbi_license_type Specify the watsonx BI license you purchased.
Status
Required.
Valid values
Premium
Specify this option if you purchased IBM watsonx BI Premium.
Premium_NonProd
Specify this option if you purchased IBM watsonx BI Premium Non-Production.
Premium_AddOn_CA
Specify this option if you purchased IBM watsonx BI Premium Add-On for Cognos® Analytics.

Installing the service

To install watsonx BI:

  1. Log the cpd-cli in to the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform cluster:
    ${CPDM_OC_LOGIN}
    Remember: CPDM_OC_LOGIN is an alias for the cpd-cli manage login-to-ocp command.
  2. Run the following command to create the required OLM objects for watsonx BI in the operators project for the instance:
    cpd-cli manage apply-olm \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_operator_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERATORS} \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant
    Wait for the cpd-cli to return the following message before you proceed to the next step:
    [SUCCESS]... The apply-olm command ran successfully

    If the apply-olm fails, see Troubleshooting the apply-olm command during installation or upgrade.

  3. Create the custom resource for watsonx BI.

    The command that you run depends on the storage on your cluster.

    Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation storage

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    IBM Fusion Data Foundation storage

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    IBM Fusion Global Data Platform storage
    Remember: When you use IBM Fusion Global Data Platform storage, both ${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} and ${STG_CLASS_FILE} point to the same storage class, typically ibm-spectrum-scale-sc or ibm-storage-fusion-cp-sc.

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    IBM Storage Scale Container Native storage
    Remember: When you use IBM Storage Scale Container Native storage, both ${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} and ${STG_CLASS_FILE} point to the same storage class, typically ibm-spectrum-scale-sc.

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    Portworx storage

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--storage_vendor=portworx \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    NFS storage
    Remember: When you use NFS storage, both ${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} and ${STG_CLASS_FILE} point to the same storage class, typically managed-nfs-storage.

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    AWS with EFS storage only
    Remember: When you use EFS storage, both ${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} and ${STG_CLASS_FILE} point to the same storage class, typically efs-nfs-client.

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    AWS with EFS and EBS storage

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true
    NetApp Trident
    Remember: When you use NetApp Trident storage, both ${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} and ${STG_CLASS_FILE} point to the same storage class, typically ontap-nas.

    Run the following command to create the custom resource.

    cpd-cli manage apply-cr \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant \
--release=${VERSION} \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--block_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_BLOCK} \
--file_storage_class=${STG_CLASS_FILE} \
--param-file=/tmp/work/install-options.yml \
--license_acceptance=true

Validating the installation

watsonx BI is installed when the apply-cr command returns:
[SUCCESS]... The apply-cr command ran successfully

If you want to confirm that the custom resource status is Completed, you can run the cpd-cli manage get-cr-status command:

cpd-cli manage get-cr-status \
--cpd_instance_ns=${PROJECT_CPD_INST_OPERANDS} \
--components=watsonx_bi_assistant

What to do next

You must complete Post-installation setup for watsonx BI before users can access watsonx BI. At any point after you install watsonx BI, you can choose to configure additional models.