Creating catalog sources

To ensure that your cluster uses the correct software images, you must create the appropriate catalog sources for your environment.

Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) uses an Operator catalog to discover and install Operators and their dependencies.

A catalog source is a repository of cluster service versions (CSVs), custom resource definitions (CRDs), and packages that comprise an application. To ensure that OLM can use the Cloud Pak for Data operators to install the software, you must create the appropriate catalog sources for your environment. (For more information about these terms, see the Operator Framework glossary of common terms in the Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform documentation.)

Choosing the appropriate type of catalog source for your environment

The catalog sources that you create depend on several factors. Answer the following questions to determine which type of catalog source is appropriate for your environment:

  1. Where are you pulling software images from?
    Private container registry
    Follow the guidance in Creating catalog sources for a private container registry.
    IBM® Entitled Registry
    Go to question 2.
  2. Do you want to ensure that a specific version of the software is installed on your cluster?
    Yes, I want to ensure that a specific version of the software is installed on my cluster (Recommended)
    Follow the guidance in Creating catalog sources that pull specific versions of images from the IBM Entitled Registry.
    No, I want the latest version of the software automatically installed on my cluster
    Restriction: Allowing automatic updates is not recommended in production environments where predictability and stability are important. This option is recommended only for short-term installations, such as proof-of-concept deployments.

    Follow the guidance in Creating catalog sources that automatically pull the latest images from the IBM Entitled Registry.