A graphical deployment experience with OLM Form View for IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation
Introduction:
Deploying IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation on Red Hat OpenShift typically requires administrators to configure a large custom resource (CR) using YAML. Although this approach provides complete deployment flexibility, it can be challenging for administrators who are new to IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation or who prefer a guided configuration experience.
The OpenShift Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) Form View is available in IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation and continues to be supported in current releases. It provides a graphical interface for creating and managing the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation custom resource directly from the OpenShift console. Rather than editing the custom resource YAML manually, administrators can configure the custom resource through a graphical interface in the OpenShift console while continuing to use the same operator-based deployment model.
This article introduces OLM Form View, explains how it complements traditional YAML-based deployments, and highlights the benefits of using a guided deployment experience for IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA) on OpenShift.
Form View versus YAML-based deployment
Both approaches create the same ICP4ACluster custom resource and use the same CP4BA operator to deploy and manage the environment.
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YAML deployment provides complete control and is well suited for automated and highly customized deployments.
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OLM Form View provides a graphical interface for configuring the ICP4ACluster custom resource through the OpenShift console.
What is OLM Form View?
OLM Form View is an auto-generated graphical interface in the Red Hat OpenShift web console used for configuring Kubernetes Operators and their custom resources through the Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM). It provides form fields, dropdowns, and tabs for defining configuration parameters through the OpenShift console.
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Guided, UI-driven configuration
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Improved visibility into deployment settings
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Easier understanding of the IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation custom resource structure
Understanding the OLM deployment flow
The deployment process follows a layered operator-based architecture:
OLM Operator (Watches)
├── Operator Group
├── ClusterServiceVersion (CSV)
│ └── Deployment (created from CSV template)
│ └── Pod (created from Deployment template)
└── Custom Resource (ICP4ACluster)
When an ICP4ACluster custom resource is created through OLM Form View, the CP4BA operator reconciles the resource and automatically deploys the required CP4BA components.
Key Components
1. OLM Operator: Manages operator lifecycle and watches for changes
2. Operator Group: Defines which namespaces the operator can manage
3. ClusterServiceVersion (CSV): Contains operator metadata and deployment templates
4. Deployment: Created by referencing templates in CSV
5. Pod: Created by referencing templates in Deployment
6. Custom Resource (CR): Your CP4BA configuration (ICP4ACluster)
Why use OLM Form View?
OLM Form View provides a graphical interface for configuring the CP4BA custom resource through the OpenShift console. It provides visibility into deployment settings while using the same operator-based deployment model.
Additional resources
Before deploying IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation(CP4BA), ensure that your OpenShift environment satisfies the documented software, infrastructure, storage, networking, and database requirements. For detailed prerequisites and deployment instructions, refer to the following IBM documentation:
Verify deployment
After deployment completes, verify that the ICP4ACluster resource reports a healthy status and that the application components are running successfully. Access information for deployed applications is available from the generated ConfigMap.
The following screenshot shows a successful deployment:
Conclusion
By providing a graphical interface for configuring the custom resource and improving visibility into deployment settings, OLM Form View enables administrators to manage IBM Cloud Pak for Business Automation deployments while maintaining the flexibility of the underlying operator-based architecture.