Preparing to install on vSphere

    • You read the documentation on .

    • If you use a firewall and plan to use Telemetry, you configured the firewall to allow the sites required by your cluster.

    • You reviewed your VMware platform licenses. Red Hat does not place any restrictions on your VMware licenses, but some VMware infrastructure components require licensing.

    Choosing a method to install OKD on vSphere

    You can install OKD with the Assisted Installer. This method requires no setup for the installer, and is ideal for connected environments like vSphere. Installing with the Assisted Installer also provides integration with vSphere, enabling autoscaling. See for additional details.

    You can also install OKD on vSphere by using installer-provisioned or user-provisioned infrastructure. Installer-provisioned infrastructure is ideal for installing in environments with air-gapped/restricted networks, where the installation program provisions the underlying infrastructure for the cluster. You can also install OKD on infrastructure that you provide. If you do not use infrastructure that the installation program provisions, you must manage and maintain the cluster resources yourself.

    See the Installation process for more information about installer-provisioned and user-provisioned installation processes.

    Installer-provisioned infrastructure allows the installation program to pre-configure and automate the provisioning of resources required by OKD.

    • Installing a cluster on vSphere: You can install OKD on vSphere by using installer-provisioned infrastructure installation with no customization.

    • : You can install OKD on vSphere by using installer-provisioned infrastructure installation with the default customization options.

    • Installing a cluster on vSphere with network customizations: You can install OKD on installer-provisioned vSphere infrastructure, with network customizations. You can customize your OKD network configuration during installation, so that your cluster can coexist with your existing IP address allocations and adhere to your network requirements.

    • : You can install a cluster on VMware vSphere infrastructure in a restricted network by creating an internal mirror of the installation release content. You can use this method to deploy OKD on an internal network that is not visible to the internet.

    User-provisioned infrastructure installation of OKD on vSphere

    User-provisioned infrastructure requires the user to provision all resources required by OKD.

    • : OKD can be installed on VMware vSphere infrastructure that you provision in a restricted network.

    You must install the OKD cluster on a VMware vSphere version 7.0 Update 2 or later instance that meets the requirements for the components that you use.

    You can host the VMware vSphere infrastructure on-premise or on a that meets the requirements outlined in the following table:

    VMware vSphere CSI Driver Operator requirements

    To install the vSphere CSI Driver Operator, the following requirements must be met:

    • VMware vSphere version 7.0 Update 2 or later

    • vCenter 7.0 Update 2 or later

    • Virtual machines of hardware version 15 or later

    • No third-party vSphere CSI driver already installed in the cluster

    If a third-party vSphere CSI driver is present in the cluster, OKD does not overwrite it. The presence of a third-party vSphere CSI driver prevents OKD from upgrading to OKD 4.13 or later.

    • To remove a third-party vSphere CSI driver, see .
    • : For installations on vSphere using the Assisted Installer, you must manually update the vSphere connection settings to complete the installation. For installer-provisioned or user-provisioned infrastructure installations on vSphere, you can optionally validate or modify the vSphere connection settings at any time.

    Uninstalling an installer-provisioned infrastructure installation of OKD on vSphere

    • : You can remove a cluster that you deployed on VMware vSphere infrastructure that used installer-provisioned infrastructure.