Openshift Container Platform for Enterprise Applications

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Red Hat's OpenShift Container Platform is designed to help enterprises build, deploy, and manage containerized applications at scale. It provides a flexible and scalable platform for developing, deploying, and managing containerized applications.

With OpenShift, you can create a single platform for developing and deploying applications across multiple environments, from development to production. This allows for faster time-to-market and reduced costs.

OpenShift supports a wide range of languages and frameworks, including Java, Python, and Node.js. This makes it an attractive option for enterprises with diverse application portfolios.

OpenShift's container-native storage feature allows for scalable and persistent storage of data, which is essential for enterprise applications.

Architecture

OpenShift Container Platform is a Docker-based system designed to help developers build applications easily. It abstracts the creation of Linux-based container images, making it a layered system.

The platform is built on top of Kubernetes, which handles cluster management and orchestration of containers on multiple hosts. This allows for efficient management of containerized workloads.

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OpenShift Container Platform provides additional benefits, such as management of source code, images, and applications. It also offers networking infrastructure to support clusters and allows large organizations to track users and teams.

The platform is composed of microservices, including REST APIs and controllers. These microservices run in a Kubernetes cluster and store object data in etcd.

Calls to the REST API can change the state of the system. This allows for customization of how builds are run independently of how images are managed.

Controllers read the desired state sent to the REST API and apply changes to the object accordingly. For example, a user creates a "build" object, and the build controller executes it.

You can extend much of the functionality in OpenShift Container Platform by customizing the controllers. This enables different behaviors based on the logic you set.

The API can be used to script common administrative actions, which are controllers that monitor the state or execute changes. This is especially useful for automating repetitive tasks.

Installation and Setup

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Oracle recommends using the Red Hat Assisted Installer for most users, which provides an automated path for provisioning the cluster infrastructure.

The Assisted Installer requires an internet connection and uses a simple web interface in the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console to perform cluster installation.

You can create the discovery ISO image in the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console, and then the workflow moves to the OCI Console for infrastructure provisioning, which includes creating a custom Red Hat ISO image for compute nodes.

Using the Assisted Installer typically takes less time to complete than the Agent-based Installer, which is recommended for advanced users who want maximum flexibility.

With the Agent-based Installer, you'll need to create OCI resources manually in the OCI Console or use your own automation tools, which can be a bit more complex.

The Assisted Installer is a great option for most users, as it provides a streamlined and automated process for setting up your OpenShift Container Platform cluster.

Installation Options

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You have two main options for installing your cluster: the Assisted Installer and the Agent-based Installer. The Assisted Installer is recommended for most users and uses Red Hat's Assisted Installer with an automated path for provisioning the cluster infrastructure.

To use the Assisted Installer, you'll need an internet connection and will create the discovery ISO image in the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console. This method is relatively straightforward and requires minimal manual setup.

The Agent-based Installer, on the other hand, is recommended for advanced users who want maximum flexibility and control over the installation process. This method requires you to create OCI resources manually in the OCI Console or use your own automation tools.

Keep in mind that the Agent-based Installer typically takes longer to complete than the Assisted Installer, so be prepared to spend some extra time setting up your cluster manually. If you're new to cluster installation, it's worth considering the Assisted Installer for a smoother experience.

Deploy

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Deploying applications on Red Hat OpenShift is a breeze, thanks to its automated features. Continuous security patches are provided for Red Hat-certified containers, which can automatically trigger rebuilding and deploying relevant application containers.

Auto-scaling is also a key feature, scaling applications running on Red Hat OpenShift is automated through auto-scaling containers based on application load.

Granular access control capabilities allow collaboration between teams, bringing visibility to production environments while operations teams keep control of the actions performed. This ensures that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of what's going on, without compromising security or control.

Key Features and Benefits

OpenShift Container Platform offers a range of key features and benefits that make it an attractive choice for developers and organizations alike.

OpenShift provides open source standards, incorporating both Open Containers Initiative (OCI)/Docker-formatted containers and Kubernetes for container orchestration, giving users the freedom to choose their technology and business roadmap.

Self-service provisioning allows developers to quickly create applications on demand from the tools they use most, while operations retains full control over the environment.

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Persistent storage is supported, enabling users to run both stateful and stateless applications.

Automation is a key feature of OpenShift, streamlining and automating container and application builds, deployments, scaling, and health management.

Developers have direct access to a rich set of command-line tools, a multi-device web console, and Eclipse-based integrated development environments (IDEs).

Operational management is provided through Red Hat Monitoring, giving users real-time visibility into their containerized application and infrastructure.

Scalability is a key benefit of OpenShift, allowing applications to easily scale to thousands of instances across hundreds of nodes in seconds.

Here are some of the key capabilities of OpenShift Container Platform:

  • Management of multiple clusters
  • Scalability
  • Persistent storage
  • Integrated ecosystem
  • Open-source support
  • Portability
  • 3-node clusters
  • Remote worker nodes
  • Convenient user interfaces
  • Support for multiple languages
  • Development lifecycle automation
  • Automatic installations and upgrades
  • Integrated CI/CD pipelines

Operate

OpenShift Container Platform provides a range of tools to help you operate your applications efficiently. With built-in support for pipelines, you can automate every step of application delivery, taking advantage of your existing process.

Continuous delivery is a key feature, allowing you to automate every step of application delivery. Zero-downtime deployment is also possible, using rolling updates, blue-green deployments, canary releases, and more.

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A/B testing is another important feature, giving you full control over application traffic to serve users multiple versions of their services simultaneously. Vulnerability scanning is also included, with Red Hat CloudForms providing continuous vulnerability scanning for container images.

Capacity planning is also tracked by Red Hat CloudForms, which helps inform capacity and what-if scenario planning. This helps you make informed decisions about your infrastructure and resource utilization trends.

With OpenShift Container Platform, you can manage your applications, not the underlying platform, thanks to its fully-managed PaaS solution. This means you can focus on what matters most – delivering great applications to your users.

Management and Monitoring

Red Hat OpenShift includes built-in monitoring with Prometheus, the standard for cloud-native cluster and application monitoring.

This allows for easy visibility into how applications are performing and where potential issues may be arising. With Grafana dashboards for visualization, you can quickly identify and troubleshoot problems.

Automated monitoring and logging are also key components of OpenShift's management and monitoring features. This includes health probes that allow for automatic identification of application issues and quick repair action.

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OpenShift also provides a web management console built-in, making it easy to manage and monitor your applications in one place. This console provides a dashboard as an add-on, offering a centralized view of your cluster and applications.

In addition to built-in monitoring and logging, OpenShift is compatible with a variety of logging tools, so you can choose how you manage logging. This flexibility is especially useful for large-scale deployments where different teams may have different logging preferences.

Cloud and Hybrid Cloud

Red Hat OpenShift allows you to extend on-premises workloads to the cloud, specifically AWS.

You can manage your clusters with a user-friendly console for enhanced visibility across multiple deployments.

Both AWS ROSA and Azure Red Hat OpenShift offer a consistent foundation for on-premise and public cloud workloads, providing a familiar experience across diverse environments.

Red Hat OpenShift integrates with AWS and Azure to make hybrid cloud management easier, but it's not the only service of its kind for the public cloud.

Cloud Volumes OnTap Optimize

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Cloud Volumes ONTAP can scale into the petabytes, making it a reliable solution for large-scale storage needs.

It supports various use cases such as file services, databases, DevOps, or any other enterprise workload.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP has a strong set of features including high availability, data protection, storage efficiencies, Kubernetes integration, and more.

Using Ansible, Cloud Volumes ONTAP automation can simplify OpenShift deployment.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP removes the complexity around provisioning storage for OpenShift Kubernetes clusters.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP offers a solution to the storage element managed through Gluster, which can increase complexity.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP supports Kubernetes Persistent Volume provisioning and management requirements of containerized workloads.

This makes it easier for DevOps engineers to automate the deployment of Kubernetes clusters in on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud environments.

NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP is the leading enterprise-grade storage management solution, delivering secure, proven storage management services on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

AWS and Azure: Hybrid Cloud Made Easy

Red Hat OpenShift on AWS and Azure is making hybrid cloud management easier.

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Both AWS and Azure offer Red Hat OpenShift services that integrate with on-premises workloads to extend to the cloud.

AWS ROSA, or Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS, is a new service that integrates AWS with OpenShift's hybrid cloud management capabilities.

Azure Red Hat OpenShift on Azure is a competing service that also offers hybrid cloud management capabilities.

These services provide a consistent foundation for on-premise and public cloud workloads.

Red Hat OpenShift delivers a consistent experience across diverse environments, including containerized, virtualized, and serverless applications.

The platform ships with a user-friendly console to manage clusters for enhanced visibility across multiple deployments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Red Hat OpenShift an operating system?

No, Red Hat OpenShift is not an operating system, but rather a platform built on top of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. It provides a foundation for deploying and managing applications across various environments.

What is the difference between OpenShift dedicated and OpenShift container platform?

Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated is hosted in the public cloud and managed by Red Hat, whereas OpenShift Container Platform is self-managed on your own infrastructure

What is OCP in OpenShift?

OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) is a managed platform that provides cluster services for monitoring, logging, and upgrading, as well as a registry and marketplace for certified and community-built application services. It's a powerful tool for managing and scaling containerized applications.

Is OCP a cloud platform?

No, OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) is a cloud-based Kubernetes container platform, not a traditional cloud platform. It's a managed platform for running containerized applications in the cloud.

Margarita Champlin

Writer

Margarita Champlin is a seasoned writer with a passion for crafting informative and engaging content. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for simplifying complex topics, she has established herself as a go-to expert in the field of technology. Her writing has been featured in various publications, covering a range of topics, including Azure Monitoring.

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