Review your options

You can install Cloud Pak capabilities in multiple environments, and for a number of different reasons. Install a containerized starter deployment at the beginning of a project or install customized deployments for testing and production. The operator lifecycle manager (OLM) is used in all OpenShift installation options, whether you use the scripts or the Operator Hub in the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) console.

OLM helps you to install, update, and manage the lifecycle of all operators and services that are deployed in OCP clusters. OLM is part of the Operator Framework, which is an open source toolkit that is designed to manage Kubernetes applications. The Operator Hub catalogs help you to discover all of the certified products and services that you can install on your system.

The choice that you make about how you install Cloud Pak for Business Automation capabilities depends on a number of factors. Cloud Pak for Business Automation has an operator (CP4BA multi-pattern) that can be used to install one or more capabilities, and also has operators for FileNet Content Manager, Automation Decision Services, Workflow Process Service Runtime, and Process Federation Server.

If you want to use the scripts to help you install a Cloud Pak for Business Automation pattern (including the script to create the required databases and secrets), then use the CP4BA multi-pattern operator installation steps. If you select FileNet Content Manager or Automation Decision Services with the scripts, then these specific operators are also used to operate these capabilities.

If you want to use the CP4BA FileNet Content Manager operator directly, then use the CP4BA FileNet Content Manager installation instructions that use the OCP console or use the CP4BA multi-pattern scripts and select only FileNet Content Manager.

The following table summarizes the type of operators that are provided by Cloud Pak for Business Automation, and highlights the installation instructions that you can choose.

Table 1. Operator types and how to install them
Operator Scripts (cert-kubernetes) OCP console Online starter deployments Online production deployments Offline production deployments (air-gap)
CP4BA multi-pattern yes yes

By using the multi-pattern operator.

 yes yes yes
CP4BA FileNet Content Manager yes

By selecting FNCM in the multi-pattern deployment script.

 yes

By selecting FNCM in the multi-pattern operator or by using the FNCM operator.

 yes yes yes

By selecting FNCM in the multi-pattern deployment script or by using the OCP console.
CP4BA Automation Decision Services yes

By selecting ADS in the multi-pattern deployment script.

 yes

By selecting ADS in the multi-pattern operator.

 yes yes yes

By selecting ADS in the multi-pattern deployment script or by using the OCP console.
CP4BA Workflow Process Service Runtime no yes (OCP CLI documented path) no yes no
CP4BA Process Federation Server no yes (OCP CLI documented path) no yes no
Online starter deployments
Online production deployments
Offline production deployments
Docker Compose deployments
Traditional installations
Moving your existing workloads to the cloud
Tip: Pick the option that you want and either bookmark the page or print it out to help you follow the steps during the installation.
CP4BA multi-pattern starter deployments on Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud (ROKS classic) and OCP

You can install Cloud Pak for Business Automation to do demos or evaluations. You might want to demo projects or programs to showcase the Cloud Pak in a particular business sector, or you might want to evaluate one or more capabilities.

Tip: If you are installing Cloud Pak for Business Automation for the first time, use the Quick reference Q&A for multi-pattern starter deployments.

The following diagram shows the steps for installing a multi-pattern starter deployment.

Installation steps for a multi-pattern starter deployment

  1. Planning for a multi-pattern starter deployment
  2. Preparing for a starter deployment and then Setting up the cluster in the OpenShift console or Option 2a: Setting up the cluster with the admin script
  3. Installing the capabilities in the Red Hat OpenShift console or Installing the capabilities by running the deployment script

A deployment that is intended for demonstration purposes does not need the same preparation that a production deployment does. The patterns that are used to install a "starter" deployment take care of dependencies and prerequisites. As a result, a starter deployment takes fewer steps and is much quicker compared to a production deployment.

CP4BA FileNet Content Manager starter deployments on Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud (ROKS classic) and OCP

You can install a FileNet Content Manager starter deployment by using the CP4BA FileNet Content Manager operator to do demos or evaluations. You might want to demo projects or programs to showcase a capability in a particular business sector, or you might want to evaluate the capabilities.

The following diagram shows the steps for installing a CP4BA FileNet Content Manager starter deployment.

Installation steps for a CP4BA FileNet Content Manager starter deployment

  1. Planning for a CP4BA FileNet Content Manager starter deployment
  2. Preparing for a starter deployment and then Setting up the cluster in the OpenShift console
  3. Installing the capabilities in the OpenShift Console
CP4BA multi-pattern production deployment on ROKS classic and OCP
Tip: If you are installing Cloud Pak for Business Automation for the first time, use the Quick reference Q&A for multi-pattern production deployments.

The following diagram shows the steps for installing a production deployment.

Enterprise installation workflow on OCP

Each section includes tasks that are needed if you include the capability. You do not need to complete the tasks if the capabilities are not in your deployment. The choice between running the provided scripts or the Form user interface in OCP "Step 3" might be a company choice or a personal decision.

After you complete all of the steps, you are ready to build a business automation.

You must install the Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA) multi-pattern operator from the OpenShift console to use the Form UI for your deployment.

  1. Deciding which type of license to attribute to the deployment. Valid values for the sc_deployment_license parameter are non-production and production.
  2. Planning for a production installation
  3. Option 1: Preparing your cluster for an online deployment, Preparing your chosen capabilities, and Creating a production deployment
  4. Checking and completing your custom resource and Option 2: Deploying the custom resource you created with the deployment script
  5. Completing post-installation tasks
CP4BA single-pattern production deployment on ROKS classic and OCP by following installation guides in PDF

If you want to start with a single pattern of Cloud Pak for Business Automation and you want to use the installation scripts, then go to Installing a pattern by following the instructions in PDF files.

If you know that you want to immediately combine capabilities or you want to use the OpenShift console to install, then use the other options to find the instructions.

CP4BA FileNet Content Manager production deployment on ROKS classic and OCP

The following diagram shows the steps for installing a production deployment.

Enterprise installation workflow on OCP

After you complete all of the steps, you are ready to build a business automation.

The Operator Hub catalogs help you to discover all of the certified products and services that you can install on your system. You must install the CP4BA FileNet Content Manager operator from the OpenShift console to use the Form UI for your deployment.

  1. Deciding which type of license to attribute to the deployment. Valid values for the sc_deployment_license parameter are non-production and production.
  2. Planning for a CP4BA FileNet Content Manager production deployment
  3. Preparing FileNet Content Manager operator components, and Creating a production deployment
  4. Checking and completing your custom resource
  5. Completing post-installation tasks
CP4BA Workflow Process Server deployment on ROKS classic and OCP

After you installed a CP4BA multi-pattern deployment, you can install Workflow Process Service on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP). The Workflow Process Service operator catalog in the OCP Operator Hub provides a user interface for you to install a production deployment with operator lifecycle manager (OLM). For more information, see Installing a CP4BA Workflow Process Service deployment.

CP4BA Process Federation Server deployment on ROKS classic and OCP

After you installed a CP4BA multi-pattern deployment, you can install Process Federation Server on Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (OCP). The OCP Operator Hub provides a user interface for you to install a deployment with operator lifecycle manager (OLM).

The Process Federation Server deployment can be set up to federate traditional (on-premises) Business Automation Workflow servers, Business Automation Workflow on containers servers, and Workflow Process Service instances.

For more information, see Installing a CP4BA Process Federation Server deployment.

CP4BA multi-pattern production deployment in an air gap environment

An air gap configuration supports OpenShift Container Platform (OCP) clusters that might be disconnected from the internet (offline) to continue to use the Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA) multi-pattern operator and components.

Tip: If you are installing Cloud Pak for Business Automation for the first time, use the Quick reference Q&A for multi-pattern production air gapped deployments.

OCP includes an API (ImageContentSourcePolicy) that can automatically redirect image pull requests from a specified registry location to an alternative location. The redirect is fundamental to enabling an air gap for disconnected installations, as it removes the need to update image references in every pod definition. To avoid caching and inconsistency problems, it needs all images to be referenced by an image id or digest rather than a tag.

The operator catalog index image enables the Cloud Pak containers to be installed as an OLM air gap. The catalog image can be included as part of a CatalogSource resource to enable an installation from the Operator Hub catalog.

The following diagram shows the steps for installing with an air gap environment.

Installation with an air gap environment

  1. Planning for a production installation, Option 2b: (Deprecated) Preparing your (offline) cluster with the IBM Cloud Pak CLI (cloudctl), and Preparing your chosen capabilities
  2. Option 1: Installing a production deployment in the OpenShift console or Option 2: Generating the custom resource with the deployment script
  3. Checking and completing your custom resource
  4. Option 2: Deploying the custom resource you created with the deployment script
  5. Completing post-installation tasks
Workflow Process Service on an in-house server

To install Workflow Process Service Authoring and Server on Docker Compose, you must follow a separate set of instructions to the Red Hat installation steps. For more information, see Installing Workflow Process Service.

Traditional installation entitlements

Information on how to install the entitled software of Cloud Pak for Business Automation on-premises is provided in Cloud Pak traditional license entitlement. Some capabilities like FileNet® Content Manager, Operational Decision Manager, and Business Automation Workflow can also be installed on a private cloud or on ROKS.

Moving from traditional installations to the Cloud Pak

Moving your traditional on-premises entitlements to OpenShift container-based deployments is an option that needs preparation and expert guidance. For more information, see Moving from on premises to Cloud Pak for Business Automation.