MAS 9 Installation Series, Part 2: Gathering Your Prerequisites and Planning for OpenShift 🤖

Before You Deploy: The Art of Not Flying Blind

Welcome back to our MAS 9 installation series! In our first article, we took a high-altitude tour of the shift from WebSphere to OpenShift, discussing how MAS 9 embraces a cloud-native, containerized architecture. Now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and start the actual journey toward installation. But before we can install anything, we need to gather our supplies.

Think of this phase like preparing for a cross-country road trip. You wouldn’t just hop in the car and start driving without checking if you have gas, a map (or GPS, for the modern folks), and maybe a few snacks. Similarly, installing MAS 9 on OpenShift requires some key ingredients that you’ll need to collect and verify before the fun begins. Forget one of these, and you’ll find yourself stranded somewhere between “almost installed” and “why isn’t this working?”

In this article, we’ll walk through the essential prerequisites for a Single Node OpenShift (SNO) installation, which is perfect for development, testing, or proof-of-concept environments. We’ll cover what you need, where to get it, and what to expect as you plan your deployment.

The Essential Ingredients: What You’ll Need Before Installation

Before you can install MAS 9 on OpenShift, you’ll need to gather several critical components. Let’s break these down into manageable pieces.

1. IBM Entitlement Key: Your Golden Ticket

The IBM Entitlement Key is essentially your access pass to IBM’s container registry. Without it, you won’t be able to pull the MAS images needed for installation. Think of it like the VIP lanyard at a tech conference: no lanyard, no access to the good sessions (or in this case, the container images).

How to obtain your IBM Entitlement Key:

1. Navigate to the IBM Container Library at https://myibm.ibm.com/products-services/containerlibrary
2. Log in with your IBMid (the same credentials you use for IBM support, Passport Advantage, etc.)
3. Click “Copy key” to copy your entitlement key
4. Store this key securely. You’ll need it during the MAS installation process

2. IBM License File (license.dat): Proof of Purchase

The license.dat file is your proof that you’ve actually purchased MAS. IBM uses an AppPoints licensing model for MAS 9, which provides flexibility in how you deploy and use the suite’s various applications. Your license file contains information about your available AppPoints and is required during installation.

How to obtain your license file:

• Go to the IBM License Key Center at https://licensing.flexnetoperations.com
• Log in with your IBM credentials
• Navigate to “Get Keys” and locate your Maximo Application Suite entitlements
• You should see entries for “IBM Maximo Application Suite AppPoint” licenses
• Download the license.dat file and store it securely

3. Red Hat OpenShift Pull Secret: The Other Golden Ticket

Since MAS 9 runs on Red Hat OpenShift, you’ll need a pull secret from Red Hat to access the OpenShift container images. This is separate from your IBM entitlement key because OpenShift has its own container registry.

How to obtain your Red Hat pull secret:

1. Navigate to the Red Hat Hybrid Cloud Console at https://console.redhat.com
2. Log in with your Red Hat account credentials
3. Go to OpenShift > Downloads and locate the pull secret section
4. Download or copy the pull secret JSON and store it securely

4. OpenShift Cluster Name and Base Domain: Your Address in the Cloud

Before installation, you need to decide on your cluster name and base domain. These form the foundation of how your MAS instance will be accessed. For a Single Node OpenShift (SNO) installation, you’ll typically use a format like:

• Cluster Name: sno (or something descriptive like “masdev”)
• Base Domain: mas.yourdomain.edu (or your organization’s domain)

The full cluster address will combine these as: [cluster-name].[base-domain] (e.g., sno.mas.yourdomain.edu).

DNS Configuration: Making Sure Everyone Can Find You

One of the most critical (and often overlooked) aspects of OpenShift installation is DNS configuration. MAS OpenShift requires specific DNS entries to function properly. Forget these, and you’ll spend hours wondering why nothing can connect to anything else.

Required DNS Entries for OpenShift (SNO):

Additional DNS Entries for MAS Manage:
Once MAS is installed, you’ll also need DNS entries for the various MAS services. These typically include:

Heads up: Coordinate with your network team early. DNS changes can take time to propagate, and nothing kills momentum quite like waiting 24-48 hours for a DNS record to become available.

SSL Certificates: Trust, But Verify

MAS 9 requires SSL certificates for secure communications. You have two options: self-signed certificates for development/testing environments, or trusted CA certificates for production use.

Your certificates should cover the following domains:

• auth.mas.[yourdomain]
• admin.mas.[yourdomain]
• home.mas.[yourdomain]
• [workspace].manage.mas.[yourdomain]
• [workspace].home.mas.[yourdomain]
• api.mas.[yourdomain]

Hardware Requirements: What’s Under the Hood

For a Single Node OpenShift (SNO) installation suitable for development or testing, you’ll need hardware that meets or exceeds these specifications:

Storage Considerations:

• Use separate fast SSD/NVMe storage for database and application layers
• Dedicate storage for logs, backups, and indexing
• RAID 10 or NVMe-based storage recommended for high performance

The Bastion Host: Your Command Center

A bastion host is a separate server used to manage your OpenShift cluster(s) and issue commands against your cluster without cluttering it with management tools.

Bastion Host Requirements:

Your firewall will need to allow traffic on specific ports for the cluster to function properly:

Database Considerations: Where Your Data Lives

MAS 9 supports SQL Server as an external database. While the database isn’t required for Day 1 of installation, you’ll need it configured before starting the MAS 9 application installation.

If using SQL Server:

• Ensure the Maximo user on SQL Server is the db_owner of the Maximo database
• Test login credentials using SQL Server Management Studio
• Verify connectivity from your Linux environment to SQL Server on port 1433

Folder Structure: Getting Organized

Before installation, set up a logical folder structure on your bastion host. Here’s a recommended layout:

What to Expect: The Road Ahead

With all prerequisites gathered, here’s a preview of what the installation process looks like:

1. Create an ISO Image: Using Red Hat’s Assisted Installer, you’ll generate a bootable ISO configured for your environment.
2. Boot and Configure OpenShift: The server boots from the ISO and completes the installation.
3. Install MAS Core: Using the MAS CLI, you’ll install the MAS Core components.
4. Configure and Deploy Applications: Finally, you’ll install Maximo Manage and configure database connections.

Pre-Installation Checklist: Are You Ready?

Before proceeding to installation, verify you have:

• IBM Entitlement Key copied and stored securely
• IBM license.dat file downloaded
• Red Hat OpenShift pull secret obtained
• Cluster name and base domain decided
• DNS entries requested from your network team
• SSL certificate requirements identified
• Hardware provisioned meeting minimum requirements
• Bastion host set up with network access to the cluster
• Required ports opened in firewall
• Database server ready (if using external database)

Conclusion: Ready, Set… Almost Go

Gathering prerequisites might not be the most exciting phase of an installation, but it’s arguably the most important. Taking the time to collect everything upfront will save you hours of troubleshooting later. In our next article, we’ll dive into the actual installation process: creating the OpenShift ISO, booting the cluster, and getting Red Hat OpenShift up and running. We’ll include the actual commands and configurations you need, so you can follow along step-by-step.