IKO: Lessons Learned

Getting Started with Helm: Installing the InterSystems Kubernetes Operator (IKO)

What is Helm?

Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes, similar to the InterSystems Package Manager (IPM) for IRIS. It facilitates the installation of applications on a Kubernetes platform, making it suitable for development, testing, or production environments.

Understanding the IKO Documentation

The IKO documentation is robust, comprising about 50 pages. For beginners, this can be overwhelming. As the saying goes, "how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Let’s start with the first bite: Helm.

The Chart

The chart, located in the iris_operator folder, is necessary for IKO installation. It contains various files, including Chart.yaml, values.yaml, and templates. We will focus on the values.yaml file, as it is the most important aspect of the installation process.

values.yaml

The values.yaml file contains five key fields that require attention:

• operator.registry
• operator.repository
• operator.tag
• imagePullSecrets.name[0]
• imagePullPolicy

These fields specify the IKO image, registry, repository, and tag, as well as the image pull secrets and policy.

Configuring the Image

• Specify your IKO image details in the registry, repository, and tag fields.
• If using the InterSystems Container Registry (ICR), you can leave the fields as is.
• If using a private repository, you will need to specify your access details.

imagePullPolicy

The imagePullPolicy field can be set to Always, IfNotPresent, or Never. For more information, refer to the Kubernetes documentation.

Installing IKO with Helm

To install IKO, navigate to the iris_operator folder and run the following command:

helm install intersystems iris_operator

If you are in a different directory, you can specify the path:

helm install intersystems iris_operator_amd-3.6.7.100/chart/iris-operator

Verifying the Installation

After a successful installation, you will receive a message indicating that the installation was successful. You can verify the deployment by running the following command:

kubectl --namespace=default get deployments -l "release=intersystems, app=iris-operator"

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered the basics of Helm and its role in installing the InterSystems Kubernetes Operator (IKO). We have also explored the values.yaml file and its importance in the installation process. In the next article, we will put the IKO to use.

FAQs

Q: What is Helm?
A: Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes, similar to the InterSystems Package Manager (IPM) for IRIS.

Q: What is the IKO?
A: The IKO is the InterSystems Kubernetes Operator, which facilitates the installation of applications on a Kubernetes platform.

Q: How do I install IKO with Helm?
A: To install IKO with Helm, navigate to the iris_operator folder and run the helm install command.

Q: What is the values.yaml file?
A: The values.yaml file is a configuration file that specifies the IKO image, registry, repository, and tag, as well as the image pull secrets and policy.