Install OpenShift on VMware with Assisted Installer. Full Automatic. | Linux

 

Installing OpenShift on VMware with Assisted Installer (Fully Automated)

If you’re looking to quickly set up OpenShift in a data center environment using VMware, the Assisted Installer is one of the most convenient options. This guide walks you through the process of installing OpenShift 4.19 (or the latest version) with minimal manual steps — once configured, the installation is mostly automatic.

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Prerequisites

• VMware environment with enough resources (recommended: 16 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, NAT interface for internet access).

• A Linux machine with SSH key generated.

• Basic DNS or /etc/hosts configuration access.

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Step 1: Access the Assisted Installer

1. Download the ISO from the Assisted Installer portal.

   The ISO will be tied to your VM’s public key.

2. In the portal, select:

   • Create Cluster (button) → Data Center (tab) → Create Cluster (button)

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Step 2: Define Cluster Settings

• Cluster name: mycluster

• Base domain: mycluster.com

• OpenShift version: 4.19 (or latest available)

• CPU architecture: x86_64

• External platform integration: None

• Control plane nodes: 1 (Single-node OpenShift)

• Hosts’ network configuration: DHCP (default)

Click Next.

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Step 3: Operators Page

• Leave defaults as-is.

• Click Next.

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Step 4: Host Discovery

1. Select Provisioning Type → Full image file (Download a self-contained ISO).

2. Add your SSH public key:

   • On your Linux machine, run:

     ssh-agent
     cat ~/.ssh/id*.pub
     

   • Copy and paste the output into the Assisted Installer.

3. Skip Proxy and Certificates (set to No).

4. Click Generate Discovery ISO → Download the ISO.

5. Create a VM in VMware (16 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, NAT).

6. Boot the VM with the ISO.

Now, sit back and wait. The installation will run automatically and usually takes about 1 hour.

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Step 5: Configure DNS or Hosts File

Before accessing the console, configure your DNS (recommended) or update /etc/hosts on your PC.

DNS entries:

api.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com        A   192.168.23.164
*.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com     A   192.168.23.164

/etc/hosts entries (alternative):

192.168.23.164  api.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com
192.168.23.164  oauth-openshift.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com
192.168.23.164  console-openshift-console.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com
192.168.23.164  grafana-openshift-monitoring.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com
192.168.23.164  thanos-querier-openshift-monitoring.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com
192.168.23.164  prometheus-k8s-openshift-monitoring.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com
192.168.23.164  alertmanager-main-openshift-monitoring.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com

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Step 6: Access the Web Console

Once installation completes, the console URL will be available:

Web Console:
https://console-openshift-console.apps.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com/

Credentials:

• Username: kubeadmin

• Password: <password> (replace with your generated password)

You can also download the kubeconfig file for password-less access.

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Step 7: Connect with oc CLI

From your personal machine, you can connect in two ways:

• Using kubeconfig (no password):

  oc get nodes --kubeconfig=kubeconfigfile
  

• Using username/password:

  oc login -u kubeadmin -p 0000000 https://api.assistedcluster.rukndarna.com:6443
  

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Common Useful Commands

oc get nodes
oc get csr
oc whoami --show-console
oc get services
grep server kubeconfig

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Done :) now we have a single-node OpenShift cluster running on VMware with Assisted Installer — fully automated and ready for exploration.