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Preparing to install on AWS

Prerequisites

Requirements for installing OpenShift Container Platform on AWS

Before installing OpenShift Container Platform on Amazon Web Services (AWS), you must create an AWS account. See Configuring an AWS account for details about configuring an account, account limits, account permissions, IAM user setup, and supported AWS regions.

If the cloud identity and access management (IAM) APIs are not accessible in your environment, or if you do not want to store an administrator-level credential secret in the kube-system namespace, see Manually creating IAM for AWS for other options, including configuring the Cloud Credential Operator (CCO) to use the Amazon Web Services Security Token Service (AWS STS).

Choosing a method to install OpenShift Container Platform on AWS

You can install OpenShift Container Platform on installer-provisioned or user-provisioned infrastructure. The default installation type uses installer-provisioned infrastructure, where the installation program provisions the underlying infrastructure for the cluster. You can also install OpenShift Container Platform on infrastructure that you provision. If you do not use infrastructure that the installation program provisions, you must manage and maintain the cluster resources yourself.

See Installation process for more information about installer-provisioned and user-provisioned installation processes.

Installing a cluster on installer-provisioned infrastructure

You can install a cluster on AWS infrastructure that is provisioned by the OpenShift Container Platform installation program, by using one of the following methods:

  • Installing a cluster quickly on AWS: You can install OpenShift Container Platform on AWS infrastructure that is provisioned by the OpenShift Container Platform installation program. You can install a cluster quickly by using the default configuration options.

  • Installing a customized cluster on AWS: You can install a customized cluster on AWS infrastructure that the installation program provisions. The installation program allows for some customization to be applied at the installation stage. Many other customization options are available post-installation.

  • Installing a cluster on AWS with network customizations: You can customize your OpenShift Container Platform network configuration during installation, so that your cluster can coexist with your existing IP address allocations and adhere to your network requirements.

  • Installing a cluster on AWS in a restricted network: You can install OpenShift Container Platform on AWS on installer-provisioned infrastructure by using an internal mirror of the installation release content. You can use this method to install a cluster that does not require an active internet connection to obtain the software components.

  • Installing a cluster on an existing Virtual Private Cloud: You can install OpenShift Container Platform on an existing AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC). You can use this installation method if you have constraints set by the guidelines of your company, such as limits when creating new accounts or infrastructure.

  • Installing a private cluster on an existing VPC: You can install a private cluster on an existing AWS VPC. You can use this method to deploy OpenShift Container Platform on an internal network that is not visible to the internet.

  • Installing a cluster on AWS into a government or secret region: OpenShift Container Platform can be deployed into AWS regions that are specifically designed for US government agencies at the federal, state, and local level, as well as contractors, educational institutions, and other US customers that must run sensitive workloads in the cloud.

Installing a cluster on user-provisioned infrastructure

You can install a cluster on AWS infrastructure that you provision, by using one of the following methods:

  • Installing a cluster on AWS infrastructure that you provide: You can install OpenShift Container Platform on AWS infrastructure that you provide. You can use the provided CloudFormation templates to create stacks of AWS resources that represent each of the components required for an OpenShift Container Platform installation.

  • Installing a cluster on AWS in a restricted network with user-provisioned infrastructure: You can install OpenShift Container Platform on AWS infrastructure that you provide by using an internal mirror of the installation release content. You can use this method to install a cluster that does not require an active internet connection to obtain the software components. You can also use this installation method to ensure that your clusters only use container images that satisfy your organizational controls on external content. While you can install OpenShift Container Platform by using the mirrored content, your cluster still requires internet access to use the AWS APIs.

Next steps