The Tool Desk
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What you need before installing
IBM documents the following baseline for the Kubernetes operator line. Check the support matrix for the exact App Connect Operator release and fix pack you intend to use before committing an AKS cluster to production: support for a Kubernetes release ends when that Kubernetes version reaches end of life.
- Kubernetes: IBM lists versions 1.27.x through 1.34.x for the documented operator line. Confirm that your chosen operator release supports the specific AKS Kubernetes version you will run.
- Architecture: Linux 64-bit x86-64.
- Helm: Helm 3.
- Certificates: Prepare automated certificate management before installing the operator.
- Chart and image access: The administrator workstation needs access to IBM’s Helm chart source. The cluster must be able to authenticate to IBM’s Entitled Container Fulfillment Registry to pull product images.
- Deployment design: Decide namespace boundaries, storage, high availability, ingress, DNS, TLS termination, health probes, and network policy before creating externally reachable instances.
IBM documents both internet-connected and air-gapped installation patterns. An air-gapped design still needs a planned route for obtaining and making the required charts and images available to the cluster; use IBM’s procedure for the chosen operator release rather than assuming the online registry steps apply unchanged.
Choose a standalone deployment or Cloud Pak for Integration
The core installation is operator-based in either case, but Cloud Pak for Integration (CP4I) adds platform components and a different entitlement context. AKS is Azure Kubernetes Service, not IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service (IKS); do not assume IKS automation for routes or ingress applies on AKS.
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| Deployment choice | Installation scope | License and entitlement | Ingress and operations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standalone App Connect on AKS | Use the Kubernetes operator procedure for App Connect. Omit CP4I components you are not deploying. | Use an eligible AppConnectEnterprise license and IBM entitlement key. | Plan AKS namespaces, storage, availability, identity integration, registry workflow, and externally managed ingress. |
| App Connect through CP4I on AKS | Install the IBM Cloud Pak for Integration operator first, apply the entitlement key, deploy Platform UI, install the required product operators, then create App Connect instances. | Eligible CP4I customers may use a CloudPakForIntegration entitlement with integration runtimes through the documented annotation path. | Include platform and foundational services in namespace, identity, storage, high-availability, ingress, and lifecycle planning. |
For either path, align operator and instance lifecycle choices with the support matrix for the selected App Connect release. Treat custom resources, namespace assignments, storage settings, image references, and secrets as versioned deployment configuration under change control.
Select the license for the workload
The entitlement key and the runtime license serve different purposes. Apply the entitlement key as a Kubernetes secret so the operator can pull IBM images. Separately, configure the appropriate App Connect license for the custom resource, and deploy License Service to track App Connect license consumption.
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| License identifier | Use described by IBM |
|---|---|
AppConnectEnterpriseNonProductionFREE |
Development and functional testing. |
AppConnectEnterpriseNonProduction |
Non-functional testing, including performance, scalability, and security testing. |
AppConnectEnterpriseProduction |
Production entitlements. |
CloudPakForIntegration* |
Available to eligible Cloud Pak for Integration customers; follow IBM’s documented annotation method for applying the entitlement to integration runtimes. |
Choose the identifier based on the actual environment and entitlement, not simply on whether the cluster is used for evaluation. Confirm the applicable IBM licensing terms for your organization before deployment.
Install App Connect on AKS in the documented order
IBM describes App Connect installation as using the IBM App Connect Operator; its installation and uninstallation in Kubernetes are managed by Helm and are command-line based. The steps below distinguish the shared preparation from the extra CP4I components. Use the procedure and chart instructions for the operator release you selected rather than substituting commands from another release.
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- Prepare the cluster and workstation. Confirm the Kubernetes version and architecture, Helm 3 availability, automated certificate management, namespace plan, and network access required by your selected online or air-gapped installation pattern.
- Access the IBM Helm chart. Configure the administrator workstation to reach the IBM Helm chart source and obtain the chart and installation instructions for the chosen release.
- If using CP4I, install its operator first. Follow IBM’s AKS installation procedure for Cloud Pak for Integration before proceeding with platform components.
- Apply the IBM entitlement key. Create the Kubernetes secret using IBM’s instructions so the cluster can authenticate to the Entitled Container Fulfillment Registry and pull required images.
- If using CP4I, deploy Platform UI. Complete the platform setup required for the selected CP4I deployment before installing the App Connect product operator.
- Install the IBM App Connect Operator. Use Helm and the instructions for the selected Kubernetes operator release. Confirm that the operator is ready before creating product instances.
- Deploy the required App Connect custom resources. Create the Dashboard, Designer Authoring, integration runtime, or other supported resource types needed for the solution. Set the appropriate license fields and image references, and retain the manifests or equivalent deployment configuration as versioned artifacts.
- Configure external access only where needed. On AKS, create and validate ingress resources and rules that route external paths to the internal App Connect services and ports. Configure DNS, TLS, health probes, and network policy for the design.
- Validate operations and licensing. Check that instances become ready, that intended traffic reaches the correct service, and that License Service is tracking consumption.
For a standalone installation, omit the CP4I operator and Platform UI steps. The App Connect operator and the resources needed for the standalone deployment remain necessary.
Expose App Connect services safely on AKS
For Kubernetes environments other than IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service, IBM does not automatically create routes or ingress resources. On AKS, external access therefore requires an ingress design that maps public paths to the internal App Connect services and ports. Do not expose an instance until the routing and security behavior have been checked.
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- Choose which services need external access; keep administrative or authoring interfaces private unless there is a clear requirement to expose them.
- Define ingress rules, DNS names, and TLS termination consistently with the cluster’s networking design.
- Set health probes to match the service behavior and verify that ingress health checks do not incorrectly mark a functioning backend unavailable.
- Use network policy and identity controls to limit who can reach the exposed services.
- Test the complete path from the intended client through DNS and ingress to the internal service, including certificate validation and expected application response.
Plan storage, namespaces, and availability
IBM’s installation workflow does not prescribe one AKS namespace, storage class, ingress controller, or high-availability design for every deployment. Set these according to the chosen App Connect resources and your AKS operating model, then validate them against the exact operator and fix-pack support information.
- Namespaces: Decide how platform components, operators, and App Connect instances will be scoped. For CP4I, account for its broader platform installation rather than treating it as a standalone operator install.
- Storage: Identify which deployed resources require persistent storage and configure supported storage accordingly. Verify persistence and recovery behavior as part of operations planning.
- High availability: Design for the availability target of the workload, including cluster capacity and failure recovery; do not infer a particular resilience level merely from running on AKS.
- Secrets and configuration: Control registry credentials, entitlement secrets, certificates, image references, and custom-resource configuration through your established change and access controls.
- Lifecycle: Keep the Kubernetes version, App Connect Operator release, fix pack, and custom resources aligned with IBM’s current support guidance.
Additional requirement for the App Connect Enterprise Agent
If the deployment enables the App Connect Enterprise Agent, IBM requires App Connect Operator 13.0.0 or later and an App Connect Dashboard at version 13.0.7.0-r1 or later. These are additional Agent requirements, not the baseline version requirements for every App Connect runtime deployment.
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