Install and uninstall commands for HCL DX 9.5 CF196 and later container deployments to Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift platforms using Helm

The following are install and uninstall commands that are used to deploy or uninstall HCL Digital Experience 9.5 CF196 and later releases to Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift platforms using Helm.

Note: Deployment using Helm is supported for new deployments to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) only with DX 9.5 Container Update CF196. Deployment using Helm is supported for new deployments to Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service, Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service, and Red Hat OpenShift beginning with HCL DX Container Update CF197.

Install command

Important: Modification to any files (chart.yaml, templates, crds) in hcl-dx-deployment-vX.X.X_XXXXXXXX-XXXX.tar.gz, except custom-values.yaml or values.yaml, is not supported.

To run the installation of your prepared configurations using Helm, use the following command:

# Helm install command
helm install -n my-namespace -f path/to/your/custom-values.yaml your-release-name path/to/hcl-dx-deployment-vX.X.X_XXXXXXXX-XXXX.tar.gz

The my-namespace is the namespace where your HCL Digital Experience 9.5 deployment is installed to.
The -f path/to/your/custom-values.yaml must point to the custom-values.yaml you have created, which contains all deployment configuration.
your-release-name is the Helm release name and prefixes all resources created in that installation, such as Pods, Services, and others.
path/to/hcl-dx-deployment-vX.X.X_XXXXXXXX-XXXX.tar.gz is the HCL Digital Experience 9.5 Helm Chart that you have extracted as described earlier in the planning and preparation steps.

After a successful deployment, Helm responds with the following message:

NAME: dx
LAST DEPLOYED: Thu Jun 17 14:27:58 2021
NAMESPACE: my-namespace
STATUS: deployed
REVISION: 1
TEST SUITE: None

Hybrid deployment configuration

If you are installing in a Hybrid deployment pattern, after successfully running the Helm deployment, you need to configure services in DX Core to be aware of the external host name of your hybrid DX environment. To complete these steps, log on to the DX Core Server and run the following Config Engine tasks to enable other DX applications.

In the following examples, replace <host-url> with your corresponding external host name.

Content Composer:

    <Path to wp_profile>/ConfigEngine/ConfigEngine.sh enable-headless-content 
    -Dstatic.ui.url=https://<host-url>/dx/ui/content/static -DWasPassword=<was-
    password> -DPortalAdminPwd=<admin-password>

Digital Asset Manager:

    <Path to wp_profile>/ConfigEngine/ConfigEngine.sh enable-media-library 
    -Dstatic.ui.url=https://<host-url>/dx/ui/dam/static -DWasPassword=<was-
    password> -DPortalAdminPwd=<admin-password>

Design Studio (Beta):

    <Path to wp_profile>/ConfigEngine/ConfigEngine.sh enable-content-sites 
    -Dcontentsites.static.ui.url=https://<host-url>/dx/ui/site-manager/static 
    -DWasPassword=<was-password> -DPortalAdminPwd=<admin-password>

Default URLs post installation

During the configuration process, you might need the following URLs to access different administration user interfaces.

Use the following default URLs to access HCL Digital Experience (Portal and WCM), the WebSphere® Integrated Solutions Console, and the Configuration Wizard:

HCL Digital Experience (Portal and WCM): https://yourserver/wps/portal
IBM WebSphere® Integrated Solutions Console: https://yourserver/ibm/console
IBM WebSphere® Integrated Solutions Console for Remote Search: https://yourserver:9043/ibm/console
HCL Digital Experience Configuration Wizard: https://yourserver/hcl/wizard

Uninstall command

To remove your HCL Digital Experience 9.5 deployment from your Cluster deployed using Helm, it is recommended that you use Helm uninstall.

To run the uninstall, use the following command as shown in this example:

# Helm uninstall command
helm uninstall your-release-name -n my-namespace

The my-namespace is the namespace where your HCL Digital Experience 9.5 deployment is installed to.

your-release-name is the Helm release name you selected during installation.

After a successful deployment, Helm responds with the following message:

release "your-release-name" uninstalled

(Optional) External DNS configuration

After a successful Helm deployment in a hybrid deployment, you can add a load balancer or an external IP to the DNS registry.

Run the following command to get a load balancer external IP:
```
kubectl get services -n <your-namespace>
```
For Amazon EKS, you must add the external IP to route53.
Figure 1. Sample configuration for Amazon EKS

(Optional) Automated host extraction

As described in the Configure networking topic, there are instances wherein you do not know the resulting external IP or FQDN for your deployment and you left the host value empty. In that case, run a Helm upgrade command, and it automatically polls the Ambassador Ingress and extract the found IP or FQDN from there. The Helm Chart logic goes ahead and populates all application configuration with the correct settings.

An example is provided below. You may use the following Helm upgrade command to trigger the automated host extraction:

# Helm upgrade command
helm upgrade -n my-namespace -f path/to/your/custom-values.yaml your-release-name path/to/hcl-dx-deployment-vX.X.X_XXXXXXXX-XXXX.tar.gz

Additional reference

Step by Step Guide: How to deploy HCL DX Container Update CF197 and higher to Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) using Helm