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Setting up a Harbor registry in an air-gapped environment and synchronizing it with BMC DTR

An air-gapped environment is a security measure for your system. You can access container images from an environment that is disconnected or physically isolated from unsecured networks, such as the public internet. Such environments are called air-gapped environments.

Here are several container registry products available, and in this document, we provide instructions for using Harbor as an example. You can adapt these instructions to other registry products. Please note that BMC does not supply or support Harbor or any other registry product. It is the responsibility of the customer administrator to install, configure, and maintain the registry in their environment.

Harbor is an open-source registry that secures artifacts with policies and role-based access control. For more information, see the Harbor documentation.

The BMC Helix IT Operations Management ( BMC Helix ITOM ) container images are hosted on the BMC Docker Trusted Registry (DTR), which is available at containers.bmc.com.

Note
The method described in this guide assumes access to the internet or a hybrid environment. If your environment is fully air-gapped (i.e., no internet connection or communication with external servers), the steps provided may not be suitable. For a fully air-gapped setup, additional procedures are needed, which will be discussed in a separate document.

Before you begin

  • Make sure you have downloaded the key to access the container images from the BMC Electronic Product Distribution ( EPD ) site.

  • Make sure that your system meets the following requirements to set up a Harbor registry:
     

    Requirement

    Description

    Software

    To know about software requirements for Harbor, see Harbor Installation Prerequisites in Harbor documentation.

    Important: Make sure the software versions match the version of Harbor that you want to install.

    Network port

    • Port 443 with HTTPS protocol
    • Port 4443 with HTTPS protocol
    • Port 80 with HTTP protocol

    Hardware

    Minimum 4 CPUs with 8 GB memory and 500 GB disk space.

    The 500 GB disk space might be required while upgrading BMC Helix ITOM.

To synchronize a Harbor registry in an air-gapped environment with  BMC DTR

  1. Set up and synchronize a Harbor registry in a local network with BMC DTR:
    1. Create a Harbor registry:

      1. In your local system, download Harbor by using the following command:
        wget https://github.com/goharbor/harbor/releases/download/v<version>/harbor-offline-installer-v<version>.tgz
        For example:
        wget https://github.com/goharbor/harbor/releases/download/v2.1.4/harbor-offline-installer-v2.1.4.tgz

      2. Run the following command to unzip the TAR file:
        tar xvzf harbor-offline-installer*.tgz

      3. Go to the Harbor directory by using the following command:
        cd harbor

      4. Copy the configuration template by using the following command:
        cp harbor.yml.tmpl harbor.yml

      5. In the harbor.yml file, update the values for the following parameters:
        • hostname: Specify the name of system where you want to install Harbor.
        • harbor_admin_password: Specify the password for the Harbor system administrator.
          The  harbor.yml file contains a default password harbor_admin_password. You can modify the password.
        • database password: Specify the root password for the local database.
          The harbor.yml file contains a default database password. You can modify the password.

      6. Configure Harbor registry by using self-signed SSL certificates.
        See Configure HTTPS Access to Harbor in the Harbor documentation.

        • Add the Harbor certificate to the trust store on all your Kubernetes nodes.
          Follow the Kubernetes documentation appropriate for your Kubernetes distribution.

      7. Run the following command to install the Harbor registry :
        ./install.sh

      8. Log in to verify that you can access the Harbor registry.
        Use the admin username and password to log in.

        Important 
        The default Harbor installation does not include Notary and Clair services that are used for vulnerability scanning.

    2. Configure the Harbor registry:
      1. In the Harbor admin UI, navigate to the Administration menu, and click Registries.

      2. Click NEW ENDPOINT, and specify the following field values:

        • Provider: Docker Registry
        • Endpoint URL: https://containers.bmc.com
        • Access ID: Support user ID that you use to log in to EPD.
        • Access Secret: The container image access key specified in the container-token.bmc file that you downloaded from EPD.
          The following image shows an example configuration:
          harbor_registry_configuration.png
      3. Click OK.
        The configuration is saved and the configuration status is displayed as Healthy :registry_configuration_status.png

        Use this configuration in a replication rule to synchronize your local Harbor registry and BMC DTR.

    3. Synchronize the local Harbor registry with BMC DTR
      1. Log in to the system where you downloaded and extracted the deployment manager helix-on-prem-deployment-manager-<BMC Helix ITOM release version>.sh
        For example, helix-on-prem-deployment-manager-23.2.02.sh
      2. Downloaded the all_images_25.3.txt file.
      3. Go to helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/push_to_repo.
      4. In the push_to_repo directory, copy the all_images.txt file.
      5. Log in to the Harbor registry and perform the following steps to create a new project:
        1. Select Projects and then click NEW PROJECT.
          New project.png
        2. In the New Project window, specify the following values:
          1. Project Name—Enter a name; for example, bmc.
          2. Access Level—Select the Public check box.
            Leave the other parameters to their default values.
            Public check box.png
        3. Click OK.
      6. Download the push_to_custom_repo.shfile.
      7. Replace the push_to_custom_repo.sh file with the existing file at helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/push_to_repo.

      8. To give execution permission to push_to_custom_repo.sh, run the following command:
        chmod +x push_to_custom_repo.sh

      9. Run the following command to convert the file to an UNIX format:
        dos2unix push_to_custom_repo.sh

      10. Open the push_to_custom_repo.sh file and update the following parameter values:
         

        Parameter

        Description

        SOURCE_DOCKER_REPO

        Specify the value as containers.bmc.com.

        SOURCE_DOCKER_PASSWORD

        Specify the container image access key specified in the container-token.bmc file that you downloaded from EPD.

        SOURCE_DOCKER_USER

        Specify the support user ID that you use to log in to EPD.

        IMAGE_REGISTRY_HOST

        Specify the host name of your local registry.

        Important: Do not specify the host path name; specify only the host name.

        For example, IMAGE_REGISTRY_HOST=value-investing.cluster3.bmc.com.

        IMAGE_REGISTRY_PASSWORD

        Specify a password to log in to your local registry.

        IMAGE_REGISTRY_USERNAME

        Specify a user name to log in to your local registry.

        IMAGE_REGISTRY_PROJECT

        Specify the name of the project that you created; for example, BMC.

      11. Run the push_to_custom_repo.sh file by using the following command and provide image repository names as arguments separated by a comma based on the products you want to install and the licenses:

        Important Before you run the push_to_custom_repo.sh file, make sure you have installed the Docker Engine. For more information, see System requirements for the Harbor registry requirements.

        ./push_to_custom_repo.sh <list of image repository names separated by commas>

        BMC repository

        Repository content

         lp0lz 

        BMC Helix Platform  images

         lp0oz   

        BMC Helix Intelligent Automation images

         lp0pz     

         

        BMC Helix Continuous Optimization images

        lp0mz 

        BMC Helix Operations Management on-premises images

        la0cz 

        BMC Helix AIOps images

        For example:
        ./push_to_custom_repo.sh la0cz,lp0lz,lp0mz,lp0oz,lp0pz

  2. Set up a Harbor registry in an air-gapped environment or DMZ:

    1. Create a Harbor registry:

      1. In your local system, download Harbor by using the following command:
        wget https://github.com/goharbor/harbor/releases/download/v<version>/harbor-offline-installer-v<version>.tgz

        For example:
        wget https://github.com/goharbor/harbor/releases/download/v2.1.4/harbor-offline-installer-v2.1.4.tgz

      2. Run the following command to unzip the TAR file:
        tar xvzf harbor-offline-installer*.tgz

      3. Go to the Harbor directory by using the following command:
        cd harbor

      4. Copy the configuration template by using the following command:
        cp harbor.yml.tmpl harbor.yml

      5. In the harbor.yml file, update the values for the following parameters:
        • hostname: Specify the name of system where you want to install Harbor.
        • harbor_admin_password: Specify the password for the Harbor system administrator.
          The  harbor.yml file contains a default password harbor_admin_password. You can modify the password.
        • database password: Specify the root password for the local database.
          The harbor.yml file contains a default database password. You can modify the password.

      6. Configure Harbor registry by using self-signed SSL certificates.
        See Configure HTTPS Access to Harbor in the Harbor documentation.

      7. Add the Harbor certificate to the trust store on all your Kubernetes nodes.
        Follow the Kubernetes documentation appropriate for your Kubernetes distribution.

      8. Run the following command to install the Harbor registry:
        ./install.sh

      9. Log in to verify that you can access the Harbor registry.
        Use the admin username and password to log in.

        Important 
        The default Harbor installation does not include Notary and Clair services that are used for vulnerability scanning.

    2. Configure the Harbor registry:
      1. In the Harbor admin UI, navigate to the Administration menu, and click Registries.

      2. Click NEW ENDPOINT, and specify the following field values:

        The following image shows an example configuration:
        harbor_registry_configuration.png
         

        1. Provider: Docker Registry
        2. Endpoint URL: https://containers.bmc.com
        3. Access ID: Support user ID that you use to log in to EPD.
        4. Access Secret: The container image access key specified in the container-token.bmc file that you downloaded from EPD.

      3. Click OK.
        The configuration is saved and the configuration status is displayed as Healthy :

        registry_configuration_status.png

      4. Use this configuration in a replication rule to synchronize your local Harbor registry and BMC DTR.

  3. Set up a proxy to enable communication between the local Harbor registry and the Harbor registry in an air-gapped environment or DMZ.
    We do not have a recommendation for this step. Use your preferred method to set up a proxy.

  4. Synchronize your Harbor registry in an air-gapped environment or DMZ with your local Harbor registry

    1. Log in to the Harbor registry in a DMZ.
    2. Navigate to a directory, download and extract the deployment manager helix-on-prem-deployment-manager-<BMC Helix ITOM release version>.sh
      For example, helix-on-prem-deployment-manager-25.3.sh
    3. Download the all_images_25.3.txt  file.
    4. Go to helix-on-prem-deployment-manager/utilities/push_to_repo.
    5. In the push_to_repo directory, copy the all_images_25.3.txt file.
    6. Rename all_images_25.3.txt to all_images.txt.

    7. Convert the all_images.txt file to UNIX format by using the following command:
      dos2unix all_images.txt

    8. Create separate .txt files for the images that you want (for which you are licensed) to synchronize. 
      For example, if you want to synchronize the BMC Helix Platform common services images:

      Similarly, if you want to synchronize the BMC Helix Continuous Optimization images:

      1. Create a .txt file called lp0lz_images.txt
      2. Copy all the images related to BMC Helix Platform common services from the all_images.txt file into the lp0lz_images.txt file.
      3. Create a .txt file called lp0oz_images.txt
      4. Copy all the images related to BMC Helix Continuous Optimization from the all_images.txt file into the lp0oz_images.txt file.
    9. Save all the .txt files that you created in utilities/push_to_repo.
    10. Log in to DMZ Harbor registry and perform the following steps to create a new project:
      1. Select Projects and then click NEW PROJECT.
      2. In the New Project window, specify the following values:
        • Project Name: Enter a name; for example, bmcDMZ.
        • Access Level: Select the Public check box.
      3. Click OK.

    11. Open the push_to_custom_repo.sh file and update the following parameter values:

      Parameter

      Description

      SOURCE_DOCKER_REPO

      Specify the URL of the local Harbor registry.

      SOURCE_DOCKER_PASSWORD

      Specify the password that you had set to access the local Harbor registry. 

      SOURCE_DOCKER_USER

      Specify the user ID that you use to log in to the local Harbor registry.

      IMAGE_REGISTRY_HOST

      Specify the URL of your DMZ Harbor registry.

      Important : Do not specify the host path; specify only the host name.

      For example: IMAGE_REGISTRY_HOST=value-investing.cluster3.bmc.com

      IMAGE_REGISTRY_PASSWORD

      Specify a password to log in to your DMZ Harbor registry.

      IMAGE_REGISTRY_USERNAME

      Specify an user name to log in to your DMZ Harbor registry.

      IMAGE_REGISTRY_PROJECT

      Specify the value the project that you created; for example, bmcDMZ.

      IMAGE_REGISTRY_ORG

      Specify the source repository name; for example, lp0lz.

    12. Run the push_to_custom_repo.sh file by using the following command:
      Important Before you run the push_to_custom_repo.sh file, make sure that you have installed the Docker Engine. For more information, see System requirements for the Harbor registry requirements.
      Important
      Before you run the push_to_custom_repo.sh file, make sure that you have installed the Docker Engine. For more information, see System requirements for the Harbor registry requirements.
      ./push_to_custom_repo.s

    13. Repeat steps j and k to synchronize images for the source repository for which you are licensed:
      For example, if you are licensed for BMC Helix Operations Management (lp0mz) and BMC Helix Continuous Optimization (lp0pz) , repeat the steps j and k to synchronize images for lp0mz and then repeat the steps j and k to synchronize images for lp0pz.
      • bmc/lp0lz
      • bmc/lp0oz
      • bmc/lp0pz
      • bmc/lp0mz
      • bmc/la0cz

 

 

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BMC Helix IT Operations Management deployment 25.3