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Version: 3.5

Installation on Bare Metal Server

You can install Portworx Enterprise on a bare metal server using either a custom Kubernetes manifest or Helm chart, based on your infrastructure requirement. Portworx Enterprise supports clusters running on major cloud service providers and on-premises data centers in both air-gapped and connected environments. The installation process includes preparing the server, configuring the Kubernetes cluster, and deploying Portworx with a generated specification.

Prerequisites​

In addition to the System Requirements, ensure that your bare metal cluster meets the following requirements before installing Portworx Enterprise:

  • Provide a dedicated disk for KVDB (internal or external) on at least three nodes. Each disk must have a unique device name across all KVDB nodes. For more information, see KVDB for Portworx.
  • If you plan to have a disaggregated setup, designate your nodes as storage or storageless (compute) before installing Portworx. Portworx uses the following labels on Kubernetes nodes to determine their roles:

    • portworx.io/node-type: storage

    • portworx.io/node-type: storageless

  • Add labels to the nodes:
    • For new node groups: When using a managed Kubernetes cluster, you can add these label pairs when you create the node groups. This ensures that your cloud provider consistently applies the labels to all nodes.
    • For existing node groups: If your cluster is already running, add or update the labels on your nodes using a Kubernetes command. For example: 
      kubectl label node <node-name> portworx.io/node-type=storage  
      # or for storageless nodes
      kubectl label node <node-name> portworx.io/node-type=storageless

Installation Options for Portworx Enterprise on Bare Metal Servers​

Each Kubernetes distribution might require specific steps to prepare the bare metal cluster before you deploy Portworx Enterprise.