Uninstall Portworx from a Kubernetes cluster using the Operator

Using the Portworx Operator, you can efficiently uninstall Portworx from your clusters by updating the StorageCluster object. You have the option to either keep the data on your drives or wipe it completely.

• Uninstall: Removes the Kubernetes objects, Portworx systemctl service, /etc/pwx and /opt/pwx directories, and all traces of Portworx on the nodes. The drives will not be formatted and Portworx Metadata in the KVDB will not be deleted. You may need to uninstall Portworx if you installed it in the wrong namespace.
• Uninstall and wipe: Removes all of the resources listed in the "Uninstall" procedure, and also removes (formats) all data from your disks permanently, including the Portworx metadata. You may want to perform an uninstall and wipe when you decommission a cluster.
• Uninstall and delete: Supported on vSphere, AWS, GKE, and Azure platforms with Operator version 25.5.0 or later and Portworx Enterprise version 3.5.0 or later. Delete operations permanently remove all data from your disks, including Portworx metadata, and delete the cloud drive.

Prerequisites

• A successfully deployed Portworx Operator on your cluster.

Uninstall Portworx

Kubernetes

1. Display the Portworx StorageCluster:

   Use the kubectl get command to display the name of your Portworx storage cluster:

   kubectl get -n <px-namespace> storagecluster <storagecluster-name>

2. Edit the StorageCluster:

   Modify your storage cluster to initiate the uninstall process:

   kubectl edit -n <px-namespace> storagecluster <storagecluster-name>

   Update the deleteStrategy field in the StorageCluster object:

   note

   If PersistentVolumeClaims (PVCs) referencing a Portworx storage class are present on your cluster, the uninstall is blocked until all Portworx volumes are removed. To allow the uninstall to proceed, set spec.deleteStrategy.ignoreVolumes to true when using the UninstallAndWipe or UninstallAndDelete strategy.

   • For Uninstall Only:

     apiVersion: core.libopenstorage.org/v1
     kind: StorageCluster
     metadata:
       name: portworx
       namespace: <px-namespace>
     spec:       
       deleteStrategy:
         type: Uninstall

   • For Uninstall and Wipe:
     Wipe operations remove all data from your disks permanently, including the Portworx metadata. Use caution when applying the deleteStrategy spec.

     apiVersion: core.libopenstorage.org/v1
     kind: StorageCluster
     metadata:
       name: portworx
       namespace: <px-namespace>
     spec:       
       deleteStrategy:
         type: UninstallAndWipe

   • Uninstall and delete:
     Delete operations permanently remove all data from your disks, including Portworx metadata, and delete the cloud drive. Use caution when applying the deleteStrategy spec.

     apiVersion: core.libopenstorage.org/v1
     kind: StorageCluster
     metadata:
       name: portworx
       namespace: <px-namespace>
     spec:       
       deleteStrategy:
         type: UninstallAndDelete

3. Delete the StorageCluster:

   Execute the following command, specifying your StorageCluster object:

   kubectl delete StorageCluster <storagecluster-name> -n <px-namespace>

   This operation can take several minutes to complete.

4. Remove the Portworx Operator:

   Finally, delete the Portworx Operator deployment:

   kubectl delete deployment -n <px-namespace> portworx-operator

Openshift

1. Display the Portworx StorageCluster:

   Enter the oc get command to display the name of your Portworx storage cluster and specify your namespace:

   oc get -n portworx storagecluster <storagecluster-name>

2. Edit the StorageCluster: Enter the oc edit command to modify your storage cluster and specify your namespace:

   oc edit -n portworx storagecluster <storagecluster-name>

   Modify your StorageCluster object by adding the deleteStrategy field with one of the following types: Uninstall, UninstallAndWipe, or UninstallAndDelete.

   important

   If you're running KubeVirt virtual machines (VMs), and your default storage class is set to a Portworx storage class, you must set spec.deleteStrategy.ignoreVolumes to true when uninstalling Portworx using the UninstallAndWipe or UninstallAndDelete strategy. Otherwise, the uninstall process fails.

   This is because KubeVirt creates boot sources as PersistentVolumeClaims (PVCs) using the default storage class, which might be a Portworx storage class. In general, you can set ignoreVolumes to true if you are running KubeVirt VMs.

   If the uninstall fails, check the StorageCluster conditions for more details.

   • Uninstall Portworx only:

     apiVersion: core.libopenstorage.org/v1
     kind: StorageCluster
     metadata:
       name: portworx
       namespace: portworx
     spec:       
       deleteStrategy:
         type: Uninstall

   • Uninstall Portworx and wipe all drives:
     Wipe operations remove all data from your disks permanently, including the Portworx metadata. Use caution when applying the deleteStrategy spec.

     apiVersion: core.libopenstorage.org/v1
     kind: StorageCluster
     metadata:
       name: portworx
       namespace: portworx
     spec:       
       deleteStrategy:
         type: UninstallAndWipe

   • Uninstall and delete:
     Delete operations permanently remove all data from your disks, including Portworx metadata, and delete the cloud drive.

     apiVersion: core.libopenstorage.org/v1
     kind: StorageCluster
     metadata:
       name: portworx
       namespace: <px-namespace>
     spec:       
       deleteStrategy:
         type: UninstallAndDelete

3. Delete the StorageCluster:

   Enter the oc delete command, specifying your StorageCluster object name and namespace:

   oc delete StorageCluster <your-storagecluster-name> -n portworx

   note

   This operation can take several minutes to complete.

4. Remove the Portworx Operator:

   Finally, delete the Portworx Operator deployment:

   oc delete deployment -n <px-namespace> portworx-operator