Plan Your Installation

Use this section as a quick starting point to plan your deployment, and refer to the Planning guide for detailed instructions.

Installation Readiness Checklist

The following checklist serves as a quick reference to help verify readiness before the installation. It summarizes key prerequisites, configuration inputs, and environment checks described throughout the installation document, allowing installers to quickly confirm that all required items are in place.

Plan Your Deployment

  • Select the deployment model.

    Determine which StarlingX deployment model will be used:

    • AIO-SX

    • AIO-DX

    • Standard Configuration

    • Distributed Cloud (system controller and subclouds)

    The selected deployment model determines hardware, storage, and network requirements.

  • Define node roles and quantities.

    Identify the number of controller, worker, and storage nodes required for the initial deployment and any planned future expansion.

  • Identify Distributed Cloud requirements (if applicable).

    If deploying a Distributed Cloud:

    • Identify system controller and subcloud roles

    • Plan for configuration across subclouds

    • Determine whether the declarative workflow will be used

    For more information, see the Deployment Planning section.

Hardware Preparation

  • Verify supported hardware.

    Ensure all servers meet the minimum hardware requirements for the selected deployment model, including:

    • CPU architecture and minimum core counts

    • Minimum memory requirements

    • Supported disk types and sizes

    • Required network interfaces

  • Physically install and cable servers.

    Verify that all servers are:

    • Racked and physically installed

    • Cabled for power

    • Cabled for networking according to the planned topology

  • Configure BIOS or UEFI settings.

    Ensure that BIOS or UEFI settings meet StarlingX requirements, including:

    • Supported boot mode (BIOS or UEFI)

    • Virtualization features enabled where required

    • Power and performance policies configured as recommended

  • Power off all servers.

    Ensure all servers are powered off before beginning installation. For more information, see the Server Planning section.

Plan and Configure the Network

  • Plan required networks.

    Ensure that all required networks are planned and available:

    • Management (mgmt)

    • OAM

    • Cluster host

    • Data networks (as required)

  • Confirm Layer 2 connectivity.

    Verify that Layer 2 connectivity between hosts is available as required by the deployment model and that upstream switches are configured accordingly.

  • Plan IP addressing.

    Allocate IP addresses for:

    • Management and OAM interfaces

    • Floating IP addresses

    • Data network interfaces, if applicable

  • Plan IPv6 deployment (if applicable).

    For IPv6 deployments:

    • Ensure the infrastructure supports IPv6

    • Ensure PXE boot requirements are met using IPv4 if required

  • Verify external network access.

    Ensure that the OAM network has connectivity to:

    • An external DNS server

    • Docker registries required for installation

    For more information, see the Network Planning section.

Plan Storage

  • Select the storage backend.

    Choose the appropriate storage backend based on deployment requirements:

    • Rook Ceph (recommended)

    • Host-based Ceph (supported but deprecated)

  • Plan disk usage per node.

    Identify disks to be used for:

    • System installation

    • Ceph OSDs

    • Optional application or ephemeral storage

  • Verify storage capacity and redundancy.

    Ensure that storage capacity, replication, and availability requirements are met for the selected deployment model. For more information, see the Storage Planning section.

Installation Software and Media

  • Obtain the StarlingX installer ISO.

    Ensure that the StarlingX host installer ISO image is available.

  • Prepare installation media.

    Ensure that at least one installation method is available:

    • Bootable USB containing the installer ISO

    • PXE boot server accessible to the installation network

  • Plan ISO customization (if required).

    If required, prepare the update iso.sh script to:

    • Modify boot parameters

    • Configure default menu selections

    • Include a kickstart configuration

    For more information, see ISO Preparation and Boot Methods.

Registry and External Services

  • Select the Container registry option.

    Determine whether the deployment will use:

    • The StarlingX Container registry

    • A private Container registry populated with required images

  • Verify registry accessibility.

    Ensure registry access is available from the OAM network during installation and operation.

  • Plan proxy and certificate configuration (if required).

    If external resources are accessed through a proxy:

    • Plan HTTP/HTTPS proxy configuration

    • Ensure appropriate certificate authorities are trusted by the system

  • Verify DNS availability.

    Ensure that an external DNS server is reachable from the deployment.

    For more information, see the Registry and External Services section.

Prepare the Installation Environment

  • Wipe all disks.

    Ensure that all disks on all servers are completely wiped and free of existing partitions and filesystems.

  • Verify boot order.

    Confirm that servers are configured to boot from the correct installation media (USB or PXE).

  • Validate the installation environment.

    Perform a final validation to ensure:

    • Hardware, network, and storage requirements are met

    • Required software and installation media are available

    • All planning tasks have been completed

Confirm Installation Readiness

  • Confirm installation readiness.

    Verify that all checklist items are complete before beginning installation.

    Once all steps are completed, proceed to the appropriate installation procedure for the selected deployment model.