Install an Extension from a Catalog

In Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) 1.0, Kubernetes extensions are scoped to the cluster. After you add a catalog to your cluster, you can install an extension by creating a custom resource (CR) and applying it.

Prerequisites

A catalog that is being served
The name, and optionally version, or channel, of the supported extension to be installed
An existing namespace in which to install the extension

ServiceAccount for ClusterExtension Installation and Management

Adhering to OLM v1's "Secure by Default" tenet, OLM v1 does not have the permissions necessary to install content. This follows the least privilege principle and reduces the chance of a confused deputy attack. Instead, users must explicitly specify a ServiceAccount that will be used to perform the installation and management of a specific ClusterExtension.

The ServiceAccount must be configured with the RBAC permissions required by the ClusterExtension. If the permissions do not meet the minimum requirements, installation will fail. If no ServiceAccount is provided in the ClusterExtension manifest, then the manifest will be rejected.

For information on determining the ServiceAccount's permission, please see Derive minimal ServiceAccount required for ClusterExtension Installation and Management.

Procedure

Create a CR for the Kubernetes extension you want to install:
Example CR
```
apiVersion: olm.operatorframework.io/v1alpha1
kind: ClusterExtension
metadata:
  name: <extension_name>
spec:
  source:
    sourceType: Catalog
    catalog:
      packageName: <package_name>
      channel: <channel>
      version: "<version>"
  install:
    namespace: <namespace_name>
    serviceAccount:
      name: <serviceAccount_name>
```
extension_name

Specifies a custom name for the Kubernetes extension you want to install, such as my-camel-k.

package_name

Specifies the name of the package you want to install, such as camel-k.

channel

Optional: Specifies the extension's channel, such as stable or candidate.

version

Optional: Specifies the version or version range you want installed, such as 1.3.1 or "<2". If you use a comparison string to define a version range, the string must be surrounded by double quotes (").

namespace_name

Specifies a name for the namespace in which the bundle of content for the package referenced in the packageName field will be applied.

serviceAccount_name

serviceAccount name is a required reference to a ServiceAccount that exists in the installNamespace. The provided ServiceAccount is used to install and manage the content for the package specified in the packageName field.
Warning

Currently, the following limitations affect the installation of extensions:
- If multiple catalogs are added to a cluster, you cannot specify a catalog when you install an extension.
- OLM 1.0 requires that all of the extensions have unique bundle and package names for dependency resolution.
As a result, if two catalogs have an extension with the same name, the installation might fail or lead to an unintended outcome. For example, the first extension that matches might install successfully and finish without searching for a match in the second catalog.

Apply the CR to the cluster:

kubectl apply -f <cr_name>.yaml

Success

Example output

clusterextension.olm.operatorframework.io/camel-k created

Verification

Describe the installed extension:

kubectl describe clusterextensions

Success

Example output

Name:         argocd
Namespace:
Labels:       <none>
Annotations:  <none>
API Version:  olm.operatorframework.io/v1alpha1
Kind:         ClusterExtension
Metadata:
Creation Timestamp:  2024-10-03T16:02:40Z
Finalizers:
    olm.operatorframework.io/cleanup-unpack-cache
    olm.operatorframework.io/cleanup-contentmanager-cache
Generation:        2
Resource Version:  1174
UID:               0fcaf3f5-d142-4c7e-8d88-c88a549f7764
Spec:
Install:
    Namespace:  argocd
    Service Account:
    Name:  argocd-installer
Source:
    Catalog:
    Package Name:  argocd-operator
    Selector:
    Upgrade Constraint Policy:  CatalogProvided
    Version:                    0.6.0
    Source Type:                  Catalog
Status:
Conditions:
    Last Transition Time:  2024-10-03T16:02:41Z
    Message:
    Observed Generation:   2
    Reason:                Deprecated
    Status:                False
    Type:                  Deprecated
    Last Transition Time:  2024-10-03T16:02:41Z
    Message:
    Observed Generation:   2
    Reason:                Deprecated
    Status:                False
    Type:                  PackageDeprecated
    Last Transition Time:  2024-10-03T16:02:41Z
    Message:
    Observed Generation:   2
    Reason:                Deprecated
    Status:                False
    Type:                  ChannelDeprecated
    Last Transition Time:  2024-10-03T16:02:41Z
    Message:
    Observed Generation:   2
    Reason:                Deprecated
    Status:                False
    Type:                  BundleDeprecated
    Last Transition Time:  2024-10-03T16:02:43Z
    Message:               Installed bundle quay.io/operatorhubio/argocd-operator@sha256:d538c45a813b38ef0e44f40d279dc2653f97ca901fb660da5d7fe499d51ad3b3 successfully
    Observed Generation:   2
    Reason:                Succeeded
    Status:                True
    Type:                  Installed
    Last Transition Time:  2024-10-03T16:02:43Z
    Message:               desired state reached
    Observed Generation:   2
    Reason:                Succeeded
    Status:                False
    Type:                  Progressing
Install:
    Bundle:
    Name:     argocd-operator.v0.6.0
    Version:  0.6.0
Events:         <none>