Red Hat: OpenShift brings updates for virtualization and bare metal support

The US software manufacturer Red Hat has released OpenShift version 4.18. The hybrid cloud platform is now based on Kubernetes 1.31 and CRI-O 1.31 and supports Google and Oracle as additional public cloud providers. The new features also include network and management functions for virtual machines as well as the associated storage migration. There is also a new function for storing login information and sensitive data.

In OpenShift 4.18, user-defined networks (UDN) are now available to all users. You can assign a static IP address to virtual machines throughout their lifetime. In addition, UDN allows you to set up your own network segments that container pods or virtual machines can access as primary or secondary networks. Using a primary layer 2 pod network, this enables live migration of virtual machines.

The new version of the OpenShift Virtualization migration toolkit supports the relocation of data between storage systems and classes. Users can select allocated block storage of instances that are bound to a storage class and migrate them to another class. Such a move is also possible during operation. The live storage migration of virtual machines is currently a technical preview.

OpenShift wants to make it easier to switch from VMware

OpenShift 4.18 also includes the Virtualization Engine, which Red Hat introduced last month. This is a standalone application for the operation and management of virtual machines only. As it does not contain any container functions, it is intended to be easier to use, making it easier for customers who are willing to switch from VMware, for example. There is also integration with the Ansible Automation Platform, allowing organizations to automate the migration and management of virtual machines.

Furthermore, OpenShift now allows all users to access the interface for retrieving sensitive data and login information from external providers. Management services such as AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Vault Key or Google Secret Manager can be integrated via a plugin so that applications can access the information without the need for permanent storage in the cluster. As soon as the application pod no longer exists, access to the data is no longer possible.

Bare-metal support for Google and Oracle clouds

Customer-managed OpenShift applications receive additional bare-metal support with the update. For direct hardware access in the Google Cloud, the hybrid cloud platform now runs on C3 machines. OpenShift can be used on C4, C4A and N4 machines for general-purpose workloads such as databases and web servers.

Red Hat offers two deployment options for bare-metal and virtual machines for the use of OpenShift in the Oracle Cloud. The Assisted Installer allows administrators a networked deployment, while the Agent-based Installer allows a limited deployment over the network. For storage management in bare-metal operation, OpenShift includes an integration of the Cloud Controller Manager and Container Storage Interface.

For on-premise deployments in customer-owned data centers, OpenShift is now available in the Oracle services Compute Cloud@Customer and Private Cloud Appliance. To operate customer-managed clusters in public cloud environments, OpenShift Virtualization can now also be run in the Oracle Cloud as an alternative to AWS.

OpenShift 4.18 supports RHEL 8.8 and later versions that will be released by the end of support for the OpenShift version. Alternatively, operation is possible on Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS (RHCOS), which is based on RHEL 9.4. Red Hat provides a two-year support period for OpenShift 4.18, which can be extended by a further year for a fee. An overview of all changes can be found in the release notes.

(sfe)