How to deploy IBM Blockchain Platform on Red Hat OpenShift

IBM recently announced a new version of the IBM Blockchain Platform (v2.1.0) which is optimized and certified to deploy on Red Hat OpenShift. This offering is well-suited for organizations who need to store a copy of the ledger and run workloads on their own infrastructure, meet specific data residency requirements, or deploy blockchain components in multi-cloud or hybrid cloud architectures to meet consortium needs.

The IBM Blockchain Platform together with Red Hat OpenShift offers:

Simplicity

Quickly build, operate, govern and grow a blockchain network with the most complete blockchain software, services, tools and sample codes available.

Flexibility

Containerize smart contracts, peers, certificate authorities and ordering services and easily deploy them within your preferred environments.

Reliability

Confidently create networks with high performance and availability for the different stages of blockchain development, deployment and production.

Steps to deploy

Below are some quick tips to help you quickly get started deploying IBM Blockchain Platform  (v2.1.0) on Red Hat OpenShift. For full documentation, go here. 

Step 1: Access the software and documentation 

IBM Blockchain Platform V2.1.0 requires an entitlement key that is included with your order from Passport Advantage®. Get the entitlement key that is assigned to your ID:

• Log in to MyIBM Container Software Library with the IBMid  and password that are associated with the entitled software.
• In the Entitlement keys section, select Copy key to copy the entitlement key to the clipboard. For deployment instructions, see Deploying IBM Blockchain Platform V2.1.0.

Step 2: Evaluate the hardware and system configuration

• Your system must meet the minimum hardware requirements. For more details, see System prerequisites. 
• Ensure that you have a Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 3.11 or 4.2 Kubernetes cluster available to install the IBM Blockchain Platform. For more information, see OpenShift Container Platform 3.11 and 4.2 documentation. 
• You need to install and connect to your cluster by using the OpenShift Container Platform CLI to deploy the platform. 

Step 3: Get started

Complete the following steps to install IBM Blockchain Platform V2.1.0. 

1. Log in to your OpenShift cluster.
2. Create a new project.
3. Add security and access policies.
4. Create a secret for your entitlement key.
5. Deploy the IBM Blockchain Platform operator. 
6. Deploy the IBM Blockchain Platform console. 
7. Log in to the console.

Want a jumpstart?

Engage with Blockchain Lab Services experts who know the platform better than anyone and start to unlock all the value that IBM Blockchain Platform can bring to your business. With locations around the world, our experts can work side-by-side with you to accelerate the deployment and configuration of your blockchain network on RedHat. 

For more information about Blockchain Lab Services contact your IBM Blockchain Platform sales representative. 

For more information: https://ibm.com/blockchain/platform 

Arshiya Lal is an Offering Manager for IBM’s Blockchain Platform. She leads their developer experience portfolio, spearheads a program for blockchain start-ups, and informs strategy for IBM’s blockchain offerings. She’s been featured on the Bad Crypto podcast and spoken at Duke, North Carolina Tech Association, and various start-up events. Before joining IBM’s Blockchain group, she developed expertise in a variety of groundbreaking technologies including smart textiles, 3-D Printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, and gesture recognition. She is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.