Understand aapctl

The aapctl command-line tool is a Technology Preview companion utility that simplifies the installation of automation orchestrator on OpenShift by wrapping the standard operator-based installation into a single command.

The supported installation path for automation orchestrator is through custom resource definitions (CRDs). You install the automation orchestrator operator through Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) and then create an AutomationOrchestrator custom resource to deploy the application. The OpenShift CLI and OpenShift web console methods follow this path directly and are fully supported for production deployments.

The aapctl tool automates this same CRD-based process. When you run aapctl install, the tool creates the OLM Subscription, installs the operator, generates the AutomationOrchestrator custom resource, and applies it to your cluster. The underlying resources are identical to those you would create manually.

Supported deployment targets

The aapctl tool supports three deployment targets that you specify at install time:

Target Description
ao Deploy automation orchestrator as a stand-alone installation on its own cluster.
aap-with-ao Deploy automation orchestrator alongside an existing Ansible Automation Platform installation on the same OpenShift cluster.
aap Deploy Ansible Automation Platform with automation orchestrator in a co-located configuration.

When to choose aapctl

Choose aapctl when you want to:

  • Reduce a multi-step installation to a single command.
  • Generate Kubernetes manifests for GitOps workflows without applying them to the cluster.
  • Customize operator namespaces and deployment options through an interactive wizard or a configuration file.

Choose the OpenShift CLI or web console method when you need a fully supported production installation, require fine-grained control over each Kubernetes resource, or your organization does not permit Technology Preview tooling in the deployment pipeline.

The aapctl workflow

The aapctl tool follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Preflight — aapctl validates your cluster environment, checks prerequisites, and verifies that the target namespace is available.
  2. Install — aapctl creates the OLM Subscription, installs the operator, generates the AutomationOrchestrator custom resource from your configuration, and applies all manifests to the cluster.
  3. Status — After installation, use aapctl to monitor the deployment and verify that all components are running.

Technology Preview scope and limitations

Important:

aapctl is a Technology Preview feature. Technology Preview features provide early access to upcoming product innovations, enabling you to test functionality and provide feedback during the development process. Technology Preview features are not fully supported under Red Hat production service-level agreements and might not be functionally complete. Red Hat does not recommend using Technology Preview features in production.

For more information, see Technology Preview Features Support Scope in the Related links section below.

For production deployments, install the operator from the OpenShift CLI or web console and create the AutomationOrchestrator custom resource directly.