Here is the latest step-by-step guide (as of May 2025) to install and configure OpenShift using Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) directly from the Azure Portal.

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☁️ What is Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO)?

Feature	Description
Name	Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO)
Provider	Jointly managed by Microsoft Azure + Red Hat
Type	Fully managed OpenShift 4.x cluster (no need to manage VMs or OS)
Billing	Pay-as-you-go via Azure subscription
Best Use Case	Enterprises needing production-ready OpenShift on Azure
Latest Version (2025)	OpenShift 4.14+

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🧰 Prerequisites

✅ Azure Requirements:

• Azure subscription (with sufficient quota)
• Azure AD permissions to create resources
• Resource group and virtual network (or permission to create them)

✅ Permissions:

• Role: Owner or Contributor for the subscription
• Network Contributor role for VNet, if using an existing VNet

✅ Location:

• ARO is supported in many Azure regions (e.g., East US, West Europe)

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🚀 Step-by-Step Guide to Deploy ARO via Azure Portal

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🔹 Step 1: Sign In to Azure Portal

• Go to: https://portal.azure.com/
• Log in with your Azure credentials.

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🔹 Step 2: Search for Azure Red Hat OpenShift

• In the top search bar, type: Azure Red Hat OpenShift
• Click the Azure Red Hat OpenShift service from the results.
• Click Create.

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🔹 Step 3: Fill in the Basics

Field	Example / Notes
Subscription	Choose your Azure subscription
Resource Group	Create new or use existing (e.g., aro-rg)
Cluster Name	E.g., my-arocluster
Region	Choose supported region (e.g., East US)
Domain	Custom domain prefix (e.g., myapps)

The FQDN will become: myapps.<region>.aroapp.io

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🔹 Step 4: Configure Networking

1. You can choose to:
   • Use an existing virtual network
   • Or let Azure create one for you (recommended for beginners)
2. If you use an existing VNet:
   • Ensure two empty subnets: one for Master nodes and one for Worker nodes
   • Both subnets must have service endpoints enabled for Microsoft.ContainerService

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🔹 Step 5: Select Cluster Size

Node Type	Recommended
Master	3 nodes (default, fixed)
Worker	Minimum 3 (can scale up later)
VM Size	e.g., Standard_D8s_v3 for workers

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🔹 Step 6: Authentication Configuration

• Use Azure Active Directory (AAD) or configure local users.
• You’ll be asked to configure:
  • Cluster admin group
  • Cluster user group

These are AAD security groups used for OpenShift access control.

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🔹 Step 7: Review + Create

• Azure will validate your settings.
• Click Create.

🚀 It takes 30–45 minutes to provision the full cluster.

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✅ After Deployment: Accessing the ARO Cluster

1. Web Console

• Once deployment completes, go to ARO resource in the Azure Portal.
• Click OpenShift web console link.

2. Log in as Cluster Admin

• Use Azure AD credentials for admin group members.

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3. Access via oc CLI

1. Install oc CLI from:
   👉 https://mirror.openshift.com/pub/openshift-v4/clients/oc/latest/
2. Log in using the command:

oc login https://api.<domain>.aroapp.io:6443 --token=<your-token>

Token can be obtained from the web console under Copy Login Command.

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🔁 Day 2 Operations (Post-Install)

Task	How-To
Scale worker nodes	Use Azure Portal or CLI
Install Operators	From OpenShift OperatorHub
Manage Projects/Apps	OpenShift Console → Developer view
Monitor Health	Console → Observe tab (Prometheus, Grafana)
RBAC & Permissions	Manage via OpenShift Console or CLI

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📌 Tips & Best Practices

Tip	Description
Use Azure AD for RBAC	Simplifies user and group management
Avoid editing master nodes	They’re managed by Azure/Red Hat
Set up autoscaling (optional)	For cost-efficient cluster scaling
Tag your Azure resources	Helps with billing and cost management

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📚 References

• ARO Docs (Official)
• OpenShift CLI (oc)
• Red Hat ARO Product Page

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