ShipperD Operator

*ShipperD is currently in early proof-of-concept development.

Objective

ShipperD provides a kubernetes native, simple human interface to upload and update arbitrary image collections via self contained offline carry friendly packages. This operator's primary function is to serve as a purpose built point of entry for disconnected container image uploading and publishing. The Koffer + ShipperD model was created to fill the restricted, disconnected, and airgap cluster use cases currently missing from the OCI Distribution Spec.

OCI distribution-spec disconnected bundle prototype reference builds are currently built by Koffer and driven by it's various plugin examples.

Where does Koffer + ShipperD make sense?

Active Field use cases and artifact types where this model is being practiced include:

• Local artifact mirror caching in connected cluster deployments (WAN bandwidth bottleneck remediation)
• Day Zero/One offline artifact image mirror for Restricted/Airgaped platform deployment.
• Day Two offline artifact image mirror augmentation, update, and upgrade
• For oci container images including Platfom Infra, Operator, and arbitrary application images

Issue Proposition:

Some painpoints ShipperD attempts to address include pre-platform & pre-infrastructure blockers:

• need for unique image distribution approaches and inventiveness
  • self serving images over nginx/registry service is a barrier to clean automation
  • pre-priming (via skopeo or podman/docker pull/push cmds) does not scale
• fragmented approaches and patterns induce a wide range of outcomes and failure/troubleshooting vectors which significantly lengthen runway to success from environment to environment and version to version

MVP Operator Criteria

Image Bundle

• Universal Gather format (ee - oo - Gee) aka Prototype Proposal OCI Distribution Spec Disconnected RFE POC
• Enablement support for all image types including:
  • Red Hat OpenShift Platform Container Images (by name@sha:digest)
  • RedHat Operators Catalog Container Images (by name@sha:digest)
  • Arbitrary Container Image Lists (by name@sha:digest and/or name:tag)
• Serving via UGF bundle Supportible via RH OCP IPI Bootstrap capability
• Deploy Time & Post Deploy Cluster/Operator/Application serve / update / upgrade via UGF

Operator

• Automated squashfs bundle unpack & upload
• UGF Bundle upload via http(s) enabled
• UGF Bundle upload via oc rsync enabled
• OCP Cluster Internal Registry as first MVP
• Path to support cluster external & on cluster alternate registries (harbor/quay/etc)
• Path to support action on bundle metadata from upload/unpack/push event (webhook, etc)