Install the Mission Control server runtime using the embedded Kubernetes cluster

When installing onto bare-metal or VM infrastructure, you must first run the Mission Control Runtime installer to create and configure Kubernetes where you are installing Mission Control. The runtime installer sets up the prerequisite services and then installs Mission Control components. Runtime installer accommodates online and offline (airgap) modes.

Installation of Mission Control with the embedded runtime requires minimal tasks on each host. The tasks vary depending on the role of the host.

Mission Control must be installed on a dedicated virtual machine (VM) or a bare-metal server that can be cloud-based or on-premises.
Management nodes

The top level of a regional installation contains mc-management nodes that assign workloads to platform and database nodes, maintain the declarative desired state of the installations, and perform health checks of running services.

Platform nodes

Run the shared resources for the environment, including all operators, the observability stack, and the web interface.

Database nodes

Runs the database instances.

You can opt to run all of the same hardware for each of the installed platform and database nodes or label each instance with its respective workload type. The following diagram highlights where each component exists within the cluster.

Runtime topology nodes

Choose one of the following two modes to install the core runtime for Mission Control:

Online installation

Into an environment where internet access is available to the hosts.

Offline installation

Into an environment that does not allow access to the internet. This is also known as an airgap installation.

Check the connectivity between nodes

Before you begin the installation, ensure that the nodes can communicate with each other on all required ports.

To check node connectivity, do the following:

  1. Download the Mission Control command line tool, mcctl, to help you with the installation process:

  2. Upload the mcctl binary to each host where you plan to install Mission Control, and then run the following command on the management nodes to check the connectivity between the servers:

    mcctl ports server

    The results are similar to following:

     SUCCESS  TCP listener started
 SUCCESS  UDP listener started
 SUCCESS  Use 'mcctl ports client HOST' on one of the worker nodes to ensure ports are accessible
TCP server listening on port 10257
TCP server listening on port 2379
TCP server listening on port 10249
TCP server listening on port 9099
TCP server listening on port 2380
TCP server listening on port 10256
TCP server listening on port 10248
TCP server listening on port 10259
TCP server listening on port 9443
TCP server listening on port 9091
UDP server listening on port 4789
TCP server listening on port 10250
TCP server listening on port 6443
TCP server listening on port 50000
TCP server listening on port 30000
▀  Listening for connections... (8s)

  3. On the platform and database nodes, check the connectivity between the servers:

    mcctl ports client HOST

    Replace HOST with the IP address of each of the management nodes, one after the other.

    The tool tests all ports for connectivity, and the results display in the terminal.

    2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Testing ports against the server located at HOST...
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP ports...
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 2379
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 2379: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 2380
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 2380: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 6443
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 6443: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 9091
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 9091: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 9099
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 9099: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 9443
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 9443: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 10248
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 10248: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 10249
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 10249: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 10250
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 10250: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 10256
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 10256: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 10257
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 10257: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 10259
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 10259: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 30000
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 30000: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking TCP port 50000
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from TCP port 50000: Echo: ping

2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Checking UDP ports...
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO Response from UDP port 4789: Echo: ping
2025/01/24 08:26:39 INFO All ports checked successfully

  4. If no errors appear, proceed with the installation. If there are errors, resolve them before proceeding by opening the appropriate ports and protocols for access.

Install the core runtime

  • Online installation

  • Offline (airgap) install

Prerequisites

  • A product license file.

  • The planned servers are running and available.

  • The operating system is installed and the hosts comply with Replicated’s embedded cluster requirements.

  • You have outbound connectivity to the internet.

  • The load balancer is online and set to forward TCP traffic on the following:

    • Port 6443 to Management nodes.

    • Port 30880 to Platform and Database nodes.

  • You have 40Gi of storage in your ROOT folder.

  • The storage requirements are met for the embedded cluster. For more information, see Prerequisites in the Replicated documentation.

Management nodes

Mission Control uses the Kubernetes runtime with its concept of Management and Worker nodes. First bring Management nodes online, and after all become available, then platform and database Worker nodes join.

Mission Control installation requires k0s. Use sudo mission-control shell to execute installation commands.

  1. Download the installation assets to all the nodes in your cluster:

    curl -f https://replicated.app/embedded/mission-control/stable -H "Authorization: LICENSE_ID" -o mission-control-stable.tgz

    Replace LICENSE_ID with your license ID to authenticate the download. The ID is available in your Mission Control license file.

  2. Extract the installation assets:

    tar xvzf mission-control-stable.tgz

  3. Run the following installation script on the first Management node:

    sudo ./mission-control install --license license.yaml

    If you have less than 40Gi of storage in your ROOT folder, you must add additional storage.

    The installer creates the Mission Control components and sets up the Kubernetes environment.

  4. Enter the Admin Console password when prompted. This sets your credentials for the KOTS Admin Console.

    Results 
    ? Enter an Admin Console password: 
? Confirm password:

    The installer prepares host files, installs the Kubernetes runtime, and sets up the storage and embedded cluster.

    Persistent data, such as SSTables, is stored on disk under /var/openebs. You must mount this folder on a volume that has enough disk space to host the HCD, DSE, or Cassandra data.

  5. Optional: Run the following k0s commands to view the services running on the Management node:

    sudo ./mission-control shell
# OUTPUT GOES HERE

# Note the user is now in a terminal shell with kubectl on the path configured to talk to the cluster.
kubectl get pods -A
kubectl get nodes

    After the installation is complete, the results are displayed in the terminal.

    Results 
    ✔ Host files materialized!
✔ Node installation finished!
✔ Storage is ready!
✔ Embedded Cluster is ready!
✔ Admin Console is ready!
✔ Additional components are ready!
Visit the Admin Console to configure and install mission-control: https://KOTSADM_URL

  6. Enter the Admin Console URL in your browser to continue with the installation.

  7. Click Continue to Setup, select your certificate type, and then click Continue.

  8. On the Mission Control Admin Console, enter a password, and then click Log in.

  9. On the Nodes page, select Add node to add the remaining Management nodes.

  10. On the Add a Node dialog, select one or more roles to add.

    Select only one role per platform or database worker node. Assigning multiple roles to a single node might cause unexpected behavior and require you to reinstall KOTS.

    The UI allows the addition of multiple roles simultaneously without the need to hold the Shift or Ctrl key. However, this might lead to multiple roles being assigned to the same node. If you accidentally select multiple roles, be sure to deselect any roles you don’t want to assign.

  11. Copy the join command and run it on the machine you want to add to the cluster. For HA, you must add at least three Management nodes with the mc-management role.

    Example join command 
    sudo ./mission-control join IP_ADDRESS:3000 JOIN_TOKEN

  12. Close the dialog after you have selected the necessary roles and copied the join commands.

  13. Paste the join command into the terminal of the machine you want to add to the cluster:

    sudo ./mission-control join IP_ADDRESS:3000 JOIN_TOKEN

    Replace the following:

    • IP_ADDRESS: The IP address of the Management node

    • JOIN_TOKEN: The join token copied from the Management node

  14. Repeat the installation process on the remaining nodes.

    Each time you select Add node, the last role you selected is preselected by default. You must deselect the applicable button for any roles you don’t want to add to avoid adding multiple roles to the same node.

    Optional: Run the following command to view the nodes you have added to the cluster:

    sudo k0s kubectl get nodes --show-labels

  15. After you have added all the nodes to the cluster, return to the Nodes page, and then click Continue.

  16. On the Configure Mission Control page, complete the configuration steps to install Mission Control. For more information, see Install and configure Mission Control.

What’s next

With all nodes online and the core runtime up and available, you can continue installing Mission Control.

  1. Open your web browser to the KOTSADM_URL returned in the results from the Management node.

  2. Sign in with the KOTSADM_PASSWORD to continue with Mission Control online installation.

Prerequisites

  • All planned servers are running and available.

  • The operating system is installed and the hosts comply with Replicated’s embedded cluster requirements.

  • The load balancer is online and set to forward TCP traffic on the following:

    • Port 6443 to Management nodes.

    • Port 30880 to platform and database Worker nodes.

  • The airgap installer, which you can download from mission-control.tar.gz.

  • Storage requirements are met for the embedded cluster. For more information, see Prerequisites in the Replicated documentation.

Management nodes

Mission Control uses Kubernetes runtime with its concept of Management and Worker nodes. First bring Management nodes online, and after all become available, then platform and database Worker nodes join.

  1. Download the installation assets:

    curl -f 'https://replicated.app/embedded/mission-control/stable?airgap=true' -H "Authorization: LICENSE_ID" -o mission-control-stable.tgz

    Replace the LICENSE_ID with your license ID. The ID is available in your Mission Control license file.

  2. Extract the installation assets:

    tar xvzf mission-control-stable.tgz

    The mission-control.tar.gz tarball contains the following files:

    • mission-control: Mission Control installer

    • license.yaml: Mission Control license file

    • mission-control.airgap: Mission Control airgap bundle

  3. Run the installation command:

    sudo ./mission-control install --license license.yaml --airgap-bundle mission-control.airgap

    The installer creates the Mission Control components and sets up the Kubernetes environment.

  4. Enter the Admin Console password when prompted. This sets your credentials for the KOTS Admin Console.

    Results 
    ? Enter an Admin Console password: 
? Confirm password:

    The installer prepares host files, installs the Kubernetes runtime, and sets up the storage and embedded cluster.

    Persistent data, such as SSTables, is stored on disk under /var/openebs. You must mount this folder on a volume that has enough disk space to host the HCD, DSE, or Cassandra data.
    Results 
    ✔ Host files materialized!
✔ Node installation finished!
✔ Storage is ready!
✔ Embedded Cluster is ready!
✔ Admin Console is ready!
✔ Additional components are ready!
Visit the Admin Console to configure and install mission-control: https://KOTSADM_URL

  5. Enter the Admin Console URL in your browser to continue with the installation.

  6. Click Continue to Setup, select your certificate type, and then click Continue.

  7. On the Log in to Mission Control Admin Console page, enter a password, and then click Log in.

  8. On the Nodes page, select Add node to add the remaining Management nodes.

  9. On the Add a Node dialog, select one or more roles to add.

    You can add multiple roles at once. It’s not necessary to hold down the Shift or Ctrl key to select multiple roles. You must deselect the applicable button for any roles you don’t want to add if you selected multiple roles.

  10. Copy the join command, and run it on the machine you want to add to the cluster. For HA, you must add three Management nodes with the mc-management role.

    Example join command 
    sudo ./mission-control join IP_ADDRESS:3000 JOIN_TOKEN

  11. Close the dialog after you have selected the necessary roles and copied the join commands.

  12. Paste the join command into the terminal of the machine you want to add to the cluster:

    sudo ./mission-control join IP_ADDRESS:3000 JOIN_TOKEN

    Replace the following:

    • IP_ADDRESS: The IP address of the Management node

    • JOIN_TOKEN: The join token copied from the Management node

  13. Repeat the installation process on the remaining nodes.

    Each time you select Add node, the last role you selected is preselected by default. You must deselect the applicable button for any roles you don’t want to add to avoid adding multiple roles to the same node.

    Optional: Run the following command to view the nodes you have added to the cluster:

    sudo mission-control shell
kubectl get nodes --show-labels

  14. After you have added all the nodes to the cluster, return to the Nodes page, and then click Continue.

  15. On the Configure Mission Control page, complete the configuration steps to install Mission Control. For more information, see Install and configure Mission Control.

Next steps

With all nodes online and the core runtime up and available, you can continue installing Mission Control.

  1. Open your web browser to the KOTSADM_URL returned in the results from Management nodes.

  2. Log in with the KOTSADM_PASSWORD to continue with Mission Control offline installation.

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