// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// * scalability_and_performance/telco_core_ref_design_specs/telco-core-rds.adoc

:_mod-docs-content-type: REFERENCE

[id="telco-core-agent-based-installer_{context}"]
= Agent-based Installer

[role="_abstract"]
The Agent-based Installer provides an installation method for {product-title} in environments without existing deployment infrastructure.

New in this release::
* There are no reference design updates in this release.

Description::
The recommended method for Telco Core cluster installation is using Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management.
The Agent Based Installer (ABI) is a separate installation flow for Openshift in environments without existing infrastructure for running cluster deployments.
Use the ABI to install {product-title} on bare-metal servers without requiring additional servers or VMs for managing the installation, but does not provide ongoing lifecycle management, monitoring or automations.
The ABI can be run on any system for example, from a laptop to generate an ISO installation image.
The ISO is used as the installation media for the cluster control plane nodes.
You can monitor the progress by using the ABI from any system with network connectivity to the control plane node's API interfaces.
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ABI supports the following:

* Installation from declarative CRs
* Installation in disconnected environments
* No additional servers required to support installation, for example, the bastion node is no longer needed

Limits and requirements::
* Disconnected installation requires a registry with all required content mirrored and reachable from the installed host.

Engineering considerations::
* Networking configuration should be applied as NMState configuration during installation as opposed to Day 2 configuration using the NMState Operator.