// This module is included in the following assemblies:
//
// * installing/installing_bare_metal/bare-metal-using-bare-metal-as-a-service.adoc

:_mod-docs-content-type: CONCEPT
[id="bmaas-prerequisites_{context}"]
= Prerequisites for using {bmaas-first}

[role="_abstract"]
{bmaas-first} lets you apply cloud-native management practices to bare-metal infrastructure, enabling automated provisioning and lifecycle management for workloads that require physical hardware. To use {bmaas-first}, complete the following prerequisites:

BareMetalHost Configuration::
All bare-metal hosts must use a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) configured with the Redfish protocol and virtual media (`redfish-virtualmedia`) driver. Each bare-metal host requires a boot interface with a MAC address configured to receive an IP address lease.

Network Requirements::
A DHCP server, separate from the {product-title} and Metal^3^ infrastructure, must be operational on the same Layer 2 network as the bare-metal hosts. The DHCP server must be configured to match the MAC addresses of the boot interfaces on the bare-metal hosts, enabling IP address assignment for communication with Metal^3^ components.

Cluster Privileges::
You must have `cluster-admin` privileges on the {product-title} cluster to perform configuration tasks.

Web server with images::
{bmaas-first} does not provide images for deployment on hardware. You must configure a web server with the images and checksums you want to use. The `image` field of the `BareMetalHost` spec references these images during deployment. Ensure that the bare-metal hosts can reach the web server URL. Alternatively, you can access images from an OCI registry as a Technology Preview. This can be done by accessing a public registry such as Quay.io, or by hosting OCI images from the built-in registry in your cluster. The following is an example of images and checksums you might include:

  * `http://example.com/rhel9.qcow2`
  * `http://example.com/rhel9.qcow2.sha512sum`
  * `http://example.com/stream9.qcow2`
  * `http://example.com/stream9.qcow2.sha512sum`
  * `oci://quay.io/example/image:version`

These prerequisites ensure that {bmaas-first} can provision and manage bare-metal hosts effectively.

:FeatureName: Accessing images from an OCI registry
include::snippets/technology-preview.adoc[]
