---
title: Understanding the workshop environment
exercise: 2
date: '2024-05-26'
tags: ['openshift','windows','kubernetes','containers']
draft: false
authors: ['default']
summary: "Preparing our cluster for windows machines."
---


In this first hands on excercise we will prepare our cluster for running Windows nodes by installing an operator and configuring it.

[[https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/4.15/operators/index.html][Operators]] are among the most important components of OpenShift Container Platform. Operators are the preferred method of packaging, deploying, and managing additional cluster services or application.

To install Operators on OpenShift we use Operator Hub. A simplistic way of thinking about Operator Hub is as the "App Store" for your OpenShift cluster.

<Zoom>
|![workshop](/workshops/static/images/windows/operator-hub.png)                 | 
|:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------:|
| *OpenShift Operator Hub*                                                      |
</Zoom>


## 1.1 - Install the windows machine config operator

If you have a running OpenShift cluster, you can install the optional **Windows Machine Config Operator** to configure Windows machines into nodes, enabling Windows container workloads to be ran within your OpenShift cluster. 

Windows instances can be added either by creating a `MachineSet`, or by specifying existing instances through a `ConfigMap`. The operator will do all the necessary steps to configure the instance so that it can join the cluster as a worker node.

Follow the steps below to install the operator:
1. Navigate to **Operators** > **OperatorHub** in the left menu.
2. Search for `Windows`.
3. Click on **Windows Machine Config Operator** provided by Red Hat and click **Install**.
4. Leave all settings as the default and click **Install** once more.

<Zoom>
|![workshop](/workshops/static/images/windows/operator-install.gif)             | 
|:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------:|
| *Installing the windows machine config operator*                              |
</Zoom>

