🧩 managed-operators-plugin - Manage OpenShift operators across your clusters

This software helps you control software operators across multiple OpenShift clusters. It provides a visual interface inside your OpenShift console. You track subscriptions and policies from one central location.

📋 What this tool does

The managed-operators-plugin simplifies complex tasks. It connects to your Multicluster Engine and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management setup. You see the status of your OLM subscriptions and OperatorPolicies without running command-line scripts. This tool puts all metadata into your browser for easy review.

💻 System requirements

You need a few things to run this tool on your Windows computer:

1. A computer running Windows 10 or Windows 11.
2. A web browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Microsoft Edge.
3. Access to an OpenShift cluster with cluster administrator permissions.
4. The Multicluster Engine or Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management installed on your cluster.
5. Basic knowledge of your OpenShift console login credentials.

🚀 How to get the software

You need to download the package from the official source to your desktop.

Click here to visit the download page.

On this page, identify the latest release. Look for the assets section near the bottom of the release notes. Select the file labeled for your system. Save the file to your downloads folder.

🛠️ Installation steps

Follow these steps to set up the plugin on your local machine:

1. Open your Downloads folder on Windows.
2. Locate the file you downloaded.
3. Right-click the file and select Extract All to unzip the contents.
4. Open the extracted folder to view the application files.
5. Follow the included instructions file that details how to point the local plugin server to your console.

⚙️ Connecting to your cluster

After you start the plugin service, you must link it to your console.

1. Open your OpenShift console in your web browser.
2. Log in with your administrator account.
3. Navigate to the dynamic plugin settings page in the console administration menu.
4. Enter the local address provided by the plugin dashboard.
5. Save your changes.
6. Refresh your web browser page to see the new plugin interface.

📊 Using the dynamic interface

Once the plugin active, you see a new tab in your console labeled Managed Operators. Click this tab to view your dashboard.

The dashboard displays a list of all managed clusters. You select a specific cluster to see active OLM subscriptions. Each subscription shows its current status, version, and health. The dashboard also lists OperatorPolicies currently enforced on the cluster. You can click any policy to read the detail rules and the compliance status of the attached clusters.

🔍 Understanding the data

The plugin uses clear icons to show the health of your operators. Green checkmarks indicate that the operator is healthy and matches your policies. Yellow warning signs indicate that a subscription might need an update or requires attention. Red icons signal an error with the operator deployment.

If you click on an operator, the plugin shows the full history of the subscription. This includes the installation phase, the channel being used, and the current state of the catalog source. You use this information to ensure your clusters stay consistent.

📂 Handling clusters and policies

Managing operators at scale takes time. This plugin gathers all your OLM data into one grid. You compare versions across ten or one hundred clusters in seconds. If a policy fails, you see exactly which cluster reported the error. You do not need to check clusters one by one or create custom queries.

The OperatorPolicy view gives you transparency. You see if a policy allows or denies specific operator versions. This helps you prevent unauthorized changes to your cluster software.

🛡️ Best practices for operators

Follow these tips to keep your managed environment stable:

• Review your subscriptions every week for pending updates.
• Keep your OperatorPolicies simple to avoid confusion.
• Always check the status of your catalog sources before adding new subscriptions.
• Use labels to group your clusters so the plugin organizes them in a useful way.
• Test new policies on a small cluster before you apply them to your entire infrastructure.

❓ Troubleshooting common issues

If the plugin does not appear in your console, check these items:

• Ensure the local plugin service is running on your Windows machine.
• Verify that your browser allows unsigned dynamic plugins if your cluster policy requires it.
• Check your internet connection to the OpenShift cluster.
• Refresh your browser cache if you made recent changes to the plugin configuration.
• Check for updates to the plugin on the main dashboard to ensure you run the latest code.

If the dashboard reports no data, confirm your connection to the Multicluster Engine. The plugin relies on the Multicluster Engine to read cluster data. If that service is down, the plugin cannot display the list of managed clusters or their subscriptions.