Installing RMF for z/OS Grafana plugin v2.0.0 or earlier

If you are installing a version of the RMF for z/OS Grafana plugin earlier than 2.0.1, you must configure Grafana to allow loading unsigned plugins.

Before you begin

Before installing the RMF for z/OS Grafana plugin, ensure that all required software is available. See Prerequisites.

About this task

The RMF for z/OS Grafana plugin versions earlier than 2.0.1 are not signed and require additional Grafana configuration to load. Starting from version 2.0.1, the plugin is signed by Grafana Labs and can be installed directly from the Grafana plugin catalog. See Installing the RMF for z/OS Grafana plugin v2.0.1 or later for the installation procedure.

Procedure

  1. Set the value of allow_loading_unsigned_plugins in the [plugins] section of your custom configuration file.
    • For versions 1.1.0 and 1.1.1, set the value to ibm-rmf-app,ibm-rmf-datasource,ibm-rmf-panel.
    • For version 2.0.0, set the value to ibm-rmf-app,ibm-rmf-datasource.
    The default configurations for a Grafana installation are in the defaults.ini file.

    The default location of the configuration file is as follows:

    Operating systems Default path to the configuration file
    Windows® WORKING_DIR/conf/defaults.ini
    Linux® /etc/grafana/grafana.ini
    macOS® /usr/local/etc/grafana/grafana.ini
    For more information on the configuration file location, see Grafana documentation.
    Note: You can use the GF_PLUGINS_ALLOW_LOADING_UNSIGNED_PLUGINS environment variable to override allow_loading_unsigned_plugins.
  2. Choose any one of the methods described in the following table to install the RMF for z/OS plugin based on your requirements:
    Methods Step #
    Installing the RMF for z/OS plugin in the Grafana stand-alone application. Perform from step 3.
    Installing the RMF for z/OS plugin along with Grafana within the Docker environment. Perform from step 5.
  3. Run the following command to install the plugin by using Grafana CLI: 
    grafana cli --pluginUrl https://github.com/IBM/RMF/releases/download/ibm-rmf-grafana/v<version>/ibm-rmf-grafana-<version>.zip plugins install ibm-rmf
    Remember: You must replace the value of <version> for the pluginURL option to the version number of the plugin to be installed.
  4. Restart the Grafana server, and then go to step 7.
  5. Run the following command to create a volume for storing the Grafana state: 
    docker volume create rmf-grafana-data
  6. Run the following command to create and run a container: 
    docker run --name rmf-grafana --hostname rmf-grafana --detach --restart unless-stopped --volume rmf-grafana-data:/var/lib/grafana --publish 3000:3000 --env "GF_INSTALL_PLUGINS=https://github.com/IBM/RMF/releases/download/ibm-rmf-grafana/v<version>/ibm-rmf-grafana-<version>.zip;ibm-rmf" --env "GF_PLUGINS_ALLOW_LOADING_UNSIGNED_PLUGINS=ibm-rmf-app,ibm-rmf-datasource,ibm-rmf-panel" <image>
    Remember: You must replace the values of the following options in the command:
    • <version> for the env option to the version number of the plugin to be installed.
    • <image> to the version of the Grafana image to be used.
    Important: For version 2.0.0, change the value of GF_PLUGINS_ALLOW_LOADING_UNSIGNED_PLUGINS to ibm-rmf-app,ibm-rmf-datasource.
    Note: zCX/zLinux images are available at Container Images for IBM Z and LinuxONE. Similarly, images of other required platforms are available at Docker Hub.
  7. To enable the RMF for z/OS plugin on the Grafana UI, you must perform the following sub-steps:
    1. Enter the URL of Grafana in your web browser.
    2. Enter the username and password of Grafana on the sign-in page.
    3. Go to Administration > Plugins.
      Note: The navigation of the Grafana user interface can differ based on the Grafana version that is currently installed.
    4. Enter RMF in the Search bar on the Plugins page.
    5. Click IBM RMF in the search results.
    6. Click Enable.
      Note: If the Invalid plugin signature warning is displayed, the warning does not have any impact on the users.
  8. Verify that the IBM RMF option is listed under the Apps section.

Results

You have installed the RMF for z/OS Grafana plugin.

What to do next