In an air-gapped environment, the OpenShift cluster does not have direct internet access, which means that new software images, such as IBM API Connect, must be manually mirrored from an external source.

The correct approach for installing a new API Connect capability in an air-gapped OpenShift environment is to:

Use a laptop or a bastion host that does have internet access to pull required container images from IBM's entitled software registry.

Leverage Container Application Software for Enterprises (CASE) files to download and transfer images to the private OpenShift registry.

Mirror images into the OpenShift cluster by using OpenShift's built-in image mirror utilities (oc mirror).

This method ensures that all required container images are available locally within the air-gapped environment.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect?

Option

Explanation

Correct?

B . An OVA form-factor of the Cloud Pak for Integration is recommended for high-security deployments.

Incorrect -- IBM Cloud Pak for Integration does not provide an OVA (Open Virtual Appliance) format for API Connect deployments. It is containerized and runs on OpenShift.

C . A pass-through route must be configured in the OpenShift Container Platform to connect to the online image registry.

Incorrect -- Air-gapped environments have no internet connectivity, so this approach would not work.

D . Use secure FTP to mirror software images in the OpenShift Container Platform cluster nodes.

Incorrect -- OpenShift does not use FTP for image mirroring; it relies on oc mirror and image registries for air-gapped deployments.

Final Answer:

A. Configure a laptop or bastion host to use Container Application Software for Enterprises files to mirror images.

IBM Cloud Pak for Integration (CP4I) v2021.2 Administration Reference:

IBM API Connect Air-Gapped Installation Guide

IBM Container Application Software for Enterprises (CASE) Documentation

Red Hat OpenShift - Mirroring Images for Disconnected Environments