> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://arize-ax.mintlify.site/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rancher cluster and storage

> Prepare kubeconfig, namespaces, storage classes, object storage, sizing, tolerations, and baseOverlay settings for Rancher-managed Kubernetes installs.

## Overview

Use this page when Kubernetes is already running and is managed by Rancher. Rancher can manage clusters across cloud, private cloud, and bare-metal infrastructure; this guide starts from an existing Rancher-managed Kubernetes cluster and does not cover provisioning Rancher or the underlying hosts.

Your platform team owns the cluster-level choices: storage classes, ingress, DNS, registry access, and object storage. The Arize AX install flow is still the same: point `kubectl` at the target cluster, create `values.yaml` next to `arize.sh`, then run `./arize.sh install` from the extracted distribution directory.

## Before you start

You need:

* A working kubeconfig for the target cluster.
* Block-storage-backed storage classes for Arize AX persistent volumes. Do not use NFS-backed storage classes.
* Object storage for Gazette and ArizeDB data. Use Ceph or another S3-compatible service managed by your platform team.
* A storage class name for standard persistent volumes and SSD-style persistent volumes. They can be the same storage class if the cluster does not split storage tiers.
* The application URL you plan to expose Arize AX at, for `appBaseUrl`. DNS does not need to resolve at install time; you can wire DNS and ingress afterwards. Pick the URL you intend to keep, though: OAuth callbacks, application redirects, and the configmap rendered by the operator all reference `appBaseUrl`, so changing it later means re-rendering the install configuration.
* The release version from [On-Premise Releases](/docs/ax/selfhosting/on-premise-releases), plus distribution access, organization name, and sizing profile from Arize AI.

<Warning>
  Use dedicated namespaces for Arize AX. The examples use `arize` and `arize-operator`; if you choose different names, keep them dedicated to this Arize AX install. Do not install Arize AX into a namespace shared with other applications. Cleanup and reinstall commands can delete namespace resources and are not safe for shared namespaces.
</Warning>

Confirm which kubeconfig cluster entry the installer should use:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl config get-clusters
kubectl config current-context
```

Set `clusterName` to the cluster entry from `kubectl config get-clusters`. Do not assume it is always the same as the current context name.

## Decide whether this is an upgrade or a reset

If Arize AX is already installed, running `./arize.sh install` again is the normal path for a refresh, a redeploy of operator-managed manifests, or an upgrade with your current `values.yaml`.

<Note>
  Use [Fresh reinstall cleanup](/docs/ax/selfhosting/advanced/fresh-reinstall-cleanup) only when you intentionally want to discard the existing install and reinstall from an empty target.
</Note>

If a previous install failed partway through, check the operator, jobs, and pods before deciding whether to continue with `./arize.sh install` or reset the target. Only use the reset path when you intend to discard the existing Arize AX install; it deletes in-cluster Arize AX resources and data unless you have a backup/restore plan.

## Choose the storage mode

Use `cloud: ceph` for Rancher installs with platform-provided S3-compatible object storage. The storage service does not need to be Ceph specifically; `ceph` is the generic S3-compatible path in the Arize AX distribution.

Pre-provision both buckets in your platform's storage and grant the install credentials read/write access. Pick bucket names that are unique to your install.

## Small cluster values

Small or lab Rancher-managed clusters often need extra values beyond the minimal example. These are not universal production defaults, but they are common when the cluster has a shared node pool or less memory than the standard sizing profiles expect.

Discuss these with Arize AI before using them in production:

```yaml theme={null}
# Use a shared node pool instead of a dedicated ArizeDB pool.
historicalNodePoolEnabled: false

# Use node emptyDir for component scratch space instead of large default PVCs.
ephemeralMode: emptyDir

# Disable autosizing on small clusters: with autosizing on, the ArizeDB
# historical container can request 24 GiB of memory, which will not fit on
# a typical homelab node and the pod will stay Pending.
autoSizeMemory: false
autoSizeReplicas: false
```

Some small clusters also need ArizeDB historical JVM/resource tuning, toleration changes, or `baseOverlay` patches. Treat those as environment-specific overrides, not copy/paste defaults.

If your nodes are tainted, make the Arize AX tolerations match the taints your platform uses. The toleration values are strings, so keep the list quoted:

```yaml theme={null}
podTolerationAll: "[{key: 'workload', operator: 'Equal', value: 'arize', effect: 'NoSchedule'}]"
podTolerationBase: "[{key: 'workload', operator: 'Equal', value: 'arize', effect: 'NoSchedule'}]"
podTolerationHist: "[{key: 'workload', operator: 'Equal', value: 'arize', effect: 'NoSchedule'}]"
```

`baseOverlay` is a multiline YAML patch that the operator applies to Arize AX application manifests. Use it for targeted Arize AI-reviewed changes, such as changing a replica count or a container resource request. Paste it under `baseOverlay: |` exactly as provided:

```yaml theme={null}
baseOverlay: |
  ---
  apiVersion: apps/v1
  kind: StatefulSet
  metadata:
    name: druid-historical
    namespace: arize
  spec:
    replicas: 1
```

<Warning>
  Avoid changing `volumeClaimTemplates` in `baseOverlay` for a StatefulSet that already exists. Kubernetes does not allow an existing StatefulSet's `volumeClaimTemplates` to be mutated, so editing one, for example to resize a PVC, can cause the operator to stop reconciling with a `Forbidden` error. Setting `volumeClaimTemplates` before the first install is fine. To resize PVCs on a StatefulSet that already exists, work with Arize AI on the exact steps to follow.
</Warning>

## Next steps

* [Install Arize AX](/docs/ax/selfhosting/installation/rancher-bare-metal/install-arize)
* [Restricted PodSecurity notes](/docs/ax/selfhosting/installation/rancher-bare-metal/talos-podsecurity)