Python 2.7 dependency issues when installing Konvoy on SLES15 SP1 – D2iQ

When installing Konvoy in Suse Enterprise Linux 15 SP1, some operators have reported that their deployments are interrupted when bootstrapping the nodes, specifically when Konvoy is trying to install python 2.7:

TASK [bootstrap-python : install python 2.7 using zypper]
fatal: [192.168.2.141]: FAILED! => {
    "attempts": 6,
    "changed": true,
    "rc": 104
}
STDOUT:
Refreshing service 'Basesystem_Module_15_SP1_x86_64'.
Refreshing service 'SUSE_Linux_Enterprise_Server_15_SP1_x86_64'.
Refreshing service 'Server_Applications_Module_15_SP1_x86_64'.
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Package 'python-xml' not found.

This issue is encountered when the Python 2 Module is disabled. In SLES 15 SP1, python 2 is being phased out and the Python 2 Module is disabled by default [1].

To circumvent this issue the operator could enable the Python 2 Module. For information on how to do so please refer to this article [2]. For some organizations enabling this module is not possible as it means violating their security guidelines. In this case, the operator could manually modify the ansible playbook bootstrap-node by following this procedure:

1. Run konvoy up without agreeing to continue:

./konvoy up   
This process will take about 15 minutes to complete (additional time may be required for larger clusters), do you want to continue [y/n]:

2. Open a new terminal and find the id of the Konvoy container:

docker ps -a                          
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                      COMMAND                  CREATED         STATUS                    PORTS     NAMES
f9f93dc2fd3b   mesosphere/konvoy:v1.8.0   "konvoy up"              6 seconds ago   Up 5 seconds                        crazy_bohr

3. Start a bash session in the Konvoy container:

docker exec -it f9f93dc2fd3b /bin/bash

4. Modify the file:

vi /opt/konvoy/ansible/playbooks/roles/bootstrap-python/tasks/main.yaml

by removing the following code block and then saving the changes:

- name: install python 2.7 using zypper
  script: zypper.sh
  retries: 6
  delay: 10
  register: result
  until: result.rc == 0
  when:
    - check_python.rc != 0
    - check_zypper.rc == 0

At this point, the operator can agree to continue with the Konvoy cluster deployment.

References:
[1] https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/SUSE-SLES/15-SP1/#fate-327577
[2] https://documentation.suse.com/sles/15-SP1/html/SLES-all/art-modules.html