Add storage systems

You can add the storage systems of types block, file, and object.

When you click Add Storage Systems, it opens a tearsheet with two options:

Select storage type

The Add storage system page is split into two tabs, IBM storage systems and non-IBM storage systems with tiles that can be clicked for all storage types.

Each selection tile includes the system's title, a brief description, a link to the respective documentation, and a model drop down, if multiple models are available.

When you add multiple storage systems, they must be of the same type and use the same authentication credentials. It is not possible to add systems of different types simultaneously. The task manager handles the success or failure of the system addition. There are two types of storage systems:

  1. IBM storage systems: The selection tile includes the following IBM storage systems:
    • IBM Storage FlashSystem family
    • IBM Storage Virtualize family
    • IBM Storage Accelerate / XIV
    • IBM System Storage DS8000
    • IBM Storage Scale
    • IBM Cloud Object Storage
    • IBM SAN Volume Controller systems are grouped under the IBM Storage FlashSystem family.
    For more information about adding IBM Storage FlashSystem device, see Adding IBM Storage FlashSystem and IBM Storage Virtualize.

    Connection details for IBM storage systems

    The connection details include fields for entering IP addresses or hostname, selecting an authentication type, SSH username, SSH password, and SSH key. The IP address fields in the connection details support port numbers, as certain internal simulative devices require both the IP address and port for connection.

    SSH keys can be uploaded through drag-and-drop or by using click to upload option. The key must have maximum file size of 500 KB and support formats that includes .txt, .pem, and PuTTY.

  2. Non-IBM Storage Systems: The selection tile also includes Non-IBM storage systems that include the following:
    • Dell EMC
    • Hitachi
    • Pure Storage
    • NetApp

Connection details for non-IBM storage systems

For Hitachi, the connection details include options for Hitachi Ops center and Hitachi command suite.

Note: The Non-IBM devices, IBM Storage Scale, and IBM Cloud Object Storage remains disabled for free license users.

Connection details

After clicking Next, you can provide the connection details such as IP address and credentials to connect to the device.

The Add storage system becomes enabled when all connection details are filled.

Note: The add, remove, and edit operations are hidden but not disabled for non-Admin roles.

Adding IBM Storage FlashSystem and IBM Storage Virtualize

After selecting the IBM Storage FlashSystem or IBM Storage Virtualize model, you can choose one of the following data collection options:

  • Call Home with cloud services: Call Home with cloud services is a recommended option and is selected by default. Following are the steps to add a device by using Call Home with cloud services:
    1. Select Call Home with cloud services and click Next.
    2. Enter the IP address or host and click Check Status.
      The system checks whether it has received any Call Home request. Based on the status of the request, one of the following notification is displayed:
      • Call Home request not received: Either the Call Home is not enabled or IBM Storage Insights tenant configuration is not set up. You can enable Call Home or complete the setup by following the instructions provided in the inline notification.
      • Pending request: The request for the storage system is already pending. You can approve it by enabling the Approve toggle.
      • Call Home with cloud services enabled: The request is already approved and successfully onboarded in IBM Storage Insights account by using Call Home with cloud services.
      • Approve the denied request: The request for the storage system was denied earlier. You can approve the request by enabling the Pending approval toggle.
      • System addition failure: The system could not be added through Call Home with cloud services. You need to contact support for assistance.
    3. Click Done.
    Note: If you select IBM FlashSystem 840 or 900, IBM FlashSystem V840 or V9000, or IBM FlashSystem A9000 or A9000R from the IBM Storage FlashSystem family drop down, then the Call Home with cloud services option remains disabled. You can add these devices only by using the Data collector option.

  • Data Collector: Following are the steps to add a device by using Data collector option:
    1. Select Data Collector.
    2. Enter the IP address or host, Authentication type, User name, and Password. Click Next.
    3. Check the list of IP addresses with pending call home request and click Next.
    4. (Optional) You can use Call Home with cloud services method if you want.
    5. Verify all systems that you want to add and click Add storage systems.

Toast notifications

When you try to add a storage system but it fails, then on clicking the Retry option of failed task, an inline notification is displayed. A relevant error message that is decoded from the error code is displayed which informs the user about the cause of the addition failure.

Recommendation popup

The pop-up appears when a Data Collector (DC) is not available, regardless of the firmware level or system memory of the devices that are being added. It informs you about the two possible methods for adding storage systems, through Data collector or Call home.

If the data collector is not available, FlashSystem devices can be added through Call home. It also recommends deploying a data collector for broader device support.