Deploying IBM Fusion Access for SAN

Describes the supported methods for deploying IBM Fusion Access for Storage Area Network (SAN) in IBM Fusion environments.

Before you start

The deployment method for IBM Fusion Access for SAN depends on the installed version of Red Hat® OpenShift® Container Platform in your environment.
  • For Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.21 or later, you can deploy IBM Fusion Access for SAN either by configuring it in Fusion Data Foundation as an external system or by installing the IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator.
  • For Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.20 or earlier, you can deploy IBM Fusion Access for SAN only by installing the IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator.

For more information on the supported deployment methods and their limitations, see the following table:

Table 1. IBM Fusion Access for SAN deployment methods
Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform version Deployment method Key details and limitations
4.21 or later Configure IBM Fusion Access for SAN in Fusion Data Foundation as an external system. For instructions, see Configuring as an external system in Fusion Data Foundation.
  • Requires Fusion Data Foundation 4.21 or later.
  • Installs Global Data Platform or IBM Storage Scale (CNSA) version 6.0.1.0.
  • Global Data Platform and Content-Aware Storage services cannot coexist with IBM Fusion Access for SAN because they rely on the same underlying IBM Storage Scale Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver resources.
Install IBM Fusion Access for SAN using the IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator. For instructions, see Configuring as an IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator.
  • Deploys IBM Fusion Access for SAN as a standalone operator.
  • Global Data Platform and Content-Aware Storage services cannot coexist with IBM Fusion Access for SAN because they rely on the same underlying IBM Storage Scale Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver resources.
4.20 or earlier Install IBM Fusion Access for SAN using the IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator. For instructions, see Configuring as an IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator.
  • Deploys IBM Fusion Access for SAN as a standalone operator.
  • Global Data Platform and Content-Aware Storage services cannot coexist with IBM Fusion Access for SAN because they rely on the same underlying IBM Storage Scale Container Storage Interface (CSI) driver resources.
Additional information

Configuring as an external system in Fusion Data Foundation

Prerequisites
Verify that your environment meets the following prerequisites:
  • Worker nodes with attached SAN storage.
  • An OpenShift container registry with persistent storage. For configuration instructions, see Configuring the registry for bare metal in Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform documentation.
  • Worker nodes that are connected to the same LUNs.
    Note: A shared LUN is a shared disk that is accessed by all worker nodes simultaneously.
  • Global Data Platform and Content-Aware Storage services are not installed.

For information about hardware requirements for deploying IBM Fusion Access for SAN, see Hardware requirements.

Limitations
  • Limitations for IBM Fusion Access for SAN are based on the IBM Storage Scale Container Native limitations. For more information, see IBM Storage Scale container native documentation.
  • Hosted Control Plane clusters are not supported.
  • IBM Fusion Access for SAN is not supported on IBM Z (s390x) and IBM LinuxONE platforms.
Procedure
  1. Install the Fusion Data Foundation version 4.21 or later by following the instructions mentioned in Installing Fusion Data Foundation.
  2. Configure the IBM Fusion Access for SAN in Fusion Data Foundation as an external system by following the instructions mentioned in Configuring with IBM Fusion Access for Storage Area Network.

Configuring as an IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator

Prerequisites
Verify that your environment meets the following prerequisites:
  • Bare metal worker nodes with attached SAN storage.
  • An OpenShift container registry with persistent storage. For configuration instructions, see Configuring the registry for bare metal in Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform documentation.
  • Worker nodes that are connected to the same LUNs
    Note: A shared LUN is a shared disk that is accessed by all worker nodes simultaneously.
  • Global Data Platform and Content-Aware Storage services are not installed.

For information about hardware requirements for deploying IBM Fusion Access for SAN, see Hardware requirements.

Limitations
  • Limitations for IBM Fusion Access for SAN are based on the IBM Storage Scale Container Native limitations. For more information, see IBM Storage Scale container native documentation.
  • Hosted Control Plane clusters are not supported.
Procedure
  1. Install the IBM Fusion Access for SAN by following the instructions mentioned in Installing IBM Fusion Access for SAN operator.
  2. Create a Kubernetes pull secret by following the instructions mentioned in Creating a Kubernetes pull secret.
  3. Create the FusionAccess custom resource (CR) by following the instructions mentioned in Creating the FusionAccess custom resource (CR).
  4. Create a storage cluster by following the instructions mentioned in Creating a storage cluster.
  5. Creating a file system by following the instructions mentioned in Creating a filesystem.