Chapter 3. Deploy OpenShift Data Foundation using IBM FlashSystem
OpenShift Data Foundation can use IBM FlashSystem storage available for consumption through OpenShift Container Platform clusters. You need to install the OpenShift Data Foundation operator and then create an OpenShift Data Foundation cluster for IBM FlashSystem storage.
3.1. Installing Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation Operator
You can install Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation Operator using the Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform Operator Hub.
Prerequisites
-
Access to an OpenShift Container Platform cluster using an account with
cluster-adminand operator installation permissions. - For additional resource requirements, see the Planning your deployment guide.
When you need to override the cluster-wide default node selector for OpenShift Data Foundation, you can use the following command to specify a blank node selector for the
openshift-storagenamespace (createopenshift-storagenamespace in this case):$ oc annotate namespace openshift-storage openshift.io/node-selector=
Procedure
- Log in to the OpenShift Web Console.
-
Click Operators
OperatorHub. -
Scroll or type
OpenShift Data Foundationinto the Filter by keyword box to find the OpenShift Data Foundation Operator. - Click Install.
Set the following options on the Install Operator page:
- Update Channel as stable-4.18.
- Installation Mode as A specific namespace on the cluster.
-
Installed Namespace as Operator recommended namespace openshift-storage. If Namespace
openshift-storagedoes not exist, it is created during the operator installation. Select Approval Strategy as Automatic or Manual.
If you select Automatic updates, then the Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) automatically upgrades the running instance of your Operator without any intervention.
If you select Manual updates, then the OLM creates an update request. As a cluster administrator, you must then manually approve that update request to update the Operator to a newer version.
- Ensure that the Enable option is selected for the Console plugin.
- Click Install.
Verification steps
-
After the operator is successfully installed, a pop-up with a message,
Web console update is availableappears on the user interface. Click Refresh web console from this pop-up for the console changes to reflect. In the Web Console:
- Navigate to Installed Operators and verify that the OpenShift Data Foundation Operator shows a green tick indicating successful installation.
- Navigate to Storage and verify if the Data Foundation dashboard is available.
3.2. Creating an OpenShift Data Foundation Cluster for external IBM FlashSystem storage
You need to create a new OpenShift Data Foundation cluster after you install the OpenShift Data Foundation operator on the OpenShift Container Platform.
Prerequisites
- A valid Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation Advanced subscription. For more information, see the knowledgebase article on OpenShift Data Foundation subscriptions.
- For Red Hat Enterprise Linux® operating system, ensure that there is iSCSI connectivity and then configure Linux multipath devices on the host.
- For Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS or when the packages are already installed, configure Linux multipath devices on the host.
- Ensure to configure each worker with storage connectivity according to your storage system instructions. For the latest supported FlashSystem storage systems and versions, see IBM ODF FlashSystem driver documentation.
Procedure
In the OpenShift Web Console, click Operators
Installed Operators to view all the installed operators. Ensure that the Project selected is
openshift-storage.- Click OpenShift Data Foundation and then click Create StorageSystem.
In the Backing storage page, select the following options:
- Select Full deployment for the Deployment type option.
- Select Connect an external storage platform from the available options.
- Select IBM FlashSystem Storage from the Storage platform list.
- Click Next.
In the Create storage class page, provide the following information:
Enter a name for the storage class.
When creating block storage persistent volumes, select the storage class <storage_class_name> for best performance. The storage class allows direct I/O path to the FlashSystem.
Enter the following details of IBM FlashSystem connection:
- IP address
- User name
- Password
- Pool name
- Select a Volume mode.
- Click Next.
In the Capacity and nodes page, provide the necessary details:
Select a value for Requested capacity.
The available options are
0.5 TiB,2 TiB, and4 TiB. The requested capacity is dynamically allocated on the infrastructure storage class.Select at least three nodes in three different zones.
It is recommended to start with at least 14 CPUs and 34 GiB of RAM per node. If the nodes selected do not match the OpenShift Data Foundation cluster requirement of an aggregated 30 CPUs and 72 GiB of RAM, a minimal cluster will be deployed. For minimum starting node requirements, see the Resource requirements section in the Planning guide.
- Click Next.
Optional: In the Security and network page, provide the necessary details:
To enable encryption, select Enable data encryption for block and file storage.
Choose any one or both Encryption level:
- Cluster-wide encryption to encrypt the entire cluster (block and file).
- StorageClass encryption to create encrypted persistent volume (block only) using encryption enabled storage class.
Select the Connect to an external key management service checkbox. This is optional for cluster-wide encryption.
- Key Management Service Provider is set to Vault by default.
- Enter Vault Service Name, host Address of Vault server ('https://<hostname or ip>'), Port number, and Token.
Expand Advanced Settings to enter additional settings and certificate details based on your Vault configuration:
- Enter the Key Value secret path in the Backend Path that is dedicated and unique to OpenShift Data Foundation.
- Optional: Enter TLS Server Name and Vault Enterprise Namespace.
- Provide CA Certificate, Client Certificate, and Client Private Key by uploading the respective PEM encoded certificate file.
- Click Save.
Select Default (SDN) if you are using a single network or Custom (Multus) if you are using multiple network interfaces.
- Select a Public Network Interface from the dropdown.
-
Select a Cluster Network Interface from the dropdown. NOTE: If you are using only one additional network interface, select the single
NetworkAttachementDefinition, that is,ocs-public-clusterfor the Public Network Interface, and leave the Cluster Network Interface blank.
- Click Next.
To enable in-transit encryption, select In-transit encryption.
- Select a Network.
- Click Next.
In the Review and create page, review if all the details are correct:
- To modify any configuration settings, click Back to go back to the previous configuration page.
- Click Create StorageSystem.
Verification Steps
- Verifying the state of the pods
-
Click Workloads
Pods from the left pane of the OpenShift Web Console. Select
openshift-storagefrom the Project drop-down list.NoteIf the Show default projects option is disabled, use the toggle button to list all the default projects.
Expand Table 3.1. Pods corresponding to OpenShift Data Foundation components Component Corresponding pods OpenShift Data Foundation Operator
-
ocs-operator-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
ocs-metrics-exporter-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
odf-operator-controller-manager-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
odf-console-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
csi-addons-controller-manager-*(1 pod on any worker node)
ibm-storage-odf-operator-
ibm-storage-odf-operator-*(2 pods on any worker nodes) -
ibm-odf-console-*
ibm-flashsystem-storageibm-flashsystem-storage-*(1 pod on any worker node)rook-ceph Operatorrook-ceph-operator-*(1 pod on any worker node)Multicloud Object Gateway
-
noobaa-operator-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
noobaa-core-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
noobaa-db-pg-*(1 pod on any worker node) -
noobaa-endpoint-*(1 pod on any worker node)
CSI
-
ibm-block-csi-*(1 pod on any worker node)
-
-
Click Workloads
- Verifying that the OpenShift Data Foundation cluster is healthy
-
In the Web Console, click Storage
Data Foundation. - In the Status card of the Overview tab, verify that the Storage System has a green tick mark.
- In the Details card, verify that the cluster information is displayed.
-
In the Web Console, click Storage
For more information on the health of the OpenShift Data Foundation cluster using the Block and File dashboard, see Monitoring OpenShift Data Foundation.
- Verifying that the Multicloud Object Gateway is healthy
-
In the Web Console, click Storage
Data Foundation. - In the Status card of the Overview tab, click Storage System and then click the storage system link from the pop up.
- In the Status card of the Object tab, verify that both Object Service and Data Resiliency have a green tick.
- In the Details card, verify that the MCG information is displayed.
-
In the Web Console, click Storage
For more information on the health of the OpenShift Data Foundation cluster using the object dashboard, see Monitoring OpenShift Data Foundation.
- Verifying that IBM FlashSystem is connected and the storage cluster is ready
- Run the following command to verify if the OpenShift Data Foundation cluster is connected to the external IBM FlashSystem.
$ oc get flashsystemclusters.odf.ibm.com NAME AGE PHASE CREATED AT ibm-flashsystem-storage-fab3p-60 46h Ready 2025-06-30T12:17:06Z- Verifying the StorageSystem of the storage
- Run the following command to verify the storageSystem of IBM FlashSystem storage cluster.
$ oc get storagesystems.odf.openshift.io NAME STORAGE-SYSTEM-KIND STORAGE-SYSTEM-NAME ibm-flashsystemcluster-storagesystem flashsystemcluster.odf.ibm.com/v1alpha1 ibm-flashsystemcluster ocs-storagecluster-storagesystem storagecluster.ocs.openshift.io/v1 ocs-storagecluster- Verifying the subscription of the IBM operator
- Run the following command to verify the subscription:
$ oc get subscriptions.operators.coreos.com NAME PACKAGE SOURCE CHANNEL cephcsi-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace cephcsi-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 ibm-block-csi-operator-stable-certified-operators-openshift-marketplace ibm-block-csi-operator certified-operators stable ibm-storage-odf-operator ibm-storage-odf-operator ibm-storage-odf-catalog stable-v1.7 mcg-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace mcg-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 ocs-client-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace ocs-client-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 ocs-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace ocs-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 odf-csi-addons-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace odf-csi-addons-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 odf-dependencies odf-dependencies redhat-operators stable-4.18 odf-operator odf-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 odf-prometheus-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace odf-prometheus-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18 recipe-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace recipe redhat-operators stable-4.18 rook-ceph-operator-stable-4.18-redhat-operators-openshift-marketplace rook-ceph-operator redhat-operators stable-4.18- Verifying the CSVs
- Run the following command to verify that the CSVs are in the succeeded state.
$ oc get csv NAME DISPLAY VERSION REPLACES PHASE cephcsi-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf CephCSI operator 4.18.6-rhodf cephcsi-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded ibm-block-csi-operator.v1.12.4 IBM block storage CSI driver operator 1.12.4 Succeeded ibm-storage-odf-operator.v1.7.1 IBM Storage ODF operator 1.7.1 ibm-storage-odf-operator.v1.7.0 Succeeded mcg-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf NooBaa Operator 4.18.6-rhodf mcg-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded ocs-client-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf OpenShift Data Foundation Client 4.18.6-rhodf ocs-client-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded ocs-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf OpenShift Container Storage 4.18.6-rhodf ocs-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded odf-csi-addons-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf CSI Addons 4.18.6-rhodf odf-csi-addons-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded odf-dependencies.v4.18.6-rhodf Data Foundation Dependencies 4.18.6-rhodf odf-dependencies.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded odf-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf OpenShift Data Foundation 4.18.6-rhodf odf-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded odf-prometheus-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf Prometheus Operator 4.18.6-rhodf odf-prometheus-operator.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded recipe.v4.18.6-rhodf Recipe 4.18.6-rhodf recipe.v4.18.5-rhodf Succeeded rook-ceph-operator.v4.18.6-rhodf Rook-Ceph- Verifying the IBM operator and CSI pods
- Run the following command to verify the IBM operator and CSI pods:
$ oc get pods NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE ceph-csi-controller-manager-65f4bc4cd5-9qbp4 2/2 Running 0 46h csi-addons-controller-manager-757d9c6748-94nrt 2/2 Running 0 46h csi-cephfsplugin-b642k 3/3 Running 0 46h csi-cephfsplugin-l75pt 3/3 Running 0 46h csi-cephfsplugin-provisioner-847f7c54d8-52nz9 7/7 Running 0 46h csi-cephfsplugin-provisioner-847f7c54d8-xtp5j 7/7 Running 0 46h csi-cephfsplugin-vh485 3/3 Running 0 46h csi-rbdplugin-9hss7 4/4 Running 0 46h csi-rbdplugin-9q9qd 4/4 Running 0 46h csi-rbdplugin-9vkqh 4/4 Running 0 46h csi-rbdplugin-provisioner-7f4b8d946f-ngz65 7/7 Running 0 46h csi-rbdplugin-provisioner-7f4b8d946f-x8l8t 7/7 Running 0 46h ibm-block-csi-controller-0 8/8 Running 0 41h ibm-block-csi-node-6vmpq 3/3 Running 0 46h ibm-block-csi-node-fw7xc 3/3 Running 0 41h ibm-block-csi-node-k57sv 3/3 Running 0 46h ibm-block-csi-operator-867c54df5d-2t968 1/1 Running 0 46h ibm-flashsystem-storage-deployment-5958ffd56b-tj6zw 1/1 Running 0 46h ibm-odf-console-6d64dcc46c-bkknx 1/1 Running 0 41h ibm-storage-odf-operator-787c67c7bf-nzp9w 2/2 Running 0 41h noobaa-core-0 2/2 Running 0 46h noobaa-db-pg-0 1/1 Running 0 46h noobaa-endpoint-5d94d888fc-bj28x 1/1 Running 0 46h noobaa-operator-67b569fc76-rk99d 1/1 Running 0 46h ocs-metrics-exporter-6f7f79fcf9-xm6pq 2/3 Running 0 46h ocs-operator-676c964c58-nsb7g 1/1 Running 0 46h odf-console-75dc785696-n97sk 1/1 Running 0 46h odf-operator-controller-manager-785ddcd999-tf245 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-crashcollector-worker-node1-b95b5cd54-7qbhb 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-crashcollector-worker-node2-757d746d5f-jsfrx 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-crashcollector-worker-node3-6d4f8f7848-xvvw2 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-exporter-worker-node1-5dcf74b647-t5rg7 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-exporter-worker-node2-66c694f5b6-n96g5 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-exporter-worker-node3-58fd7ffcfc-vpzfr 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mds-ocs-storagecluster-cephfilesystem-a-557b4cc9gsx65 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mds-ocs-storagecluster-cephfilesystem-b-5d8748dfmrhfn 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mgr-a-f56c6866b-tzl2s 3/3 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mgr-b-796d5f69bf-f54qr 3/3 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mon-a-6b5dc9dd6c-f4dvn 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mon-b-8d458fbdf-wjgzm 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-mon-c-5b78749887-mcpjl 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-operator-578dfdd8dd-mn9vn 1/1 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-osd-0-754499c4bd-2nrs2 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-osd-1-5566ff6d99-dc6l4 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-osd-2-8567c9f9f7-wr66b 2/2 Running 0 46h rook-ceph-osd-prepare-667012a10f7f0800994523ce6731b5d1-n7fgb 0/1 Completed 0 46h rook-ceph-osd-prepare-ab6be2d13c76aad7123b793996562bf0-wpqsv 0/1 Completed 0 46h rook-ceph-osd-prepare-baf6cafc480b4e046c337c49601633b8-zllnx 0/1 Completed 0 46h rook-ceph-rgw-ocs-storagecluster-cephobjectstore-a-5f4dfd9wlbvn 2/2 Running 0 46h ux-backend-server-db4c5b7bd-hn9jx 2/2 Running 0 46h
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