IBM Storage Fusion HCI System Offers More Flexible Configuration Options

IBM Storage Fusion HCI System offers more flexible configuration options

IBM Storage Fusion HCI System combines IBM hardware, Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform, and container-native, application-centric data services into an integrated solution that makes it easy for platform engineering teams to deploy, harden, manage, and protect mission-critical applications on premises.

Storage Fusion HCI high-density compute servers and scale-out file system meet the needs of performance-demanding AI/ML and analytics applications. Application-centric container-native data services are automated with Kubernetes operators and custom resources to make it easy for platform engineers to build resiliency into mission-critical applications and harden them against disaster.

Storage Fusion HCI System offers following enhancements:

Components can be ordered for installation into client-supplied racks. When ordering, clients have the option to order an Storage Fusion HCI System fully racked from the IBM factory or as components that can be installed into a client-provided rack.
Can be configured into a three-rack HA cluster. This configuration is commonly referred to as a 3 availability zone (3AZ) deployment, a strategy useful for ensuring application availability.
Will only include the number of power distribution units (PDUs) and network cables required to support the configured order. MES orders will add PDUs and cables as needed.

Key requirements
The client sales representative (IBM or IBM partner) must specify their desire for these enhancements in the Storage Modeller (StorM) tool. The IBM technical sales leader or IBM Partner technical leader must collaborate with the client data center team to complete the pre-sale and pre-install Technology Delivery Assessments (TDA). The client data center must be able to accommodate the power, cooling, and other environmental requirements of the Fusion HCI System as specified in the TDA.

PDUs and power cables must be added to the system configuration in e-config. Additional network cables and transceivers may be added to the System configuration in e-config.

3-rack HA Cluster
When clients are interested in the 3-rack HA cluster configuration, client sales reps must configure and quote all three systems in the same transaction. The 3-rack HA clusters affect how Red Hat OpenShift and Storage Fusion license counting works.

For example, if 3 racks are ordered but are not ordered as a 3-rack cluster, each rack will have 3 Red Hat OpenShift control nodes for a total of 9 control nodes across all 3 racks. If these three racks are installed as a 3-rack HA cluster, the client will be out of license compliance as they will be under licensing both Red Hat OpenShift and Storage Fusion HCI System appliance software.

If the three racks are configured, in StorM, as a 3-rack HA cluster, then there will be three Red Hat OpenShift control nodes total across all three racks and StorM will ensure correct licensing of Red Hat OpenShift and IBM Storage Fusion HCI System appliance software.

Important restriction when installing Storage Fusion HCI System components into a client provided rack
If a client selects to order an Storage Fusion HCI System without a rack, the Storage Fusion HCI components must be installed into the client rack in the same order and location in the client provided rack. IBM does not support installing Storage Fusion HCI System components in any other slots or configurations other than those specified in the racking instructions referenced in the TDA. It does not support distributing Storage Fusion HCI System components across multiple racks.

Precabling Storage Fusion HCI System racks
A Storage Fusion HCI System can be ordered with cabling to support future upgrades. Precabling the Storage Fusion HCI System will simplify future upgrades by eliminating the requirement for the sales support representative to install additional cabling during the upgrade.

Planned availability date:

May 12, 2023: All features except feature numbers AHJ7, AHJ8, AJSL, AJSM, and AJSN
June 2, 2023: Feature numbers AHJ7, AHJ8, AJSL, AJSM, and AJSN