Introduction to IBM Storage Fusion:

IBM Fusion is a software-defined data services platform that provides:

• Storage (via OpenShift Data Foundation and IBM Storage Scale)

• High Availability (HA) and Disaster Recovery (DR)

• Backup and Restore

• Encryption

• Data Cataloging

🔹 Note: Fusion is only supported on Red Hat OpenShift.

Deploy IBM Storage Fusion in an OpenShift Environment

1. Access the Cluster

• Use the oc CLI or OpenShift Web Console to access the cluster.
  Example Console URL:
  https://console-openshift-console.apps.ocp--2.cp.fyre.ibm.com
  Login using kubeadmin credentials.
  

2. Add the IBM Operator Catalog

• Click on the "+" (Import YAML) icon on top right of the Openshift Web Console.
• Paste the following YAML and click Create:

apiVersion: operators.coreos.com/v1alpha1
kind: CatalogSource
metadata:
  name: isf-catalog
  namespace: openshift-marketplace
spec:
  displayName: ISF Catalog
  image: 'icr.io/cpopen/isf-operator-software-catalog:2.8.0'
  publisher: IBM
  sourceType: grpc

NOTE : The ISF catalog version depends on the OCP version:

1. OCP 4.16.x - 2.8.0
2. OCP 4.17.x - 2.9.0
3. OCP 4.18.x - 2.10.0

• Wait for the catalog pod to be up in the openshift-marketplace namespace

• Update the pull secrets in openshift-config namespace

3. Install IBM Fusion Storage Operator

• Go to Operators > OperatorHub in the OpenShift Web Console.
• Search for IBM Storage Fusion.

• Click the Tile and choose Install

• Keep default options as shown in the reference screenshot and click Install.

• Wait for the operator installation to complete (this may take several minutes)

4. Create Spectrum Fusion Instance

• After the operator is installed, accept the license and click Create.

• Once created, the status should show as Completed.

• Navigate to Networking > Routes, go to the ibm-spectrum-fusion-ns namespace, and click on the Location URL to launch the Fusion UI.

5. Installing Data Foundation

• In the Fusion UI (from the step above), click on Install Services.

• Select Data Foundation and click Install.
• Choose "Local" as the storage type and proceed with installation.

Wait for the install to be complete

6. Configure Storage

• After successful Data Foundation installation, click Get Started, then Configure Storage.

• Select any 3 worker nodes from the storage cluster and click Next.

• Set Encryption to None and click Configure.

Wait for few minutes for configuration to complete. Once done, you should see: 

• StorageClasses created

• All required pods running in a healthy state

Why Use IBM Fusion Storage with CP4BA or BAW?

IBM Storage Fusion is not just about storage — it enables data resilience, scalability, and performance that are critical for enterprise-grade workloads like Cloud Pak for Business Automation (CP4BA) and Business Automation Workflow (BAW).

When deployed on OpenShift, Fusion Storage provides:

• High availability for critical business data and workflows

• Simplified backup/restore and disaster recovery, which are essential for compliance-heavy workloads

• Persistent and scalable storage for content services, case data, and operational data used by CP4BA components

• Integrated encryption and security features to safeguard sensitive business information

• Data cataloging for better governance and visibility — especially valuable for automation involving document handling and AI-based decisions

Conclusion

This blog covered:

• ✔️ Introduction to IBM Fusion Storage

• ✔️ Step-by-step guide to install Fusion Storage and configure Data Foundation

• ✔️ Why Fusion Storage is a strong fit for CP4BA and BAW workloads on containers