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Deploying IBM Fusion Storage on OpenShift: A Foundation for CP4BA and BAW

By Aashita Manglani posted Thu July 10, 2025 03:52 AM

  

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

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all the mentors and colleagues who provided valuable guidance and feedback during the creation of this blog.
A special thanks to my colleague @Prajwal A R for generously sharing detailed insights on Fusion Storage, especially when I was completely new to it.

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Comments

Ananthram J
Fri July 11, 2025 04:45 AM

Informative