Enterprises running traditional virtualization platforms often rely on existing high-performance Storage area network (SAN) storage for critical workloads. But when transitioning to modern platforms like Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Engine, they face barriers such as:
IBM Fusion Access for SAN + IBM FlashSystem
Powered by IBM Storage Scale, IBM Fusion Access for SAN, bridges the gap between using traditional SAN storage with next-generation containerized and virtualized workloads running on Red Hat OpenShift. With the high-performance, massively scalable file system at its core, Fusion Access empowers enterprises to extend the life of their existing storage investments while embracing modern hybrid cloud infrastructure.
IBM FlashSystem is a powerful and versatile family of all-flash storage solutions designed to address the evolving demands of modern businesses—from agile startups to global enterprises. Whether you're running mission-critical applications, managing hybrid cloud workloads, or planning for disaster recovery, IBM FlashSystem delivers unmatched speed, reliability, and intelligence in a compact, cost-efficient footprint.
IBM FlashSystem combines advanced storage capabilities with AI-driven insights, helping organizations transform data into a competitive advantage.
With IBM Fusion Access for SAN, enterprises can bridge the gap between legacy block storage and modern container-native virtualization. Combined with IBM FlashSystem, this solution delivers blazing-fast, scalable, and reliable storage access to virtual machines running on OpenShift platform.
Zero efforts to decommission or reconfigure your IBM FlashSystem volumes. IBM Fusion Access makes them file-accessible to OpenShift workloads instantly.
Benefit from IBM FlashSystem's ultra-low latency and IBM Fusion Access's high-speed file interface to maximize virtual machine performance for enterprise applications.
Accelerate Cloud-Native Adoption
Seamlessly onboard existing VM based workloads to OpenShift virtualization while retaining familiar storage environments and operational models.
Simplify Storage Management
Use Fusion Access’s wizard-based UI to configure filesystems, manage multipath storage, and expose storage classes—all in minutes.
Scale Without Bottlenecks
Scale up to thousands of VMs and container workloads on Fusion Access without the need to rearchitect the backend storage. Add more file systems or storage classes as needed.
Below is the reference diagram of IBM Fusion Access & IBM FlashSystem configured for OpenShift Virtualization.
The architecture discussed here has following components:
This provides shared, scalable, and high-speed file access across all OpenShift worker nodes
Below is the reference architecture of enterprises migrating from VMware using IBM FlashSystem to OpenShift Virtualization Engine
The architecture demonstrates the migration of a VM from a VMware environment to OpenShift container platform, leveraging IBM Fusion Access and IBM FlashSystem for storage continuity and performance.
1. Source: VMware Environment
3. Destination: OpenShift Cluster
This setup ensures consistent storage performance and simplifies management across both VMware and OpenShift.
Why choose IBM FlashSystem?
IBM FlashSystem combines advanced storage capabilities with AI-driven insights, helping organizations transform data into a competitive advantage. The 4th generation of Flash Core Module (aka FCM4) used for storing the data supports ransomware threat detection.
Powerful Computational Storage Capabilities
Offload compute-intensive tasks directly onto the storage layer to boost application performance. FlashSystem uses built-in hardware acceleration to handle functions like compression, deduplication, and encryption without impacting throughput.
Unified Management Platform
Streamline your operations with a single interface—IBM Storage Insights—for monitoring, managing, and optimizing all your FlashSystem deployments. Gain visibility across environments and reduce administrative overhead with AI-powered recommendations.
Accelerate time-to-insight with consistently low latency and high IOPS. FlashSystem uses cutting-edge NVMe technology and optimized storage architecture to support real-time applications and analytics.
Seamless Hybrid Cloud Integration
Easily extend your on-prem storage to public or private cloud environments using IBM Spectrum Virtualize. Enable workload mobility, backup, and disaster recovery across hybrid infrastructures without complex reconfiguration.
Data Reliability & Integrity
Keep your data safe with enterprise-grade features like end-to-end data integrity checks, RAID protection, and proactive hardware monitoring. FlashSystem is engineered for six-nines availability (99.9999%).
Data Reduction Technologies
Save space and cut storage costs with industry-leading inline compression and deduplication—without sacrificing performance. Achieve up to 5:1 data reduction ratios, depending on workload.
Minimize downtime with advanced redundancy features such as multi-controller failover, hot-swappable components, and stretched clustering. FlashSystem ensures business continuity even during component or site failures.
Automatically move cold and infrequently accessed data to lower-cost storage tiers, while keeping hot data on high-speed flash. Optimize performance and reduce total cost of ownership without manual intervention.
Ready to Transform?
While there are several options available for hosting or migrating virtual machines (VMs) to the OpenShift platform, the combination of IBM Fusion Access for SAN and IBM FlashSystem delivers a truly powerful and future-ready solution. This integrated offering provides a highly scalable, reliable, and high-performance infrastructure designed to meet the demands of modern workloads.
By leveraging Fusion Access for SAN, organizations can seamlessly connect their existing block storage infrastructure to OpenShift, ensuring smooth migration, efficient resource utilization, and minimal disruption. When paired with IBM FlashSystem’s lightning-fast storage performance, advanced data protection, and built-in enterprise-grade features, the result is an optimized hybrid cloud environment that accelerates deployment, enhances operational efficiency, and supports mission-critical applications with confidence.
Together, these technologies offer a complete package for enterprises seeking to modernize their virtualization strategy—combining scalability, resilience, and performance into one unified platform.