Understanding Satellite storage

What are Satellite storage templates?

Satellite storage templates are the framework for a storage configuration. When you use a Satellite storage template to create a configuration, you include the details for your selected storage provider. Each template contains a set of parameters that is specific to the storage provider. These parameters include user credentials, device information, worker nodes, and more. After you use a template to create a storage configuration, you can reuse that configuration to assign storage across your Satellite clusters. Each template is will receive revision and version updates.

Storage template

Satellite storage templates are preset storage formats that enable you to create storage configurations that can be applied across clusters without the need to re-create the configuration for each cluster.

Storage configuration

A storage configuration contains the necessary information to provision your storage resources in your cluster.

Storage assignment

A storage assignment is a storage configuration applied to your cluster.

Revision

A revision update resolves breaking issues and includes security patches. For example, updating from version 1.5 to 1.6.

Version

A major update to the template version. For example, updating from version 1.0 to 2.0. Version updates can add new template parameters, change storage resources, and are more disruptive than revision updates.

What are my options for deploying storage to Satellite?

You have two options when configuring storage in Satellite. The first is by using one of the provided storage templates. The second is by bringing your own storage drivers (BYOD), Helm charts, or Operators from the IBM Cloud Catalog, OperatorHub, or GitHub repo.

Satellite storage templates

You can create storage configurations by using the Satellite storage template for the storage provider or driver that you want to use. After you create a storage configuration by using a template, you can assign your storage configuration to your clusters or services. By using storage templates, you can create storage configurations that can be consistently assigned, updated, and managed across the clusters, service clusters, and cluster groups in your location.

Bring your own Operators, drivers, and plug-ins

You can also bring your own storage drivers to Satellite by installing them from the Catalog, OperatorHub, Helm charts, or by using your preferred method of deploying images to your clusters including images and drivers from various IBM Cloud storage and partner solutions, for example Portworx. Bringing your own storage driver is functionally supported, but you are responsible for the entire lifecycle operations, installation, troubleshooting, and support.

While bringing your own drivers or operators to your Satellite clusters is possible, if you want to deploy IBM Cloud services that use storage make sure you use one of the provided storage templates.

Which deployment option should I use?

Since Satellite storage templates are supported by IBM Cloud and the configurations that you create by deploying templates can be used across your Satellite clusters, service clusters, and cluster groups, templates are the preferred option when setting up storage for services in Satellite.

If the storage solution that you want to use does not have a Satellite template available, check the IBM Cloud Catalog for supported Helm charts and Operators.

What are the benefits of using templates?

With Satellite storage templates, you can create a storage configuration that can be deployed across your clusters without the need to re-create the configuration for each cluster.

The Satellite storage templates are provided and tested by IBM or third-party vendors. IBM provides the configuration tooling to install the storage drivers on clusters in your Satellite location as described in the templates. For issues with the installation process, you can contact IBM. However, for issues with lifecycle operations of the storage devices, contact the storage provider.

When you use a Satellite storage template to create a configuration, you include the details for the storage provider that you want to use. Each template contains a set of parameters that is specific to the storage provider. These parameters include things like credentials, device information, worker nodes, and more. After you use a template to create a storage configuration, you can reuse that configuration to assign storage across your Satellite clusters.

You can also quickly update the configuration parameters and apply them automatically across clusters, service clusters, and cluster groups in your locations.

How do templates work?

When you create a configuration by using a template, you specify a set of parameters for the storage provider that you want to use. These parameters preset values that are used when you deploy storage drivers, create persistent volumes, provision instances, or use other functions depending on the provider and the type of storage that you want to use. For more information, see the list of available storage templates.

The following image depicts the workflow for creating a Satellite storage configuration by using a storage template.

1. Select the storage template that you want to use for your configuration.
2. Create a Satellite cluster. Make sure that you select the Enable cluster admin access for Satellite Config option when you create the cluster. If you don't enable Administrator (admin) access for Satellite Config when creating your cluster, you must re-create your cluster and enable admin access before you can deploy storage.
3. Assign your Satellite storage configuration to your clusters.
4. Satellite deploys the storage drivers and any solution-specific resources for the provider that you selected to the clusters that you assigned the storage configuration to.

How do I manage updates?

Satellite storage template updates include major version updates or patch updates, also called revisions.

Version

A major update to the template version. For example, updating from version 1.0 to 2.0. Version updates can add new template parameters, change storage resources, and are more disruptive than revision updates. Version updates may require you to reload or attach new hosts, redeploy services,

Patch (Revision)

Patch updates, also called revisions, contain bug fixes and security vulnerability patches. You can apply patches manually to each of your storage configurations and assignments or you enable automatic patch updates to ensure you get the latest bug fixes and security updates. For more information about enabling automatic patches, see the ibmcloud sat storage assignment autopatch command reference.

Which storage templates are available?

You can create a Satellite storage configuration by using a template for the storage provider that you want to use. If your preferred storage provider does not have a template, you can create your own configuration template or you can manually deploy storage drivers. The following list includes the storage templates are currently available to deploy to your Satellite clusters.