FAQ / CSI Driver for PowerMax v1.1

To which CSI driver PowerMax version this FAQ apply?

This FAQ applies to version 1.1

Which CSI version driver conforms to?

The driver works with Kubernetes 1.13 and 1.14 and CSI specification 1.1 with the CSI interface enabled

What are the supported features?

The following table lists the supported action to manage the lifecycle of a PowerMax volume handled with the CSI driver.

How do I access different array, storage pool or service level?

It is possible to create multiple or different `StorageClass` to access a separate storage pool.

What are the supported storage protocols?

The supported protocol to access PowerMax storage is iSCSI and Fiber Channel.

What are the known limitations?

The driver does not support topology (VOLUME_ACCESSIBILITY_CONSTRAINTS); this means a volume is seen by a single host at a time.
The driver does not support both ISCSI and FC connectivity for a single node

How do I set up the PowerMax CSI driver?

The CSI driver can be installed with `helm` or with the installation scripts provided.

We recommend using the scripts, which leverage `helm`, as they will check your pre-requisites are fulfilled.

The installation details documented in the product guide.

How to uninstall the CSI driver?
Like for the installation, you can uninstall the driver with helm :
helm delete POWERMAX_RELEASE [--purge]

Or execute the script:
sh uninstall.powermax

How to upgrade the CSI driver?

* In a Kubernetes Cluster 1.13
* Uninstall the driver using the latest `uninstall.powermax` script
* Install the driver using the latest `install.powermax` script and the new myvalues.yaml file
* In a Kubernetes cluster 1.14
* Get the latest code and update the new myvalues.yaml file
* Run the `uninstall.powermax` and then `install.powermax` scripts to upgrade
* After the initial upgrade to 1.14, you may use the upgrade.powermax script to do rolling upgrades of minor driver version releases

What are the pre-requisites for CSI driver installation?
To check your system complies with the pre-requisites, you can execute the script `sh verify.kubernetes`

The exhaustive list of pre-requisites is given in the product guide.
The supported OSes is Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.6

What PowerMax and Unisphere versions are supported?
Driver 1.1 supports 5978.221.221 (ELM SR) & 5978.444.444 (Foxtail) with Unisphere 9.0 and 9.1

Note: 1.0 driver is not compliant with Unisphere 9.1. So, make sure that before upgrading your Unisphere from 9.0 to 9.1, you upgrade the CSI driver from 1.0 to 1.1

How to troubleshoot the driver?

The driver can be triaged using the usual kubectl commands as any other k8s pod/resources.
Most often used commands are :
* kubectl get pods -n powermax : gives the status of the controller and drivers on every node
* kubectl describe pods powermax-controller-0 -n powermax  : provides details on the deployment for the controller
* kubectl logs powermax-controller-0 -n powermax -c driver : logs the API calls between the driver and Unisphere

Which driver version is installed?

helm list -c POWERMAX_RELEASE

Where do you submit an issue against the driver?

Dell EMC officially supports the PowerMax driver. Therefore you can open a ticket directly to the support website : https://www.dell.com/support/ or open a discussion in the forum : https://www.dell.com/community/Containers/bd-p/Containers

Is volume expansion supported?

No, the driver doesn't support volume expansion.

Can I run this driver in the production environment?

Yes, the driver is production-grade. Please make sure your environment follows the pre-requisites and Kubernetes best practices.

What support Dell EMC provides for the driver built on GitHub?

Dell EMC is fully committed to supporting the driver image on Dockerhub built from the sources hosted on GitHub.

Do I need to have programming skills to use CSI driver?

No.

To use the driver, you need to have basic knowledge around Kubernetes administration (How to create a PV, How to use a Volume, etc.).

How can connect Dell EMC storage to Kubernetes running on VMWare?

There is no impact on the configuration or the usage of the PowerMax driver if your Kubernetes nodes are hosted in a virtualized environment.

What do I do if I discover an issue with the code on the GitHub?

Please look for the answer in this forum, submit a question or contact tech support.