This IBM® RedpaperTM publication provides an overview of containers and their framework. Container technology enables prepackaged and pre-configured software with the elements that are needed to run in any environment. Because they are meant to be portable, containers normally restrict applications from storing data on external storage. To overcome this limitation, IBM has developed a solution to provide persistent storage for containers on IBM storage systems, known as the IBM Storage Enabler for Containers. The Enabler tightly integrates with IBM SpectrumTM Connect (formerly IBM Spectrum ControlTM Base Edition). IBM Storage Enabler for Containers v1.0 extends IBM Spectrum Connect to Kubernetes orchestrated container environments. The paper focuses on containers implementation, management, and control by using IBM Spectrum Connect and IBM Storage Enabler for Containers plug-in, with IBM FlashSystem® A9000 or A9000R.

This IBM® RedpaperTM publication shows you how to deploy a database instance within a container using an IBM CloudTM Private cluster on IBM Z®. A preinstalled IBM SpectrumTM Scale 5.0.3 cluster file system provides back-end storage for the persistent volumes bound to the database. A container is a standard unit of software that packages code and all its dependencies, so the application runs quickly and reliably from one computing environment to another. By default, containers are ephemeral. However, stateful applications, such as databases, require some type of persistent storage that can survive service restarts or container crashes. IBM provides several products helping organizations build an environment on an IBM Z infrastructure to develop and manage containerized applications, including dynamic provisioning of persistent volumes. As an example for a stateful application, this paper describes how to deploy the relational database MariaDB using a Helm chart. The IBM Spectrum Scale V5.0.3 cluster file system is providing back-end storage for the persistent volumes. This document provides step-by-step guidance regarding how to install and configure the following components: IBM Cloud Private 3.1.2 (including Kubernetes) Docker 18.03.1-ce IBM Storage Enabler for Containers 2.0.0 and 2.1.0 This Redpaper demonstrates how we set up the example for a stateful application in our lab. The paper gives you insights about planning for your implementation. IBM Z server hardware, the IBM Z hypervisor z/VM®, and the IBM Spectrum Scale cluster file system are prerequisites to set up the example environment. The Redpaper is written with the assumption that you have familiarity with and basic knowledge of the software products used in setting up the environment. The intended audience includes the following roles: Storage administrators IT/Cloud administrators Technologists IT specialists

IBM Storage for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform is a comprehensive container-ready solution that includes all the hardware & software components necessary to setup and/or expand your Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform V3.11 environment. IBM Storage, bringing enterprise data services to containers. In this blueprint, learn how to: • Combine the benefits of IBM Systems with the performance of IBM Storage solutions so that you can deliver the right services to your clients today! • Build a 24 by 7 by 365 enterprise class private cloud with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform • Leverage enterprise class services such as NVMe based flash performance, high data availability, and advanced container security IBM Storage for Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform: designed for your DevOps environment for on-premises deployment with easy-to-consume components built to perform and scale for your enterprise. Simplify your journey to cloud with pre-tested and validated blueprints engineered to enable rapid deployment and peace of mind as you move to a hybrid multicloud environment. You now have the capabilities.

IBM Storage Solutions for IBM CloudTM Private delivers a blueprint for multicloud architecture. IBM, delivering solutions to help you win. In this blueprint, learn how to: Combine the benefits of IBM Systems with the performance of IBM Storage solutions so that you can deliver the right services to your clients today. Deliver optimized private cloud services ahead of schedule and under budget with a complete IBM Cloud Private stack. Containerize applications and deliver the SLAs that your team needs to thrive and win. Implement IBM Cloud Private to deploy modern applications like blockchain and AI or modernize what you already have. You now have the capabilities. This edition applies to IBM Storage Solutions for IBM Cloud Private Version 1 Release 5.0.

This Blueprint is intended to define the infrastructure that is required for a blockchain remote peer and to facilitate the deployment of IBM Blockchain Platform on IBM Cloud Private using that infrastructure. This infrastructure includes the necessary document handler components, such as IBM Blockchain Document Store, and covers the required storage for on-chain and off-chain blockchain data. To complete these tasks, you must have a basic understanding of each of the used components or have access the correct educational material to gain that knowledge.

Version 12.3.2 This IBM® Redbooks publication presents the architecture, design, concepts, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000 and IBM FlashSystem A9000R. FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R deliver the microsecond latency and high availability of IBM FlashCore® technology with grid architecture, simple scalability, and industry-leading IBM software that is designed to drive your business into the cognitive era. The Hyper-Scale Manager highly intuitive user interface simplifies management. Comprehensive data reduction capabilities, including inline deduplication and a powerful compression engine, help lower total cost of ownership. With software version 12.3.1 and Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.5.1 (or later) the system can compute reclaimable and attributed capacity information, without performance impact. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking. From a functional standpoint, FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R take advantage of most of the software-defined storage features that are offered by the IBM SpectrumTM Accelerate software, including multi-tenancy and business continuity functions. FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R supports HyperSwap and Multi-site High Availabilty / Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) configurations. This publication is intended for those individuals who need to plan, install, tailor, and configure FlashSystem A9000 and FlashSystem A9000R. For detailed information about configuration, management, host attachment, and replication functions and their usage, see the following publications: IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family Storage Configuration and Usage for IBM FlashSystem A9000, IBM FlashSystem A9000R, and IBM XIV Gen3, SG24-8376 IBM FlashSystem A9000 and A9000R Business Continuity Solutions, REDP-5401 IBM HyperSwap and Multi-site HA/DR solution for IBM FlashSystem A9000 and A9000R, REDP-5434 IBM Spectrum Accelerate Family: Host Attachment and Interoperability, SG24-8368.

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide is an overview of the main characteristics, features, and technology that are used in IBM FlashSystem® A9000R Model 415 and Model 425, with IBM FlashSystem A9000R Software V12.3.2. Software version 12.3.2, with Hyper-Scale Manager version 5.6 or later, introduces support for VLAN tagging and port trunking.. IBM FlashSystem A9000R is a grid-scale, all-flash storage platform designed for industry leaders with rapidly growing cloud storage and mixed workload environments to help drive your business into the cognitive era. FlashSystem A9000R provides consistent, extreme performance for dynamic data at scale, integrating the microsecond latency and high availability of IBM FlashCore® technology. The rack-based offering comes integrated with the world class software features that are built with IBM SpectrumTM Accelerate. For example, comprehensive data reduction, including inline pattern removal, data deduplication, and compression, helps lower total cost of ownership (TCO) while the grid architecture and IBM Hyper-Scale framework simplify and automate storage administration. The A9000R features always on data reduction and now offers intelligent capacity management for deduplication. Ready for the cloud and well-suited for large deployments, FlashSystem A9000R delivers predictable high performance and ultra-low latency, even under heavy workloads with full data reduction enabled. As a result, the grid-scale architecture maintains this performance by automatically self-optimizing workloads across all storage resources without manual intervention.

This IBM® RedpaperTM publication takes you on a journey that surveys cloud computing to answer several fundamental questions about storage cloud technology. What are storage clouds? How can a storage cloud help solve your current and future data storage business requirements? What can IBM do to help you implement a storage cloud solution that addresses these needs? This paper shows how IBM storage clouds use the extensive cloud computing experience, services, proven technologies, and products of IBM to support a smart storage cloud solution designed for your storage optimization efforts. Clients face many common storage challenges and some have variations that make them unique. It describes various successful client storage cloud implementations and the options that are available to meet your current needs and position you to avoid storage issues in the future. IBM CloudTM Services (IBM Cloud Managed Services® and IBM SoftLayer®) are highlighted as well as the contributions of IBM to OpenStack cloud storage. This paper is intended for anyone who wants to learn about storage clouds and how IBM addresses data storage challenges with smart storage cloud solutions. It is suitable for IBM clients, storage solution integrators, and IBM specialist sales representatives.

Today, new business models in the marketplace coexist with traditional ones and their well-established IT architectures. They generate new business needs and new IT requirements that can only be satisfied by new service models and new technological approaches. These changes are reshaping traditional IT concepts. Cloud in its three main variants (Public, Hybrid, and Private) represents the major and most viable answer to those IT requirements, and software-defined infrastructure (SDI) is its major technological enabler. IBM® technology, with its rich and complete set of storage hardware and software products, supports SDI both in an open standard framework and in other vendors' environments. IBM services are able to deliver solutions to the customers with their extensive knowledge of the topic and the experiences gained in partnership with clients. This IBM RedpaperTM publication focuses on software-defined storage (SDS) and IBM Storage Systems product offerings for software-defined environments (SDEs). It also provides use case examples across various industries that cover different client needs, proposed solutions, and results. This paper can help you to understand current organizational capabilities and challenges, and to identify specific business objectives to be achieved by implementing an SDS solution in your enterprise.