Install Simplyblock
Simplyblock provides a Kubernetes operator that manages the full lifecycle of simplyblock storage infrastructure. The operator is installed via a single Helm chart and uses Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) to declaratively manage clusters, storage nodes, storage pools, and the CSI driver.
For Kubernetes environments, a simplyblock deployment can be either hyper-converged or disaggregated. In the hyper-converged model, simplyblock storage services run on selected Kubernetes worker nodes, sharing resources with other workloads in the same Kubernetes cluster. In a disaggregated deployment, storage services run on dedicated worker nodes either within the same or a different cluster.
Deployment Overview (Recommended)
A typical Kubernetes deployment follows these steps:
- Install the Operator: Deploy the simplyblock operator via the Helm chart. The operator watches for simplyblock CRDs and reconciles the desired state.
- Deploy Storage Nodes and CSI: Apply CRDs to create the storage cluster, add storage nodes, create storage pools, and deploy the CSI driver.
For a detailed breakdown of every pod and service created by the Helm chart, see Management Cluster Architecture.
For connecting to an external simplyblock cluster (e.g., a disaggregated Linux-based cluster), the CSI driver can be installed separately: Install Simplyblock CSI.
Operator CRDs
The operator manages the following resources:
| CRD | Description |
|---|---|
StorageCluster |
Creates and manages a simplyblock storage cluster |
StorageNodeSet |
Fleet-level declarative configuration for a set of storage nodes |
StorageNode |
Represents a single backend storage node instance (auto-created) |
StorageNodeOps |
One-shot operational action targeting a single storage node |
StoragePool |
Creates and manages storage pools |
Task |
Monitors cluster tasks |
For detailed CRD documentation, see Simplyblock Operator.
Platform-Specific Notes
- OpenShift: Additional configuration for OpenShift clusters.
- SUSE Rancher and RKE2: Permissions and kubelet configuration for RKE2 and K3s clusters.
- Talos: Specifics for Talos-based OS images.
- Volume Encryption: End-to-end encryption with customer-managed keys.