CSI Drivers

(Optional) Volume Snapshot Requirements

On Upstream Kubernetes clusters, ensure that to install

• VolumeSnapshot CRDs - Install v1 VolumeSnapshot CRDs
• External Volume Snapshot Controller

For detailed snapshot setup procedure, click here.

NOTE: This step can be skipped with OpenShift.

Installing CSI Driver via Operator

Refer PowerScale Driver to install the driver via Operator
Refer PowerFlex Driver to install the driver via Operator
Refer PowerMax Driver to install the driver via Operator
Refer PowerStore Driver to install the driver via Operator
Refer Unity XT Driver to install the driver via Operator

NOTE: If you are using an OLM based installation, example manifests are available in OperatorHub UI. You can edit these manifests and install the driver using the OperatorHub UI.

Verifying the driver installation

Once the driver Custom Resource (CR) is created, you can verify the installation as mentioned below

• Check if ContainerStorageModule CR is created successfully using the command below:

  kubectl get csm/<name-of-custom-resource> -n <driver-namespace> -o yaml
  

• Check the status of the CR to verify if the driver installation is in the Succeeded state. If the status is not Succeeded, see the Troubleshooting guide for more information.

Upgrading Drivers with Dell CSM Operator

You can update CSI Drivers installed by the Dell CSM Operator like any Kubernetes resource:

1. Modify Installation via kubectl edit:
   

kubectl get <driver-object> -n <driver-namespace>

2. Replace <driver-namespace> with the appropriate namespace. For example, to get the CSI PowerStore driver object:
   

kubectl get csm -n <driver-namespace>

Use the object name in the kubectl edit command:

kubectl edit csm <driver-object>/<object-name> -n <driver-namespace>

For example, if the object name is powerstore:

kubectl edit csm powerstore -n <driver-namespace>

Modify the installation as needed, typically updating driver versions, sidecars, and environment variables.

3. Refer how to upgradeguide if you have more questions
   

Note: Starting with CSM 1.12, use images from quay.io. From CSM 1.14 (May 2025), editing the CSM object will fail if using images from Docker Hub.

Supported modifications

• Changing environment variable values for driver
• Updating the image of the driver
• Upgrading the driver version

NOTES:

1. If you are trying to upgrade the CSI driver from an older version, make sure to modify the configVersion field if required.

      driver:
        configVersion: v2.12.0
   

NOTE: Avoid updating the operator by modifying the original CustomResource manifest file and running kubectl apply -f. This can overwrite important annotations set by the Operator, leading to failures in workflows like driver upgrades.

Uninstall CSI Driver

The CSI Drivers and CSM Modules can be uninstalled by deleting the Custom Resource.

For e.g.

kubectl delete csm/powerscale -n <driver-namespace>

By default, the forceRemoveDriver option is set to true which will uninstall the CSI Driver and CSM Modules when the Custom Resource is deleted. Setting this option to false is not recommended.

SideCars

Although the sidecars field in the driver specification is optional, it is strongly recommended to not modify any details related to sidecars provided (if present) in the sample manifests. The only exception to this is modifications requested by the documentation, for example, filling in blank IPs or other such system-specific data. Any modifications not specifically requested by the documentation should be only done after consulting with Dell support.