Dell Technologies – Product Guide

V1.9.0: powerflex provider

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

powerflex Provider

The Terraform provider for Dell PowerFlex can be used to interact with a Dell PowerFlex array in order to manage the array resources.

Example Usage

provider.tf

/*
Copyright (c) 2023-2026 Dell Inc., or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

Licensed under the Mozilla Public License Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/


Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
*/

terraform {
  required_providers {
    powerflex = {
      version = "1.9.0"
      source  = "registry.terraform.io/dell/powerflex"
    }
  }
}
provider "powerflex" {
  username = var.username
  password = var.password
  endpoint = var.endpoint
  insecure = true
  timeout  = 120

  ## The provider can also be set using environment variables
  ## If environment variables are set it will override this configuration
  ## Example environment variables
  # POWERFLEX_USERNAME="username"
  # POWERFLEX_PASSWORD="password"
  # POWERFLEX_ENDPOINT="https://yourhost.host.com"
  # POWERFLEX_INSECURE="true"
  # POWERFLEX_TIMEOUT="120"
}

resource "powerflex_protection_domain" "pd" {
  name = "domain_1"
}

resource "powerflex_sds" "sds1" {
  name                 = "sds_1"
  protection_domain_id = powerflex_protection_domain.pd.id
  ip_list = [
    {
      ip   = "10.10.10.1"
      role = "all"
    }
  ]
  depends_on = [powerflex_protection_domain.pd]
}

resource "powerflex_sds" "sds2" {
  name                 = "sds_2"
  protection_domain_id = powerflex_protection_domain.pd.id
  ip_list = [
    {
      ip   = "10.10.10.2"
      role = "all"
    }
  ]
  depends_on = [powerflex_protection_domain.pd]
}

resource "powerflex_sds" "sds3" {
  name                 = "sds_3"
  protection_domain_id = powerflex_protection_domain.pd.id
  ip_list = [
    {
      ip   = "10.10.10.3"
      role = "all"
    }
  ]
  depends_on = [powerflex_protection_domain.pd]
}

resource "powerflex_storage_pool" "sp" {
  name                 = "SP"
  protection_domain_id = powerflex_protection_domain.pd.id
  media_type           = "HDD"
  use_rmcache          = true
  use_rfcache          = true
}

resource "powerflex_device" "device1" {
  name                       = "device1"
  device_path                = "/dev/sdb"
  sds_id                     = powerflex_sds.sds1.id
  storage_pool_id            = powerflex_storage_pool.sp.id
  media_type                 = "HDD"
  external_acceleration_type = "ReadAndWrite"
  depends_on                 = [powerflex_storage_pool.sp]
}

resource "powerflex_device" "device2" {
  name                       = "device2"
  device_path                = "/dev/sdb"
  sds_id                     = powerflex_sds.sds2.id
  storage_pool_id            = powerflex_storage_pool.sp.id
  media_type                 = "HDD"
  external_acceleration_type = "ReadAndWrite"
  depends_on                 = [powerflex_storage_pool.sp]
}

resource "powerflex_device" "device3" {
  name                       = "device3"
  device_path                = "/dev/sdb"
  sds_id                     = powerflex_sds.sds3.id
  storage_pool_id            = powerflex_storage_pool.sp.id
  media_type                 = "HDD"
  external_acceleration_type = "ReadAndWrite"
  depends_on                 = [powerflex_storage_pool.sp]
}

resource "powerflex_volume" "volume" {
  name                 = "volume1"
  protection_domain_id = powerflex_protection_domain.pd.id
  storage_pool_id      = powerflex_storage_pool.sp.id
  size                 = 16
  volume_type          = "ThinProvisioned"
  depends_on           = [powerflex_device.device1, powerflex_device.device2, powerflex_device.device3]
}

resource "powerflex_sdc_volumes_mapping" "map" {
  id = "e3d105e900000005"
  volume_list = [
    {
      volume_id        = powerflex_volume.volume.id
      limit_iops       = 140
      limit_bw_in_mbps = 19
      access_mode      = "ReadOnly"
    },
  ]
  depends_on = [powerflex_volume.volume]
}

resource "powerflex_package" "upload-test" {
  file_path = ["/root/powerflex_packages/PowerFlex_3.6.700.103_RHEL_OEL7/EMC-ScaleIO-lia-3.6-700.103.el7.x86_64.rpm",
    "/root/powerflex_packages/PowerFlex_3.6.700.103_RHEL_OEL7/EMC-ScaleIO-mdm-3.6-700.103.el7.x86_64.rpm",
    "/root/powerflex_packages/PowerFlex_3.6.700.103_RHEL_OEL7/EMC-ScaleIO-sds-3.6-700.103.el7.x86_64.rpm",
    "/root/powerflex_packages/PowerFlex_3.6.700.103_RHEL_OEL7/EMC-ScaleIO-sdc-3.6-700.103.el7.x86_64.rpm",
    "/root/powerflex_packages/PowerFlex_3.6.700.103_RHEL_OEL7/EMC-ScaleIO-sdr-3.6-700.103.el7.x86_64.rpm",
  "/root/powerflex_packages/PowerFlex_3.6.700.103_RHEL_OEL7/EMC-ScaleIO-sdt-3.6-700.103.el7.x86_64.rpm"]
}

resource "powerflex_user" "user" {
  name     = "NewUser"
  role     = "Monitor"
  password = "Password123"
}

variables.tf

/*
Copyright (c) 2023-2026 Dell Inc., or its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

Licensed under the Mozilla Public License Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/


Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
*/

variable "username" {
  type        = string
  description = "Stores the username of PowerFlex host."
}

variable "password" {
  type        = string
  description = "Stores the password of PowerFlex host."
}

variable "endpoint" {
  type        = string
  description = "Stores the endpoint of PowerFlex host. eg: https://10.1.1.1:443, here 443 is port where API requests are getting accepted"
}

Schema

Optional

endpoint (String) The PowerFlex Gateway server URL (inclusive of the port). This can also be set using the environment variable POWERFLEX_ENDPOINT
insecure (Boolean) Specifies if the user wants to skip SSL verification. This can also be set using the environment variable POWERFLEX_INSECURE
password (String, Sensitive) The password required for the authentication. This can also be set using the environment variable POWERFLEX_PASSWORD
timeout (Number) HTTPS timeout. This can also be set using the environment variable POWERFLEX_TIMEOUT
username (String) The username required for authentication. This can also be set using the environment variable POWERFLEX_USERNAME

V1.9.0: Data Sources

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

In Terraform, a data source is a way to retrieve information about an entity that is not managed by the current Terraform configuration. Data sources provide dynamic information that can be used elsewhere in the Terraform configuration. Data sources are used to get information about resources external to Terraform and use them to set up Terraform resources. Data sources are accessed via a special kind of resource known as a data resource, declared using a data block. Each data resource is associated with a single entity, which determines the kind of object it reads and what query constraint arguments are available.

V1.9.0: Resources

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

In Terraform, a resource is an abstract entity that represents a real-world object, such as a virtual machine, file, user, or volume. A resource belongs to a provider, accepts arguments, outputs attributes, and has a lifecycle. Resource blocks are used to declare resources in Terraform, and each block describes one or more infrastructure objects.

V1.9.0: Examples

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

V1.9.0: Migration Guide: PowerFlex 4.x to 5.x (Gen2)

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Migration Guide: PowerFlex 4.x to 5.x (Gen2)

This guide helps you migrate your Terraform configurations from PowerFlex 4.x to PowerFlex 5.x (Gen2 architecture).

Overview

PowerFlex 5.x introduces a new Gen2 architecture with updated REST APIs. The Terraform provider supports both 4.x and 5.x through a hybrid approach:

4.x features continue using the goscaleio SDK
5.x Gen2 features use the OpenAPI-generated client (clientgen)

New Resources in 5.x

The following new resources are available for PowerFlex 5.x Gen2 systems:

Storage Management

powerflex_storage_node - Gen2 replacement for SDS
powerflex_device_group - Device group management
powerflex_storage_pool_erasure_coding - Erasure coding configuration

Actions

powerflex_device_action - Device operations (clear errors, activate)
powerflex_volume_action - Volume operations (refresh, restore, map/unmap host)

Datasources

powerflex_storage_node - Query storage nodes
powerflex_device_group - Query device groups

Migration Path

1. Device Resource Changes

4.x (Deprecated):

resource "powerflex_device" "example" {
  device_path         = "/dev/sdc"
  storage_pool_id     = "pool-123"
  sds_id              = "sds-456"  # Deprecated
  # or
  sds_name            = "sds-name"  # Deprecated
}

5.x (Recommended):

resource "powerflex_device" "example" {
  device_path         = "/dev/sdc"
  storage_pool_id     = "pool-123"
  storage_node_id     = "node-789"  # New Gen2 parameter
  # or
  device_group_id     = "dg-012"    # New Gen2 parameter
}

Migration Steps:

Replace sds_id/sds_name with storage_node_id or device_group_id
Run terraform plan to verify the changes
Apply the changes with terraform apply

2. Storage Pool Erasure Coding

New Resource for 5.x:

resource "powerflex_storage_pool_erasure_coding" "example" {
  storage_pool_id       = "pool-123"
  erasure_coding_policy = "rs_2_1"  # none, rs_2_1, rs_4_1
  protection_scheme     = "TwoPlusTwo"  # Optional
}

3. Storage Node (Gen2 SDS)

New Resource for 5.x:

resource "powerflex_storage_node" "example" {
  protection_domain_id = "pd-123"
  ip_list {
    ip   = "192.168.1.1"
    role = "All"  # SdsOnly, SdcOnly, All
  }
  fault_set_id         = "fs-456"  # Optional
  performance_profile  = "HighPerformance"  # Optional
}

4. Device Group

New Resource for 5.x:

resource "powerflex_device_group" "example" {
  name                 = "device-group-1"
  protection_domain_id = "pd-123"
}

5. Volume Actions

New Resource for 5.x:

# Refresh volume metadata
resource "powerflex_volume_action" "refresh" {
  volume_id = "vol-abc123"
  action    = "refresh"
}

# Restore from snapshot
resource "powerflex_volume_action" "restore" {
  volume_id          = "vol-abc123"
  action             = "restore"
  source_snapshot_id = "snap-def456"
}

# Map to host
resource "powerflex_volume_action" "map" {
  volume_id   = "vol-abc123"
  action      = "map_to_host"
  host_id     = "host-ghi789"
  access_mode = "READ_WRITE"  # READ_ONLY, READ_WRITE
}

# Unmap from host
resource "powerflex_volume_action" "unmap" {
  volume_id = "vol-abc123"
  action    = "unmap_from_host"
  host_id   = "host-ghi789"
}

Backward Compatibility

Deprecated Parameters

The following parameters are deprecated for PowerFlex 5.x but still supported:

Resource	Deprecated Parameter	New Parameter
`powerflex_device`	`sds_id`	`storage_node_id`
`powerflex_device`	`sds_name`	`storage_node_id`

Deprecation Warnings:

Using deprecated parameters will emit a warning in Terraform output
The warnings suggest migrating to the new Gen2 parameters
Existing configurations continue to work without breaking changes

Gradual Migration

You can migrate gradually:

Keep existing 4.x configurations working
Add new 5.x resources alongside existing ones
Migrate resources one at a time
Remove deprecated parameters after migration is complete

Compatibility Matrix

Feature	PowerFlex 4.x	PowerFlex 5.x
SDS resource	✅	✅ (via goscaleio)
Storage Node resource	❌	✅ (Gen2)
Device resource (sds_id)	✅	⚠️ Deprecated
Device resource (storage_node_id)	❌	✅ (Gen2)
Storage Pool EC	❌	✅ (Gen2)
Volume actions	❌	✅ (Gen2)

Troubleshooting

Error: “Gen2 API Client Not Available”

Cause: The PowerFlex system does not support Gen2 APIs (version < 5.0).

Solution: Use 4.x resources (SDS, device with sds_id) instead of Gen2 resources.

Error: “sds_id is deprecated”

Cause: Using deprecated parameter in 5.x environment.

Solution: Replace sds_id with storage_node_id or device_group_id.

Validation Error: “value must be one of”

Cause: Invalid value for a Gen2 parameter (e.g., invalid EC policy).

Solution: Check the valid values in the resource documentation.

Dell Technologies – Product Guide

V1.9.0: powerflex provider

powerflex Provider

Example Usage

Schema

Optional

V1.9.0: Data Sources

V1.9.0: Resources

V1.9.0: Examples

V1.9.0: Migration Guide: PowerFlex 4.x to 5.x (Gen2)

Migration Guide: PowerFlex 4.x to 5.x (Gen2)

Overview

New Resources in 5.x

Storage Management

Actions

Datasources

Migration Path

1. Device Resource Changes

2. Storage Pool Erasure Coding

3. Storage Node (Gen2 SDS)

4. Device Group

5. Volume Actions

Backward Compatibility

Deprecated Parameters

Gradual Migration

Compatibility Matrix

Troubleshooting

Error: “Gen2 API Client Not Available”

Error: “sds_id is deprecated”

Validation Error: “value must be one of”

Additional Resources