Support and security updates for HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes

[MichaelMattsson]

Learn about the new version of the HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes that been released and introduces support for HPE Alletra 5000, ecosystem updates, and important security enhancements. Then get ready to install or update the HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes today.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise just released HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes 2.3.0, continuing the strong momentum in containerization and running stateful applications on various container platforms. In this release, we’ve collaborated with customers, partners, and field teams to ensure compatibility and compliance with the latest versions of most popular Kubernetes and Linux distributions to ensure smooth adoption. As HPE introduces new storage platforms, the HPE CSI Driver continues to evolve. Rest assured there’s no stopping the innovation train. Read on to learn more.

Security enhancements

Security enhancementsSeveral publicly disclosed critical issues have been found in the dependencies of the previous version of the CSI driver. Programming libraries, base container images, and external sidecars from Kubernetes SIG Storage have been updated and are now included with the 2.3.0 release. While there are no open CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) filed against the CSI driver directly, HPE recommends staying up to date by upgrading the CSI driver to minimize potential security attack vectors. Improving security is an ongoing effort and steps are taken to ensure a more expedient release cadence of the CSI driver moving forward.

Introducing HPE Alletra 5000 support

Last year HPE turbocharged the Adaptive-Flash DNA born within Nimble Storage to bring the benefits of cost effective and high-capacity storage to our customers and resume its leadership position in hybrid storage. The HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes now officially supports HPE Alletra 5000 to lower the entry point for enterprise-grade persistent storage for containerized workloads.

HPE Alletra 5000 is a popular platform for dev/test, backup repositories, and large unstructured workloads. It runs seamlessly alongside its all-flash equivalent and may act as a replication target for those systems. Data from downstream replicas may be instantly cloned and be made available to offload production data sets directly from the CSI driver, enabling self-service for developers and data scientists who need to experiment with data.

HPE Alletra 5000 for Dev/Test Workloads

An important aspect of enabling these use cases is that the source volumes doesn’t necessarily need to be persistent volumes provisioned by the CSI driver. It may be any volumes formatted with a filesystem understood by the CSI driver on the destination. Learn how to import volumes as clones with the HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes in the HPE Alletra 5000/6000 Container Storage Provider documentation.

Ecosystem updates

Version 2.3.0 introduces support for Kubernetes 1.25 and 1.26. No significant changes were made around the Container Storage Interface specification that affected the HPE CSI Driver and customers have successfully deployed the previous version of the driver. HPE now offers formal support and customers may deploy the new version with confidence.

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4.12 was recently released and we’re currently working on the formal certification to pass. The HPE CSI Operator for Kubernetes v2.3.0 should become available in the OpenShift Console over the next few weeks and the support matrix will be updated accordingly once shipped.

Compatibility & Support

Another exciting update on the ecosystem front is the introduction of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 15 SP4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.1 (and its derives, like Rocky Linux and Alma Linux), and Ubuntu 22.04. The CSI driver depends on the multipath host service that previously had issues in a wide range of versions that prevented these operating systems to work properly.

Solutions and events

We’re tapping into deep integration with workloads such as Splunk and MongoDB with HPE CSI Driver. Check out the blogs and promotional videos on how HPE makes it easy to deploy Splunk in containers with HPE Alletra and Red Hat OpenShift and on key MongoDB capabilities that map onto the CSI driver features.

The need for data protection of containerized environments are now table stakes. HPE work closely with its data protection partner ecosystems to enable our joint customers to deploy production workloads on Kubernetes and be confident that both transient and stateful applications are protected in the event of human error or system failure for both configuration and data.

HPE and Commvault recently collaborated to bring a fully validated solution stack to market with a strong focus on our joint engineering efforts around the CSI integration. Learn how to protect your containers with Commvault leveraging HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes.

HPE and Kasten by Veeam partnered early around the CSI integration in Kasten K10, long before Veeam acquired Kasten. Read about many of the key features of the HPE CSI Driver and Kasten K10 which enables you to protect your containers with HPE and Kasten K10 by Veeam in this solution overview.

In an upcoming webinar, TechTarget facilitates a discussion on how to protect Kubernetes enviornments with HPE and Kasten K10 by Veeam with experts from HPE and Veeam. Don’t miss out. Sign up today.

Protect Kubernetes Enviornments with HPE + Kasten by Veeam

Get started now

Whether you’re a seasoned HPE CSI Driver user today or just getting started, now is a good time to plan for an upgrade or deployment of the HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes with your HPE storage environment.

• Familiarize yourself with the compatibility and support for the HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes 2.3.0.
• Visit ArtifactHub for the latest HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes 2.3.0 Helm chart.
• Learn more about HPE Alletra 5000.
• Find us on the HPE Developer community public Slack. Sign up here and login here.

Stay tuned to Around The Storage Block for future updates on the HPE CSI Driver for Kubernetes and solutions optimized to run on HPE infrastructure using Kubernetes.