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Dell PowerStore Discovery

The Infracast Dell PowerStore plugin uses the PowerStore REST API to enumerate storage appliances, volumes, host objects, and replication sessions. Authentication is via PowerStore local admin credentials.

How It Works​

  1. Infracast connects to the PowerStore management IP over HTTPS
  2. Appliance identity and hardware information is collected
  3. Volumes are enumerated with their capacity and configuration
  4. Host and host group objects (with their FC/iSCSI/NVMe initiators) are discovered
  5. Active replication sessions are collected to map data protection relationships

Prerequisites​

  • HTTPS access (TCP/443) from the Infracast collector to the PowerStore management IP
  • PowerStoreOS 2.0 or later
  • A local account with the Viewer role (read-only)

Creating a Read-Only Account​

Via the PowerStore Manager UI:

  1. Log into PowerStore Manager
  2. Navigate to Settings → Security → Users → Add
  3. Username: infracast
  4. Role: Viewer (read-only)
  5. Set a strong password
  6. Click Save

Via PowerStore CLI:

# SSH to the PowerStore management IP
ssh admin@powerstore.example.com

# Create the user (requires System Administrator access to run)
user create --name infracast --role Viewer --password "YourSecurePassword!"
tip

The Viewer role provides full read access to all PowerStore objects including appliances, volumes, hosts, and replication. It cannot modify any configuration.

Registering the Credential in Infracast​

infracast creds add \
  --plugin dell-powerstore \
  --name "powerstore-prod" \
  --type basic-auth \
  --host "powerstore.example.com" \
  --username "infracast" \
  --password-file /run/secrets/powerstore-password

Configuring the Discovery Job​

infracast.yaml
discovery:
  jobs:
    - name: dell-powerstore
      plugin: dell-powerstore
      credential: powerstore-prod
      schedule: "0 */6 * * *"    # every 6 hours
      config:
        host: "powerstore.example.com"
        username: "infracast"
        # verify_tls: set to "true" with a valid management cert
        verify_tls: "false"

What Gets Discovered​

Resource TypeDescription
dell.powerstore.appliancePowerStore appliance node (name, model, service tag, PowerStoreOS version, health state)
dell.powerstore.volumeVolume (name, size, used capacity, appliance assignment, protection policy, state)
dell.powerstore.hostHost object (name, OS type, initiators: IQN/WWN/NQN, host group membership)
dell.powerstore.replication_sessionReplication session (name, state, role, remote system, last sync time, RPO)

Edges link volumes to their parent appliance, hosts to their connected volumes, and replication sessions to source/target volumes.

Troubleshooting​

401 Unauthorized​

Symptom: Error: PowerStore API error: 401 Unauthorized

Checks:

  1. Verify the username and password are correct
  2. Confirm the user account is active in PowerStore Manager (Settings → Security → Users)
  3. Test manually: 
    curl -sk -u "infracast:password" \
      "https://powerstore.example.com/api/rest/appliance" | jq '.[].name'

TLS certificate error​

Symptom: Error: x509: certificate signed by unknown authority

Fix: PowerStore appliances use self-signed certificates by default. Set verify_tls: "false" for internal networks, or install a CA-signed certificate via Settings → Security → Certificates.

Replication sessions missing​

Symptom: Volumes are discovered but dell.powerstore.replication_session resources are empty

Checks:

  1. Verify replication is licensed and configured on the cluster
  2. Check that active replication sessions exist: log into PowerStore Manager → Protection → Replication
  3. The Viewer role must have access to replication data — this is included by default

Missing volumes​

Symptom: Some volumes do not appear in Infracast

Cause: Volumes on remote systems (metro volumes) may be listed differently.

Check: Look for volumes with a type field of clone or snapshot which are enumerated separately from primary volumes.