---
title: "Deploying Ignition on VAST Block CSI Driver"
slug: "deploying-ignition-on-vast-block-csi-driver"
description: "Deploy Ignition SCADA/HMI on Kubernetes with VAST Block CSI Driver for persistent storage. Follow our step-by-step guide for a seamless setup."
updated: 2026-10-30T21:26:43Z
published: 2026-10-30T21:26:43Z
canonical: "docs.vastdata.com/deploying-ignition-on-vast-block-csi-driver"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vastdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deploying Ignition on VAST Block CSI Driver

## Intro

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying Ignition SCADA/HMI platform on Kubernetes using VAST Block CSI Driver for persistent storage.

## Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

- **Kubernetes cluster** (v1.20+) with kubectl configured
- **Helm** (v3.0+) installed
- **VAST Cluster 5.3+** with:
  - NVMe subsystem configured and associated with a VAST cluster view.
  - VMS user with appropriate permissions.
  - Virtual IP pool configured.
- **Network connectivity** between Kubernetes nodes and the VAST cluster.

## Part 1: Deploy VAST Block CSI Driver

**Note:** The full deployment procedure for the VAST Block CSI Driver is documented in the [VAST Block CSI Driver Documentation](/docs-5-5/docs/overview-of-block-storage-on-vast-cluster-tg). Follow those instructions to deploy the CSI driver, then return here to configure the storage class and deploy Ignition.

### Storage Class Requirements

When deploying the VAST Block CSI Driver, ensure you create a storage class named vastdata-block that Ignition will use. Include the following in your Helm values file:

```yaml
storageClasses:
  vastdata-block:
    vipPool: "<VIP_POOL_NAME>"
    subsystem: "<NVME_SUBSYSTEM_NAME>"
    fsType: "ext4"
    allowVolumeExpansion: true
    reclaimPolicy: "Delete"
```

| **Placeholder** | **Description** | **Example** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| <VIP_POOL_NAME> | VAST Virtual IP Pool name | vippool-1 |
| <NVME_SUBSYSTEM_NAME> | VAST NVMe Subsystem name | block-subsystem |

### Verify CSI Driver Installation

Before proceeding to deploy Ignition, verify the CSI driver is running and the storage class exists:

```plaintext
kubectl get pods -n vast-csi
kubectl get storageclass vastdata-block
```

Expected output should show all CSI pods in Running state and the storage class with the provisioner `block.csi.vastdata.com`

## Part 2: Deploy Ignition

### Step 2.1: Create Ignition Namespace

```plaintext
kubectl create ns ignition
```

### Step 2.2: Create Ignition Values File

The Ignition Helm chart uses a StatefulSet that automatically creates its own PVC. We configure it to use VAST Block storage via `values.yaml`:

```yaml
# Ignition Helm Values for VAST Block CSI
# File: values.yaml

# Accept Ignition EULA (required)
commissioning:
  acceptIgnitionEULA: true
  edition: standard

# Storage Configuration - use VAST Block CSI storage class
statefulset:
  # Storage class for the data volume
  dataVolumeStorageClass: "vastdata-block"
  # Storage size (adjust as needed)
  dataVolumeStorageSize: 10Gi

# Gateway configuration
gateway:
  # Preconfigure init container settings
  preconfigure:
    enabled: true
    seedDataVolume: true
    # Run preconfigure as root to handle block volume permissions
    extraSpec:
      securityContext:
        runAsUser: 0
        runAsGroup: 0

  # Add init container to fix ownership AFTER preconfigure seeds the data
  # This runs after preconfigure but before the main gateway container
  initContainers:
    - name: fix-permissions
      image: busybox:latest
      command:
        - sh
        - -c
        - |
          echo "Fixing permissions for Ignition user (2003)..."
          chown -R 2003:2003 /data
          chmod -R 755 /data
          echo "Permissions fixed."
      securityContext:
        runAsUser: 0
      volumeMounts:
        - name: data
          mountPath: /data

# Pod security context - run main container as Ignition user (2003)
podSecurityContext:
  runAsUser: 2003
  runAsGroup: 2003
  fsGroup: 2003
```

**Note on Volume Permissions:** Block CSI volumes are formatted with root ownership. The configuration above:

1. Runs the `preconfigure `init container as root so it can seed the data volume
2. Adds a `fix-permissions `init container to chown files to user 2003
3. Runs the main Ignition container as user 2003 (the Ignition default)

### Step 2.3: Deploy Ignition via Helm

Add the Inductive Automation Helm repository:

```plaintext
helm repo add inductiveautomation https://charts.ia.io
helm repo update
```

Install Ignition:

```plaintext
helm install ignition inductiveautomation/ignition \
    -n ignition \
    -f values.yaml
```

Expected output:

```plaintext
NAME: ignition
LAST DEPLOYED: <timestamp>
NAMESPACE: ignition
STATUS: deployed
REVISION: 1
```

## Part 3: Validation

### Step 3.1: Verify CSI Driver Pods

```plaintext
kubectl get pods -n vast-csi
```

All pods should be in the Running state with all containers ready.

### Step 3.2: Verify Storage Class

```plaintext
kubectl get storageclass vastdata-block -o yaml
```

Confirm the provisioner is `block.csi.vastdata.com`.

### Step 3.3: Verify PVC is Bound

```plaintext
kubectl get pvc -n ignition
kubectl describe pvc data-ignition-gateway-0 -n ignition
```

Ensure status is `Bound `and the volume is provisioned. The PVC is automatically created by the StatefulSet.

### Step 3.4: Verify Ignition Deployment

Check Ignition pods:

```plaintext
kubectl get pods -n ignition
```

Expected output:

```plaintext
NAME                 READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
ignition-gateway-0   1/1     Running   0          2m
```

Check init container logs (should show successful permission fix):

```plaintext
kubectl logs ignition-gateway-0 -n ignition -c preconfigure
kubectl logs ignition-gateway-0 -n ignition -c fix-permissions
```

Check pod logs:

```plaintext
kubectl logs -n ignition -l app.kubernetes.io/name=ignition --tail=50
```

### Step 3.5: Access Ignition Web Interface

**Option A: Port Forward (for testing)**

```plaintext
kubectl port-forward svc/ignition 8088:8088 -n ignition
```

Access Ignition at: http://localhost:8088

**Option B: Create a LoadBalancer Service**

```plaintext
kubectl patch svc ignition -n ignition -p '{"spec": {"type": "LoadBalancer"}}'
```

Get the external IP:

```plaintext
kubectl get svc ignition -n ignition
```

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

#### PVC stuck in Pending state

Check CSI driver logs:

```plaintext
kubectl logs -n vast-csi -l app.kubernetes.io/name=vastblock --tail=100
```

Common causes:

- Incorrect VAST credentials in the secret.
- NVMe subsystem not configured.
- VIP pool not reachable.

#### Pod cannot mount volume

Check events:

```plaintext
kubectl describe pod -n ignition <pod-name>
```

Check node CSI driver:

```plaintext
kubectl logs -n vast-csi -l app=csi-vast-node --tail=100
```

#### Connection to VAST cluster fails

Verify the secret:

```plaintext
kubectl get secret vast-mgmt -n vast-csi -o yaml
```

Test connectivity from a pod:

```plaintext
kubectl run test-connectivity --rm -it --image=busybox -- wget -O- http://<VAST_VMS_HOSTNAME>
```

### Useful Commands

```plaintext
# View all resources in ignition namespace
kubectl get all -n ignition

# View CSI driver resources
kubectl get all -n vast-csi

# Describe storage class
kubectl describe storageclass vastdata-block

# View PV details
kubectl get pv

# Check CSI driver version
helm list -n vast-csi
```

## Quick Reference

### File Summary

| **File** | **Purpose** |
| --- | --- |
| vast-block-values.yaml | VAST Block CSI Driver Helm configuration |
| values.yaml | Ignition Helm configuration (includes storage class and permission fixes) |

### Command Summary

```plaintext
# Deploy VAST Block CSI
kubectl create ns vast-csi
kubectl create secret generic vast-mgmt --from-literal=endpoint='...' --from-literal=username='...' --from-literal=password='...' -n vast-csi
helm repo add vastblock https://vast-data.github.io/vast-csi
helm install vastdata-block-csi vastblock/vastblock -f vast-block-values.yaml -n vast-csi

# Deploy Ignition (PVC is auto-created by StatefulSet)
kubectl create ns ignition
helm repo add inductiveautomation https://charts.ia.io
helm install ignition inductiveautomation/ignition -n ignition -f values.yaml

# Get admin password
kubectl get secret -n ignition ignition-gateway-admin-password --template='{{ printf "%s\n" (index .data "gateway-admin-password" | base64decode) }}'

  

# Access Ignition
kubectl port-forward svc/ignition 8088:8088 -n ignition
```

## References

- [VAST Block CSI Driver Documentation](/docs-5-5/docs/overview-of-block-storage-on-vast-cluster-tg)
- [VAST CSI GitHub Repository](https://github.com/vast-data/vast-csi)
- [Ignition Helm Charts](https://charts.ia.io/)
- [Creating Block Storage Classes](/docs-5-5/docs/provisioning-block-storage-with-vms)