IBM Releases IBM Storage Ceph 9.9.1

Blog written by Marcel Hergaarden, product manager, IBM, published June 25, 2026

Software defined storage delivering Block, Object and File storage services, with an enterprise level support and updates. IBM Storage Ceph can deliver File, Block and Object storage services from within one single technology stack, supporting clients to cut CAPEX and OPEX.

A complete IBM software defined storage platform, consumable as a service, or as software subscription, also available with IBM Storage Ready Nodes hardware servers, as complete storage offering.

IBM Storage Ready Nodes for Ceph
IBM optionally offers IBM Storage Ready Nodes for IBM Storage Ceph clients.
Storage Ready Nodes concern server hardware, which has been fully tested and qualified for IBM Storage Ceph implementation and production use cases. Storage Ready Nodes for Ceph enable IBM clients for a complete storage software- and hardware solution experience.

Storage Ready node feature- and capacity choices are available within multiple configuration choices and options, depending on a client’s use cases and use patterns. On-site implementations are feasible by IBM expert labs consulting services.

Why has this release been named Storage Ceph 9.9.1 and not 9.1, afterwards 9.0?
IBM Storage Ceph versioning adopts to IBM V.R.M.F.
V.R.M.F. is commonly used across IBM product portfolio.

V = Version
R = Release
M = Modification
F = Fix

This IBM model helps Storage Ceph consumers understand the scope of changes, support lifecycle, and upgrade implications for IBM software. With this versioning, Storage Ceph versions provide more stability and predictability.

What is delivered with this IBM Storage Ceph 9.9.1 release update:
Storage Ceph RADOS core updates

• FlashCore Module plugin
  For more efficient operations and improved service levels
  Results in better space utilization and lower power consumption

Storage Ceph NVMe/TCP Block storage updates

• NVMe/TCP supported Initiators update
  RHEL 9.x and above  (9.2 recommended)
  VMware ESXi 7.0U3 and above
  Pensando SmartNIC | Hardware NVMe/TCP adapters
  Run high-performance block storage across diverse environments with confidence, scalability, and minimal operational risk
• NVMe/TCP Bring Your Own Key Namespaces support
  Enables the Gateway to serve LUKS-encrypted RBD images to NVMe initiators, leveraging Data-At-Rest Encryption to NVMe/TCP Gateways
  Delivering stronger data security, regulatory compliance, and operational simplicity without sacrificing performance
• NVMe/TCP CSI Driver—General Availability
  NVMe/TCP now offers a Ceph CSI driver for Ceph as a Service, as well as for OpenShift and general Kubernetes usage consumption
• Upgrade/Update vSphere plugin
  Users can now update the plugin from within the interface in vCenter and initialize an upgrade/update from within the vCenter client
• NVMe/TCP performance monitor
  A new utility is available: nvmeof-top
  This works in the form of a Linux`top` like tool, specifically for IBM Storage Ceph NVMe/TCP
• NVMe/TCP Gateway Locale Identification
  Stretch cluster support, leveraging awareness of cluster architecture and use cases like stretched clustering

Ceph Object storage, RADOS Gateway (RGW) updates

• Object ownership on S3 bucket-level
  Can be used to disable access control lists (ACLs) and take ownership of bucket objects, simplifying access management for data stored in Ceph RGW S3
• Account‑Level Public Access Block
  A new ability to configure account‑wide Public Access Block settings through IBM Storage Ceph’s AWS‑compatible S3Control:  PutPublicAccessBlock API
• Server-Side Encryption (SSE) Performance and Security update
  Improved Performance and Security on Storage Ceph Rados Object Gateway, when SSE Encryption is configured
  New optimizations are in place, encrypted buckets deliver performance close to non-encrypted benchmarks, while maintaining strong encryption-at-rest capabilities
• New enhanced debug logging
  For the policy evaluation engine in Security Token Service (STS) and IAM roles, resulting in more clear and detailed feedback. This eliminates the need for time-consuming guesswork

Storage Ceph CephFS File storage updates

• CephFS Subvolume metrics
  More detailed insight for administrators of IO-allocations per CephFS subvolume
• CephFS Metadata Service (MDS) Status monitoring
  Improved MDS status monitoring available within the dashboard UI
  The Storage Ceph dashboard translates complex storage performance data into clear, actionable insights, enabling faster and better decision-making
• CephFS libcephfs fscrypt update
  API alignment with the finalized upstream API
  This provides built-in, standardized file-level encryption that enhances data security without adding operational complexity

Storage Ceph NFS updates

• HAproxy with multi-active NFS-Gateways
  Multiple NFS-Gateways to be active and connected via Virtual IP
  Provided and managed by HAproxy
• NFSv4 Write Delegations
  Delegates certain file IO-functions directly to NFS clients
  A configurable option, for improved performance and scalability
  This option allows NFS clients to handle certain write operations locally, instead of relying fully on the server only. Significantly improves application responsiveness by reducing latency for write operations

Storage Ceph SMB updates

• SMB service diagnostics
  CLI-based capabilities to debug, validate, and monitor SMB cluster configurations and services—Built-in, easy-to-use diagnostics to quickly identify configuration issues, detect service failures, and perform root cause analysis without needing deep expertise or disruptive restarts
• Per share quotas and capacity reporting
  Ability to Set, Change, and Delete quotas per SMB share and report on usage
  Per-share quotas and capacity reporting provide clear control over storage consumption, preventing uncontrolled growth
• IP based access control for Shares
  Ability to have IP based allow lists to SMB shares
  Provides an additional, policy-driven layer of protection beyond user authentication
• Cluster wide IO-rate limiting
  Ability to set, monitor and enforce cluster-wide limits for IO-throughput and IOPS for SMB shares

Management User Interface Updates

• Ceph Dashboard Overview Simplification
  A new Simplified Mode, simplifying the dashboard overview by presenting key information in a more intuitive and accessible way for less experienced users
  This enables existing storage teams to confidently manage Ceph environments without deep new expertise
• S3 Browser in Dashboard
  A S3 Browser, available within the Object section, accessible via the IBM Storage Ceph UI Dashboard. This reduces complexity and accelerates time-to-value by allowing users to immediately work with object storage without needing additional tools or setup
• RGW Archive zone, configurable from within Dashboard UI
  User-friendly dashboard workflow to create or modify an RGW zone as an archive zone. New archive tier setting— aligned user experience with the existing multi-site configuration flow. Offers visibility and management capabilities, such as health status, endpoints, and sync monitoring for archive zones
• Certificate management
  Manage certificates for Ceph services through the dashboard
  Update create/edit certificates and consuming services