Which integrations are available for this server?

Enables interaction with Dell PowerScale (Isilon) storage clusters, providing tools to manage the OneFS REST API across categories such as file protocols (SMB, NFS, S3), networking, snapshots, quotas, and cluster configuration.

How do I use Dell Isilon (PowerScale) MCP Server?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Dell Isilon (PowerScale) MCP Server Show me a list of all SMB shares and the current cluster health." That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Isilon MCP Server

PyPI version Python 3.10+ Tests codecov License: MIT

A professional-grade Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Dell PowerScale (Isilon) OneFS API integration. This server enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with PowerScale storage clusters through a comprehensive set of tools generated from the OneFS 9.7 REST API specification.

Features

🚀 Complete API Coverage: 2,434 operations across 46 categories
🔐 Secure Authentication: Basic Auth with TLS support
📦 Dynamic Tool Generation: Auto-generates MCP tools from OpenAPI spec
🔄 Multiple Transports: stdio (Claude Desktop) and HTTP/SSE (n8n)
📝 Comprehensive Logging: Structured JSON and colored console output
⚡ Async/Await: Built on httpx for high-performance async operations
🛡️ Credential-Free Mode: Explore available tools without credentials

Supported API Categories

Category	Operations	Description
Auth	373	Authentication, users, groups, roles, providers
Protocols	351	SMB, NFS, HDFS, S3, HTTP, FTP, Swift
Sync	185	SyncIQ replication policies, reports, jobs
Cluster	167	Cluster management, nodes, configuration
Network	153	Networking, subnets, pools, interfaces
Datamover	151	Data migration, accounts, policies
Cloud	136	CloudPools, tiering, accounts
Snapshot	117	Snapshot schedules, aliases, locks
Upgrade	85	Cluster upgrade management
Event	83	Event channels, alerts, settings
Quota	78	SmartQuotas management
Job	72	Job engine, policies, reports
...	...	And 34 more categories!

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Python 3.10 or higher
Access to a Dell PowerScale cluster with REST API enabled
API credentials with appropriate permissions

Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

# Install the package pip install isilon-mcp-server # Or install with HTTP server support for n8n pip install "isilon-mcp-server[http]"

From Source

# Clone the repository git clone https://github.com/sachdev27/isilon-mcp-server.git cd isilon-mcp-server # Create virtual environment python -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate # Install the package pip install -e . # Or install with HTTP server support for n8n pip install -e ".[http]"

Configuration

Copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

Edit .env with your PowerScale credentials:

ISILON_HOST=your-powerscale-host ISILON_USERNAME=admin ISILON_PASSWORD=your-secure-password ISILON_PORT=8080 ISILON_TLS_VERIFY=true

Running the Server

stdio Transport (for Claude Desktop)

# Using the CLI isilon-mcp # Or using Python module python -m isilon_mcp.main

HTTP/SSE Transport (for n8n or web clients)

# Start HTTP server python -m isilon_mcp.http_server # With custom host/port python -m isilon_mcp.http_server --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Claude Desktop Integration

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS):

{ "mcpServers": { "isilon": { "command": "/path/to/venv/bin/python", "args": ["-m", "isilon_mcp.main"], "cwd": "/path/to/isilon-mcp-server", "env": { "ISILON_HOST": "your-powerscale-host", "ISILON_USERNAME": "admin", "ISILON_PASSWORD": "your-password" } } } }

n8n Integration

Start the HTTP server:

python -m isilon_mcp.http_server --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

In n8n, add an MCP Client node pointing to:

http://localhost:8000/sse

Example Usage

Once connected, you can ask Claude to:

"List all SMB shares on the cluster"
"Show me the cluster health status"
"Create a new NFS export for /ifs/data/project1"
"Get all snapshots older than 30 days"
"Show active SyncIQ policies"
"List users in the local provider"

Project Structure

isilon-mcp-server/ ├── isilon_mcp/ │ ├── __init__.py # Package exports │ ├── api_client.py # Async HTTP client with Basic Auth │ ├── config.py # Pydantic configuration models │ ├── exceptions.py # Exception hierarchy │ ├── http_server.py # HTTP/SSE transport for n8n │ ├── logging_config.py # Structured logging │ ├── main.py # CLI entry point (stdio) │ ├── server.py # Core MCP server │ └── tool_generator.py # OpenAPI to MCP tool generator ├── powerscale_9.7_comprehensive_openapi.json # Full API spec ├── pyproject.toml # Package configuration ├── requirements-mcp.txt # Dependencies ├── .env.example # Configuration template └── README.md # This file

Development

Running Tests

# Install dev dependencies pip install -e ".[dev]" # Run tests pytest # With coverage pytest --cov=isilon_mcp --cov-report=html

Code Quality

# Format code black isilon_mcp/ isort isilon_mcp/ # Lint ruff check isilon_mcp/ # Type checking mypy isilon_mcp/

API Reference

Tool Naming Convention

Tools are named using the pattern:

{category}_{operationId}

Examples:

auth_list_providers - List authentication providers
protocols_list_smb_shares - List SMB shares
snapshot_create_snapshot - Create a new snapshot
cluster_get_cluster_config - Get cluster configuration

Authentication

The server uses HTTP Basic Authentication with your PowerScale credentials. All requests are made over HTTPS by default.

Error Handling

The server provides detailed error messages for:

Authentication failures
Connection errors
Rate limiting
API validation errors

Security Considerations

Never commit - They contain sensitive credentials
Use TLS verification - Set ISILON_TLS_VERIFY=true in production
Principle of least privilege - Use API users with minimal required permissions
Read-only mode - Set READ_ONLY_MODE=true for monitoring-only access

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

# Test connection manually curl -k -u username:password https://your-host:8080/platform/18/cluster/config

Certificate Errors

If using self-signed certificates:

ISILON_TLS_VERIFY=false # Only for testing!

Debug Mode

Enable detailed logging:

LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG DEBUG_HTTP=true

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read our contributing guidelines and submit pull requests.

Acknowledgments

Dell PowerScale for the comprehensive REST API
Model Context Protocol for the MCP specification
Anthropic Claude for AI assistant integration

Dell Isilon (PowerScale) MCP Server