What to do if your system is on a Python version lower than 3.11

The IBM Storage Scale Bridge for Grafana, version v9.0.0 onwards, requires Python to be at a minimum level of 3.11 (recommended 3.12).

If a lower Python version is installed on the system, the required version must be installed. To do this, please follow the official installation documentation from IBM Storage Scale. Then make sure that the installed version is set as the default version.

Starting with version 6.0.0.0, IBM Storage Scale offers the mmpython command, which automatically selects the appropriate version of Python. You can also run grafana-bridge with mmpython. To do this, please first check the availability of the mmpython command on your system.

Example output:
```console
# mmpython
Python 3.12.1 (main, Feb 19 2024, 00:00:00) [GCC 11.4.1 20231218 (Red Hat 11.4.1-3)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>>

```

Check required additional python packages shipped with gpfs.rpms are present on the node, where you are going to install grafana-bridge. Add the package location to the Python Path.

Example output:
```console
# ls /usr/lpp/mmfs/lib/ | grep python_external_libs.zip
python_external_libs.zip

# export PYTHONPATH="${PYTHONPATH}:/usr/lpp/mmfs/lib/python_external_libs.zip"
# mmpython
Python 3.12.1 (main, Feb 19 2024, 00:00:00) [GCC 11.4.1 20231218 (Red Hat 11.4.1-3)] on linux
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import sys
>>> from pprint import pprint as p
>>> p(sys.path)
['',
 '/usr/lpp/mmfs/lib/mmsysmon',
 '/usr/lpp/mmfs/lib/python_external_libs.zip',
 '/usr/lib64/python312.zip',
 '/usr/lib64/python3.12',
 '/usr/lib64/python3.12/lib-dynload',
 '/usr/lib64/python3.12/site-packages',
 '/usr/lib/python3.12/site-packages']
>>>

```

Start grafana-bridge with mmpython

Example output:
```console

# mmpython source/zimonGrafanaIntf.py --configFile source/config.ini

2025-10-26 20:14 - MainThread                               - INFO     -  *** IBM Storage Scale bridge for Grafana - Version: 9.0.0 ***
2025-10-26 20:14 - MainThread                               - INFO     - Successfully retrieved MetaData
2025-10-26 20:14 - MainThread                               - INFO     - Received sensors:CPU, DiskFree, GPFSBufMgr, GPFSEXPELNODE, GPFSFilesystem, GPFSFilesystemAPI, GPFSNSDDisk, GPFSNSDFS, GPFSNSDPool, GPFSNode, GPFSNodeAPI, GPFSRPCS, GPFSTSCOM, GPFSVFSX, GPFSWaiters, GPFSmmhealth, Load, Memory, Netstat, Network, TopProc, IPFIX, CTDBDBStats, CTDBStats, SMBGlobalStats, SMBStats, GPFSDiskCap, GPFSEXPEL, GPFSFileset, GPFSInodeCap, GPFSPool, GPFSPoolCap
2025-10-26 20:14 - MainThread                               - INFO     - Initial cherryPy server engine start have been invoked. Python version: 3.12.1 (main, Feb 19 2024, 00:00:00) [GCC 11.4.1 20231218 (Red Hat 11.4.1-3)], cherryPy version: 18.10.0.
2025-10-26 20:14 - MainThread                               - INFO     - Registered applications:
  OpenTSDB Api listening on Grafana queries,
  Prometheus Exporter Api listening on Prometheus requests,
  Prometheus Config Generator Api
2025-10-26 20:14 - MainThread                               - INFO     - server started

```	

You can also use mmpython within the grafana-bridge systemd service. Update the mmpython path in the grafana-bridge.service file.

```console
ExecStart=/usr/lpp/mmfs/bin/mmpython -u source/zimonGrafanaIntf.py --configFile source/config.ini

```