topic Qtree/Quota query in General Discussion

Qtree/Quota query

rich2778 — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 13:30:19 GMT

I'm a potential NetApp customer and I'm evaluating NetApp functionality using ONTAP Select.

We're interested in using FAS SVM's for CIFS sharing instead of Windows Virtual Servers.

One thing we use on our Windows Servers are quotas so that Marketing can't go above 100GB on their shared folder and Finance can't go above 50GB and so on.

I believe the way to do this on NetApp is using Qtrees?

Where I'm struggling is with whether I can have a quota on a subfolder.

If you look in the graphic below I've managed to setup Qtrees for each top level level folder (Finance, IT, Marketing, Projects), but I'm not clear how to do this for the Marketing\Sales subfolder, or if it can be done?

Also when I create the Qtree I get a warning about export policy but this is using NTFS permissions only surely?

Thanks

Rich

Re: Qtree/Quota query

naveens17 — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 18:34:37 GMT

quotas can be imposed on user or group, or that can be contained by a qtree.

Thanks

Re: Qtree/Quota query

rich2778 — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 18:50:36 GMT

Thanks, but that's not what will work for us.

We have a Marketing share, we have NTFS permissions controlling access (very granular), we don't care who creates what so long as the Marketing share doesn't exceed 100GB.

This is why I believe qtree is the only solution other than individual volumes.

Re: Qtree/Quota query

D_BEREZENKO — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 18:50:46 GMT

Since quotas for Qtree apply on user level, you should use junction points functionality.
https://docs.netapp.com/ontap-9/index.jsp?topic=%2Fcom.netapp.doc.cdot-famg-nfs%2FGUID-78701FC2-2910-41FA-AEF4-9E6245030189.html

In this case you create one root flex volume, one flexvol for finance, marketing and so on.
Then you map those flexvol volumes according to you business needs and export to users root directly.
So for end users those volumes looks like folders for their departaments, while they will use single, the same file share. In this manner you’ll be able to control & modify space for each department.

Re: Qtree/Quota query

rich2778 — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 18:58:28 GMT

Thank you I'm coming to NetApp from traditional block where a LUN/volume is "kind of" a big deal.

I think some of it is me adapting to realising that a volume on a NAS maybe isn't that big of an issue.

So would you suggest that so far as a "best practise" that this is the recommended approach?

I'm a little surprised even in latest ONTAP that there doesn't seem a way to do quotas quickly and simply at folder/share level.

Rich

Re: Qtree/Quota query

naveens17 — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 00:28:13 GMT

I would suggest go with volume for every department and if you wan to have a structure like

-->Finance

--Marketing

--Engineering

then you can use junction-path one one root share & enable access based enumeration for every share.

with volumes you can split/move to different aggregates based on the performance needs. control the space at volume level so they don't cross it.

Thanks