topic NetApp networking configuration in ONTAP Discussions

NetApp networking configuration

JARED_OCKER — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:42:20 GMT

We recently purchased our first NetApp (two FAS3240 filers running 8.0.1 7-mode) so I've been making my way through the documentation and trying to set it up. I think I'm getting close to having a working environment but I'm still unclear on a few things. Here's a quick summary of what I've done and questions I have:

Created a VIF with no IP address
Created a VLAN on the VIF
Created an IPspace
Assigned the VLAN to the IPspace
Created a vFiler (we're using MultiStore)
Noticed the VLAN was disabled. Tried to enable it but it wouldn't start without an IP address.
Tried to assign an IP address to the VLAN but it said, "ifconfig: can't assign address to vif-san1-262, no vfiler in this interface's ipspace (internal) has this address"
??? So the IP addresses on the VLAN and vFiler have to match?
Configured the VLAN with the same IP as the vFiler
Tried to connect to the vFiler from vCenter but can't get a connection. However, the NetApp console reports this: "Wed Oct 26 13:24:29 PDT [san-vm-int@netapp1: app.log.info:info]: vcenter1: Monitoring and Host Configuration sub-plugin 2.1.0: (0) discovery: Storage discovery task found this controller to be connected to an ESX host managed by vCenter or manually entered."

Also, do I need to be doing anything with the routing tables? There's a couple steps talking about it in the MultiStore Management Guide but I couldn't get it to work. Here's where I'm at:

vfiler run san-vm-int route add 10.50.62.0/24 <gateway??> 0

From what I can tell the gateway parameter is required but we have no gateway on our storage switches. The NetApp and vSphere servers are all plugged into the same switches

And one final question... When I'm partnering interfaces between the two filers, do I partner the VIFs, the VLANs, or both?

I hope I provided enough information about our environment and what I'm having trouble with. Thanks for any help you're willing to provide!

.: Jared

NetApp networking configuration

shaunjurr — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 22:42:38 GMT

IP's added to interfaces in ipspaces assigned to vfilers first have to exist in the vfiler. Default routes in vfilers are not mandatory, but you almost used the correct syntax (modulo gateway and hop count) if you wanted to. Local subnets are just a matter for arp. This would need to be added to your /etc/rc file. "vif's" on 8.x are called "interface groups" or ifgrp ... just to avoid confusion...

When you configure partner interfaces, just pair up the vlan interfaces. Remember, corresponding ipspaces with the correctly assigned vlans have to exist on both filers or things will go fubar when you failover.

NetApp networking configuration

scottgelb — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:01:22 GMT

Create the vlan and ipspace then ipspace assign the vlan interface. The. VFiler add -i ipaddr. Then ifconfig interface sameip. For routes usually needed unless a flat network.

NetApp networking configuration

JARED_OCKER — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:08:48 GMT

Great, thanks guys. I really appreciate the help.