topic Re: Option is not visible: using API to query vFiler in Software Development Kit (SDK) and API Discussions

Option is not visible: using API to query vFiler

SSMAYNARD — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:19:10 GMT

Hello everyone,

I am attempting to query an option on a vFiler using the NetApp SDK 5.0. I can use the "options-get" API to access other options but it will constantly fail with the "cifs.enable_share_browsing" option with the error "Option is not visible: cifs.enable_share_browsing". Our end goal is to get vFiler snapdiffs working with our backup software. I am hoping somebody out there has either experienced this problem or knows exactly why we are getting this error. But, any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated. I am adding some sample output below.

* this example shows the command failing against the vfiler

C:\Users\backup\Desktop\netapp-manageability-sdk-4.1\netapp-manageability-sdk-4.

1\bin>.\nt\apitest.exe <vfiler> <username>

"<password>" options-get name cifs.enable_share_browsing

INPUT:

<options-get>

<name>cifs.enable_share_browsing</name>

</options-get>

OUTPUT:

<results reason="Option is not visible: cifs.enable_share_browsing" errno="2" st

atus="failed"/>

* this example shows the command working at the hosting controller level

C:\Users\backup\Desktop\netapp-manageability-sdk-4.1\netapp-manageability-sdk-4.

1\bin>.\nt\apitest.exe <controller> <username> "<password>" opt

ions-get name cifs.enable_share_browsing

INPUT:

<options-get>

<name>cifs.enable_share_browsing</name>

</options-get>

OUTPUT:

<cluster-constraint>none</cluster-constraint>

<cluster_constraint>none</cluster_constraint>

</results>

Re: Option is not visible: using API to query vFiler

rle — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 02:51:08 GMT

Hi Stuart -

I got the same response when I sent the API options-get directly to the vfiler. However, when I used vfiler tunneling, I got a different result:

apitest -v vfiler1 myfiler user myPass options-get name cifs.enable_share_browsing

<cluster-constraint>none</cluster-constraint>

<cluster_constraint>none</cluster_constraint>

</results>

I was very surprised by the different responses, because sending the API directly to the vfiler should be the same as vfiler tunneling. The ONTAP version is critical here. I'm running on 7.3.3.

I also did invoked options-list-info, and there was a difference between in the output between vfiler tunneling and going directly to the vfiler. This looks like a bug. Please report it.

Regards,

- Rick -

Re: Option is not visible: using API to query vFiler

SSMAYNARD — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:57:12 GMT

Hello Rick,

Thanks very much for testing on your end. I really appreciate that. I can confirm that the same behavior occurs in ONTAP 8.1 (I should have included that in my original post). Our ultimate goal here is to get this query working to facilitate functionality for our backup software (TSM). It's good to know the tunneling route would work but I think we've hit a wall here with the backup software. I'll go ahead and follow up with a bug report. Again, thank you for the effort and feedback.

-Stuart

Re: Option is not visible: using API to query vFiler

marcus_nilsson — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 20:39:12 GMT

Hi,

Did You find any solution to this? I'm also having the same issue when trying to use TSM to back up a CIFS volume hosted on a vfiler.

Using TSM client 6.4.0.2 on Windows and ONTAP 8.1.2P1

For example:

04/01/2013 21:07:20 ANS1670E The file specification is not valid. Specify a valid Network Appliance or N-Series NFS (AIX, Linux) or CIFS (Windows) volume.

04/01/2013 21:07:21 Option is not visible: cifs.enable_share_browsing

04/01/2013 21:07:21 ANS2832E Incremental by snapshot difference failed for \\xxxx\xxx. See the error log for details.

04/01/2013 21:07:24 ANS5283E The operation was unsuccessful.

BR Marcus

Re: Option is not visible: using API to query vFiler

reasoncreated — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:04:57 GMT

I've run into this problem twice now. The first time was back in September 2012, and again today.

I don't know what fixed it last time, but this time, disabling SMB2.1 and restarting the CIFS server on the NetApp resolved the problem. At least, those are the two things done today. One or the other might have been the real fix.