basic access to old NetApp

[QSINetApp]

Hi all, sorry for this very basic question.   I inherited an old NetApp appliance at my company.  It has some data that users require.  We have no IT folks to help.   The device is plugged in and has ethernet cables plugged in that light up.  I would like to know how to access the data.   I was told in the past that it was connected to a Linux server via iSCSI and was mounted there, where it was then shared back out.  I also heard that it has a windows (CIFS or Samba?) file system volume that should be accessible.

So, how to I find the IP address of this box?   I assume there would then be a web browser type of interface that would let me see how the rest of the box is configured.  Is that even a good first step to accessing the data?    Any help appreciated, thanks!

[Ontapforrum]

What is the filer model ? You have mentioned,  you have inherited a production filer and there is no record of the netapp filer details ? Any idea, what OS type (7-mode or cdot) it is running ? 

NetApp filers are unified they can do NAS & SAN both. If this is the first time you are dealing with NetApp, then I suggest - You need to directly hook up to filer to determine it's management & data Ips. You can access the storage system directly from a console that is attached to the serial port by a cable. Is it something you can try ?

[QSINetApp]

Not sure on the model?   It didn't have anything obvious indicating model.  It has a serial, and lots of part numbers etc in the back.

So, I was able to use the mac addresses listed on the back, and ran nmap from a linux box on the same LAN, and found 3 IP addresses for the NetApp.   I ran "showmount -e IP.address" on each IP address, but I do not see any nfs shares.  I tried mounting these IP addresses as if they were windows (CIFS or Samba) shares, but no luck. 

I see two serial ports on the back.  Our server closet has a KVM switch, but it looks like our KVM has USB + VGA cables, which are not compatible with the small serial ports on the back of the NetApp.   If I did connect to that serial port, is it like getting root access via telnet or something?   Would I see some sort of OS running similar to a linux OS?   If I use my macbook pro, is there a lightning connector adapter for the NetApp serial port?   Whatever you suggest, I can give it a try.  Thanks!

[QSINetApp]

The NetApp is an E-Series - The support account now shows this for me now that I registered with the serial number of the unit.

[Ontapforrum]

Great, you managed to identify the filer type. E-series is a different Hardware Model and runs a separate Operating System (SANtricity  which is unrelated to  'ONTAP' that runs on NetApp FAS/AFF etc)  Sorry,  I am only familiar with Ontap systems, so can't help you directly but we have a e-series section on the netapp forum that you can try reaching.  You might also try reaching out to NetApp phone support and they should be able to guide you to retrieve some basic information about your E-SERIES environment.

[SpindleNinja]

This might you help out. 

https://library.netapp.com/ecmdocs/ECMLP2439714/html/GUID-61A2D34E-AFA7-40FA-BEF0-B27BF0ADE0C5.html  

[QSINetApp]

Thank you for your help.

[QSINetApp]

Yes, thanks.   It does look like I will need to gain console access via the serial port.   I'm almost certain that the device was set up with iSCSI attached storage.  So I need to create it on a new linux box we have running.   It will take some time, but I think that is the path.

[SpindleNinja]

You can also try scanning your network to see if that picks it up.   But if you don't know the password, you'll have to also do that from the console.   

eSeries are only block storage, so you will have to map it to something to get access to the data. 

[KarelBP · Accepted solution]

If this is an E-Series storage, the first thing will be to differentiate between data ports and management ports, they're separate. On an E2700 they read Port1 and Port2. These cables needs to be tracked down to a port in a switch. Then on the switch you will be able to tell MAC address of the port. Then your router will keep an arp table, where you will find the management IP address.

You wrote there are no IT people to help, can you take detailed picture of the device, especially the rear panel and post them here? And do you have the login credentials to the box?

Regards,
Karel

[QSINetApp]

Thanks all for the suggestions.  At some point, I followed a suggestion to post in the E-Series forum, which I did just now, not realizing that there is still some discussion here.   So, I'd like to continue on the proper forum.   I believe a couple people mentioned that serial port, which it seems may be the way to go.  Was hoping to use the ethernet ports and simply get some web API access.

Here's the new post:

https://community.netapp.com/t5/E-Series-SANtricity-and-Related-Plug-ins-Discussions/E-series-basic-access/td-p/160114

[Drew_C]

This topic has been moved to E-Series Discussion. I'll lock this thread since there is a link to the new thread where there is plenty of good discussion continuing.

-Drew