ONTAP Hardware

[FAS8300] Add disk and extend aggregate data

TheAO93
1,043 Views

Hi Experts,

 

I'm currently facing an issue with adding disks to my NetApp system and would greatly appreciate your help.

Here is my current setup:

  • NetApp FAS8300 system
  • Firmware version: 9.11.1
  • Current disks:
    • Aggregate 1 : 20 disks of 16TB in RAID-TEC
    • Aggregate 2 : 20 disks of 16TB in RAID-TEC

I have new 16TB disks that I want to add to my existing storage pool. However, I'm not sure of the exact steps to integrate these new disks optimally without disrupting my system's current operations.

Here are a few specific questions I have:

  1. Are there any prerequisites or specific checks that need to be done before adding the disks ?
  2. What is the exact command to add these new disks to the existing storage pool ?
  3. Should I plan for a maintenance window or any downtime during the disk addition process ?
  4. Is it possible to mix disks of different sizes and, if so, what are the implications for performance and space management ?

Any help or advice on the procedure would be greatly appreciated. If you have any experiences to share, that would be very helpful!

 

Thanks

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

SpindleNinja
983 Views

1. Yes there's a few things,    you want to understand what RAID configs you have and what the MAXes are - Here's some good reading on understanding RAID Groups - 

https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap/disks-aggregates/sizing-raid-groups-concept.html

 

2. You can do the add via the GUI or you can use CLI (my preferred way) https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap-cli-9141//storage-aggregate-add-disks.html. the -simulate flag is important to note here as there is no undo when adding disks.  

 

3.  It's not a disruptive procedure,  that said, everyone I know that does it has to do it with in change windows that are usually in the evenings and weekends.   

 

4.  You can mix disks in a RAID Group as well as in an aggr but there are some things to note.  - https://kb.netapp.com/on-prem/ontap/OHW/OHW-KBs/Does_Data_ONTAP_allow_mixing_of_drive_sizes_in_a_RAID_group

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3 REPLIES 3

SpindleNinja
984 Views

1. Yes there's a few things,    you want to understand what RAID configs you have and what the MAXes are - Here's some good reading on understanding RAID Groups - 

https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap/disks-aggregates/sizing-raid-groups-concept.html

 

2. You can do the add via the GUI or you can use CLI (my preferred way) https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap-cli-9141//storage-aggregate-add-disks.html. the -simulate flag is important to note here as there is no undo when adding disks.  

 

3.  It's not a disruptive procedure,  that said, everyone I know that does it has to do it with in change windows that are usually in the evenings and weekends.   

 

4.  You can mix disks in a RAID Group as well as in an aggr but there are some things to note.  - https://kb.netapp.com/on-prem/ontap/OHW/OHW-KBs/Does_Data_ONTAP_allow_mixing_of_drive_sizes_in_a_RAID_group

TheAO93
906 Views

Hi SpindleNinja,

Thanks for your feedback,

I'm also looking for information on physically adding NetApp disks. Is there a specific procedure ?

Could you provide some details on the steps involved ? Also, should I disable auto-assign during this process or not ? In the link you sent me, if I've understood correctly, I'd have to identify the disks first and then use the -disklist parameter to add them to the aggregate ?

 

Thanks in advance for your help !

weiliu
366 Views

1. Before adding a disk, ensure that the disk model is compatible with the raid group.
2. Run the "disk assign disk_name "command to add new disks.
3. Adding disks to AGGR does not affect AGGR, or you can choose to add disks during off-peak hours.
4. If disks of different capacities are combined in a RAID group, all disks work according to the minimum disk capacity.

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