Introduction:
On September 29th, we announced the latest release of NetApp ONTAP tools for VMware vSphere, designed to simplify and secure your VMware Cloud Foundation storage operations. This update introduces new supportability features and improvements to streamline operations, helping to reduce time to resolution in the event you need to open a case with technical support.
This is the final installment in our three-part series for the new 10.5 release. If you missed the previous two, you can find them here:
- ONTAP Tools for VMware 10.5 (Part 1 of 3): Hardening Your VMware Private Cloud - NetApp Community
- ONTAP Tools for VMware 10.5 (Part 2 of 3): Protecting your VMware vSphere and VCF Deployments - NetApp Community
New Supportability Features in This Release
1. Automatic Backups Every 10 Minutes
Never miss a beat. The new automatic backup feature creates backups of the ONTAP tools configuration at 10-minute intervals, minimizing loss of configuration data, and ensuring rapid recovery in case of unexpected events whereby the ONTAP tools appliance might get accidentally deleted or otherwise become unavailable.
What you need to know:
- Near-zero RPO backups are stored on the same datastore as the ONTAP Tools VM.
- Backup settings can be modified via Manager UI, Swagger UI, or maintenance console.
2. Enhanced Logging and Diagnostics
Troubleshooting has been made significantly easier. Additional logs from MongoDB, RabbitMQ, vault pods, and Kubernetes namespaces are now included in the log bundle, providing deeper insights for support and diagnostics.
3. Job Listing View in Manager UI and RP UI
Stay on top of your operations. Both the Manager UI and vCenter Remote Plugin (RP) UI now feature a comprehensive job listing view, making it simple to monitor, track, view errors, and manage tasks across your environment. These new views support filtering and pagination for easier debugging.
4. Dynamic Log Level Changes
Adjust log levels on the fly—you no longer need to restart services. This flexibility streamlines troubleshooting and system monitoring.
Conclusion:
The new ONTAP Tools for VMware vSphere 10.5 release delivers powerful new supportability features, making storage operations more secure, resilient, and efficient for VMware private clouds. Download it today at the https://mysupport.netapp.com/site/products/all/details/otv10/downloads-tab
