In NetApp® ONTAP® System Manger 9.8, we integrated MetroCluster IP configurations and FSA (File System Analytics) features from the ONTAP 9.8 release. Let’s take a look at them together.
The MetroCluster configuration and setup was a daunting task in the past but now it has become so simple. The process has been streamlined and using the System Manager 9.8 UI, you can control and execute the process from a single place.
FSA is a new feature in ONTAP 9.8, and you can access it within the Volumes -> Explorer tab UI within System Manager 9.8. It helps you to visualize file level access activities, and you can detect any anomaly right away for potential ransomware activities.
In System Manager 9.8, one of the most asked questions is around NetApp Snapshot™ size display. You might have noticed from the Snapshot UI that the size information is not included in the new interface.
The most common reason to care about Snapshot copy sizes is when you need to delete some Snapshot copies to free up space in a volume. The calculations to determine how much space can be recovered by deleting particular Snapshot copies are time-consuming and can be complicated. And because the Snapshot size might lead administrators to inaccurate conclusions, System Manager 9.8 and the ONTAP 9.8 APIs no longer display the size of Snapshot copies. If you wish to see this information regarding the Snapshot copy sizes, you can use the CLI to extract this info.
That’s it for now. Thank you for following this series of mini-blogs on System Manager 9.8, hopefully they were useful to you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your account team if you ever run into additional questions or simply want to share your feedback with us.
Where can I learn more?
Please see a list of useful resources at this link.
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For those who have updated the disk and shelf firmware, you are not alone feeling that the process is not intuitive. In NetApp® ONTAP® System Manager 9.8, we have implemented a new interface where the update process has never been easier-it can be done within the UI with a single click. Let’s pull up Cluster Overview and click the three dot icon on the top right and select ONTAP Update. Next, navigate to the firmware update page. After we select the firmware file from either a server location or the local machine and click Update, it will take care of the rest in the backend and show you the status when it’s done.
In the next blog, let’s take a look at some of the ONTAP 9.8 feature integrations in System Manager 9.8, including the new File System Analytics feature.
Where can I learn more?
Please see a list of useful resources at this link.
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If you ever need to troubleshoot a physical connection issue where a cable could be disconnected to either host or backend switches or storage, now this can be viewed in the Hardware Visualization interface in NetApp® ONTAP® System Manager 9.8. You can interact with the objects in the UI and visualize the status of hardware components status.
To see this in action, please check out the video demo.
In the next blog, let’s take a look at how easy a firmware update can be with the System Manager 9.8.
Where can I learn more?
Please see a list of useful resources at this link.
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Ever had issue figuring out the exact network connection down the port, protocol, storage VM (SVM) and volume level? NetApp® ONTAP® System Manager 9.8 implemented a new network interface where all network mappings are laid out and you can interact with each object.
With the help of the network mapping feature implemented in the System Manager 9.8, you can visualize the exact network connection by clicking on any object within the graph. You can see additional performance information by clicking on the three dot icon so that it can be displayed to easily identify any overloaded port situation.
Let’s address a couple of common questions around networking in System Manager 9.8.
How do I add or remove broadcast domains? And where is the subnet based network interface?
For a simpler user experience, ONTAP 9.8 automatically detects how nodes are cabled and maps the ports into broadcast domains. YOu no longer need to create broadcast domains manually. Because subnet-based network provisioning flows were rarely used based on the NetApp Active IQ data, System Manager 9.8 no longer exposes subnet-based network interfaces. If you wish to manually configure these settings, it can be done through the ONTAP CLI.
How is port selected for Network LIFs?
ONTAP 9.8 has a new feature where it can automatically select a port for new network interfaces, so the port choice is no longer presented during provisioning in System Manager 9.8. If you wish to manually pick a port, it can be done in the CLI. You also have an option to move or rehome a port through the UI after the original provisioning, especially when you see this icon that indicates the LIF is not on the home port, by clicking Revert to fix it.
To see this in action, please check out this video demo. In the next blog, let’s take a look at how the hardware visualization works.
Where can I learn more?
Please see a list of useful resources at this link.
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