NetApp ONTAP 8 (7 Mode Administration) Part 2

This is a continuation of my class notes from the pilot class I am taking at NetApp this week.

You'll notice that the differences between version 7.3 and 8.0 are subtle. Even though this is a major upgrade, you will not see a major difference if you are running the storage system in version 7 mode. This is a good thing! The big news here is the merging of the GX and 7.X ONTAP code lines so there is a single source for the developers. This will allow NetApp to better embrace their cloud model going forward. I like the idea of changing the workings in the background but leaving the user experience the same for now. Starting with version 8.1, we will see some major changes.

So, what is different? Please see my previous article for the rest of the list. Here are some additional changes:

• The vif command no longer exists. vifs are now Interface Groups and the new command is ifgrp. If you enter vif from an SSH prompt, you will be told the command has been deprecated if favor of the command ifgrp
• Version 8.0 will only support SMB 1.0 for CIFS. Version 7.3 supported both SMB 1.0 and 2.0. This MAY be an issue for Microsoft Vista, Server 2008, and Windows 7 machines if they have been edited to only talk in 2.0 mode. The operating systems in question will speak 1.0 and 2.0 by default but 2.0 is much more efficient so some administrators may have set the registry to only talk 2.0. If so, they will be unable to talk to the storage until version 1.0 is enabled again. This will be corrected in ONTAP 8.1
• Creating a LUN in Systems Manager. The class ditches FilerView in favor of Systems Manager version 1.1. Version 1.1 will be released shortly. One thing I found very interesting is the creation of a LUN using Systems Manager. If you use the LUN wizard, it will create a volume for you (if one doesn't already exist) using a 1.2x formula. If you ask for a 100GB lun, you will get a 120GB volume. In addition, fractional reserve and snapshot reserve are both set to 0% and autogrow/autodelete are enabled at their defaults. Lastly, the LUNs are "thick" (space reserved at the LUN and volume level). In contrast, the command lun setup will not create a volume, and sets no snap reserve but sets fractional reserve to 100% on a "thick" LUN with no autogrow/autodelete. There is nothing wrong with either way, but it is important to understand the differences going forward.

As I come across more items, I will post them.