ONTAP Administration: What Is New in 9.6

Module 1: Simplicity and Productivity

ONTAP 9 Release Model Support Policy and Management Update

Starting with ONTAP 9.6 all releases have long-term (LTS) support.

https://mysupport.netapp.com/NOW/products/ontap_releasemodel/

Image: Support Policy Milestones

ONTAP System Manager was formerly OnCommand System Manager.

NetApp Active IQ Unified Manager was formerly OnCommand Unified Manager.

ONTAP System Manager is based on RESTful APIs which are now part of the ONTAP 9.6 software.

RESTful APIs are easier to use than existing ZAPIs, and still accomplish all tasks.

The Python software developers kit (SDK) is available in ONTAP 9.6.

New ONTAP features and Ansible modules to be RESTful API only.

ONTAP System Manger 9.6 GUI (5 mins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRyFsLalmlM

Next Generation GUI – Optimized for IT Generalist

ONTAP 9.6 Enables Broader Use of NVMe Over FC

Image: ONTAP 9.6 Enables Broader Use of NVMe Over FC

FabricPool Cloud Tiering Options

Cloud tier options with ONTAP 9.5 software:

- Private cloud: StorageGRID object-based storage solution, IBM (Cleversafe)

- Public cloud: AWS, Azure, IBM Cloud Object Storage

New public cloud options with ONTAP 9.6 software:

- Google Cloud Storage

- Alibaba Cloud Object Storage Service

FabricPool: Additional ONTAP 9.6 Enhancements

- Inactive data reporting is on by default for SSD aggregates

- 2 x larger FabricPool aggregates

- Subscription licenses for tiering data to the cloud

++ Capacity-based with 1- or 3-year terms

++ Term-based for deployment flexibility and opex accounting

- SVM disaster recovery support with FabricPool aggregates

- Volume move: Moves performance tier data without affecting cloud-tier objects.

FlexGroup Out-of-Space Protection

As much as 1% of the full member’s capacity is automatically borrowed from other members to enable writes to complete.

Image: FlexGroup Out-of-Space Protection

Note: Elastic sizing is an automatic protection feature that maintains write capability on a nearly full FlexGroup volume.

Note: Continuous use affects performance, so admin action should be taken to increase FlexGroup volume size or move files.

Additional FlexGroup Enhancements in ONTAP 9.6

- FlexGroup volumes names can be changed easily

- FlexGroup volume size can be reduced easily using System Manager or the CLI

- SMB continuous availability file share support (Microsoft SQL and Hyper-V are supported)

Hybrid Cloud Caching with FlexCache

FlexCache technology in ONTAP 9.6 software enables caching to and from NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP volumes.

Image: Hybrid Cloud Caching with FlexCache

Additional FlexCache Enhancements

- End-to-end data encryption (data-at-rest on origin and cache volumes, and data-in-flight)

- More cache volumes per node (as many as 100 cache volumes per node)

- Origin volume feature support expansion (soft and hard qtree quota enforcement)

- Cached file update resiliency (update cached files on the origin when any cache volume is disconnected)

Module 2: Data Protection and Security

SnapMirror Enhancements

- In-transit data encryption for SnapMirror transfers (enabled by default for new relationships, for async and sync)

- Additional SnapMirror Synchronous protocol support (ONTAP 9.5 had FC, iSCSI, NFSv3. ONTAP 9.6 adds NFSv4, SMB2, SMB3, and mixed NFSv3/SMB volumes)

- SnapMirror Synchronous-to-SnapMirror cascades

- SnapMirror Synchronous supports: Fpolicy & soft and hard quota (qtree) on primary volumes

MetroCluster IP Updates

- Support with entry—level AFF and FAS systems (4-node A220 with partitioned SSD & 4-node FAS2750 with whole drives)

- Shared inter-site switch links

- Planned switchover and switchback can be performed in ONTAP System Manager

Software Encryption with Optimal Storage-Space Savings

NetApp Aggregate Encryption (NAE) in ONTAP 9.6:

- All volumes in an aggregate share a key

- Deduplication across volumes in the aggregate is supported!

Multitenant Key Management for Data-at-Rest Encryption

Each tenant manages the encryption keys for their data.

Each SVM or tenant can be configured with a set of KMIP compliant key management servers.

The feature requires an optional ONTAP license.

Module 3: New Hardware

Introducing the AFF A320

- End-to-end NVMe

- 100GbE onboard ports

- Shared HA and cluster interconnect ports

- Works only with the new NS224 NVMe SSD shelf

NS224 Introduction: NVMe SSD Storage Shelf

Image: NS224