ONTAP Newbie

[earnest skiff]

I am trying to get into ONTAP with the simulator. I've set up the lab according to Neil Anderson from Flackbox, but I think that's kinda overkill for getting started.
I'm not a newbie to Storage and also not to ONTAP. I've administered a Metro Cluster for file services with 2 pre configured SVMs at a previous employer and I have extensive experience with classic SAN Block Storage.

At my new position I eventually have to deal with a lot of NetApp systems, so I really want to dig into it.

It's really not that intuitive compared to lets say IBM Flash Systems and from what I've been told the old System Manager was way better and gave you much more options, the new one is supposed to be really basic.

Does it even make sense to use the System Manager over the CLI?

I have the cluster set up and it's doing it's clustery things, but I'm utterly failing at creating an SVM that is actually reachable and manageable.
I managed to make it reachable on the network with the management Interface, but it just goes all 404 on me.

Are there any available resources/tutorials from cluster setup all the way to serving data via SVMs?
I am trying to get paid for training on NetApp Systems, but that's gonna take time until it's approved (large company), so I thought I am getting started already by myself.

I looked at the free trainings on the NetApp page and already did a bunch of them, but they are not really hands on and more like giving you an overview on what's possible and how things are functioning in general.

ONTAP Newbie

[polar pecan]

Does it even make sense to use the System Manager over the CLI?
From my point of view no. But I use those daily, if you only have to ocassionally configure something, then the System Manager might still be the better option.
But CLI, scripting and automation (PowerShell/REST/Ansible) are probably the most powerful options (even if they might be a bit overwhelming at first).
If you can, try and get an old system up and running that has been decomissioned or at least written off, you can use that for training/testing/getting familiar

[grizzled granite]

The documentation is quite extensive: https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/ontap/index.html
But no real quick-guide for the most basic setup.

What you mean with "I managed to make it reachable on the network with the management Interface, but it just goes all 404 on me."?
What protocol do you want to enable in your SVM? Did you create data LIFs? Do you have relevant routes?

Oh and which ONTAP version are you on?

And yes, imo there are scenarios where the System Manager makes sense or is easier to use than CLI. Especially if you're doing stuff which you not have done for some time.

[stoic trench]

I always find the GUI is not best when it comes to security. The cli will give all available options but may also be more steps

I like to specify the failover-policy, the service-policy (especially if a more secure one has already been created), set auto revert

[subtle glen]

You're probably better off asking questions here. Honestly ONTAP has a pretty high learning curve. I think there are some good Youtube series on NetApp or some training out there. You can also speak to your NetApp account team for some training.

[thick hare]

@earnest skiff If you have a NetApp Support account you can check out the Lab on Demand site - its for customers and partners too. https://labondemand.netapp.com/

[earnest skiff]

Hi OG1.
Yeah, I've noticed the extensive documentation.
After Cluster Setup I created an SVM and assigned it a management IP via the UI.
To start out I only wanted to play around with CIFS / NFS.

Is the SVM managed completely through the Cluster System Manager, or does it have a dedicated management UI?
When I open the SVM IP in a Browser, that's when I get the 404.

I'm on the 9.12 Simulator.

[earnest skiff]

It sure has!

[earnest skiff]

I'll take a look at that, thanks!

[earnest skiff]

I do have access with my Account to the Lab on Demand site.
They do come with guides, which is awesome. I'll dive right in, thanks!

[polar pecan]

The management UI (the "System Manager") is only available on the cluster management LIFs, not on the SVM management LIFs

[drifting cave]

i think the biggest thing you need to understand about ONTAP is its has very similar concepts as VMware. you have the concept of a Cluster, you can add more HA pairs to you cluster and grow it out.. just like you would add more ESX hosts to a VMware cluster, you have management/admin network ports and you have data ports (10/25/40/100GB) which you can team and run LACP can have VLANS and these are used to access your storage, and then you have a concept of a SVM, unlike in VMware where a VM runs and OS in the ONTAP world a SVM servers our strorage using protocols (CIFS, NFS, FC, NVME, ISCSI, S3). A SVM spans the whole cluster so it can use storage from and HA pair in the cluster, Each SVM has their own IPs which can float between nodes in the clusters for NAS protocols.