BlueXP edge caching (formerly NetApp Global File Cache) is the solution designed for this exact use case. It addresses the needs of distributed organizations by caching frequently accessed data from a central ONTAP system to edge locations, such as remote offices or construction sites. This provides users with local-like performance for file access. Critically, it implements a centralized, global file locking mechanism. When a user at one site opens a file, it is locked for all other users across all locations, ensuring data integrity and preventing version conflicts, which directly satisfies the stated requirements.

A. BlueXP tiering: This service is for data lifecycle management, automatically moving inactive (cold) data from on-premises ONTAP systems to low-cost cloud object storage. It does not provide active file access or locking for remote sites.

B. Cloud Volumes Service: This is a cloud-native file storage service (e.g., Azure NetApp Files). While it provides file shares, it does not inherently solve the problem of providing local performance and global locking across multiple geographically dispersed physical sites.

D. BlueXP observability: This is a monitoring and analytics tool within the BlueXP suite. It provides insights into the health, performance, and capacity of a storage environment but does not provide data access, caching, or file locking capabilities.

1. NetApp BlueXP edge caching documentation: "BlueXP edge caching enables you to provide a global file cache solution for your remote offices. It provides transparent data access and centralized data management... Key benefits include: ... Centralized file locking for data integrity."

Source: NetApp BlueXP Documentation, "Learn about BlueXP edge caching".

2. NetApp Product Page for Global File Cache: "NetApp Global File Cache is software that you deploy in branch offices to cache frequently used data for fast, secure access. It works with NetApp ONTAP® systems, on the premises or in the cloud, to create a single, centrally managed data footprint... It also provides global file locking to maintain data integrity across the enterprise."

Source: NetApp, "Global File Cache" Product Datasheet.

3. NetApp BlueXP tiering documentation: "BlueXP tiering can tier inactive data from your on-premises ONTAP clusters to object storage in the cloud... Tiering data helps you reduce your on-premises storage costs."

Source: NetApp BlueXP Documentation, "Learn about BlueXP tiering".