Active IQ Config Advisor is a NetApp tool designed to perform health and configuration checks on an ONTAP cluster. After an installation, it is used to validate the system against NetApp's best practices. A key function of this tool is to analyze and report on the physical cabling of the cluster, including cluster interconnects, HA pairs, and shelf cabling. It automatically detects and flags any cabling errors, making it the correct tool for post-installation verification.

A. NetApp Host Utilities package: This software is installed on the client host, not the storage system, to facilitate multipathing and LUN management.

C. Interoperability Matrix Tool: The IMT is a pre-sales and planning tool used to verify compatibility between different hardware and software components before deployment.

D. Hardware Universe: HWU is a reference database that provides detailed specifications and configuration information for NetApp hardware components; it does not perform live system validation.

1. Active IQ Config Advisor Data Sheet: "Config Advisor is an easy-to-use configuration validation tool that can help you avoid common configuration errors... It checks for cabling

and software setup issues."

Source: NetApp

"Active IQ Config Advisor Data Sheet

" DS-3659-0922

September 2022. (This document is publicly available on the NetApp product page for Active IQ).

2. NetApp Knowledge Base Article: "Config Advisor is a configuration validation and health check tool for NetApp systems. It is used to check for common configuration errors related to hardware and software."

Source: NetApp KB Article 1013515

"What is Config Advisor and where can I download it?"

3. ONTAP Cluster Administration Documentation: Describes the role of cluster setup and verification tools. While not naming Config Advisor directly in every section

the context of post-installation checks aligns with the tool's purpose. The documentation for Host Utilities clearly defines its role on the host side.

Source: NetApp ONTAP Documentation Center

"SAN administration overview

" describing the role of host-side software.

Selective LUN Mapping (SLM) is a NetApp ONTAP feature that controls which nodes in a cluster report paths to a specific LUN. By default, a LUN is accessible through all nodes in the cluster that host a SAN LIF. When SLM is configured for a LUN, it restricts path reporting to only the node that owns the LUN and its high-availability (HA) partner. This ensures that the host only sees paths through the local HA pair, which is the most optimal configuration for performance and path management, preventing unnecessary traffic across the cluster interconnect.

B. Subsystem: An NVMe subsystem is a collection of controllers and namespaces. While it defines what an initiator can access, it does not inherently restrict presentation to an HA pair.

C. Consistency group: A consistency group is used to manage a set of LUNs together for data protection purposes, such as creating simultaneous, write-order-consistent snapshots. It does not control LUN access paths.

D. igroup: An initiator group (igroup) controls which hosts (initiators) are permitted to access a LUN. It does not control which ONTAP nodes present the paths to that LUN.

1. NetApp ONTAP 9 Documentation

SAN administration

"How Selective LUN Map works": "By default

when you map a LUN to an initiator group (igroup)

the LUN is accessible through network paths to the node that owns the LUN and to all other nodes in the cluster... You can use Selective LUN Map (SLM) to reduce the number of paths from the host to the LUN. SLM makes the LUN accessible only through paths on the node that owns the LUN and the node’s HA partner."

2. NetApp Technical Report TR-4333

"NetApp SAN Best Practices

" Page 11

Section 2.4.1 Selective LUN Mapping: "Selective LUN Mapping (SLM) limits the number of paths to a LUN to only the nodes in the HA pair that own the LUN. By default

ONTAP advertises paths to all nodes in the cluster. SLM is recommended for all configurations."

3. NetApp ONTAP 9 Documentation

SAN administration

"What initiator groups are": "An initiator group (igroup) is a collection of worldwide port names (WWPNs) for Fibre Channel (FC) initiators or iSCSI qualified names (IQNs) for iSCSI initiators. You use igroups to control which hosts have access to a LUN." This reference clarifies the function of an igroup

distinguishing it from SLM.

In NetApp ONTAP 9.14.1, the maximum supported size for a single LUN is 128 TiB. This limit applies to most mid-range and high-end AFF and FAS platforms. It is important to note that certain entry-level platforms, such as the AFF A200, AFF C190, and FAS2700 series, are restricted to a smaller maximum LUN size of 16 TiB. However, since the question asks for the maximum size possible with the software, 128 TiB is the correct answer.

A. 16TiB is the maximum LUN size for specific entry-level platforms, not the overall maximum for ONTAP 9.14.1 software.

B. 64TiB is not a documented maximum LUN size limit for any platform series in ONTAP 9.14.1.

D. 300TiB exceeds the documented architectural limit for a single LUN in the ONTAP 9.14.1 release.

1. NetApp ONTAP 9.14.1 SAN Configuration Guide: In the section "LUNs

" under the subsection "LUN configuration overview

" the documentation states

"The maximum LUN size is 128 TB for all platforms except for AFF A200

AFF C190

FAS2600 series

and FAS2700 series systems

which have a maximum LUN size of 16 TB." (Note: In the context of ONTAP commands and architecture

TB is used interchangeably with TiB).

Source: NetApp Product Documentation

ONTAP 9.14.1

SAN Configuration Guide.

2. NetApp Hardware Universe (HWU): This official tool provides detailed configuration limits for all NetApp hardware and software combinations. When selecting a high-end platform (e.g.

AFF A900) with ONTAP 9.14.1

the "SAN Limits" section explicitly lists "Max LUN Size (TB): 128". Conversely

selecting an entry-level platform (e.g.

AFF C190) shows "Max LUN Size (TB): 16".

Source: hwu.netapp.com (Accessed for ONTAP 9.14.1 data).

3. NetApp Technical Report TR-4067: SAN Best Practices: This document reinforces the LUN size limits. Section 3.1

"LUN Configuration

" discusses sizing and notes the platform-dependent maximums

aligning with the 128 TiB limit for higher-end systems.

Source: NetApp Technical Report TR-4067

Section 3.1.

LIF (Logical Interface) failover is an automatic high-availability feature inherent to NetApp ONTAP. In an All SAN Array (ASA) environment, which is optimized for block storage resiliency, this feature is critical. If a network port, cable, or switch fails, the iSCSI LIF automatically and non-disruptively migrates to a healthy, pre-configured failover port on the same node or a partner node. This process maintains the iSCSI session and ensures continuous data access for connected hosts without requiring any manual administrator intervention.

B. LUN mapping: This is a required, but manual, provisioning step where an administrator explicitly associates a LUN with an initiator group (igroup).

C. CHAP authentication: This is a security feature that requires the manual configuration of user names and secrets on both the ONTAP system and the host initiator.

D. igroup creation: This is a manual configuration task where an administrator defines a group of host initiators (by their IQNs) to manage LUN access.

1. NetApp ONTAP 9.13.1 Documentation

Network management

"How LIF failover works": This section details the automatic nature of LIF migration. It states

"If a network port fails

a logical interface (LIF) on that port automatically migrates to a healthy port... This process is transparent to the client."

2. NetApp ONTAP 9.13.1 Documentation

SAN administration

"Workflow for configuring iSCSI": This guide presents the explicit

manual steps for iSCSI setup

which include creating igroups (Step 5) and mapping LUNs to igroups (Step 6)

demonstrating these are not automatic features.

3. NetApp Technical Report TR-4705

"NetApp All SAN Array (ASA) with ONTAP

" Section: High Availability: This document emphasizes that ASA systems are built on the foundation of ONTAP's high-availability features

including "nondisruptive operations (NDOs) for storage and network failovers

" which is directly enabled by automatic LIF failover.

The vserver nvme namespace convert-from-lun command in ONTAP facilitates an in-place conversion of an existing LUN into an NVMe namespace. This process is a metadata-only operation. It alters the attributes and access protocols associated with the data object without moving or copying the underlying user data blocks. By changing the metadata, the same data can be accessed via the more efficient NVMe protocol, which is why an administrator would perform this action to increase host performance. The conversion is fast and non-disruptive to the data itself.

A. FlexVol: The command modifies a specific object (the LUN) residing within a FlexVol, not the FlexVol container itself.

B. FlexClone: A FlexClone creates a writable, space-efficient copy of an object. The conversion command modifies the original object in-place, it does not create a clone.

C. LUN clone: This command converts the LUN's type to a namespace; it does not create a separate, cloned copy of the LUN.

1. NetApp ONTAP 9 SAN Administration Guide: In the section "Convert a LUN to a namespace

" the documentation states

"You can convert an existing LUN to an NVMe namespace. The conversion is a metadata operation and does not involve data copy." (Search for "Convert a LUN to a namespace" in the ONTAP 9.13.1 SAN Administration Guide).

2. NetApp ONTAP 9 Commands Manual Page Reference: The description for the vserver nvme namespace convert-from-lun command specifies its function is to "convert an existing LUN to an NVMe namespace." The nature of this in-place conversion is inherently a metadata change

as confirmed by the administration guides. (Reference the command's manual page in the official ONTAP documentation).