NetApp has planned the end of availability (EOA) and end of support (EOS) of Cloud Volumes ONTAP node-based licensing. Beginning with 11 November, 2024, the limited availability of node-based licenses has been terminated. The support for node-based licensing ends on 31 December, 2024. After the EOA of your node-based licenses, you should transition to capacity-based licensing by using the BlueXP license conversion tool.

For annual or longer-term commitments, NetApp recommends that you contact your NetApp representative prior to the EOA date or license expiry date to ensure that the prerequisites for the transition are in place. If you don't have a long-term contract for a Cloud Volumes ONTAP node and run your system against an on-demand pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) subscription, it is important to plan your conversion before the EOS date. For both long-term contracts and PAYGO subscriptions, you can use the BlueXP license conversion tool for a seamless conversion.

End of availability of node-based licenses
Convert node-based licenses to capacity based

The option to deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems by using node-based licenses is deprecated on BlueXP. Except for a few special cases, you cannot use node-based licenses for Cloud Volumes ONTAP deployments for any cloud provider.

NetApp recognizes the following unique licensing requirements in compliance with contractual obligations and operational needs, and will continue to support node-based licenses in these situations:

End of availability of node-based licenses

BlueXP now enables you to select a cold tier to store the inactive capacity tier data on Azure Blob storage. Adding the cold tier to the existing hot and cool tiers provides you with a more affordable storage option and improved cost efficiency.

Data tiering in Azure

You now have the option to restrict public access to your storage account for Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems on Azure. By disabling access, you can secure your private IP address from exposure even within the same VNet, should there be a need to comply with your organization's security policies. This option also disables data tiering for your Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems, and is applicable to both single node and high-availability pairs.

Security group rules.

You now have the ability to activate write once, read many (WORM) storage on an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP system using BlueXP. This functionality provides you with the flexibility of enabling WORM on a working environment, even if WORM was not enabled on it during its creation. Once enabled, you cannot disable WORM.

Enabling WORM on a Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment

The n1 series machines are no longer available for selection on BlueXP when deploying new instances of Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Google Cloud. The n1 series machines will be retained and supported only in older, existing systems. New deployments of Cloud Volumes ONTAP are supported in Google Cloud only from the 9.8 release. We recommend that you switch to the n2 series machine types that are compatible with Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 and later. The n1 series machines, however, will be available for new deployments performed through the API.

Supported configurations in Google Cloud.

BlueXP now supports AWS Local Zones for Cloud Volumes ONTAP high availability (HA) deployments in private mode. The support that was earlier limited to only standard mode has now been extended to include private mode.

For more information on AWS Local Zones with HA Deployments, refer to AWS Local Zones.

Beginning with this release, when you try to upgrade Cloud Volumes ONTAP using the BlueXP notification, you will receive guidance on the default, latest, and compatible versions to use. Also, now you can select the latest patch or major version compatible with your Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance, or manually enter a version for upgrade.

Upgrade Cloud Volumes ONTAP software

The built-in data protection and security features of WORM (Write Once Read Many) and ARP (Autonomous Ransomware Protection) will be offered with Cloud Volumes ONTAP licenses at no extra cost. The new pricing model applies to both new and existing BYOL and PAYGO/marketplace subscriptions of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Both capacity-based and node-based licenses will contain ARP and WORM for all configurations, including single node and high-availability (HA) pairs, at no additional cost.

The simplified pricing brings you these benefits:

Learn more about these features:

The Canada West region is now supported in AWS for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

For a list of all regions, see the Global Regions Map under AWS.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.15.1 General Availability release in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Edge Cache capacity-based licensing packages will no longer be available for future deployments of Cloud Volumes ONTAP. However, you can use the API to avail this functionality.

The minimum Cloud Volumes ONTAP version required for configuring Flash Cache on Azure is 9.13.1 GA. You can only use ONTAP 9.13.1 GA and later versions for deploying Flash Cache on Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems for Azure.

For supported configurations, see Supported configurations in Azure.

The 30-day automatic free trial for pay-as-you-go subscriptions in cloud provider's marketplace will no longer be available in Cloud Volumes ONTAP. The charging for any type of marketplace subscription (PAYGO or annual contract) will be activated from the first use, without any free trial period.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage the Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.15.0 in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Support for AWS Local Zones is now available for Cloud Volumes ONTAP HA deployments. AWS Local Zones are an infrastructure deployment where storage, compute, database, and other select AWS services are located close to large cities and industry areas.

For more information on AWS Local Zones with HA Deployments, refer to AWS Local Zones.

The following regions now support HA multiple availability zone deployments in Azure for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later:

For a list of all regions, refer to the Global Regions Map under Azure.

The Johannesburg region (africa-south1 region) is now supported in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

For a list of all regions, refer to the Global Regions Map under Google Cloud.

You can no longer create a volume from a template or edit a volume's tags. These actions were associated with the BlueXP remediation service, which is no longer available.

In AWS, Cloud Volumes ONTAP, the Mediator, and the Connector now support Amazon Instant Metadata Service v2 (IMDSv2) for all functions. IMDSv2 provides enhanced protection against vulnerabilities. Only IMDSv1 was previously supported.

If required by your security policies, you can configure your EC2 instances to use IMDSv2. For instructions, refer to BlueXP setup and administration documentation for managing existing Connectors.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.14.1 General Availability release in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports the following Edv5-series VMs starting with the 9.14.1 release.

Supported configurations in Azure

Patch releases are available in BlueXP only for the latest three versions of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Upgrade Cloud Volumes ONTAP

Starting from Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.1, the following VM types support Azure multiple availability zones for new and existing high-availability pair deployments:

Supported configurations in Azure

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.14.1 in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

You can now create a FlexVol volume up to the maximum size of 300 TiB with System Manager and the ONTAP CLI starting from Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 P2 and 9.13.0 P2, and in BlueXP starting from Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.1.

The following regions now support highly-available single availability zone deployments in Azure for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later:

The following regions now support highly-available multiple availability zone deployments in Azure for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later:

For a list of all regions, refer to the Global Regions Map under Azure.

The Berlin region is now supported in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

For a list of all regions, refer to the Global Regions Map under Google Cloud.

The Tel Aviv region is now supported in AWS for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

For a list of all regions, refer to the Global Regions Map under AWS.

The Saudi Arabia region is now supported in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP and the Connector for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

For a list of all regions, refer to the Global Regions Map under Google Cloud.

The following regions in Azure now support highly-available multiple availability zone deployments for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later:

For a list of all regions that support multiple availability zones, refer to the Global Regions Map under Azure.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage the Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.14.0 General Availability release in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

The L48s_v3 and L64s_v3 instance types are now supported with Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Azure for single node and high-availability pair deployments with shared managed disks in single and multiple availability zones, starting with the 9.13.1 release. These instance types support Flash Cache.

View supported configurations for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Azure
View storage limits for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Azure

Flash Cache and high write speed can be enabled separately in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.1 and later. High write speed is available on all supported instance types. Flash Cache is supported on the following instance types:

You can use these features separately or together on both single node and high-availability pair deployments.

Launch Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Google Cloud

Various improvements to the displayed information within the usage reports are now available. The following are enhancements to the usage reports:

For more information on usage reports, refer to Download usage reports.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage the Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.1 General Availability release in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

The Japan East and Korea Central in Azure now supports HA multiple availability zone deployments for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

For a list of all regions that support multiple availability zones, refer to the Global Regions Map under Azure.

Autonomous Ransomware Protection (ARP) is now supported on Cloud Volumes ONTAP. ARP support is available on Cloud Volumes ONTAP version 9.12.1 and higher.

To learn more about ARP with Cloud Volumes ONTAP, refer to Autonomous Ransomware Protection.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.1 in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Through the Upgrade Cloud Volumes ONTAP page, you can now choose to upgrade to the latest available version of Cloud Volumes ONTAP or an older version.

To learn more about upgrading Cloud Volumes ONTAP through BlueXP, refer to Upgrade Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

The Qatar region is now supported in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP and the Connector for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

The Sweden Central region is now supported in Azure for Cloud Volumes ONTAP and the Connector for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

The Australia East region in Azure now supports HA multiple availability zone deployments for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

Now you can find out what you're being charged for when you're subscribed to capacity-based licenses. The following types of usage reports are available for download from the digital wallet in BlueXP. The usage reports provide capacity details of your subscriptions and tell you how you're being charged for the resources in your Cloud Volumes ONTAP subscriptions. The downloadable reports can be easily shared with others.

For more information, refer to Manage capacity-based licenses.

A notification now displays whenever you access Cloud Volumes ONTAP in BlueXP without a marketplace subscription. The notification states "a marketplace subscription for this working environment is required to be compliant with Cloud Volumes ONTAP terms and conditions."

The Turin region is now supported in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP and the Connector for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA and later.

The BlueXP digital wallet now shows the licensed capacity that you purchased with marketplace private offers.

Learn how to view the consumed capacity in your account.

This release enables you to make comments when creating an Cloud Volumes ONTAP FlexGroup volume or FlexVol volume when using the API.

BlueXP now has a redesigned user interface for Cloud Volumes ONTAP Overview, Volumes, and Aggregates pages. The tile-based design presents more comprehensive information in each tile for a better user experience.

FlexGroup volumes created through ONTAP System Manager or the ONTAP CLI directly are now viewable through the redesigned Volumes tile in BlueXP. Identical to the information provided for FlexVol volumes, BlueXP provides detailed information for created FlexGroup volumes through a dedicated Volumes tile.

Learn more about viewing created FlexGroup volumes.

Starting with Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1 GA, China region support is now supported in Azure as follows.

For regional availability, refer to the Global Regions Maps for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.0 in AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports 16 TiB and 32 TiB disk sizes for high-availability deployments running on managed disks in Azure.

Learn more about supported disk sizes in Azure.

The Multi-tenant Encryption Key Management (MTEKM) license is now included with new and existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems running version 9.12.1 GA or later.

Multi-tenant external key management enables individual storage VMs (SVMs) to maintain their own keys through a KMIP server when using NetApp Volume Encryption.

Learn how to encrypt volumes with NetApp encryption solutions.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP is now supported in any cloud environment that has complete isolation from the internet. Only node-based licensing (BYOL) is supported in these environments. Capacity-based licensing is not supported. To get started, manually install the Connector software, log in to the BlueXP console that's running on the Connector, add your BYOL license to the BlueXP digital wallet, and then deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Support for Flash Cache, high write speed, and a high maximum transmission unit (MTU) of 8,896 bytes is now available for select instances with the Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.13.0 release.

Learn more about supported configurations by license for Google Cloud.

A new configuration setting is now available for placement group creation with AWS HA single availability zone (AZ) deployments. Now you can choose to bypass failed placement group creations and allow AWS HA single AZ deployments to complete successfully.

For detailed information on how to configure the placement group creation setting, refer to Configure placement group creation for AWS HA Single AZ.

A new configuration setting is now available so that you can avoid creating a link between a private DNS zone and a virtual network when using Azure Private Links. Creation is enabled by default.

Provide BlueXP with details about your Azure Private DNS

You can now enable both data tiering and WORM storage together when you create a Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 system or later. Enabling data tiering with WORM storage allows you to tier the data to an object store in the cloud.

Learn about WORM storage.

Optimized and Edge Cache capacity-based licensing packages are available for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in the Google Cloud Marketplace as a pay-as-you-go offering or as an annual contract.

Refer to Cloud Volumes ONTAP licensing.

The Multi-tenant Encryption Key Management (MTEKM) license is no longer included in new Cloud Volumes ONTAP deployments.

For more information on the ONTAP feature licenses automatically installed with Cloud Volumes ONTAP, refer to Default Configuration for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.0 in AWS and Google Cloud.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.12.1, which includes support for new features and additional cloud provider regions.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP

The ability to activate both write once, read many (WORM) and Cloud Backup features is now available during the Cloud Volumes ONTAP creation process.

The Israel region is now supported in Google Cloud for Cloud Volumes ONTAP and the Connector for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.11.1 P3 and later.

An ONTAP S3 license is now included on new and existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems running version 9.12.1 or later in Google Cloud Platform.

Learn how to configure and manage S3 object storage services in ONTAP

You can now move a working environment from one resource group to a different resource group in Azure within the same Azure subscription.

For more information, refer to Moving resource groups.

NDMP-copy is now certified for use with Cloud Volume ONTAP.

For information on how to configure and use NDMP, refer to NDMP configuration overview.

A new Azure permission has been added that now allows you to encrypt all managed disks upon creation.

For more information on this new functionality, refer to Set up Cloud Volumes ONTAP to use a customer-managed key in Azure.

You can now optimize the cost and performance of a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system directly from the Canvas.

After you select a working environment, you can choose the Optimize Cost & Performance option to change the instance type for Cloud Volumes ONTAP. Choosing a smaller-sized instance can help you reduce costs, while changing to a larger-sized instance can help you optimize performance.

BlueXP will now generate a notification if a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system is unable to send AutoSupport messages. The notification includes a link to instructions that you can use to troubleshoot networking issues.

The Multi-tenant Encryption Key Management (MTEKM) license is now included with new and existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems running version 9.11.1 or later.

Multi-tenant external key management enables individual storage VMs (SVMs) to maintain their own keys through a KMIP server when using NetApp Volume Encryption.

Learn how to encrypt volumes with NetApp encryption solutions.

BlueXP now automatically configures your Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems to use the Connector as a proxy server, if an outbound internet connection isn't available to send AutoSupport messages.

AutoSupport proactively monitors the health of your system and sends messages to NetApp technical support.

The only requirement is to ensure that the Connector's security group allows inbound connections over port 3128. You'll need to open this port after you deploy the Connector.

You can now change the charging method for a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system that uses capacity-based licensing. For example, if you deployed a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system with the Essentials package, you can change it to the Professional package if your business needs changed. This feature is available from the Digital Wallet.

Learn how to change charging methods.

When you create a Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment, the user interface now enables you to choose whether you want the predefined security group to allow traffic within the selected network only (recommended) or all networks.

Two new capacity-based licensing packages are available for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Azure when you pay through an Azure Marketplace subscription:

Learn more about these licensing packages.

The Digital Wallet now shows you the total consumed capacity in your account and the consumed capacity by licensing package. This can help you understand how you're being charged and whether you need to purchase additional capacity.

BlueXP now supports the Amazon EBS Elastic Volumes feature when creating a Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment from the user interface. The Elastic Volumes feature is enabled by default when using gp3 or io1 disks. You can choose the initial capacity based on your storage needs and revise it after Cloud Volumes ONTAP is deployed.

Learn more about support for Elastic Volumes in AWS.

An ONTAP S3 license is now included on new and existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems running version 9.11.0 or later in AWS.

Learn how to configure and manage S3 object storage services in ONTAP

Starting with the 9.10.1 release, Cloud Volumes ONTAP is now supported in the Azure West US 3 region.

View the full list of supported regions for Cloud Volumes ONTAP

An ONTAP S3 license is now included on new and existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems running version 9.9.1 or later in Azure.

Learn how to configure and manage S3 object storage services in ONTAP

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.11.1, which includes support for new features and additional cloud provider regions.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP

If you need to perform advanced management of Cloud Volumes ONTAP, you can do so using ONTAP System Manager, which is a management interface that’s provided with an ONTAP system. We have included the System Manager interface directly inside BlueXP so that you don’t need to leave BlueXP for advanced management.

This Advanced View is available as a Preview with Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.10.0 and later. We plan to refine this experience and add enhancements in upcoming releases. Please send us feedback by using the in-product chat.

Learn more about the Advanced View.

Support for the Amazon EBS Elastic Volumes feature with a Cloud Volumes ONTAP aggregate provides better performance and additional capacity, while enabling BlueXP to automatically increase the underlying disk capacity as needed.

Support for Elastic Volumes is available starting with new Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.11.0 systems and with gp3 and io1 EBS disk types.

Learn more about support for Elastic Volumes.

Note that support for Elastic Volumes requires new AWS permissions for the Connector:

Be sure to provide these permissions to each set of AWS credentials that you've added to BlueXP. View the latest Connector policy for AWS.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.11.1 includes support for AWS VPC sharing. This release of the Connector enables you to deploy an HA pair in an AWS shared subnet when using the API.

Learn how to deploy an HA pair in a shared subnet.

BlueXP now limits network access when using a VNet service endpoint for connections between Cloud Volumes ONTAP and storage accounts. BlueXP uses a service endpoint if you disable Azure Private Link connections.

Learn more about Azure Private Link connections with Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Multiple storage VMs are now supported with Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Google Cloud, starting with the 9.11.1 release. Starting with this release of the Connector, BlueXP enables you to create storage VMs on Cloud Volumes ONTAP HA pairs in Google Cloud by using the API.

Support for creating storage VMs requires new Google Cloud permissions for the Connector:

Note that you must use the ONTAP CLI or System Manager to create a storage VM on a single node system.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.11.0.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

When BlueXP upgrades the mediator for an HA pair, it now validates that a new mediator image is available before it deletes the boot disk. This change ensures that the mediator can continue to operate successfully if the upgrade process is unsuccessful.

The K8s tab was deprecated in a previous release, and has now been removed.

The Essentials and Professional packages are now available in Azure through an annual contract. You can contact your NetApp sales representative to purchase an annual contract. The contract is available as a private offer in the Azure Marketplace.

After NetApp shares the private offer with you, you can select the annual plan when you subscribe from the Azure Marketplace during working environment creation.

Learn more about licensing.

You can now store tiered data in the Amazon S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval storage class.

Learn how to change the storage class for tiered data.

The following permissions are now required to create an AWS spread placement group when deploying an HA pair in a single Availability Zone (AZ):

These permissions are now required to optimize how BlueXP creates the placement group.

Be sure to provide these permissions to each set of AWS credentials that you've added to BlueXP. View the latest Connector policy for AWS.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP is now supported in the following Google Cloud regions starting with the 9.10.1 release:

View the full list of supported regions for Cloud Volumes ONTAP

The n2-standard-16 machine type is now supported with Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Google Cloud, starting with the 9.10.1 release.

View supported configurations for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Google Cloud

When you select the Google Cloud service account to use with Cloud Volumes ONTAP, BlueXP now displays the email address that's associated with each service account. Viewing the email address can make it easier to distinguish between service accounts that share the same name.

We have removed the System Manager link that was previously available from within a Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment.

You can still connect to System Manager by entering the cluster management IP address in a web browser that has a connection to the Cloud Volumes ONTAP system. Learn more about connecting to System Manager.

Now that the introductory special rate has expired, you will now be charged for using WORM storage. Charging is hourly, according to the total provisioned capacity of WORM volumes. This applies to new and existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems.

Learn about pricing for WORM storage.

The create new volume wizard that we recently introduced is now available when creating a volume on a specific aggregate from the Advanced allocation option.

Learn how to create volumes on a specific aggregate.

Learn more about the licensing options for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

If you have an unassigned node-based license for Cloud Volumes ONTAP that you haven't used, you can now exchange the license by converting it to a Cloud Backup license, Cloud Data Sense license, or Cloud Tiering license.

This action revokes the Cloud Volumes ONTAP license and creates a dollar-equivalent license for the service with the same expiry date.

Learn how to exchange unassigned node-based licenses.

We redesigned the licensing selection screen when creating a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment. The changes highlight the by-capacity charging methods that were introduced in July 2021 and support upcoming offerings through the cloud provider marketplaces.

We updated the Digital Wallet by consolidating Cloud Volumes ONTAP licenses in a single tab.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP is now supported with the following VM types in Microsoft Azure, starting with the 9.10.1 release:

Go to the Cloud Volumes ONTAP Release Notes for more details about supported configurations.

If you use a capacity-based license for Cloud Volumes ONTAP, you are no longer charged for the capacity used by FlexClone volumes.

BlueXP now shows the charging method for each Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment in the right panel of the Canvas.

When you create a Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment, you now have the option to enter your preferred user name, instead of the default admin user name.

We made a few enhancements to volume creation:

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.10.1.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

You can now use Keystone Subscriptions to pay for Cloud Volumes ONTAP HA pairs.

A Keystone Subscription is a pay-as-you-grow subscription-based service that delivers a seamless hybrid cloud experience for those preferring OpEx consumption models to upfront CapEx or leasing.

A Keystone Subscription is supported with all new versions of Cloud Volumes ONTAP that you can deploy from BlueXP.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP is now supported in the AWS Asia Pacific (Osaka) region (ap-northeast-3).

Ports 8023 and 49000 are no longer open on Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems in Azure for both single node systems and HA pairs.

This change applies to new Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems starting with the 3.9.13 release of the Connector.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.10.0.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

We reduced the amount of time that it takes to deploy a Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment in Microsoft Azure or in Google Cloud when normal write speed is enabled. The deployment time is now 3-4 minutes shorter on average.

Data is automatically encrypted on Cloud Volumes ONTAP in Azure using Azure Storage Service Encryption with a Microsoft-managed key. But you can now use your own customer-managed encryption key instead by completing the following steps:

Learn more about these steps.

New charging methods are available for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Write once, read many (WORM) storage is no longer in Preview and is now available for general use with Cloud Volumes ONTAP. Learn more about WORM storage.

Starting with the 9.9.1 release, Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports the m5dn.24xlarge instance type with the following charging methods: PAYGO Premium, bring your own license (BYOL), and Freemium.

View supported configurations for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in AWS.

When creating a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system in Azure, you now have the option to select an existing resource group for the VM and its associated resources.

The following permissions enable BlueXP to remove Cloud Volumes ONTAP resources from a resource group, in case of deployment failure or deletion:

Be sure to provide these permissions to each set of Azure credentials that you've added to BlueXP. View the latest Connector policy for Azure.

As a security enhancement, BlueXP now disables Blob public access when creating a storage account for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

By default, BlueXP now enables an Azure Private Link connection on the boot diagnostics storage account for new Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems.

This means all storage accounts for Cloud Volumes ONTAP will now use a private link.

Learn more about using an Azure Private Link with Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Starting with the 9.9.1 release, Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports Balanced persistent disks (pd-balanced).

These SSDs balance performance and cost by providing lower IOPS per GiB.

The custom-4-16384 machine type is no longer supported with new Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems.

If you have an existing system running on this machine type, you can keep using it, but we recommend switching to the n2-standard-4 machine type.

View supported configurations for Cloud Volumes ONTAP in GCP.

A new Professional Package enables you to bundle Cloud Volumes ONTAP and Cloud Backup Service by using an annual contract from the AWS Marketplace. Payment is per TiB. This subscription doesn't enable you to back up on-prem data.

If you choose this payment option, you can provision up to 2 PiB per Cloud Volumes ONTAP system through EBS disks and tiering to S3 object storage (single node or HA).

Go to the AWS Marketplace page to view pricing details and go to the Cloud Volumes ONTAP Release Notes to learn more about this licensing option.

BlueXP now adds tags to EBS volumes when it creates a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP working environment. The tags were previously created after Cloud Volumes ONTAP was deployed.

This change can help if your organization uses service control policies (SCPs) to manage permissions.

If you enabled data tiering on a volume using the auto tiering policy, you can now adjust the minimum cooling period using the API.

Learn how to adjust the minimum cooling period.

When you create a new NFS volume, BlueXP now displays custom export policies in ascending order, making it easier for you to find the export policy that you need.

BlueXP now deletes older cloud snapshots of root and boot disks that are created when a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system is deployed and every time its powered down. Only the two most recent snapshots are retained for both the root and boot volumes.

This enhancement helps reduce cloud provider costs by removing snapshots that are no longer needed.

Note that a Connector requires a new permission to delete Azure snapshots. View the latest Connector policy for Azure.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.9.1.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

BlueXP now enables logical space reporting on the initial storage VM that it creates for Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

When space is reported logically, ONTAP reports the volume space such that all the physical space saved by the storage efficiency features are also reported as used.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports General Purpose SSD (gp3) disks, starting with the 9.7 release. gp3 disks are the lowest-cost SSDs that balance cost and performance for a broad range of workloads.

Learn more about using gp3 disks with Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP no longer supports Cold HDD (sc1) disks.

When BlueXP creates storage accounts in Azure for Cloud Volumes ONTAP, the TLS version for the storage account is now version 1.2.

BlueXP can now deploy and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.9.0.

Learn about the new features included in this release of Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

You can now deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 in the AWS Commercial Cloud Services (C2S) environment.

Learn how to get started in C2S.

BlueXP has always enabled you to encrypt Cloud Volumes ONTAP data using the AWS Key Management Service (KMS). Starting with Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.9.0, data on EBS disks and data tiered to S3 are encrypted if you select a customer-managed CMK. Previously, only EBS data would be encrypted.

Note that you'll need to provide the Cloud Volumes ONTAP IAM role with access to use the CMK.

Learn more about setting up the AWS KMS with Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

You can now deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 in the Azure Department of Defense (DoD) Impact Level 6 (IL6).

We've reduced the number of IP addresses that are required for Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 and later in Google Cloud. By default, one less IP address is required (we unified the intercluster LIF with the node management LIF). You also have the option to skip the creation of the SVM management LIF when using the API, which would reduce the need for an additional IP address.

Learn more about IP address requirements in Google Cloud.

When you deploy a Cloud Volumes ONTAP HA pair in Google Cloud, you can now choose shared VPCs for VPC-1, VPC-2, and VPC-3. Previously, only VPC-0 could be a shared VPC. This change is supported with Cloud Volumes ONTAP 9.8 and later.

Learn more about Google Cloud networking requirements.

A few months ago, we announced that Cloud Volumes ONTAP had achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Outposts Ready designation. Today, we're pleased to announce that we've validated BlueXP and Cloud Volumes ONTAP with AWS Outposts.

If you have an AWS Outpost, you can deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP in that Outpost by selecting the Outpost VPC in the Working Environment wizard. The experience is the same as any other VPC that resides in AWS. Note that you will need to first deploy a Connector in your AWS Outpost.

There are a few limitations to point out:

Cloud Volumes ONTAP can now use an Ultra SSD as VNVRAM when you use the E32s_v3 VM type with a single node system in any supported Azure region.

VNVRAM provides better write performance.

You can now choose the Availability Zone in which you'd like to deploy a single node Cloud Volumes ONTAP system. If you don't select an AZ, BlueXP will select one for you.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports 64 TB disks in GCP.

Cloud Volumes ONTAP now supports the following machine types:

By default, BlueXP now enables an Azure Private Link connection between Cloud Volumes ONTAP and its associated storage accounts. A Private Link secures connections between endpoints in Azure.