What’s new

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Learn what’s new with BlueXP administration features: BlueXP accounts, Connectors, cloud provider credentials, and more.

10 September 2023

Connector 3.9.33

  • When you create a Connector in AWS from BlueXP, you can now search within the Key Pair field to more easily find the key pair that you want to use with the Connector instance.

    A screenshot of the search option in the Key Pair field which appears on the Network page when creating a Connector in AWS from BlueXP.

  • This update also includes bug fixes.

30 July 2023

Connector 3.9.32

  • You can now use the BlueXP audit service API to export audit logs.

    The audit service records information about the operations performed by BlueXP services. This includes workspaces, Connectors used, and other telemetry data. You can use this data to determine what actions were performed, who performed them, and when they occurred.

    Learn more about using the audit service API

    Note that this link is also accessible from the BlueXP user interface on the Timeline page.

  • This release of the Connector also includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements and on-prem ONTAP cluster enhancements.

2 July 2023

Connector 3.9.31

  • You can now discover on-premises ONTAP clusters from the My estate tab (previously My Opportunities)

    Learn how to discover clusters from the My estate page.

  • If you’re using the Connector in an Azure Government region, you should ensure that the Connector can contact the following endpoint:

    https://occmclientinfragov.azurecr.us

    This endpoint is required to manually install the Connector and to upgrade the Connector and its Docker components.

    As a result of this change, a Connector in an Azure Government region no longer contacts the following endpoint:

    https://cloudmanagerinfraprod.azurecr.io

    Note that this endpoint is still required for all other restricted mode configurations and for standard mode.

4 June 2023

Connector 3.9.30

  • When you open a NetApp support case from the Support Dashboard, BlueXP now opens the case using the NetApp Support Site account that is associated with your BlueXP login. BlueXP previously used the NetApp Support Site account associated with the entire BlueXP account.

    As part of this change, support registration for a BlueXP account is now done through the NetApp Support Site account that’s associated with a user’s BlueXP login. Previously, support registration was done through an NSS account associated with the entire BlueXP account. As a result, other BlueXP users will not see the same support registration status if they have not associated a NetApp Support Site account with their BlueXP login. If you previously registered your BlueXP account for support, then your registration status is still valid. You just need to add a user-level NSS account to see the status.

  • You can now search for documentation from within BlueXP. Search results now provide links to content on docs.netapp.com and kb.netapp.com, which might help answer a question that you have.

    A screenshot of the BlueXP search that is available at the top of the console.

  • The Connector now enables you to add and manage Azure storage accounts from BlueXP.

    See how to add new Azure storage accounts in your Azure Subscriptions from BlueXP.

  • The Connector is now supported in the following AWS regions:

    • Hyderabad (ap-south-2)

    • Melbourne (ap-southeast-4)

    • Spain (eu-south-2)

    • UAE (me-central-1)

    • Zurich (eu-central-2)

  • The Connector is now supported in the following Azure regions:

    • Brazil South

    • France South

    • Jio India Central

    • Jio India West

    • Poland Central

    • Qatar Central

  • The Connector is now supported in the following Google Cloud regions:

    • Columbus (us-east5)

    • Dallas (us-south1)

    View the full list of supported regions

7 May 2023

Connector 3.9.29

  • Ubuntu 22.04 is the new operating system for the Connector when you deploy a Connector from BlueXP or from your cloud provider’s marketplace.

    You also have the option to manually install the Connector on your own Linux host that’s running Ubuntu 22.04.

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 and 8.7 are no longer supported with new Connector deployments.

    These versions are not supported with new deployments because Red Hat no longer supports Docker, which is required for the Connector. If you have an existing Connector running on RHEL 8.6 or 8.7, NetApp will continue to support your configuration.

    Red Hat 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, and 7.9 are still supported with new and existing Connectors.

  • The Connector is now supported in the Qatar region in Google Cloud.

  • The Connector is also supported in the Sweden Central region in Microsoft Azure.

    View the full list of supported regions

  • This release of the Connector includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements.

    Learn about Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements

4 April 2023

Deployment modes

BlueXP deployment modes enable you to use BlueXP in a way that meets your business and security requirements. You can choose from three modes:

  • Standard mode

  • Restricted mode

  • Private mode

Learn more about these deployment modes.

Note The introduction of restricted mode replaces the option to enable or disable the SaaS platform. You can enable restricted mode at the time of account creation. It can’t be enabled or disabled later.

3 April 2023

Connector 3.9.28

5 March 2023

Connector 3.9.27

  • Search is now available in the BlueXP console. At this time, you can use the search to find BlueXP services and features.

    A screenshot of the BlueXP search that is available at the top of the console.

  • You can view and manage active and resolved support cases directly from BlueXP. You can manage the cases associated with your NSS account and with your company.

    Learn how to manage your support cases.

  • The Connector is now supported in any cloud environment that has complete isolation from the internet. You can then use the BlueXP console that’s running on the Connector to deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP in the same location and to discover on-premises ONTAP clusters (if you have a connection from your cloud environment to on your on-premises environment). You can also use BlueXP backup and recovery to back up Cloud Volumes ONTAP volumes in AWS and Azure commercial regions. No other BlueXP services are supported in this type of deployment, except for the BlueXP digital wallet.

    The cloud region can be a region for secure US agencies like AWS Top Secret Cloud, AWS Secret Cloud, Azure IL6, or any commercial region.

    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.

  • The Connector now enables you to add and manage Amazon S3 buckets from BlueXP.

    See how to add new Amazon S3 buckets in your AWS account from BlueXP.

  • This release of the Connector includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements.

    Learn about Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements

5 February 2023

Connector 3.9.26

1 January 2023

Connector 3.9.25

This release of the Connector includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements and bug fixes.

Learn about Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements

4 December 2022

Connector 3.9.24

6 November 2022

Connector 3.9.23

1 November 2022

Cloud Manager now prompts you to update the credentials associated with your NetApp Support Site accounts when the refresh token associated with your account expires after 3 months. Learn how to manage NSS accounts

18 September 2022

Connector 3.9.22

  • We enhanced the Connector deployment wizard by adding an in-product guide that provides steps to meet the minimum requirements for Connector installation: permissions, authentication, and networking.

  • You can now create a NetApp support case directly from Cloud Manager in the Support Dashboard.

    Learn how to create a case.

  • This release of the Connector also includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements.

    Learn about Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements

31 July 2022

Connector 3.9.21

  • We’ve introduced a new way to discover the existing cloud resources that you’re not yet managing in Cloud Manager.

    On the Canvas, the My Opportunities tab provides a centralized location to discover existing resources that you can add to Cloud Manager for consistent data services and operations across your hybrid multicloud.

    In this initial release, My Opportunities enables you to discover existing FSx for ONTAP file systems in your AWS account.

    Learn how to discover FSx for ONTAP using My Opportunities

  • This release of the Connector also includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements.

    Learn about Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements

15 July 2022

Policy changes

We updated the documentation by adding the Cloud Manager policies directly inside the docs. This means you can now view the required permissions for the Connector and Cloud Volumes ONTAP right alongside the steps that describe how to set them up. These policies were previously accessible from a page on the NetApp Support Site.

Here’s an example that shows the AWS IAM role permissions used to create a Connector.

We also created a page that provides links to each of the policies. View the permissions summary for Cloud Manager.

3 July 2022

Connector 3.9.20

  • We’ve introduced a new way to navigate to the growing list of features in the Cloud Manager interface. All the familiar Cloud Manager capabilities can now be easily found by hovering over the left panel.

    A screenshot that shows the new left-hand navigation menu in Cloud Manager.

  • You can now configure Cloud Manager to send notifications by email so you can be informed of important system activity even when you’re not logged into the system.

    Learn more about monitoring operations in your account.

  • Cloud Manager now supports Azure Blob storage and Google Cloud Storage as working environments, similar to Amazon S3 support.

    After you install a Connector in Azure or Google Cloud, Cloud Manager now automatically discovers information about Azure Blob storage in your Azure subscription or the Google Cloud Storage in the project where the Connector is installed. Cloud Manager displays the object storage as a working environment that you can open to view more detailed information.

    Here’s an example of an Azure Blob working environment:

    A screenshot that shows an Azure Blob working environment where you can view a high level overview and then detailed information about the storage accounts.

  • We redesigned the resources page for an Amazon S3 working environment by providing more detailed information about S3 buckets, such as capacity, encryption details, and more.

  • The Connector is now supported in the following Google Cloud regions:

    • Madrid (europe-southwest1)

    • Paris (europe-west9)

    • Warsaw (europe-central2)

  • The Connector is now supported in the Azure West US 3 region.

    View the full list of supported regions

  • This release of the Connector also includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements.

    Learn about Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements

28 June 2022

Log in with NetApp credentials

When new users sign up to Cloud Central, they can now select the Log in with NetApp option to log in with their NetApp Support Site credentials. This is an alternative to entering an email address and password.

Note Existing logins that use an email address and password need to keep using that login method. The Log in with NetApp option is available for new users who sign up.

7 June 2022

Connector 3.9.19

12 May 2022

Connector 3.9.18 patch

We updated the Connector to introduce bug fixes. The most notable fix is to an issue that affects Cloud Volumes ONTAP deployment in Google Cloud when the Connector is in a shared VPC.

2 May 2022

Connector 3.9.18

  • The Connector is now supported in the following Google Cloud regions:

    • Delhi (asia-south2)

    • Melbourne (australia-southeast2)

    • Milan (europe-west8)

    • Santiago (southamerica-west1)

    View the full list of supported regions

  • When you select the Google Cloud service account to use with the Connector, Cloud Manager 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.

    A screenshot of the service account field

  • We have certified the Connector in Google Cloud on a VM instance with an OS that supports Shielded VM features

  • This release of the Connector also includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements. Learn about those enhancements

  • New AWS permissions are required for the Connector to deploy Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

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

    "ec2:DescribePlacementGroups",
"iam:GetRolePolicy",

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

    Be sure to provide these permissions to each set of AWS credentials that you’ve added to Cloud Manager. View the latest IAM policy for the Connector.

3 April 2022

Connector 3.9.17

27 February 2022

Connector 3.9.16

  • When you create a new Connector in Google Cloud, Cloud Manager will now display all of your existing firewall policies. Previously, Cloud Manager wouldn’t display any policies that didn’t have a target tag.

  • This release of the Connector also includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements. Learn about those enhancements

30 January 2022

Connector 3.9.15

This release of the Connector includes Cloud Volumes ONTAP enhancements. Learn about those enhancements

2 January 2022

Reduced endpoints for the Connector

We reduced the number of endpoints that a Connector needs to contact in order to manage resources and processes within your public cloud environment.

View the list of required endpoints

EBS disk encryption for the Connector

When you deploy a new Connector in AWS from Cloud Manager, you can now choose to encrypt the Connector’s EBS disks using the default master key or a managed key.

A screenshot that shows the disk encryption option when creating a Connector in AWS.

Email address for NSS accounts

Cloud Manager can now display the email address that’s associated with a NetApp Support Site account.

A screenshot that shows the action menu for a NetApp Support Site account which includes the ability to display the email address.

28 November 2021

Update required for NetApp Support Site accounts

Starting in December 2021, NetApp now uses Microsoft Azure Active Directory as the identity provider for authentication services specific to support and licensing. As a result of this update, Cloud Manager will prompt you to update the credentials for any existing NetApp Support Site accounts that you previously added.

If you haven’t yet migrated your NSS account to IDaaS, you first need to migrate the account and then update your credentials in Cloud Manager.

Change NSS accounts for Cloud Volumes ONTAP

If your organization has multiple NetApp Support Site accounts, you can now change which account is associated with a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system.

Learn how to attach a working environment to a different NSS account.

4 November 2021

SOC 2 Type 2 certification

An independent certified public accountant firm and services auditor examined Cloud Manager, Cloud Sync, Cloud Tiering, Cloud Data Sense, and Cloud Backup (Cloud Manager platform), and affirmed that they have achieved SOC 2 Type 2 reports based on the applicable Trust Services criteria.

View NetApp’s SOC 2 reports.

Connector no longer supported as a proxy

You can no longer use the Cloud Manager Connector as a proxy server to send AutoSupport messages from Cloud Volumes ONTAP. This functionality has been removed and is no longer supported. You will need to provide AutoSupport connectivity through a NAT instance or your environment’s proxy services.

Learn more about verifying AutoSupport with Cloud Volumes ONTAP

31 October 2021

Authentication with service principal

When you create a new Connector in Microsoft Azure, you can now authenticate with an Azure service principal, rather than with Azure account credentials.

Learn how to authenticate with an Azure service principal.

Credentials enhancement

We redesigned the Credentials page for ease of use and to match the current look and feel of the Cloud Manager interface.

2 September 2021

A new Notification Service has been added

The Notification service has been introduced so you can view the status of Cloud Manager operations that you have initiated during your current login session. You can verify whether the operation was successful, or if it failed. See how to monitor operations in your account.

7 July 2021

Enhancements to Add Connector wizard

We redesigned the Add Connector wizard to add new options and to make it easier to use. You can now add tags, specify a role (for AWS or Azure), upload a root certificate for a proxy server, view code for Terraform automation, view progress details, and more.

NSS account management from Support Dashboard

NetApp Support Site (NSS) accounts are now managed from the Support Dashboard, rather than from the Settings menu. This change makes it easier to find and manage all support-related information from a single location.

Learn how to manage NSS accounts.

A screenshot of the NSS Management tab in the Support Dashboard where you can add NSS accounts.

5 May 2021

Accounts in the Timeline

The Timeline in Cloud Manager now shows actions and events related to account management. The actions include things like associating users, creating workspaces, and creating Connectors. Checking the Timeline can be helpful if you need to identify who performed a specific action, or if you need to identify the status of an action.

Learn how to filter the Timeline to the Tenancy service.

11 April 2021

API calls directly to Cloud Manager

If you configured a proxy server, you can now enable an option to send API calls directly to Cloud Manager without going through the proxy. This option is supported with Connectors that are running in AWS or in Google Cloud.

Learn more about this setting.

Service account users

You can now create a service account user.

A service account acts as a "user" that can make authorized API calls to Cloud Manager for automation purposes. This makes it easier to manage automation because you don’t need to build automation scripts based on a real person’s user account who can leave the company at any time. And if you’re using federation, you can create a token without generating a refresh token from the cloud.

Learn more about using service accounts.

Private previews

You can now allow private previews in your account to get access to new NetApp cloud services as they are made available as a preview in Cloud Manager.

Learn more about this option.

Third-party services

You can also allow third-party services in your account to get access to third-party services that are available in Cloud Manager.

Learn more about this option.

9 February 2021

Support Dashboard improvements

We’ve updated the Support Dashboard by enabling you to add your NetApp Support Site credentials, which registers you for support. You can also initiate a NetApp Support case directly from the dashboard. Just click the Help icon and then Support.