Using Active IQ data to manage ONTAP clusters

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The Discovery page in Cloud Manager shows you any undiscovered ONTAP clusters in your on-premises environments, whether any clusters require updated disk or shelf firmware, and if you are using all the Cloud Volumes ONTAP licenses that you were granted when you purchased the on-prem systems. This information is provided to Cloud Manager from Active IQ Digital Advisor.

Viewing unused Cloud Volumes ONTAP node-based licenses

Many on-premises ONTAP storage system packages that you purchased included a free Cloud Volumes ONTAP node-based license so you can try the NetApp cloud storage offerings in Cloud Manager. You can use the license to create a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance, or you can apply the license to an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance to expand the capacity by 368 TiB.

You can see whether you have any unused Cloud Volumes ONTAP licenses based on your NetApp Support Site credentials.

Tip The term for a node-based license starts on the first day of the next month after the license was issued. For example, if you obtain a node-based BYOL license on Dec 15, 2021, the license term starts on Jan 1, 2022 (the first day of the next month).
Steps

  1. In Cloud Manager, click the Discovery tab.

  2. Click the Licenses tab in the lower portion of the page.

    A screenshot of the used and unused Cloud Volumes ONTAP licenses.

    A Use License button appears for each unused license.

  3. If you want to activate and start using the license, click Use License.

    Screenshot of the two use license options.

See the tasks below to learn about the options for using the available licenses.

Using unused Cloud Volumes ONTAP licenses

You can use unused licenses to create a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance or to extend the capacity of the license on an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance. The capacity of the license is 368 TiB.

The Expires column indicates the last day the license is active. When creating a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP system this is the date the license expires. When updating an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP system this indicates the length of time the existing license is extended.

The License Type, Hyperscaler, and Model Type columns describe the type of Cloud Volumes ONTAP license it is. For example, BYOL | Single | Azure means the license is a "bring-your-own" license for a "single node" Cloud Volumes ONTAP system deployed in "Microsoft Azure". The values that can appear in this column are shown in the table.

Column Values

License Type

PAYGO
BYOL

Hyperscaler

Azure
AWS
GCP
All Providers

Model Type

Single
HA

When creating a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP system, this is the type of system you are deploying. For example, using the sample license (BYOL | Single | Azure), you can create a single-node Cloud Volumes ONTAP system in Azure with entitlement for up to 368 TiB. This license can’t be used to create an HA system or to deploy an instance in AWS.

When updating an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP system, this indicates the type of system that can have the capacity for its existing license extended. Using the sample license again, you can extend the license for any single-node Cloud Volumes ONTAP system in Azure. This license can’t be used to extend the license for an HA system or for an instance deployed in AWS.

Creating a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP system with the unused license

Follow these steps to create a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP instance with the unused license.

Steps

  1. Click Use License and select Use License for a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

  2. In the "Use License…​" page, verify the license information and click Use License.

    In most cases you will be directed to the Details & Credentials page for creating the working environment for the Cloud Volumes ONTAP system because both the cloud provider and number of nodes are defined by the license.

    If you are using a license defined as "All Providers", then you are directed to the Choose a Location page so you can pick the cloud provider first, before completing the Details & Credentials page.

  3. Follow the steps to create the working environment and your first volume.

    See the following sections depending on the cloud provider on which you are deploying the Cloud Volumes ONTAP system.

Extending the license capacity for an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP system

If you have a currently deployed Cloud Volumes ONTAP system that matches the license requirements of one of the free licenses (meaning the same cloud provider, number of nodes, etc.), you can follow these steps to extend the capacity of the license by 368 TiB.

Steps

  1. Click Use License and select Add License to existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP.

    A screenshot of the add license dialog for adding a license to an existing Cloud Volumes ONTAP system.

  2. In the "Add License…​" page, select the Cloud Volumes ONTAP system where you want to extend the license and click Add License.

    A confirmation dialog is displayed.

    A screenshot showing that the license has been added to a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system.

  3. You can click Close to close the window and return to the Discovery page, or you can click the link to go to the Cloud Volumes ONTAP Licensing page to view more details about licensing for that system.

Downloading new disk and shelf firmware

You can see whether any of your discovered ONTAP clusters need to have their shelf or disk firmware updated. And you can download the Ansible playbook to upgrade the firmware.

Note: The ability to view and download new firmware is available only when you have subscribed to certain support plans.

Steps

  1. From the Discovery page, click the Firmware Updates tab.

    A screenshot of the Discovery page showing nodes that need updated firmware.

    If any cluster require new firmware, a Download All button appears.

  2. Click Download All and save the zip file.

  3. Unzip the zip file and see the following instructions to update your storage system firmware.

Result

Your firmware is updated. The next time your ONTAP system sends an AutoSupport message to Active IQ, the status in the Firmware Updates page will be updated to show that updates are no longer needed.

Viewing on-prem workloads that are candidates for the cloud

Certain workloads or volumes are ideal to move to a Cloud Volumes ONTAP system from your on-prem ONTAP clusters. Some of the advantages include reduced costs and improved performance and resiliency. The Cloud Ready Workloads tab provides a list of these workloads from your discovered ONTAP clusters.

A screenshot showing the workloads from your on-prem clusters that could be moved to the cloud.

The supported workloads that are called out on this page include: SAP, SAP HANA, Oracle, File share, and SharePoint.

Lift and shift is an approach for migrating your apps to the cloud. It means moving an application and its associated data to a cloud platform without redesigning the app. See more information about lift and shift.