Network Attached Storage (NAS) provides dedicated file storage which can be accessed by multiple clients in the network. ONTAP supports several NAS protocols. Learn more about NAS storage management.

FlexCache is an ONTAP remote caching feature. It brings data closer to clients which improves access performance and reduces costs. Creating a FlexCache volume, which initially copies only the metadata from the origin file system, simplifies file distribution and reduces WAN traffic. Learn more about ONTAP FlexCache volumes.

A FlexGroup volume consists of several member volumes that share the traffic automatically and transparently. FlexGroup volumes offer several benefits, including high performance and simplified management. Learn more about FlexGroup volume setup.

Cross File Sequential Read (CFSR) is a feature available on AFX systems beginning with ONTAP 9.19.1 that improves the performance of video editing and related applications. For workflows that store video frames as individual sequential files, typically 50 to 250 MB each, CFSR intelligently predicts and prefetches the next files based on sequential filename patterns. Up to 10 files or 500 MB of data can be prefetched, significantly reducing read latency and ensuring smooth playback of 4K/8K raw video at 30 frames per second.

CFSR is enabled by default on AFX systems running ONTAP 9.19.1 or later, but you need to explicitly enable it on the individual volumes. Storage administrators can configure the feature with the ONTAP CLI or equivalent REST API call. Using the CLI, you can enable CFSR as part of creating a new volume. You can also update an existing volume with the following command:

volume modify -volume <volume_name> -aggressive-readahead-mode [cross_file_sequential_read|none]

The CFSR feature is compatible with both FlexVol and FlexGroup volumes and is file-extension agnostic, supporting decimal and hexadecimal filename numbering schemes. For NFSv4.x protocols, CFSR integrates with Multi-Protocol I/O (MPIO) read capabilities to further enhance performance by serving subsequent reads directly from memory. CFSR is available exclusively on AFX systems, with limitations on the volumes supported. It's not supported with the following volume types:

CFSR is not supported on any other ONTAP platforms (FAS, AFF, or ASA) or in cloud deployments. such as Cloud Volumes ONTAP. It can operate using FlexGroup volumes with GDD enabled or disabled. However, because video frame files are typically much smaller than GDD's minimum segment size, GDD does not stripe these files effectively across FlexGroup constituents. This means GDD has minimal direct impact on CFSR's file prefetching behavior.

A consistency group is a collection of volumes that are managed as a single unit. Learn more about ONTAP consistency groups.

You can protect your files by converting them to a write once read many (WORM) state at a volume level. SnapLock supports two modes. Compliance mode ensures the files cannot be deleted until their retention period expires which addresses government or industry-specific mandates. Enterprise mode allows privileged users to delete files before their retention period expires. Learn more about ONTAP SnapLock.

Deduplication is an ONTAP storage efficiency feature that reduces physical storage requirements by identifying and removing duplicate data blocks. Traditional deduplication operates at either a volume or aggregate level. This existing capability provides significant storage efficiency for customers across all ONTAP platforms.

Beginnng with ONTAP 9.19.1, AFX introduces a new operational scope by extending deduplication to the entire Storage Availability Zone (SAZ). Global deduplication builds on volume-level deduplication by automatically eliminating duplicate blocks across the volumes throughout the SAZ. Global deduplication sessions are triggered automatically, which ensures optimal savings without manual intervention.

Global deduplication is enabled by default on AFX A1K systems and operates transparently in the background with minimal performance impact. No feature license is required and the feature integrates seamlessly with existing storage efficiency technologies including compression and compaction. The savings achieved through global deduplication are reported through the storage efficiency metrics. This feature can be particularly beneficial for application workloads where data is frequently shared or replicated across multiple volumes.

FPolicy is a file access notification framework used to monitor and manage file access events on storage virtual machines (SVMs). You can use FPolicy to create policies that define which file operations to monitor, and optionally block, based on criteria you define. FPolicy is commonly used for security auditing, compliance, and data governance. Learn more about ONTAP FPolicy solutions.