Skip to main content
System Manager Classic

Cluster peers with System Manager - ONTAP 9.7 and earlier

Contributors netapp-mwallis
PDFs

You can use ONTAP System Manager classic (available in ONTAP 9.7 and earlier) to peer two clusters so that the peered clusters can coordinate and share resources between them. Peered clusters are required for data replication using SnapMirror technology and SnapVault technology, and for data replication using FlexCache volumes and SyncMirror technology in MetroCluster configurations.

Generate a peering passphrase

Beginning with System Manager 9.6, you can generate a passphrase for the local cluster IPspace and use the same passphrase in the remote cluster when creating peering relationships.

Steps

  1. Click Configuration > Cluster Peers.

  2. Click Generate Peering Passphrase.

    The Generate Peering Passphrase dialog window displays.

  3. Complete the following fields:

    • IPspace: Select the IPspace from the pull-down menu.

    • Passphrase Validity: Select from the drop-down menu the duration for which you want the passphrase to be valid.

    • SVM Permissions: Select one of the following:

      • All SVMs to indicate all SVMs are permitted to access the cluster.

      • Selected SVMs to indicate specific SVMs that are permitted to access the cluster. Highlight the SVM names in the field that you want to specify.

  4. Optional: Select the checkbox if the effective cluster version of the remote cluster is earlier than ONTAP 9.6. Otherwise, the cluster peering fails to generate.

  5. Click Generate to generate the passphrase.

    For a successful generation, a message displays that identifies your passphrase.

  6. If you want to email or copy the passphrase, perform one of the following actions:

    • Click Email passphrase details.

    • Click Copy passphrase.

Modify the cluster peer passphrase

You can modify the passphrase that is provided during cluster peer creation.

Steps

  1. Click Configuration > Cluster Peers.

  2. Select the peered cluster, and click Edit

    The drop-down menu displays.

  3. Click Local Cluster Passphrase.

    The Edit Local Cluster Passphrase dialog window displays.

  4. In the Enter Passphrase field, enter a new passphrase, and then click Apply.

    Note

    The minimum required length of the passphrase is eight characters.

    The passphrase is modified immediately. However, there might be a delay before the correct authentication status is displayed.

  5. Log in to the remote cluster, and perform Steps 1 through 4 to modify the passphrase in the remote cluster.

    The authentication status for the local cluster is displayed as ok_and_offer until you modify the passphrase in the remote cluster.

Modify LIFs that are configured for the remote cluster

You can use System Manager to modify the IPspace and intercluster logical interfaces (LIFs) that are configured for the remote cluster. You can add new intercluster IP addresses or remove existing IP addresses.

Before you begin

You must have at least one intercluster IP address to create the cluster peer relationship.

Steps

  1. Click Configuration > Cluster > Configuration Updates.

  2. Select the peered cluster, and click Edit

    The drop-down menu displays.

  3. Click Peer Cluster Network Parameters.

    The Edit Peer Network Parameters dialog window displays.

  4. If required, modify the following fields:

    • IPspace: Select the IPspace from the pull-down menu.

    • Intercluster LIFs: Add or remove intercluster IP addresses. You can add multiple IP addresses by separating them with commas.

  5. Click Modify.

  6. Verify the changes that you made in the Cluster Peers window.

Change the peering encryption status

You can use System Manager to change the peering encryption status for the selected cluster.

About this task

The encryption status can be enabled or disabled. You can change the status from enabled to disabled or from disabled to enabled by selecting Change Encryption.

Steps

  1. Click Configuration > Cluster Peers.

  2. Select the peered cluster, and click Edit

    The drop-down menu displays.

  3. Click Change Encryption.

    This action is not available if the encryption status is “N/A”.

    The Change Encryption dialog window displays. The toggle button indicates the current encryption status.

  4. Slide the toggle button to change the peering encryption status and proceed.

    • If the current encryption status is “none”, you can enable encryption by sliding the toggle button to change the status to “tls_psk”.

    • If the current encryption status is “tls_psk”, you can disable the encryption by sliding the toggle button to change the status to “none”.

  5. After you enable or disable peering encryption, you can either generate a new passphrase and provide it at the peered cluster or you can apply an existing passphrase that was already generated at the peered cluster.

    Note

    If the passphrase used on the local site does not match the passphrase used on the remote site, the cluster peering relationship will not function properly.

    Select one of the following:

    • Generate a passphrase: Proceed to step 6.

    • Already have a passphrase: Proceed to step 9.

  6. If you chose Generate a passphrase, complete the necessary fields:

    • IPspace: Select the IPspace from the drop-down menu.

    • Passphrase Validity: Select from the drop-down menu the duration for which you want the passphrase to be valid.

    • SVM Permissions: Select one of the following:

      • All SVMs to indicate that all SVMs are permitted to access the cluster.

      • Selected SVMs to indicate specific SVMs that are permitted to access the cluster. Highlight the SVM names in the field that you want to specify.

  7. Optional: Select the checkbox if the effective cluster version of the remote cluster is earlier than ONTAP 9.6. Otherwise, the passphrase fails to generate.

  8. Click Apply.

    The passphrase is generated for the relationship and displayed. You can either copy the passphrase or email it.

    The authentication status for the local cluster is displayed as ok_and_offer for the selected passphrase validity period until you provide the passphrase at the remote cluster.

  9. If you already generated a new passphrase in the remote cluster, then perform the following substeps:

    1. Click Already have a passphrase.

    2. Enter in the Passphrase field the same passphrase that was generated in the remote cluster.

    3. Click Apply.

Delete cluster peer relationships

You can use System Manager to delete a cluster peer relationship if the relationship is no longer required. You must delete the cluster peering relationship from each of the clusters in the peer relationship.

Steps

  1. Click Configuration > Cluster Peers.

  2. Select the cluster peer for which you want to delete the relationship, and then click Delete.

  3. Select the confirmation check box, and then click Delete.

  4. Log in to the remote cluster, and perform Steps 1 through 3 to delete the peer relationship between the local cluster and the remote cluster.

    The status of the peer relationship is displayed as “unhealthy” until the relationship is deleted from both the local cluster and the remote cluster.

Cluster Peers window

You can use the Cluster Peers window to manage peer cluster relationships, which enables you to move data from one cluster to another.

Command buttons

  • Create

    Opens the Create Cluster Peering dialog box, which enables you to create a relationship with a remote cluster.

  • Edit

    Displays a drop-down menu with the following choices:

    • Local Cluster Passphrase

      Opens the Edit Local Cluster Passphrase dialog box, which enables you to enter a new passphrase to validate the local cluster.

    • Peer Cluster Network Parameters

      Opens the Edit Peer Cluster Network Parameters dialog box, which enables you to modify the IPspace and add or remove intercluster LIF IP addresses.

      You can add multiple IP addresses, separated by commas.

    • Change Encryption

      Opens the Change Encryption dialog box for the selected peer cluster. While you are changing the encryption of the peered relationship, you can either generate a new passphrase or provide a passphrase that was already generated at the remote peered cluster.

      This action is not available if the encryption status is “N/A”.

  • Delete

    Opens the Delete Cluster Peer Relationship dialog box, which enables you to delete the selected peer cluster relationship.

  • Refresh

    Updates the information in the window.

  • Manage SVM Permissions

    Enables SVMs to automatically accept SVM peering requests.

  • Generate Peering Passphrase

    Enables you to generate a passphrase for the local cluster IPspace by specifying the IPspace, setting the passphrase validity duration, and specifying which SVMs are given permission.

    You use the same passphrase in the remote cluster for peering.

Peer cluster list

  • Peer Cluster

    Specifies the name of the peer cluster in the relationship.

  • Availability

    Specifies whether the peer cluster is available for communication.

  • Authentication Status

    Specifies whether the peer cluster is authenticated or not.

  • Local Cluster IPspace

    Displays IPspace associated with the local cluster peer relationship.

  • Peer Cluster Intercluster IP Addresses

    Displays IP addresses associated with the intercluster peer relationship.

  • Last Updated Time

    Displays the time at which peer cluster was last modified.

  • Encryption

    Displays the status of the encryption of the peering relationship.

    Note

    Starting with System Manager 9.6, peering is encrypted by default when you establish a peering relationship between two clusters

    • N/A: Encryption is not applicable to the relationship.

    • none: The peering relationship is not encrypted.

    • tls_psk: The peering relationship is encrypted.