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System Manager Classic

Create a cluster peer relationship (Beginning with ONTAP 9.3)

Contributors netapp-mwallis

Beginning with ONTAP 9.3, until ONTAP 9.7, you can use the ONTAP System Manager classic interface create a cluster peer relationship between two clusters by providing a system-generated passphrase and the IP addresses of the intercluster LIFs of the remote cluster.

About this task

Beginning with ONTAP 9.6, cluster peering encryption is enabled by default on all newly created cluster peering relationships. Cluster peering encryption must be enabled manually for peering relationship created prior to upgrading to ONTAP 9.6. Cluster peering encryption is not available for clusters running ONTAP 9.5 or earlier. Therefore, both clusters in the peering relationship must be running ONTAP 9.6 in order to enable cluster peering encryption.

Cluster peering encryption uses the Transport Security Layer (TLS) to secure cross-cluster peering communications for ONTAP features such as SnapMirror and FlexCache.

Steps
  1. In the Target Cluster Intercluster LIF IP addresses field, enter the IP addresses of the intercluster LIFs of the remote cluster.

  2. Generate a passphrase from the remote cluster.

    1. Specify the management address of the remote cluster.

    2. Click Management URL to launch ONTAP System Manager on the remote cluster.

    3. Log in to the remote cluster.

    4. In the Cluster Peers window, click Generate Peering Passphrase.

    5. Select the IPspace, validity of the passphrase, and SVM permissions.

      You can allow all of the SVMs or selected SVMs for peering. When a SVM peer request is generated, the permitted SVMs are automatically peered with the source SVMs without requiring you to accept the peer relationship from the remote SVMs.

    6. Click Generate.

      The passphrase information is displayed.

      This image is explained by the surrounding text.
    7. Click Copy passphrase details or Email passphrase details.

    8. Click Done.

  3. In the source cluster, enter the generated passphrase that you obtained in Step 2.

  4. Click Initiate Cluster Peering.

    The cluster peer relationship is successfully created.

  5. Click Continue.

What to do next

You should specify the SVM details in the SVM Peering window to continue with the peering process.