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VCP

Add and manage nodes

Contributors netapp-pcarriga netapp-dbagwell

Using the plug-in, you can add storage nodes when a cluster is created or when more storage is needed. You can also add storage nodes running Element software. You must add NetApp HCI compute nodes outside of the plug-in in vSphere.

Add a node to a cluster

You can add storage nodes to your cluster using the vCenter Plug-in.

What you'll need

  • The node you are adding has been set up, powered on, and configured.

  • Both the major or minor version numbers of the software on each node in a cluster must match for the software to be compatible. For example, Element 9.0 is not compatible with version 9.1.

Note If the node you are adding has a different major or minor version of NetApp Element software than the version running on the cluster, the cluster asynchronously updates the node to the version of NetApp Element software running on the cluster master. After the node is updated, it automatically adds itself to the cluster. During this asynchronous process, the node will be in a pendingActive state.
About this task

Nodes require initial configuration when they are first powered on. When the node has been set up and configured, it registers itself on the cluster identified when the node was configured and appears in the list of pending nodes on the Cluster > Nodes page of the plugin extension point.

You can add nodes of smaller or larger capacities to an existing cluster.

The procedure is the same for adding FC nodes or storage nodes that are running NetApp Element software.

Steps

  1. In your vSphere Web Client, open the Cluster tab:

    • Beginning with Element vCenter plug-in 5.0, select NetApp Element Remote Plugin > Management > Cluster.

    • For Element vCenter plug-in 4.10 and earlier, select NetApp Element Management > Cluster.

    Note If two or more clusters are added, ensure that the cluster you intend to use for the task is selected in the navigation bar.

  2. Click the Nodes sub-tab.

  3. Select Pending from the drop-down list to view the list of nodes.

  4. To add one or more nodes, perform the following steps:

    1. Select the check box for each node you want to add.

    2. Click Add Node.

  5. Review the details of the nodes you are intending to add and confirm the action.

    When the action is complete, the node appears in the list of active nodes for the cluster.

View node details

You can view a list of the nodes in the cluster on the Nodes page of the Cluster tab from the plug-in extension point. You must select Active view to see the list of active nodes. You can change the view by selecting Pending, PendingActive, and All options using the drop-down filter.

Steps

  1. In your vSphere Web Client, open the Cluster tab:

    • Beginning with Element vCenter plug-in 5.0, select NetApp Element Remote Plugin > Management > Cluster.

    • For Element vCenter plug-in 4.10 and earlier, select NetApp Element Management > Cluster.

    Note If two or more clusters are added, ensure that the cluster you intend to use for the task is selected in the navigation bar.

  2. Select the Nodes sub-tab.

  3. Select the Active view.

  4. View the details of the nodes in the storage cluster.

    You can view information such as node IDs, the name and state of each node, configured IOPS, node type, the number of active drives in each node, and networking information about each node.

Restart a node

You can restart one or more active nodes in a cluster using the plug-in extension point.

What you'll need

You have stopped I/O and disconnected all iSCSI sessions if you are restarting more than one node simultaneously.

About this task

To restart the cluster, you can select all cluster nodes and perform a restart.

Important This method restarts all networking services on a node, causing temporary loss of networking connectivity.
Note This feature is unavailable in SolidFire Enterprise SDS clusters.
Steps

  1. In your vSphere Web Client, open the Cluster tab:

    • Beginning with Element vCenter plug-in 5.0, select NetApp Element Remote Plugin > Management > Cluster.

    • For Element vCenter plug-in 4.10 and earlier, select NetApp Element Management > Cluster.

    Note If two or more clusters are added, ensure that the cluster you intend to use for the task is selected in the navigation bar.

  2. Select the Nodes sub-tab.

    1. From the Active view, select the check box for each node you want to restart.

    2. Click Actions.

    3. Select Restart.

  3. Confirm the action.

Shut down a node

You can shut down one or more active nodes in a cluster using the plug-in extension point. To shut down the cluster, you can select all cluster nodes and perform a simultaneous shutdown.

What you'll need

You have stopped I/O and disconnected all iSCSI sessions if you are restarting more than one node simultaneously.

Note
About this task
This feature is unavailable in SolidFire Enterprise SDS clusters.
Steps

  1. In your vSphere Web Client, open the Cluster tab:

    • Beginning with Element vCenter plug-in 5.0, select NetApp Element Remote Plugin > Management > Cluster.

    • For Element vCenter plug-in 4.10 and earlier, select NetApp Element Management > Cluster.

    Note If two or more clusters are added, ensure that the cluster you intend to use for the task is selected in the navigation bar.

  2. Select the Nodes sub-tab.

    1. From the Active view, select the check box for each node you want to shut down.

    2. Click Actions.

    3. Select Shutdown.

  3. Confirm the action.

Note If a node has been down longer than 5.5 minutes under any type of shutdown condition, the NetApp Element software determines that the node is not coming back to join the cluster. Double Helix data protection begins the task of writing single replicated blocks to another node to replicate the data. Depending on the length of time a node is shut down, its drives might need to be added back to the cluster after the node is brought back online.

Remove a node from a cluster

You can remove nodes from a cluster without service interruption when their storage is no longer needed or they require maintenance.

What you'll need

You have removed all the drives in the node from the cluster. You cannot remove a node until the RemoveDrives process has completed and all data has been migrated away from the node.

About this task

At least two FC nodes are required for FC connectivity in a NetApp Element cluster. If only one FC node is connected, the system triggers alerts in the Event Log until you add another FC node to the cluster, even though all FC network traffic continues to operate with only one FC node.

Steps

  1. In your vSphere Web Client, open the Cluster tab:

    • Beginning with Element vCenter plug-in 5.0, select NetApp Element Remote Plugin > Management > Cluster.

    • For Element vCenter plug-in 4.10 and earlier, select NetApp Element Management > Cluster.

    Note If two or more clusters are added, ensure that the cluster you intend to use for the task is selected in the navigation bar.

  2. Select the Nodes sub-tab.

  3. To remove one or more nodes, perform the following steps:

    1. From the Active view, select the check box for each node you want to remove.

    2. Click Actions.

    3. Select Remove.

  4. Confirm the action.

    Any nodes removed from a cluster appear in the list of Pending nodes.

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