Workload factory has enhanced the data reported for your FSx for ONTAP file systems. The downloadable report from the FSx for ONTAP inventory page includes the following new columns:

Workload factory has made several enhancements to view volume snapshot details and manage volume snapshots. These enhancements make it easier for you to understand the status of your snapshots and protect your data.

Additional items appear in Volume details under the Protection tab:

The new snapshot management screen is accessible from a volume; it provides information about the snapshot policy for the volume and includes a table with all volume snapshots. The table displays the following snapshot details: creation time, size, expiry time, immutable snapshot protection, and labels. From the management screen, you can change the snapshot policy for the volume, create a snapshot manually, and edit, access, restore, and delete snapshots.

Workload factory supports decreasing the solid-state drive (SSD) capacity of your second-generation file systems. With elastic file system capacity, you can dynamically adjust the capacity of your file systems to match the needs of your workloads.

Adjust file system capacity

We've added several new columns to the replication relationships table to give you more information about your replication relationships in the Replication relationships tab. The table now includes the following columns:

This release introduces the updated term "NetApp Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI (ARP/AI)" to better reflect the integration of artificial intelligence in our ransomware protection capabilities.

In addition, the following enhancements have been made to ARP/AI:

Protect your data with NetApp Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI (ARP/AI)

Workload factory now analyzes your FSx for ONTAP file systems for the following configurations:

View the well-architected status of your FSx for ONTAP file systems

You can now dismiss one or more configurations from the well-architected analysis. This allows you to ignore specific configurations that you don't want to address at the moment.

Dismiss a configuration from the well-architected analysis

You can now use Terraform from the Codebox to create a link for association with an FSx for ONTAP file system. This functionality is for users who create links manually.

Connect to an FSx for ONTAP file system with a Lambda link

The following new regions are now supported for exploring savings for Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS), FSx for Windows File Server, and Elastic File Systems (EFS):

You can now create SMB/CIFS shares which point to directories within a volume. Within the volume, you'll be able to see which shares exist, where the shares are the pointing to, and the permissions granted to specific users and groups.

For data protection volumes, the flow of creating an SMB/CIFS share now includes the creation of a junction path to the volume for mounting purposes.

Create a CIFS share for a volume

The BlueXP workload factory notification service enables workload factory to send notifications to the BlueXP alerts service or to an Amazon SNS topic. Notifications sent to BlueXP alerts appear in the BlueXP alerts panel. When workload factory publishes notifications to an Amazon SNS topic, subscribers to the topic (such as people or other applications) receive the notifications at the endpoints configured for the topic (such as email or SMS messages).

Configure BlueXP workload factory notifications

The Storage dashboard in the workload factory console includes new cards for savings opportunities. The card at the top of the dashboard displays the number of savings opportunities for storage environments running on Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS), Amazon FSx for Windows File Server, and Amazon Elastic File Systems (EFS). At the bottom of the dashboard, three new cards display savings opportunities by Amazon storage service - EBS, FSx for Windows File Server, and EFS. From all cards, you can explore the savings opportunities in more detail.

From the FSx for ONTAP protection coverage card and replication relationship health card, you can investigate if there are any partially protected volumes in your FSx for ONTAP file systems as well as investigate issues with replication relationships. In both cases, you can take action to resolve the issues.

The Volumes tab in the workload factory console has been enhanced to provide a more comprehensive view of your FSx for ONTAP file systems. The enhancements include new cards for SSD capacity, Capacity pool, and NetApp Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI (ARP/AI). These cards summarize capacity utilization and ARP/AI protection for all volumes in the file system.

Workload factory now supports second-generation Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP file systems. You can create, manage, and monitor second-generation file systems in the workload factory console. All new commercial regions are supported.

Create a second-generation file system in workload factory

FlexVol volumes are discoverable within the workload factory console. You can check the balance of your FlexVol volumes and rebalance FlexVol volumes to redistribute the capacity when imbalances develop over time due to the addition of new files and file growth.

Rebalance the capacity of a FlexVol volume

The term "Autonomous Ransomware Protection" (ARP) has been updated to "NetApp Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI" (ARP/AI) in the workload factory console.

When you create a new volume in the workload factory console, NetApp Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI (ARP/AI) is enabled by default if the file system has an ARP/AI policy. This means that the volume is automatically protected against ransomware attacks using AI-driven detection and response capabilities.

Create a volume in workload factory

Workload factory supports replicating immutable volumes from one FSx for ONTAP system to another FSx for ONTAP file system to protect critical data from accidental deletion or malicious attacks like ransomware. The target volume and its host file system will be immutable, or locked, and any data in the target file system can't be modified or removed until the retention period ends.

Learn how to create a replication relationship

Now you can manage the IAM execution role and its attached permission policy when you create a link in the workload factory console. A link establishes connectivity between your workload factory account and one or more FSx for ONTAP file systems. You have two options for assigning the IAM execution role and link permissions - automatically or user-provided. Managing the execution role and its attached permissions policy in workload factory means that you don't need to use third party code any longer.

Connect to an FSx for ONTAP file system with a Lambda link

Automatic capacity management for FSx for ONTAP file systems is now included as a configuration analysis in the well-architected status dashboard.

Additionally, workload factory now supports fixing the following configuration issues:

Fix configuration issues

Now you can set the autogrow size of your volumes so that volume size can grow beyond the provisioned size for business needs and application requirements.

Enable volume autogrow

Workload factory now analyzes your FSx for ONTAP file systems to check whether storage efficiencies including data compaction, compression, and deduplication are being utilized. Storage efficiencies measure how effectively the file systems use available space.

View the well-architected status of storage efficiencies

Starting today, when you open the Storage workload from the workload factory console, you'll view the Dashboard. The newly designed dashboard provides a holistic view of your FSx for ONTAP systems including the number of file systems, the total SSD capacity, the well-architected status overview, the data protection overview, and replication relationship health.

The Storage workload made enhancements to the Volumes tab within an FSx for ONTAP file system in the workload factory console. The enhancements include:

When creating a new volume, storage efficiencies including data compaction, compression, and deduplication are enabled by default.

Create a new volume in workload factory

Protect your data with Autonomous Ransomware Protection (ARP), a feature that uses workload analysis in NAS (NFS/SMB) environments to detect and warn about abnormal activity that might be a ransomware attack. When an attack is suspected, ARP also creates new, immutable snapshots from which you can restore your data.

Protect your data with Autonomous Ransomware Protection

BlueXP workload factory introduces the FlexGroup volume rebalance wizard with several layout options for rebalancing the data in a FlexGroup volume. Rebalancing redistributes data evenly to FlexGroup member volumes.

Rebalance the capacity in a FlexGroup volume

BlueXP workload factory provides a dashboard where you can review the well-architected status of your file system configurations. You can leverage this analysis to implement best practices for your FSx for ONTAP file systems. File system configuration analysis includes the following configurations: SSD capacity threshold, scheduled local snapshots, scheduled FSx for ONTAP backups, data tiering, and remote data replication.

You have the option to choose either NTFS or UNIX as the security style for a volume to determine the method that users and permissions access a volume.

Create a volume

We've improved the visibility of FSx for ONTAP file systems during volume creation. You'll see the FSx for ONTAP file system when you create a volume, so you'll know exactly where the volume is being created.

We've improved account visibility across the Storage workload. You'll see the AWS account when navigating to the Volumes, Storage VMs, and Replication tabs.

You now have the option to use secrets from AWS Secrets Manager to authenticate links so that you don't have to use credentials stored in BlueXP workload factory.

Tracker now provides API responses so that you can see the REST API output related to the task.

Monitor operations with Tracker

When restoring a volume from a backup, BlueXP workload factory determines if you have enough capacity for the restore and can automatically add SSD storage tier capacity if you don't.

Restore a volume from a backup

Workload factory now supports alternative sets of ONTAP credentials for creating file systems to minimize security risks. Instead of using only the fsxadmin user, you can select a different set of ONTAP credentials or choose not to provide a password for fsxadmin and vsaadmin users.

The workload factory user interface and documentation now use "read-only" to refer to read permissions and "read/write" to refer to automate permissions.

Workload factory now scans for available inodes in volumes and increases their count according to the configured automatic capacity management thresholds. This feature supports automatic capacity management for scale-out systems. You can enable inodes management as part of automatic capacity management.

Enable automatic capacity management

BlueXP workload factory releases the FlexGroup rebalance API that allows you to execute a plan to rebalance the data in a FlexGroup. Rebalancing redistributes data evenly to the member volumes.

BlueXP workload factory API documentation

The replicate data form now includes use cases to make it easier for you to complete the form. You'll select one of the following use cases for data replication: migration, hot disaster recovery, cold disaster recovery, archive, or other. After you select a use case, Workload factory recommends values in accordance with best practices. You can accept the preselected values or customize the values in the form.

Replicate data

Now when you select a tiering policy during volume creation, data replication, or updates to existing tiering policies, you'll find new terms to describe the tiering policies.

A security group is created as part of the FSx for ONTAP file system creation process. Security group details including protocols, ports, and roles are now available.

Create a file system

When automatic capacity management is enabled, BlueXP workload factory now checks if a file system reached its capacity threshold every 30 minutes instead of every 2 hours.

The provisioned IOPS setting is no longer affected when capacity threshold is reached.

Now you can lock snapshots, making them immutable, for a specific retention period. Locking prevents the unauthorized access and malicious deletions of snapshots. You can enable immutable snapshots during snapshot policy creation, when creating manual snapshots, and after snapshot creation.

You can now make the following changes to your immutable files configuration: retention policy, retention period, autocommit period, and volume append mode.

Manage immutable files

Now you can track CloudShell events in Tracker.

Learn how to monitor and track operations with Tracker

CloudShell is an embedded CLI capability available within BlueXP workload factory for Storage. You can use CloudShell to create, share, and execute ONTAP or AWS CLI commands from multiple sessions in a shell-like environment from within the workload factory console.

Learn more about CloudShell in BlueXP workload factory

You can now download FSx for ONTAP inventory data into an Microsoft Excel or CSV file from Storage in BlueXP workload factory.

We've made it simpler to do the following for an FSx for ONTAP file system from the FSx for ONTAP tab in Storage.

You can now use Terraform from the Codebox to create volumes.

Create a volume

You can now lock files using the immutable files feature when you create a volume for an FSx for ONTAP file system. File locking helps you and others prevent accidental or intentional file deletion for a specified period.

Create a volume

Tracker, a new monitoring capability is available in Storage. You can use Tracker to monitor and track the progress and status of credentials, storage, and link operations, review details for operation tasks and subtasks, diagnose any issues or failures, edit parameters for failed operations, and retry failed operations.

Learn how to monitor and track operations with Tracker

You can now use Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP second-generation file systems in BlueXP workload factory. FSx for ONTAP second-generation Single-AZ file systems are powered by up to 12 HA pairs which can deliver up to 72 GBps of throughput capacity and 2,400,000 SSD IOPS. FSx for ONTAP second-generation Multi-AZ file systems are powered by one HA pair and deliver 6 GBps of throughput capacity and 200,000 SSD IOPS.

The following enhancements are available for managing CIFS share for volumes in an Amazon FSx for ONTAP file system in BlueXP workload factory:

Manage CIFS shares

You can now provision block storage over FSx for ONTAP when using a scale-out file system deployment with up to 6 HA pairs.

Create an FSx for ONTAP file system in BlueXP workload factory

Mount commands are now available for NFS and CIFS access to a volume. You can get the mount point for a volume within an FSx for ONTAP file system by selecting Basic actions then View mount command.

View mount command for a volume

You can now enable or disable storage efficiency for FlexVol volumes after volume creation. Storage efficiency includes deduplication, data compression, and data compaction. Enabling storage efficiency helps you achieve optimal space savings on a FlexVol volume.

Update storage efficiency for a volume

Discover and replicate on-premises ONTAP cluster data to an FSx for ONTAP file system so that it can be used to enrich AI knowledge bases. All on-premises discovery and replication workflows are possible from the new On-Premises ONTAP tab in the Storage inventory.

Discover an on-premises ONTAP cluster

You now have the option to add AWS credentials from the savings calculator. Adding credentials improves the accuracy of the savings calculator analysis of your Amazon Elastic Block Store, Elastic File Systems, and FSx for Windows File Server storage environments when compared with FSx for ONTAP.

Explore savings with FSx for ONTAP in BlueXP workload factory

Storage inventory has been updated to a two-tab view:

Create a link

Read mode is available for storage management in workload factory. Read mode enhances the experience of basic mode by adding read-only permissions so that the Infrastructure-as-Code templates are filled with your specific variables. The Infrastructure-as-Code templates can be executed directly from your AWS account without providing any modify permissions to workload factory.

Learn more about read mode

You can now back up a volume before deleting it. The backup will remain in the file system until deleted.

Delete a volume

You can now use Terraform from the Codebox to deploy file systems and storage VMs.

The storage calculator makes FSx for ONTAP file system configuration recommendations for throughput and IOPS based on AWS best practices, which provides you with optimal guidance for your selections.

Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP is now generally available in BlueXP workload factory.