Like a lot of companies, NetApp tends to release products at the same time, not least because many of them are dependent on one another for compatibility. While clustered Data ONTAP 8.3RC1 made the big news yesterday, there were several other important product updates:
OnCommand Unified Manager (OCUM) for Clustered Data ONTAP 6.2RC1
- VMware virtual appliance:
- Linux software:
- Documentation:
OCUM is a management tool with a web user interface that enables an infrastructure administrator to monitor and troubleshoot storage-related issues around data storage capacity, availability, performance, and protection.
OCUM has primarily been updated to support the latest Data ONTAP release, but there are several other key features:
- MetroCluster integration, monitoring, and configuration
- Monitoring specifically around all-SSD aggregates and All-Flash FAS systems
- Support for installation on a Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system (the last releases were only available as a VMware virtual appliance)
- Integration with OnCommand Workflow Automation
OnCommand Workflow Automation (WFA) 3.0RC1
- Windows software:
- Documentation:
WFA is an automation and orchestration engine focused on handling storage management tasks, but which is easily extensible to other areas using PowerShell or Perl. It also integrates well with third-party products including VMware’s vCenter Orchestrator.
Key new features, beyond release compatibility, are:
- Nesting of workflows: you can now use a workflow as a child of a parent workflow
- IPv6 support
- Access to the WFA database via PowerShell or Perl
- Enhancements to the WFA REST APIs
- Significant usability enhancements
- Test button for custom finders and incremental finders
- Floating action menu that is displayed for long period of time
- Color-coded log messages for command testing that enables easy identification of information
- Enhancements to tooltips
- Progress bar for workflows and wait commands
- Right-click menu to test filters, finders, commands, and functions from the respective list in Designer
- Right-click menu to reset the scheme of a datasource from the list of datasources
- Icon to assist insertion of approval points when designing a workflow
Data ONTAP Edge 8.3.130RC1
- VMware virtual appliance:
- Documentation:
Data ONTAP Edge is an on-premises software-only instance of Data ONTAP 8.3 running as a VMware virtual appliance. Edge is designed for usecases like remote office/branch office (ROBO) where dedicated storage hardware may be unnecessary, but administrators still want to leverage existing tools and skillsets for storage services. It also allows these environments to take advantage of advanced storage features, including block-efficient replication to other offices or centralized datacenters for backup and/or disaster recovery.
System Setup 3.0
- Windows software:
- Documentation:
System Setup provides an easy, graphical user interface to quickly setup new Data ONTAP systems upon arrival into the customer’s environment without requiring extensive professional services. Modern entry-level FAS arrays (2200 and 2500 series) are supported when running in 7-mode, and many more models are supported when running clustered Data ONTAP (2200, 2500, 6200 and 8000 series platforms, along with 3220& 3250 arrays).
SnapDrive for Windows 7.1
- Windows software:
- Documentation:
SnapDrive provides extensive integration between an operating system (in this cases, Windows) and its connected FAS storage, and can act in conjunction with various SnapManagers to extend data management to the application layer. SnapDrive makes it easy for the server administrator to provision, de-provision, modify, protect, and replicate storage connected via multiple storage protocols.
Key new features, beyond release compatibility, are:
- Several improvements around clones:
- throttling of clone jobs if the process will otherwise negatively impact system performance
- split clone capability
- clones of clones
- Easier thin provisioning of LUNs
- Microsoft Failover Cluster enhancements
- MetroCluster support
SnapManager for Microsoft Exchange 7.1
- Windows software:
- Documentation:
SnapManager for Exchange works with SnapDrive to provide data protection services and automation for Exchange databases including backup and restores, offloaded database validations, clones, and replication. Restores can be performed even at the object level using the integrated Single Mailbox Recovery (an inaccurate name now, given the ability to restore with much more granularity – down to an individual message, contact, attachment, etc. – than at the mailbox level.
Key new features, beyond release compatibility, are:
- DAG reseeding
- Role-base access control (RBAC)
- Native SnapVault integration
- MetroCluster support
SnapManager for Hyper-V 2.1
- Windows software:
- Documentation:
SnapManager for Hyper-V is a data protection management solution for Hyper-V virtual environments running on FAS storage arrays that provides both crash-consistent and application-consistent VM backups, as well as easy restoration of the VMs and monitoring of backup jobs.
OnCommand Cloud Manager (OCCM) 1.0
- Windows software:
- Documentation:
OCCM is a completely new product designed to manage both Cloud ONTAP and NetApp Private Storage (NPS) systems. Cloud ONTAP is a software-only instance of Data ONTAP 8.3 running in a public cloud (available today on Amazon Web Services) which provides all standard ONTAP services and features (minus some hardware-dependent ones like Fibre Channel) in an on-demand, pay-as-you-go model. NPS utilizes a NetApp FAS system(s) co-located in a datacenter with Direct Connect access to AWS, Azure, and/or SoftLayer to provide secure, private data storage to virtual machines running in a public cloud(s).
Data Center Digressions 