NS0-701 cheat sheet

A cluster is a set of nodes joined by a cluster interconnect; a node pair forms an HA pair that shares storage and can take over its partner's LIFs and aggregates during failover.

Cluster quorum requires a majority of cluster nodes (plus the cluster-interconnect and management connectivity); with an even number of nodes, a tiebreaker (ONTAP 9.3+ mediator or an external quorum device) is required to break ties.

Cluster LIFs carry intra-cluster traffic (cluster peering, SnapMirror, volume moves) and must exist on every node; they are not used by clients.

Node management LIFs are used for administration (SSH, ONTAP System Manager, ONTAP APIs); data LIFs are used by clients and are hosted on SVMs.

ONTAP CLI command families: 'cluster', 'system', 'network', 'volume', 'vserver', 'snapmirror', 'snapshot', 'security', 'storage', 'event' - use 'system node show' and 'cluster show' to verify node and cluster health.

Cluster health checks: 'cluster show' (quorum and HA), 'system health status show', 'storage failover show' (takeover readiness), 'network interface show -status-operational' (LIF up/down).

ONTAP System Manager is the browser-based UI; ONTAP REST API and ONTAP CLI are the automation surfaces. The ONTAP CLI is accessible via SSH and via the serial console (service processor).

Aggregates are the RAID containers that hold volumes; a node owns aggregates, and an aggregate can contain multiple FlexVol volumes. FlexGroup volumes span multiple nodes for scale-out capacity and performance.

An SVM (vserver) is a logical storage server with its own namespace, volumes, LIFs, protocols, and security style; a cluster can host many SVMs, and each SVM is isolated from other SVMs.

SVM data LIFs are the client-facing IP addresses; a LIF is bound to a home node and home port, and it fails over to a partner node/port according to its failover policy (e.g., 'system-defined', 'local-only', 'sfo-partner-only').

LIF roles: data, cluster, node management, intercluster, and BGP/management; a LIF can be a single IP or a subnet (LIF with a subnet for auto-assignment).

Broadcast domains group ports that share a Layer 2 network; a broadcast domain must contain at least one port and provides the port pool for LIF creation.

IPspaces isolate network namespaces within a cluster; SVMs in different IPspaces can reuse the same IP subnets without conflict.

SVM protocols include NFS, CIFS/SMB, iSCSI, FC/FCoE, NVMe/TCP, and S3; enable only the protocols the SVM serves, and configure corresponding LIFs and data services.

NFS exports are controlled by export policies (rules with client match, access type, and root access); SMB shares are controlled by share ACLs and NTFS permissions on the volume.

DNS and name services (LDAP, NIS, local users) are configured per SVM; verify with 'vserver services name-service dns show' and 'vserver services name-service ldap show'.

Physical resources: disks (HDD, SSD, NVMe), shelves, and controllers. Logical resources: aggregates (RAID groups), volumes (FlexVol, FlexGroup), qtrees, and LUNs.

RAID types in ONTAP: RAID-DP (double parity, default for HDD), RAID-TEC (triple parity, for large aggregates), and RAID4 (legacy); RAID-DP tolerates two simultaneous disk failures.

A spare disk is required for reconstruction; 'storage disk show -spare' lists spares, and 'storage aggregate show -fields raid-type,raid-status' shows aggregate RAID state.

Aggregate states: 'online', 'offline', 'restricted', 'creating', 'mounting'; volumes require an online aggregate. 'storage aggregate show' lists aggregates and free space.

FlexVol volumes have a size and a guarantee ('none' or 'volume'); with guarantee 'none', volumes can be thin-provisioned and overcommit aggregate space.

Volume efficiency features: deduplication, compression, and compaction; enable per volume with 'volume efficiency on' and schedule with 'volume efficiency modify'.

Qtrees partition a FlexVol volume for quota and security; quotas are configured with 'volume quota policy' and 'volume quota on'.

LUNs are block devices carved from a volume; 'lun show' and 'lun mapping show' verify LUN and igroup mapping; LUNs require an SVM with iSCSI or FC enabled.

Snapshots are point-in-time copies of a volume; the snapshot policy defines schedule and retention, and 'snapshot show' lists snapshots per volume.

Snapshot copies are stored in the volume and consume space; 'volume show -fields snapshot-policy,snapshot-count' shows policy and count. Snapshot reserve is 'volume snapshot reserve'.

SnapMirror replicates volumes or SVMs between clusters or within a cluster; the relationship is defined by a source, a destination, and a policy (e.g., 'MirrorAllSnapshots', 'MirrorAndVault').

SnapMirror relationship states: 'uninitialized', 'snapmirrored', 'broken-off', 'transferring', 'idle'; 'snapmirror show' displays lag time and last transfer status.

SnapMirror policies: 'Mirror' (replicate snapshots), 'Vault' (retain snapshots for long-term backup), 'MirrorAndVault' (both); the policy is set at relationship creation with 'snapmirror create -policy'.

SnapMirror requires an intercluster LIF on both clusters and cluster peering plus SVM peering; verify with 'cluster peer show' and 'vserver peer show'.

SnapMirror fan-out and fan-in are supported; a destination volume can be a mirror of one source, and a source can mirror to multiple destinations.

SnapMirror transfer can be throttled with 'snapmirror modify -transfer-priority' and 'snapmirror show -fields transfer-priority'; bandwidth throttling is set with 'snapmirror policy' or QoS.

SnapVault is a backup relationship (vault type) that retains snapshots on the destination for long-term recovery; it is created with 'snapmirror create -type XDP -policy Vault'.

SnapVault relationships are typically chained: a primary volume mirrors to a secondary, and the secondary vaults to a tertiary; each relationship has its own policy and schedule.

Cloud backup: ONTAP Cloud Backup (formerly Cloud Volumes Service/BlueXP backup) sends backups to object storage (e.g., AWS S3, Azure Blob); it is managed via BlueXP/ONTAP System Manager and the ONTAP REST API.

Cloud Tiering (FabricPool) moves cold data to object storage; it is different from Cloud Backup - FabricPool is a tiering policy on an aggregate, not a backup relationship.

SnapMirror Cloud (SMC) replicates ONTAP volumes to object storage; verify with 'snapmirror show' and the cloud provider console.

Backup retention and restore: SnapVault snapshots are protected by a snapshot policy on the destination; restore uses 'snapmirror restore' or 'volume clone' from the destination snapshot.

Cloud backup verification: check the backup policy, the last backup status, and the object storage bucket; the ONTAP 'snapmirror' and BlueXP dashboards report lag and errors.

Relationship types: 'DP' (SnapMirror, data protection mirror), 'XDP' (SnapVault/extended data protection), and 'TDP' (transitional, legacy). Use 'snapmirror show -fields type' to confirm.

Authentication methods: password (local users), SSH keys, LDAP/Active Directory, NIS, and certificate-based (for ONTAP APIs and ONTAP System Manager).

Role-based access control (RBAC): ONTAP roles (e.g., 'admin', 'operator', 'readonly') are assigned to users; 'security login show' lists login methods and roles.

SVM security styles: 'unix', 'ntfs', and 'mixed'; the security style determines which permissions (UNIX mode bits or NTFS ACLs) are enforced on files.

NFS export policy rules: client match (hostname, netgroup, subnet), access (ro/rw), and root access (root, none, or a specific user). 'export-policy rule show' lists rules.

SMB share permissions and NTFS ACLs: share-level permissions are the first gate, then NTFS file/folder ACLs; effective access is the intersection of both.

ONTAP supports FPolicy for file-access event monitoring and file blocking; configure with 'fpolicy policy' and 'fpolicy policy scope'.

Encryption: NetApp Volume Encryption (NVE) and NetApp Aggregate Encryption (NAE) encrypt data at rest; 'volume show -fields encryption' and 'storage aggregate show -fields encryption' verify.

Audit logging: ONTAP supports audit logging to a syslog server or to a file; 'security audit log show' and 'vserver audit show' verify configuration.

Performance tools: 'statistics' (CLI), ONTAP System Manager performance dashboards, Active IQ Unified Manager, and ONTAP REST API performance endpoints.

'statistics show -object volume -instance -counter read_ops,write_ops,latency' shows per-volume metrics; 'statistics show -object system' shows node-level metrics.

Latency is the key indicator: high read/write latency with low utilization suggests a bottleneck (disk, network, or client); high utilization with low latency suggests headroom.

QoS: 'qos policy-group' and 'qos adaptive-policy-group' limit or protect workloads; 'qos statistics show' displays policy-group performance.

Common causes: aggregate full or nearly full (check 'storage aggregate show -fields available'), volume full, snapshot reserve exhaustion, network MTU mismatch, and LIF failover.

Network troubleshooting: 'network interface show', 'network ping', 'network traceroute', and 'network connections' verify LIF state and reachability; check 'network port show' for link and MTU.

ONTAP event log: 'event log show' lists EMS events; 'event catalog show' explains event definitions. Filter with 'event log show -severity error'.

Active IQ and AutoSupport: AutoSupport sends telemetry to NetApp; Active IQ provides health and risk recommendations. Verify with 'system node autosupport show'.

ONTAP upgrades use the Automated Upgrade (rolling upgrade) process: 'cluster image show' lists available images, and 'system node upgrade' commands manage the process; validate with 'cluster image validate'.

Before upgrade: verify 'cluster show', 'storage failover show', and 'system health status show'; take a snapshot and verify backups. Upgrade in a rolling fashion so the cluster remains available.

ONTAP upgrade methods: ONTAP System Manager (Upgrade Advisor), ONTAP CLI ('system node image update'), and the ONTAP REST API. Use the ONTAP Upgrade Advisor to check compatibility.

Automation surfaces: ONTAP REST API (HTTPS/JSON), ONTAP CLI, ONTAP SDKs (Python, PowerShell), and Ansible modules. Authenticate with basic auth or certificate-based auth.

ONTAP REST API: use '/api' endpoints; 'api/private/cli' exposes CLI-equivalent endpoints; check 'api/version' for supported versions.

Cloud integration: BlueXP (formerly Cloud Manager) manages ONTAP on-prem and in the cloud; Cloud Volumes ONTAP (CVO) runs ONTAP in AWS, Azure, and GCP.

FabricPool tiers cold data to object storage; configure with 'storage aggregate object-store' and a tiering policy on the aggregate.

SnapMirror Cloud and Cloud Backup integrate ONTAP with object storage; verify connectivity with 'snapmirror show' and cloud provider console logs.

Cluster peering requires intercluster LIFs on both clusters and a peering relationship; 'cluster peer show' verifies the peer state, and 'cluster peer create' establishes it.

SVM peering requires cluster peering first; 'vserver peer show' verifies SVM peer state, and 'vserver peer create' establishes it for SnapMirror and SnapVault.

Volume move (nondisruptive) uses 'volume move start'; verify with 'volume move show'. It requires sufficient free space on the destination aggregate.

LIF migration: 'network interface migrate' moves a LIF to another port/node; 'network interface revert' returns it to its home port.

Cluster time: NTP must be synchronized across nodes; 'cluster date show' and 'system node show -fields date' verify time; SnapMirror and Kerberos require accurate time.

Licensing: ONTAP features (SnapMirror, SnapVault, FlexClone, NFS, CIFS) require licenses; 'system license show' lists installed licenses.

Cluster setup: 'cluster create' initializes a cluster; 'cluster join' adds nodes; 'cluster show' verifies membership and quorum.

ONTAP System Manager and CLI parity: most administrative tasks are available in both; use the CLI for scripting and the UI for dashboards.

SVM root volume: each SVM has a root volume that stores its configuration; 'vserver show -fields root-volume' verifies it. The root volume should not be used for data.

SVM data LIF failover: a LIF's failover policy determines which ports it can fail over to; 'network interface show -fields failover-policy' shows the policy.

Subnet LIFs: a LIF can be created with a subnet for automatic IP assignment; 'network subnet show' lists subnets and available IPs.

VLANs: create a VLAN interface on a physical port with 'network port vlan create'; the VLAN must be configured on the switch as a trunk.

Interface groups (ifgrps): aggregate multiple physical ports into a logical port for redundancy and throughput; 'network port ifgrp show' verifies.

DNS: configure DNS per SVM with 'vserver services name-service dns create'; verify with 'vserver services name-service dns show'.

NFS: enable with 'vserver nfs create'; verify with 'vserver nfs show'. NFSv3, NFSv4.0, NFSv4.1, and NFSv4.2 are supported; NFSv4.1 supports pNFS.

SMB: enable with 'vserver cifs create'; verify with 'vserver cifs show'. SMB requires a CIFS server name and an AD domain.

Disk types: HDD (SAS, SATA), SSD (SAS, NVMe), and NVMe-oF; 'storage disk show -fields disk-type,container-type' verifies.

Aggregate creation: 'storage aggregate create -aggregate -diskcount -raidtype raid_dp'; verify with 'storage aggregate show'.

Volume creation: 'volume create -vserver -volume -aggregate -size '; verify with 'volume show'.

FlexGroup: a scale-out volume that spans multiple nodes; create with 'volume create -style flexgroup'; verify with 'volume show -fields style'.

Qtree creation: 'volume qtree create -vserver -volume -qtree '; verify with 'volume qtree show'.

Quotas: 'volume quota policy create', 'volume quota rule create', and 'volume quota on'; verify with 'volume quota report'.

LUN creation: 'lun create -vserver -volume -lun -size '; verify with 'lun show'.

Snapshot reserve: 'volume snapshot reserve' sets the percentage of volume space reserved for snapshots; 'volume show -fields snapshot-reserve-percent' verifies.

Snapshot policy: 'snapshot policy create' defines schedule and retention; 'snapshot policy show' verifies. Apply with 'volume modify -snapshot-policy'.

Snapshot creation: 'snapshot create -vserver -volume -snapshot '; verify with 'snapshot show'.

SnapMirror create: 'snapmirror create -source-path svm:vol -destination-path svm:vol -policy -type XDP'; verify with 'snapmirror show'.

SnapMirror initialize: 'snapmirror initialize -destination-path svm:vol'; verify with 'snapmirror show -fields status'.

SnapMirror update: 'snapmirror update -destination-path svm:vol'; verify with 'snapmirror show -fields last-transfer-status'.

SnapMirror break: 'snapmirror break -destination-path svm:vol' makes the destination writable; 'snapmirror resync' re-establishes the relationship.

SnapMirror restore: 'snapmirror restore -source-path svm:vol -destination-path svm:vol -snapshot '; verify with 'snapmirror show'.

SnapMirror policy: 'snapmirror policy show' lists policies; 'snapmirror policy create' creates custom policies with schedule and retention.

SnapVault create: 'snapmirror create -source-path svm:vol -destination-path svm:vol -type XDP -policy Vault'; verify with 'snapmirror show -fields type,policy'.

SnapVault schedule: 'snapmirror modify -destination-path svm:vol -schedule '; verify with 'snapmirror show -fields schedule'.

SnapVault retention: the destination snapshot policy controls retention; 'snapshot policy show' verifies.

Cloud Backup: configure in BlueXP or ONTAP System Manager; verify with 'snapmirror show' and the cloud provider console.

FabricPool: 'storage aggregate object-store create' and 'storage aggregate modify -tiering-policy' configure tiering; verify with 'storage aggregate show -fields tiering-policy'.

SnapMirror Cloud: 'snapmirror create -type XDP -policy ' with an object-store destination; verify with 'snapmirror show'.

Restore from SnapVault: 'snapmirror restore -source-path svm:vol -destination-path svm:vol -snapshot '; verify with 'snapmirror show'.

Cloud backup verification: check the backup policy, last backup status, and object storage bucket; BlueXP dashboards report lag and errors.

Local users: 'security login create -user-or-group-name -application ssh -authentication-method password'; verify with 'security login show'.

Roles: 'security login role create' defines custom roles; 'security login role show' lists roles and their capabilities.

LDAP: 'vserver services name-service ldap create' configures LDAP; verify with 'vserver services name-service ldap show'.

Active Directory: 'vserver cifs create' joins the SVM to AD; verify with 'vserver cifs show' and 'vserver cifs domain discovered-servers show'.

Kerberos: configure with 'vserver services name-service kerberos create'; verify with 'vserver services name-service kerberos show'.

NFS export policy: 'vserver export-policy create' and 'vserver export-policy rule create'; verify with 'vserver export-policy rule show'.

SMB share: 'vserver cifs share create' and 'vserver cifs share access-control create'; verify with 'vserver cifs share show'.

Encryption: 'volume encryption create' for NVE; verify with 'volume show -fields encryption'. NAE is configured at the aggregate level.

'statistics show -object volume -instance -counter read_ops,write_ops,read_latency,write_latency' shows per-volume metrics.

'statistics show -object system -counter cpu_busy,disk_busy,net_data_recv,net_data_sent' shows node-level metrics.

QoS: 'qos policy-group create' and 'qos adaptive-policy-group create'; verify with 'qos policy-group show' and 'qos statistics show'.

Aggregate full: 'storage aggregate show -fields available,used'; if available is low, add disks or move volumes.

Volume full: 'volume show -fields available,used'; if available is low, resize with 'volume modify -size'.

Snapshot reserve exhaustion: 'volume show -fields snapshot-reserve-percent,snapshot-space-used'; increase reserve or delete snapshots.

Network MTU: 'network port show -fields mtu' and 'network interface show -fields mtu'; mismatch causes performance issues.

LIF failover: 'network interface show -fields status-operational,is-home'; if not home, 'network interface revert' returns it.

Upgrade: 'cluster image show' lists images; 'system node image update' updates a node; verify with 'cluster image show'.

Upgrade validation: 'cluster image validate' checks compatibility; 'system health status show' verifies health.

REST API: authenticate with basic auth or certificate; use '/api/version' to check the version; '/api/private/cli' exposes CLI-equivalent endpoints.

Ansible: use the 'netapp.ontap' collection; modules include 'na_ontap_volume', 'na_ontap_svm', and 'na_ontap_snapmirror'.

BlueXP: manages on-prem and cloud ONTAP; verify with the BlueXP console and 'system node autosupport show'.

CVO: runs ONTAP in AWS, Azure, and GCP; verify with the cloud provider console and 'cluster show'.

FabricPool: 'storage aggregate object-store create' and 'storage aggregate modify -tiering-policy'; verify with 'storage aggregate show -fields tiering-policy'.

SnapMirror Cloud: 'snapmirror create -type XDP -policy '; verify with 'snapmirror show'.

Cluster create: 'cluster create' initializes a cluster; 'cluster join' adds nodes; 'cluster show' verifies membership and quorum.

Cluster peering: 'cluster peer create' establishes peering; verify with 'cluster peer show'.

SVM peering: 'vserver peer create' establishes SVM peering; verify with 'vserver peer show'.

Volume move: 'volume move start' and 'volume move show' verify nondisruptive volume moves.

LIF migration: 'network interface migrate' and 'network interface revert' manage LIF placement.

NTP: 'cluster date show' and 'system node show -fields date' verify time synchronization.

Licensing: 'system license show' lists installed licenses; 'system license add' adds licenses.

System Manager and CLI parity: most tasks are available in both; use the CLI for scripting.

SVM root volume: 'vserver show -fields root-volume' verifies it; the root volume should not be used for data.

LIF failover policy: 'network interface show -fields failover-policy' shows the policy.

Subnet LIFs: 'network subnet show' lists subnets and available IPs.

VLANs: 'network port vlan create' creates a VLAN interface; verify with 'network port vlan show'.

Interface groups: 'network port ifgrp show' verifies ifgrps.

DNS: 'vserver services name-service dns create' and 'vserver services name-service dns show'.

NFS: 'vserver nfs create' and 'vserver nfs show'.

SMB: 'vserver cifs create' and 'vserver cifs show'.

Disk types: 'storage disk show -fields disk-type,container-type' verifies.

Aggregate creation: 'storage aggregate create -aggregate -diskcount -raidtype raid_dp'.

Volume creation: 'volume create -vserver -volume -aggregate -size '.

FlexGroup: 'volume create -style flexgroup' and 'volume show -fields style'.

Qtree: 'volume qtree create' and 'volume qtree show'.

Quotas: 'volume quota policy create', 'volume quota rule create', and 'volume quota on'.

LUN: 'lun create' and 'lun show'.

Snapshot reserve: 'volume snapshot reserve' and 'volume show -fields snapshot-reserve-percent'.

Snapshot policy: 'snapshot policy create' and 'snapshot policy show'.

Snapshot creation: 'snapshot create' and 'snapshot show'.

SnapMirror create: 'snapmirror create -source-path svm:vol -destination-path svm:vol -policy -type XDP'.

SnapMirror initialize: 'snapmirror initialize' and 'snapmirror show -fields status'.

SnapMirror update: 'snapmirror update' and 'snapmirror show -fields last-transfer-status'.

SnapMirror break: 'snapmirror break' and 'snapmirror resync'.

SnapMirror restore: 'snapmirror restore' and 'snapmirror show'.

SnapMirror policy: 'snapmirror policy show' and 'snapmirror policy create'.

SnapVault create: 'snapmirror create -type XDP -policy Vault' and 'snapmirror show -fields type,policy'.

SnapVault schedule: 'snapmirror modify -schedule' and 'snapmirror show -fields schedule'.

SnapVault retention: 'snapshot policy show' verifies retention.

Cloud Backup: configure in BlueXP or ONTAP System Manager; verify with 'snapmirror show'.

FabricPool: 'storage aggregate object-store create' and 'storage aggregate modify -tiering-policy'.

SnapMirror Cloud: 'snapmirror create -type XDP -policy '.

Restore from SnapVault: 'snapmirror restore' and 'snapmirror show'.

Cloud backup verification: check the backup policy, last backup status, and object storage bucket.

Local users: 'security login create' and 'security login show'.

Roles: 'security login role create' and 'security login role show'.

LDAP: 'vserver services name-service ldap create' and 'vserver services name-service ldap show'.

Active Directory: 'vserver cifs create' and 'vserver cifs show'.

Kerberos: 'vserver services name-service kerberos create' and 'vserver services name-service kerberos show'.

NFS export policy: 'vserver export-policy create' and 'vserver export-policy rule create'.

SMB share: 'vserver cifs share create' and 'vserver cifs share access-control create'.

Encryption: 'volume encryption create' and 'volume show -fields encryption'.

'statistics show -object volume -instance -counter read_ops,write_ops,read_latency,write_latency'.

'statistics show -object system -counter cpu_busy,disk_busy,net_data_recv,net_data_sent'.

QoS: 'qos policy-group create' and 'qos adaptive-policy-group create'.

Aggregate full: 'storage aggregate show -fields available,used'.

Volume full: 'volume show -fields available,used'.

Snapshot reserve exhaustion: 'volume show -fields snapshot-reserve-percent,snapshot-space-used'.

Network MTU: 'network port show -fields mtu' and 'network interface show -fields mtu'.

LIF failover: 'network interface show -fields status-operational,is-home'.

Upgrade: 'cluster image show' and 'system node image update'.

Upgrade validation: 'cluster image validate' and 'system health status show'.

REST API: '/api/version' and '/api/private/cli'.

Ansible: 'netapp.ontap' collection modules.

BlueXP: manages on-prem and cloud ONTAP.

CVO: runs ONTAP in AWS, Azure, and GCP.

FabricPool: 'storage aggregate object-store create' and 'storage aggregate modify -tiering-policy'.

SnapMirror Cloud: 'snapmirror create -type XDP -policy '.