Considerations for NetApp Cluster-Mode Clients

Before adding clients for a NetApp Cluster-Mode storage server, consider the following:

  • For NetApp Cluster-Mode storage servers running ONTAP versions before 8.2, NDMP backups can only be performed on volumes that are located on the same physical node as the client. Therefore, for this configuration we recommend adding the physical nodes as NAS clients.

  • For NetApp Cluster-Mode storage servers running ONTAP version 8.2 or above, we recommend turning off node-scope-mode on the cluster and adding Vservers and/or the cluster as NAS clients. Turn off node-scope-mode so that NDMP backups can function independently of which physical node contains the backup data, and Vserver and cluster clients can back up data from any of the physical nodes and perform backups if data is moved between physical nodes. See NetApp ONTAP documentation for how to turn off node-scope-mode.

  • Information about the Cluster-Aware-Backup (CAB) extension:

    • To back up to tape drives on the NetApp cluster we recommend adding the cluster as a client and then detecting tape drives on the cluster. A cluster client has access to all of the tape drives on all of the physical nodes and can use the NDMP Cluster-Aware-Backup (CAB) extension to best ensure local two-way NDMP backups are run. To ensure local two-way access is available for all the data, each physical node must see all the tape drives. Backups of the Vserver and cluster clients use the CAB extension to select a local two-way data path to minimize data from being passed between nodes in the cluster.

    • To back up to libraries on a MediaAgent, cluster and Vserver clients both use the CAB extension to prevent data from being passed between nodes in the cluster before being sent to the MediaAgent.

    • To back up to libraries on a MediaAgent, cluster and Vserver clients both use the CAB extension to find a direct interface from the node with the data to the MediaAgent. The direct interface prevents data from being passed within the cluster before being sent to the MediaAgent.

  • Information about node-scope-mode:

    • If node-scope-mode is disabled on a cluster, the physical node NDMP login and password are the same as the cluster login and password.

    • If node-scope-mode is enabled on a cluster:

      • Vservers can only back up data on volumes that are on the same node as the Vserver logical interface (LIF) used for the client host name.

      • The Vserver NDMP login and password is the same as the node NDMP login and password.

Cluster Aware Backup

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