Netapp puts Migration Addition to Automation Software
In August Netapp added a new LUN migration tool to OnCommand Workflow Automation (WFA); its software to provision, migrate, or decommission storage.
Intended to aid in the transition of LUNs from 7-Mode to clustered Data ONTAP (cDOT), this tool consists of a set of WFA workflows and associated applications that convert the 7-Mode LUNs to files, then mirror those files to a cDOT cluster, and finally convert the files back into LUNs on the cDOT destination.
Interestingly, the conversion is actually performed via Windows PowerShell cmdlets. The tool allows per-volume or per-LUN migration, leaving the source data intact. Although Snapshot history is not copied, it preserves any storage efficiencies during offline migrations.
It is expected to leverage this tool as a replacement to the DTA2800 appliance or host-based migrations, as it enables both online and offline LUN migrations:
ONLINE:
Online migrations perform a LUN-to-file conversion via NFS hardlinks, which requires a temporary “staging volume” to hold a copy of the source LUN. The application and host are shut down before cutover. Cutover downtime is minimal, usually the time it takes to complete the host remediation activities — regardless of LUN size.
OFFLINE:
Offline migrations leverage a FlexClone volume of the source to convert the LUNs into files and SnapMirror between this cloned volume and the clustered Data ONTAP target. This technique does not require a temporary staging volume, but the host (where the LUN is mounted) must be shut down.
The LUN Migration Tool requires several components, including:
- OnCommand Workflow Automation (WFA) 2.2 RC1 or later
- OnCommand Unified Manager Core Package 5.2 for 7-Mode
- OnCommand Unified Manager 6.1 RC1 for clustered Data ONTAP
Must be running Data ONTAP 7.3.x or 8.x 7-Mode. The staging storage system must be qualified to be the source of the clustered Data ONTAP Transition Data Protection (TDP) SnapMirror, and the destination storage system must be running clustered Data ONTAP 8.2.x. Contact Greentec Systems for more information regarding NetApp products.
