Deploying NetApp ONTAP Select on vSAN datastores creates a robust unified solution that allows clients to present and consume the vSAN datastore capacity via block (iSCSI) and file (CIFS / NFS) protocols. ONTAP Select protects the data under management using the ONTAP SnapMirror replication engine.
This architecture is called the ONTAP Select Virtual NAS, or vNAS solution.
vSAN datastores can be provisioned from both hybrid and all-flash vSAN configurations, effectively extending vSAN functionality with NetApp’s NAS and block solutions. When consuming vSAN datastores, the local durability of the data managed by ONTAP Select is provided by the Failures To Tolerate (FTT) and Fault Tolerance Method (FTM) configurations. The data is protected using ONTAP's native replication technology (SnapMirror).
The following benefits make the NetApp ONTAP Select vNAS solution a flexible and powerful offering:
Encryption:
ONTAP Select supports data-at-rest encryption through NetApp Volume Encryption, which uses 256-bit AES keys.
Storage efficiency:
Storage efficiency policies include deduplication, compression, and compaction, which work at the ONTAP hosted file-system level. Depending on the FTT/FTM settings, this could result in storage efficiencies that work across vSAN nodes. Storage efficiency features can work both inline and in the background.
Data management and protection:
Because ONTAP Select is based on ONTAP 9, it supports the same data management and data protection tools used by engineered appliances. The list includes the NetApp OnCommand management suite (OnCommand System Manager and Unified Manager, OnCommand Insight, OnCommand Workflow Automation, and SnapCenter). From the data protection perspective, ONTAP Select supports SnapMirror, the SnapManager suite, SnapRestore , and FlexClone. This allows ONTAP Select to benefit from a comprehensive ecosystem where data can be moved, protected, and managed with flexibility, efficiency, and security.
The ONTAP Select vNAS solution supports VMware HA, vMotion, and Distributed Resources Scheduler (DRS).
The ONTAP Select vNAS solution is a cost-effective option to provide NAS file services, block protocol, and data protection services on vSAN solutions. The vSAN infrastructure, in turn provides the ONTAP Select virtual machine with High Availability and hardware redundancy. As such, the ONTAP Select vNAS solution and the vSAN infrastructure are synergistic in nature, allowing companies to provide enterprise-level file and data replication services while leveraging the full potential of their vSAN investment.
The ONTAP Select vNAS solution consists of two Virtual Machines:
The IMT tool will have footnotes (alerts or info) that reflect various support information for vMotion, HA, and FT relative to the customer configuration.
More information about ONTAP Select use cases and deployment models can be found in TR-4517.