Netapp Ontap to cloud storage

Question

We have an onprem Netapp ontap solution that we want to start offloading unused data to a cheaper cloud solution, what's the best way to use AWS so that we dont have to keep buying more onprem hardware?

mjinglis · Accepted Answer

There’s a lot of factors that can come into play here, but I’ll try to cover some options that could assist.

You mentioned wanting to offload unused data, some things to consider.
-	Do users need to be able to access this data on their own after it’s moved using the same mechanisms they use today?
-	If you move this data to another solution what are the retrieval requirements(time) to make this data available to end users again?
-	How often are you looking to move data?
o	Continuously using automation?
o	Manually or automated at specific scheduled intervals?

Making some assumptions that you’re looking to actively tier data to AWS for cheaper archival of older data, Netapp supports utilizing AWS S3 Object storage for cloud tiering functionality. It allows you to use native Netapp tools setup AWS S3 object storage as a target for Netapp’s tiering service. This allows you to enable cloud tiering at the volume level within netapp and define tiering policies to meet your requirements.

Steps to set this up are outlined in the netapp bluexp tiering documentation: 
https://docs.netapp.com/us-en/bluexp-tiering/task-tiering-onprem-aws.html

Another option to explore is migrating off onprem to FSxN. FSxN’s capacity tier is completely elastic alleviating the need to manage the underlying hardware and having to purchase more as demand grows. It supports all the native netapp management functionality and supports snapmirror for easy migration paths.

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/fsx/latest/ONTAPGuide/getting-started.html

re:Post Agent · Answer

To offload unused data from your on-premises NetApp ONTAP solution to a more cost-effective cloud solution on AWS, you have an excellent option: Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. This fully managed service allows you to seamlessly extend your on-premises ONTAP environment to the AWS cloud, providing a hybrid storage solution that can help you reduce the need for additional on-premises hardware purchases.

Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP offers several key benefits for your use case:

1. Seamless integration: It provides the same familiar features, performance, and APIs as your on-premises ONTAP systems, making it easy to integrate with your existing workflows and tools.

2. Cost optimization: FSx for ONTAP offers a capacity pool storage tier that's significantly cheaper than the SSD tier, allowing you to store less frequently accessed data at a lower cost.

3. Data tiering: The service supports automatic tiering of cold data to the capacity pool, helping you optimize storage costs without manual intervention.

4. Scalability: You can easily scale your storage capacity up to petabytes without adding physical hardware on-premises.

5. Data migration: You can use NetApp SnapMirror replication to efficiently move data from your on-premises ONTAP systems to FSx for ONTAP in AWS.

6. Low-latency access: If you need to process on-premises data from AWS with low latency, you can configure FSx for ONTAP as an in-cloud cache using NetApp FlexCache.

7. Familiar management: You can manage your FSx for ONTAP systems using both AWS-native tools and NetApp management software you're already familiar with.

By leveraging Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP, you can effectively extend your storage infrastructure to the cloud, reducing the need for constant on-premises hardware expansions while maintaining compatibility with your existing ONTAP environment. This approach allows you to offload less frequently used data to the cloud while keeping your most active data on-premises, providing a flexible and cost-effective hybrid storage solution.  
**Sources**  
[Streamline petabyte-scale data migrations with Cloud Write mode on Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP | AWS Storage Blog](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/storage/streamline-petabyte-scale-data-migrations-with-cloud-write-mode-on-amazon-fsx-for-netapp-ontap/)  
[FSx for NetApp ONTAP Features – Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/fsx/netapp-ontap/features/)  
[NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP on AWS - Quick StartQS landing page template](https://aws.amazon.com/quickstart/architecture/netapp-ontap-cloud/)

Netapp Ontap to cloud storage

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