Question: How does NetApp data tiering work?

Answer

NetApp data tiering is a feature that allows you to automatically move infrequently accessed (cold) data from your on-premises storage to low-cost object storage, thereby freeing up space on your primary storage and reducing overall storage costs. Here’s a detailed overview of how it works:

Key Components and Technologies

1. FabricPool Technology: This is the underlying technology that enables automated tiering of data to object storage. FabricPool is part of NetApp's Data Fabric and works seamlessly with ONTAP systems.
2. BlueXP Tiering: This is a NetApp-managed service that leverages FabricPool to extend your data center to the cloud. It allows you to tier inactive data from on-premises ONTAP clusters to various object storage providers such as Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage, and more.

Setup and Configuration

• Discovery and Setup: You start by discovering your on-premises cluster from BlueXP. Then, you set up tiering by providing details about your object storage, including the bucket/container, storage class or access tier, and any lifecycle rules for the tiered data.
• Volume Selection: You choose the volumes you want to tier and apply a tiering policy to those volumes. This policy determines how and when data is moved to the cloud tier.

How Tiering Works

• Active vs. Inactive Data: Active (hot) data remains on the local tier (on-premises ONTAP aggregates), while inactive (cold) data is moved to the cloud tier. This process is automated and does not require changes to the application layer.
• Storage Tiers: Depending on the cloud provider, you can select different storage tiers or classes. For example, in Azure, you can choose between hot and cool storage tiers, and in Google Cloud, you can select from Standard, Nearline, or Coldline Storage classes.
• Lifecycle Rules: You can apply lifecycle rules to automatically transition data from one storage class to another after a certain number of days, helping to optimize storage costs.

Benefits

• Cost Reduction: By moving inactive data to low-cost object storage, you can significantly reduce your overall storage costs and switch from a CAPEX model to an OPEX model.
• Capacity Optimization: Tiering helps free up valuable space on your primary storage, allowing you to handle more workloads without expanding your primary storage capacity.

Supported Configurations

• Cluster Types: BlueXP tiering supports various cluster configurations, including single-node clusters, HA-configured clusters, and MetroCluster configurations.
• Object Storage Providers: You can tier data to multiple object storage providers, including public clouds like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, as well as private clouds like NetApp StorageGRID.

By leveraging NetApp data tiering, you can efficiently manage your storage resources, reduce costs, and optimize your data storage strategy.