NCIE SAN ONTAP NS0-521 Updated Exam

For a NetApp AFF All SAN Array (ASA) A800 MetroCluster IP configuration with 72 disks per site and Cisco N9K-C9336C-FX2 backend switches, the minimum number of rack units required on each site is 16 RU. This includes space for the controllers, disk shelves, and the necessary network switches. This configuration ensures that all components are properly accommodated and operational within the specified rack space.

For detailed information on the rack unit requirements and MetroCluster IP configurations, refer to:

NetApp Documentation on MetroCluster IP

MetroCluster IP Solution Architecture

To concurrently serve a namespace over NVMe/FC, a LUN over FCP, a LUN over iSCSI, and an NFS export, only one data SVM (Storage Virtual Machine) is required. NetApp ONTAP allows a single SVM to supportmultiple SAN and NAS protocols simultaneously, enabling efficient and consolidated management of storage resources.

For more information, refer to:

NetApp Documentation on SVM Configuration

NetApp SVM Best Practices

To enable CHAP (Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol) authentication on iSCSI sessions, the command vserver iscsi security create should be used. This command sets up the necessary security policies and passwords required for CHAP authentication, ensuring secure access to iSCSI targets.

For more details, refer to:

NetApp Documentation on iSCSI Configuration​ (NetApp)​.

For enabling jumbo frames on Cisco Nexus switches for NVMe over TCP with tagged VLANs, the following changes are required:

Modify the Cisco Nexus switches to use an MTU of 9216: Setting the MTU to 9216 ensures that the network can handle jumbo frames, reducing the number of packets needed for large data transfers and thus improving performance.

Modify the appropriate broadcast domain in NetApp ONTAP software to use an MTU of 9216: This setting must match the network configuration to ensure end-to-end support for jumbo frames, which is essential for optimizing performance in NVMe over TCP environments.

For additional information, refer to:

NetApp Documentation on NVMe over TCP

Cisco Documentation on Jumbo Frames