Creating Aggregate using CLI and GUI - Netapp Notes NCDA - 7-Mode

What is Aggregate..?

Aggregates are collections of raid groups.  consist of one or more Raid Groups. Raid groups are protected sets of disks.  consisting of 1 or 2 parity, and 1 or more data disks.  We don't build raid groups, they are built behind the scene when you build an aggregate.
Aggregates are the raw space in your storage system.  you take a bunch of individual disks and aggregate them together into aggregates.  But, an aggregate can't actually hold data, its just raw space.

Creating Aggregate using CLI

First verify your disks, which are disks in UN-owned status (it means not added to any aggregate).

use below command to find the UN-owned disks

NetappFiler> disk show -n
  DISK       OWNER                      POOL   SERIAL NUMBER         HOME
------------ -------------              -----  -------------         ------
0b.02.1      Not Owned                  NONE   6SL8NTWERTHN445094A

in above output 0b.02.01 is the disk name. Note all the disk numbers to add them into the aggregate. 

Now create an aggregate
Syntax: aggr create <AggrName> -t <RaidType> -d <DiskNumber> <DiskNumber> ...


NetappFiler> aggr create aggr1 -t raid_dp -d 0b.02.1 0b.03.1 0b.02.03
 above command will create an aggregate named 'aggr1'

verify your aggregate using 

NetappFiler>aggr status

Create Aggregate Using GUI (FilerView)

Filerview is available only in 7-mode Ontap version less than 7.3.6P5. 

Open the browser then type the IP address of your filer.



Click on /na_admin/ Hyperlink 

it will ask you for the username and password




provide your credential

then you will launch with below screen




click on FilerView



Expand the Aggregates
Then click on Add

click Next

Write the Aggregate Name what you want to give, then Click on Next

Select the Raid group Size based on your requirement. Click Next

you may be tempted to change the size so i have a quick/dirty summary of reasons.

Larger RG                                             Smaller RG                     
Better Space utilization                         worst space utilization            (think of the ratio of parity to data disks)
worst protection                                      better protection                    (think of the ratio of parity to data disks)
better performance                                worst performance                  (roughly more data disks gives you better performance)
more risk                                                 less risk                                 (smaller raid groups rebuild faster)

If you want to select the disk numbers manually click on manual ans select the disks. Click Next

Select the Disk type then Click Next

Select the disk size which size of disks you want to make a aggregate. 

Best Practice: Select always any one type of disks for better performance

How many disks you want to use for this aggregate select the number then Click Next

Verify your selected options one more time then Click on Commit

Done your Aggregate is created successfully. 

Enjoy....

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