Free Practice Questions for Netapp NS0-521 Exam

To configure SnapMirror active sync across two data centers using FC (Fibre Channel), the required connectivity between NetApp ONTAP clusters is cluster peering. Cluster peering involves establishing a trust relationship between the clusters, allowing them to replicate data seamlessly. This setup ensures that data synchronization and disaster recovery processes are effective and reliable.

For more detailed information, you can check:

NetApp Documentation on SnapMirror and Cluster Peering

To ensure the best performance in an iSCSI SAN implementation:

Connect host and storage ports to the same switches: This minimizes latency and maximizes the efficiency of data paths by ensuring direct connections within the same network segment.

Configure Jumbo frames in the entire data path: Setting a larger Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) size reduces the overhead for processing each packet, thus improving overall network performance. Ensuring Jumbo frames are configured end-to-end in the data path is crucial for optimal performance.

For further details, check:

NetApp Best Practices for iSCSI

NetApp Community Discussion on iSCSI Performance

Selective LUN Mapping (SLM) is the feature that presents LUNs only within the HA pair. SLM allows administrators to control which LUNs are visible to which hosts, ensuring that LUNs are only accessible through the designated HA pair, thus improving security and manageability.

For more information, see:

NetApp Documentation on Selective LUN Mapping

NetApp Community on LUN Mapping

When setting up a NetApp ONTAP AFF system for both NVMe/TCP and iSCSI, a critical task required for SAN configuration is to configure Logical Interfaces (LIFs). LIFs are necessary for network connectivity and are used by both NVMe/TCP and iSCSI protocols to communicate between the storage system and the host.

The configuration of LIFs involves creating and managing these interfaces to ensure they are correctly mapped and available for use by the respective protocols. This step is essential for the SAN setup to function properly.

For more detailed steps on configuring LIFs, you can refer to NetApp's documentation:

How to Configure NVMe/TCP with ONTAP​ (NetApp Community)​.

SAN Configuration with ONTAP​ (NetApp)​.

To protect an Oracle RAC Automatic Storage Management (ASM) instance and ensure automated restores, the recommended tool is theNetApp SnapCenter plugin. SnapCenter provides comprehensive backup, restore, and clone capabilities for Oracle databases, including those using ASM. It integrates tightly with Oracle RAC environments and automates the entire data protection process, ensuring that backups are consistent and restores are efficient and reliable.

For more details, refer to:

NetApp Documentation on SnapCenter for Oracle​ (NetApp)​.

NetApp TR-4964: Oracle Database Backup, Restore, and Clone​ (NetApp)​.

When a LUN shows 90% used space in the NetApp ONTAP CLI but a Windows Server shows only 10% used space, the discrepancy is often due to how space allocation is handled between the two systems. Enabling space allocation ensures that the ONTAP system accurately reflects the actual space usage as reported by the host system, in this case, the Windows Server. This adjustment allows ONTAP to reclaim and manage space more effectively, aligning the reported usage between the ONTAP system and the host.

For more information, refer to:

NetApp Community Discussion on Space Allocation

NetApp Documentation on Space Usage

To migrate data from a LUN on an existing third-party SAN storage system to a new NetApp AFF A400 all-flash MetroCluster system, the supported methods include:

Foreign LUN Import in online mode: This method allows for data migration without significant downtime, enabling the system to continue serving data while the migration process is ongoing.

Foreign LUN Import in offline mode: This method involves taking the LUN offline during the migration process, which may be necessary in certain scenarios to ensure data integrity.

For more details, refer to:

NetApp Documentation on Foreign LUN Import

NetApp Community on LUN Import Methods

The correct tool for designing an FC SAN solution consisting of a NetApp ONTAP system, Broadcom switches, and servers is the "NetApp Verified Architecture" (NVA). The NetApp Verified Architecture provides comprehensive blueprints and detailed implementation references. These blueprints are thoroughly tested, prescriptive in nature, and designed to minimize deployment risks and accelerate time to market. They are specifically designed to help ensure that the architecture meets the high standards required for enterprise environments.

NVA documents include design guides, best practices, and detailed configuration steps, making them invaluable for planning and deploying complex solutions like the one described.

For more information, you can refer to the official NetApp documentation on NetApp Verified Architectures:

NetApp Verified Architecture Program Summary

NetApp Verified Architecture Overview

These resources provide detailed insights into the architecture, including technology requirements, deployment procedures, and additional references for further reading.

Active IQ OneCollect is a NetApp tool designed to collect configuration and performance data from your storage environment, including SAN solutions. It can automate the creation of difference reports by capturing the current state of the system and comparing it against a baseline, thereby showing any changes or deviations from the intended design.

For further details, refer to:

NetApp Active IQ OneCollect Documentation