NetApp Tips & Best Practices

01 ONTAP CLI Tips

CLI Tip

Use -fields * to discover available fields

Not sure what fields a command supports? Run volume show -fields ? to see all available field names for that object. Then narrow your query with only the fields you need.

Efficiency

Use set -privilege advanced to unlock more commands

Many diagnostic and low-level commands are hidden at the default privilege level. Use set -privilege advanced to access them. Remember to return to set -privilege admin when done to avoid accidental destructive changes.

Shortcut

Tab completion and ? work everywhere in ONTAP CLI

Press Tab to auto-complete command names, flags, and even values like volume names or vserver names. Append ? to any partial command to see available options. This alone saves significant time during operations.

Danger

Test destructive operations in ONTAP Simulator first

Before running scripts that delete snapshots, move volumes, or break SnapMirror relationships in production, test them in ONTAP Select or the ONTAP Simulator. Many operations are irreversible or require lengthy recovery if run incorrectly.

Filtering

Master wildcard patterns with *, ?, and !

* matches any characters (e.g., vol* matches volume, vol123). ? matches single character. ! negates (e.g., !root* excludes root). Combine: vserver show -vserver !*root* lists all non-root vservers.

Advanced Filtering Examples

bash · ONTAP CLI filtering patterns

/* List all non-root vservers */
vserver show -vserver !*root*

/* List only root vservers */
vserver show -vserver *root*

/* Show volumes larger than 10GB */
volume show -size >10GB

/* Show volumes smaller than 5GB */
volume show -size <5GB

/* Show volumes between 5GB and 100GB */
volume show -size >=5GB -size <=100GB

/* List volumes matching pattern (vol_prod_*) */
volume show -vserver * -volume vol_prod_*

/* Show only online volumes */
volume show -state online

/* Show all aggregates NOT containing "ssd" in the name */
storage aggregate show -aggregate !*ssd*

/* List volumes with guarantee type of volume */
volume show -guarantee volume

/* Show snapshots created after specific date (YYYY-MM-DD) */
snapshot show -volume * -creation-time >2024-01-01

/* List all LIFs on specific node */
network interface show -node node-01* -role data

/* Show all SnapMirror relationships in idle state */
snapmirror show -status idle

/* List exports NOT matching admin share pattern */
vserver export-policy rule show -policyname * -clientmatch !*admin*

/* Count volumes by vserver (with fields) */
volume show -fields vserver,volume,size -vserver *

Combining Multiple Filters

bash · Complex filter chains

/* Find all data vservers with prod volumes larger than 50GB */
volume show -vserver *data* -volume *prod* -size >50GB -state online

/* List all SnapMirror destinations that are NOT idle */
snapmirror show -type DP -status !idle

/* Show non-root vservers NOT in administrative state */
vserver show -vserver !*root* -state !running

/* Find volumes on SSD aggregates larger than 100GB */
volume show -size >100GB -aggregate *ssd*

/* List snapshots older than 30 days (manual calculation) */
snapshot show -volume * -creation-time <2023-12-01

/* Find all NAS volumes with guarantee and online state */
volume show -type RW -guarantee volume -state online -vserver !*root*

/* Show failed or initializing SnapMirror relationships */
snapmirror show -status !healthy,!idle

02 REST API Tips

Best Practice

Always use -fields to filter API responses

ONTAP REST API returns all fields by default, which can be massive. Specifying ?fields=name,size,state dramatically reduces payload size and response time. This also reduces load on the cluster for bulk operations.

Heads Up

Handle pagination — default limit is 1000 records

The ONTAP REST API caps records per response. Check for _links.next.href in the response body and loop until it's absent. Miss this and you silently get incomplete data in large clusters.

Important

Poll async jobs — don't assume POST = done

Many ONTAP REST operations (volume create, move, SnapMirror) return a job object instead of waiting. Always check for job.uuid in the response and poll /api/cluster/jobs/{uuid} until state == "success" before proceeding.

Security

Never hardcode credentials in scripts

Use environment variables (os.getenv() in Python, $env:VAR in PowerShell) or a secrets manager like HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager. Credentials committed to Git are a significant security incident waiting to happen.

Migration

Migrate from ZAPI to REST — ZAPI is deprecated

NetApp has deprecated ZAPI (ZAPIs). All new automation should use the ONTAP REST API. ONTAP 9.12.1+ restricts ZAPI in some contexts. The netapp-ontap Python library and PSTK both now default to REST. Use the ONTAP API Explorer (https://<cluster>/docs/api) to explore endpoints.

02 Python-Specific Tips

Pattern

Use get_collection(fields=...) not get_all()

Volume.get_collection(fields="name,size") is lazy — it pages automatically. Avoid list(Volume.get_collection()) without filters on large clusters as it fetches everything into memory.

Pattern

Use hydrate=True after POST to get UUID back

When calling .post(hydrate=True), the library automatically fetches the created resource back so you have access to server-assigned fields like uuid and create_time immediately after creation.

Gotcha

Size values are in bytes, not GB

All size fields in the ONTAP REST API and netapp-ontap library use bytes. Always convert: 10 * 1024 ** 3 for 10 GB. When printing, divide accordingly. Forgetting this will create a 10-byte volume.

Tip

Use the ONTAP API Explorer for discovery

Browse to https://<your-cluster>/docs/api for an interactive Swagger UI of all available REST endpoints. You can try requests live and see the exact JSON structures before coding.

03 PowerShell-Specific Tips

PSTK

Use -Query to filter server-side, not client-side

Instead of Get-NcVol | Where-Object {$_.State -eq 'online'}, use Get-NcVol -Query @{State="online"}. The latter filters on the cluster, reducing data transfer significantly on large environments.

PSTK

Store the controller object for multi-cluster scripts

$ctrl = Connect-NcController ... then pass -Controller $ctrl to every cmdlet. This lets you manage multiple clusters in the same script without accidentally running commands on the wrong cluster.

Reporting

Pipe to Export-Csv for instant reports

Get-NcVol | Select Name,TotalSize,Used | Export-Csv report.csv -NoTypeInformation is a fast way to produce capacity reports. Combine with ConvertTo-Html for email-ready HTML reports.

05 Quick Environment Checklist

bash · pre-flight checklist

# Verify ONTAP REST API is reachable
curl -sk -u admin:password https://<cluster>/api/cluster | python3 -m json.tool

# Check ONTAP version (must be 9.6+ for REST)
curl -sk -u admin:password https://<cluster>/api/cluster?fields=version

# Verify Python library version
python3 -c "import netapp_ontap; print(netapp_ontap.__version__)"

# Verify PSTK version
(Get-Module NetApp.ONTAP).Version

# Check API Explorer (open in browser)
echo "Open: https://<cluster>/docs/api"