Root-data-(data) partitions are supported only on all-SSD systems; as you have SAS/SATA disks you cannot use them – at least in supported way. Also cluster switches must be supported by NetApp and run validated configuration and be dedicated switches – which means you cannot just use arbitrary 4 10G ports on your existing switches (again, it will technically work, just if you hit a problem you will have hard time to get it through support).

What you can do in – as far as I can tell – supported way is to use ARL to replace controllers. High level steps are

1. Connect new shelf to 2552, move data from internal disks to new shelf. Make sure to leave 4 disks for two root aggregates

2. Move root aggregates to new shelf: https://kb.netapp.com/support/s/article/ka31A00000013ok/How-to-non-disruptively-create-a-new-root-aggregate-and-have-it-host-the-root-volume-in-clustered-Data-ONTAP-8-2-and-8-3-ONTAP-9-0

3. Replace controllers: https://library.netapp.com/ecm/ecm_download_file/ECMP1995386

4. Repurpose 2552 as shelf and redistribute volumes as you see fit

All of this can be done without cluster outage.

---

With best regards

Andrei Borzenkov

Senior system engineer

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From: toasters-bounces@teaparty.net [mailto:toasters-bounces@teaparty.net] On Behalf Of Chris Good
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 12:04 AM
To: Mike Gossett
Cc: toasters@teaparty.net
Subject: Re: FAS2552 -> FAS8200 migration

On 28 March 2017 at 20:09, Mike Gossett <cmgossett@gmail.com> wrote:

You'll need at least 4 10GB switch ports - the process to convert from switchless to switched isn't that bad: http://www.rejected.io/2014/09/netapp-cluster-mode-converting-switchless-to-switched-cluster/

Yep, that bit looks easy enough.

Assuming you have enough capacity on the new disk purchased with the 8200, your best bet is to move all the volumes to new disk and then swing the other shelves (including the converted 2552).  

That might be an option.  The inbuild drives on the 2552 are 4*SSD + 20*900G SAS (which house root) plus another shelf of bulk SATA storage. With the 8200 we'll have another 24*960GB SSDs, so if we have R-D2 partitioning on there then we should squeek by with enough space on the SSDs to migrate the volumes from the builtin drives - Yay!. 

I think I would get all the data \ other shelves to the 8200, and then before converting the 2552 to a shelf, disable ADP and wipe disks and remove ownership.  From loader, I believe the command was: setenv root-uses-shared-disks? false 

Gotcha, so we wipe the builtin disks, add them back to the 8200, then we can migrate the volumes back off the SSDs and onto the SAS drives.  Migrating the bulk storage shelf and SVMs should be trivial

Thanks for that rundown, seems to make sense to me.

Out of interest would this be significantly simpler if rather than using SSDs and R-D2 we had another shelf of SAS drives for dedicated root drives?

Chris