About storage systems

What a storage system is

A storage system is a hardware- and software-based data storage and retrieval system. It responds to network requests from clients and fulfills them by writing data to or retrieving data from its disk array. Storage systems provide a modular hardware architecture running the Data ONTAP^TM operating system and WAFL® (Write Anywhere File Layout) software. For information about all of the models of NetApp storage systems, see http://www.netapp.com/products/.

Note
Backend storage subsystems such as IBM®, Hitachi Data Systems®, and HP® for V-Series systems provide storage for data. NetApp V-Series systems fulfill client requests from Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs) on the backend storage subsystems. For more information about V-Series systems, see the V-Series Software Setup, Installation, and Management Guide.

Data ONTAP is the operating system for all NetApp storage systems. It provides a complete set of storage management tools through its command-line interface, through the FilerView® interface, through the DataFabric® Manager interface (which requires a license), and for storage systems with a Remote LAN Module (RLM) installed, through the RLM Ethernet connection to the system console. For more information about Data ONTAP, see About Data ONTAP.

Components of a storage system

A storage system consists of the following components.

Component	Function
Storage system main unit, or chassis, also known as the storage engine	The hardware device that receives and sends data. This unit also houses the storage system components and detects and gathers information about the hardware and the hardware configuration, the storage system components, operational status, hardware failures, and error conditions. For information about how to view this information, see Environmental status information. For information about environmental error codes, see the Diagnostics Guide on the NetApp on the Web^TM (NOW) site at http://now.netapp.com.
Disk shelves	Containers, or device carriers, that hold disks and associated hardware (such as power supplies, connectivity, and cabling) that are connected to the main unit of the storage systems. For more information, see Disk shelves and disks. Note For V-Series systems, see the documentation for your storage subsystem for information about disks.

Component

Function

Storage system main unit, or chassis, also known as the storage engine

The hardware device that receives and sends data.

This unit also houses the storage system components and detects and gathers information about the hardware and the hardware configuration, the storage system components, operational status, hardware failures, and error conditions. For information about how to view this information, see Environmental status information. For information about environmental error codes, see the Diagnostics Guide on the NetApp on the Web^TM (NOW) site at http://now.netapp.com.

Disk shelves

Containers, or device carriers, that hold disks and associated hardware (such as power supplies, connectivity, and cabling) that are connected to the main unit of the storage systems. For more information, see Disk shelves and disks.

Note
For V-Series systems, see the documentation for your storage subsystem for information about disks.