Frequently Asked Questions

If you use the Perl API set_style() with the HOSTS option, and 'httpd.admin.hostsequiv.enable ' is not set to 'on', you get the error message 'Authorization failed'. It runs the rsh command successfully on the storage system.

Following is the output when you run the options httpd command:

httpd.access	legacy
httpd.admin.access	legacy
httpd.admin.enable	on
httpd.admin.hostsequiv.enable	on
httpd.admin.max_connections	512
httpd.admin.ssl.enable	off
httpd.autoindex.enable	on
httpd.enable	on
httpd.log.format	common
httpd.method.trace.enable	off
httpd.rootdir	XXX
httpd.timeout	300
httpd.timewait.enable	off

To set the above option, run the following command on a NetApp storage system:

$options httpd.admin.hostsequiv.enable on

How do I fix the "SSL initialization" error while using HTTPS transport option in my application?

Check whether OpenSSL libraries are in your Path environment variable. On UNIX, check whether a LD_LIBRARY_PATH has path for OpenSSL libraries. On Windows, check whether the PATH environment variable has a path for OpenSSL libraries.

When the path is not set as mentioned above, the application fails and sends the error message "SSL initialization failed".

Which ports are used on the storage system for ONTAP API communication?

Following are the default ports on the storage system used for ONTAP API communication:

HTTP transport - 80

HTTPS transport - 443

Where do I find information about the NetApp SNMP MIBs and supported ONTAP versions?

The SNMP MIB files are present at the NetApp Support Site (formerly the NOW site). Click here to view.

Can I connect to a MultiStore system (vFiler) using HTTPS?

No. SSL is not supported on MultiStore/vFiler systems. Therefore, ONTAP API calls to MultiStore or vFiler systems using HTTPS as the transport mechanism is not possible. To overcome this limitation, use the vFiler tunneling feature of the SDK.

What is vFiler tunneling?

vFiler tunneling is the ability to execute an API on a vFiler unit through a physical storage system. This feature is supported by the -v option of the apitest utility. The na_server_set_vfiler() interface is used for this purpose.

vFiler tunneling is a feature that enables an API to be invoked on a vFiler through the physical storage system on which the vFiler is contained. To access a vFiler, a user requires the IP address, user name, and password of the physical storage system alone. This feature is supported by the -v option of the ontapi utility in the SDK. vFiler tunneling is supported by Data ONTAP 7.2.1 and later. While using the API na_server_set_vfiler, the client has to specify the ONTAPI version 1.7 or later. Before this feature was introduced, a user needed the IP address, user name, and password of both the actual storage system and the vFiler on which an API was to be invoked. It was a difficult task to maintain the details of the storage system and all the vFiler units on a network with a large number of vFiler units.

What are vFiler-enabled APIs?

vFiler-enabled APIs are used to access a vFiler unit, and the APIs are made available on the IP address of the vFiler unit's.

Does ONTAP API access to vFiler units using HTTP work with Data ONTAP versions prior to 7.2?

No. It only works from Data ONTAP 7.2.1 and later.

Do SDK libraries work with older ONTAP versions?

Yes. Libraries in the later versions of the NetApp Manageability SDK work with the older APIs. For example, NetApp Manageability SDK 5.2 works with Data ONTAP versions prior to 8.1.

10.

Which version of ONTAP API should be used by the client programs?

As a good practice, the client program should specify the lowest ONTAP API version that corresponds to the APIs used by the program. This ensures that the client program is usable on as many storage systems as possible.

If the client program specifies the latest version of ONTAP API, it is usable on the latest version of ONTAP only, even if it uses the older APIs.

The ONTAP API version is specified in na_server_open().

For example:

s = na_server_open(argv[1],1,4);

By providing Data ONTAP API 1.4 in the client program, it is usable on Data ONTAP 7.0, 7.1, and 7.2. You can use the API 'system-get-ontapi-version ' command on the client program to know the ONTAP API version of ONTAP.

11.

Where can I find more information about the errors returned by the APIs?

The include/netapp_errno.h file in the SDK provides information about the error numbers returned by the APIs.

12.

How does the ONTAP API behave in the absence of the required license on the storage system?

The ONTAP APIs return the EAPILICENSE error in the absence of the required license on the storage system.

13.

Why do I get the error "Unable to find API: xyz (errno=13001)", when I issue the API 'xyz' on a particular vFiler unit of a storage system?

Not all the APIs are supported for vFiler units. Check the API documentation to determine whether the API is supported for vFiler units. If the 'vfiler-enabled' tag is "Yes", then the API is supported for vFiler units.

14.

How do I make non-blocking API calls to the storage system?

You can set the timeout value for the server connection to a non-zero value to make API calls non-blocking. For the applications that use the C APIs, you can set the timeout value using the Core API na_server_set_timeout(). Timeout setting is supported in Java and Perl APIs.

15.

What is the maximum number of client connections that can be initiated between a client using the ONTAP API (or set of clients) and a storage system?

The total number of client connections is limited by the maximum HTTP connections allowed by the storage system. The option 'httpd.admin.max_connections' decides this value and falls in the range of 1 and 1023.

You can determine the maximum connections allowed by the storage system by entering the following command-line interface command:

$options httpd

httpd.access	legacy
httpd.admin.access	legacy
httpd.admin.enable	on
httpd.admin.hostsequiv.enable	on
httpd.admin.max_connections	512
httpd.admin.ssl.enable	off
httpd.autoindex.enable	on
httpd.enable	on
httpd.log.format	common
httpd.method.trace.enable	off
httpd.rootdir	XXX
httpd.timeout	300
httpd.timewait.enable	off

* The value that is set.

16.

For Data ONTAP 7.1 and later, the longest permitted retention period is 70 years. To support an extended range for record retention dates, SnapLock provides a mechanism by which applications can specify retention dates up to January 19, 2071. This is done by defining a new epoch for the last access time of January 1, 2003, at 00:00:00 GMT. Rather than offsetting the entire time range, SnapLock interprets last access times before January 1, 2003, as dates in the future, using the wraparound technique. This technique leaves all retention dates between January 1, 2003, and January 19, 2038 identical to the regular format. However, it remaps dates in the range 1970 through 2003 to the range 2038 through 2071.

For Data ONTAP 7.0 systems, the longest permitted retention period is 30 years, and setting a record's retention date to the 2038 through 2071 extended range is not supported. Therefore, for Data ONTAP 7.1 and later, to set the date beyond January 19,2038, you must map the date to a date in the range of 1970 through 2003.

17.

For Data ONTAP 7.1 and later, why does the API file-set-snaplock-retention-time() allow setting a retention date that has already passed?

For Data ONTAP 7.1 and later, years 1970 through 2003 are remapped to 2038 through 2071. Therefore, the years from 1970 through 2003 actually represent the future years from 2038 to 2071.

18.

Can I restrict a client from using a particular ONTAP API? How do I add role-based access control (RBAC) for ONTAP APIs?

Yes. You can do so by using either the useradmin command or APIs.

Using the useradmin command

Use the useradmin command to restrict the client from using ONTAP APIs.

For more information, see the $man useradmin command.

Using APIs

APIs support setting RBAC using the 'useradmin-*' API family. You can assign a particular user specific API capability. Following is the granularity with which you can assign API capabilities to a user:

Capability	Level of Access
api-*	Grants the specified role all API capabilities.
api-api_call_family- *	Grants the specified role the capability to call all API routines in the family api_call_family.
api-api_call_family- *	Grants the specified role the capability to call the API api_call.

Note: Users with API capability also require the login-http-admin capability to execute APIs.

19.

How can I read the 64-bit integer value from the API output?

You can use the na_child_get_int64() or na_child_get_uint64() API to read a 64-bit integer value.

Prior to Manage ONTAP SDK 3.0, the 64-bit integer value was read as a string by using the API na_child_get_string(), and then the string was converted to a 64-bit integer.

20.

When should I use iterative APIs?

Use iterative APIs when the output is expected to have a large amount of data (for example, thousands of qtrees).

Do not use iterative APIs when the output does not contain a large amount of data.

21.

What is the minimum version of ONTAP that supports the IPv6 feature?

The IPv6 feature is supported from Data ONTAP 7.3.1 and later.

22.

How do I know whether IPv6 is configured in a storage system?

To check whether IPv6 is configured, run the following command:

$ifconfig -a

Look for the inet6 address or IPv6 format address. An example of an IPv6 address is as follows:

3ffe:1900:4545:3:200:f8ff:fe21:67cf

23.

Where can I get information about configuring IPv6 on the storage system?

For information about how to configure IPv6, see the ONTAP Network Management Guide that corresponds to the ONTAP version on your system.

24.

Should I change the configuration of the storage system to make ONTAP APIs queries on an IPv6 network?

Yes. You must enable the option httpd.ipv6.enable to make ONTAP APIs queries using the HTTP or HTTPS transport mechanism on an IPv6 network.

To enable IPv6, run the following command:

$options http

To use the Windows DCE/RPC transport mechanism on an IPv6 network, enable option cifs.ipv6.enable. Run the following command to enable the option cifs.ipv6.enable : $options cifs.ipv6.enable on

25.

How do I know whether a storage system is a NetApp storage system or an IBM N series system?

Use the system-get-version API to get the vendor information.

For a NetApp storage system, the output is as follows:

$apitest <host> <user> <password> system-get-version

<version>NetApp Release 7.3: Fri May 9 08:47:06 PDT 2008</version>

</results>

Following is the output for an IBM N series system, which has an IBM tag:

$apitest <host> <user> <password> system-get-version

<version>Data ONTAP Release 7.1.2: Thu Feb 22 00:45:26 PST 2007 (IBM)

</version>

</results>

26.

How can I retrieve the vendor ID of my storage system?

The system-get-info API returns the vendor ID as part of output parameter vendor-id. The value for vendor-id is NetApp for NetApp storage systems and IBM for IBM N series systems.

Following is an example of system-get-info:

<system-info>

<system-id>0084181440</system-id>

<system-model>FAS270</system-model>

<vendor-id>NetApp</vendor-id>

<system-serial-number>3047474</system-serial-number>

<system-id>0084181440</system-id>

<system-model>FAS270</system-model>

<vendor-id>IBM</vendor-id>

<system-serial-number>3047474</system-serial-number>

............

</system-info>

</results>

27.

What are the Microsoft .NET Framework languages supported by NetApp Manageability SDK?

The Microsoft .NET Framework languages that NetApp Manageability SDK supports are C#, VB.NET, and PowerShell.

28.

Where can I find more information about errors returned by the Microsoft .NET Core APIs?

To view all the errors returned by the APIs, launch the Microsoft .NET Core API documentation. Select the topic ErrNo Enumeration from the Table of Contents.

29.

Can I use certificate-based authentication using HTTPS?

Certificate-based authentication is supported on NetApp Manageability SDK 5.1 and later, Data ONTAP 8.1.3 and later, and Data ONTAP 8.2 and later.

30.

Where can I find ntapadmin.dll?

The ntapadmin.dll library is at lib/nt. It is required for the RPC transport mechanism.

31.

Where can I find ManageOntap.dll?

The ManageOntap.dll library is at lib/Dotnet. It is required for PowerShell and .NET application programming.

32.

What are the libraries required for PowerShell support?

PowerShell requires a Microsoft .NET based ManageOntap.dll library. For RPC transport mechanism, you require ntapadmin.dll.

For PowerShell cmdlets, you require the following additional Microsoft .NET libraries:

◦

System.Management.Automation.dll (PowerShell usually installs this assembly at C:\Program Files\Reference Assemblies\Microsoft\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0 directory)

◦

System.Configuration.Install.dll

◦

System.Management.dll

33.

I cannot run scripts when I first install Windows PowerShell. What should I do?

By default, Execution Policy (a security feature in PowerShell) prevents script execution. To list execution policies, type the command Get-Help about_signing in the Windows PowerShell prompt. Use the Set-ExecutionPolicy cmdlet to set the new policy.

34.

The utilities, apitest and ZExplore, display the error message "The system cannot execute the specified program" and fail to execute. What is wrong?

You have to install Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 Redistributable Package on your system. Download this package from the Microsoft Download Center.

35.

What is the minimum version of DataFabric Manager that supports Web services?

DataFabric Manager 4.0 or later supports the Web services feature.

36.

How would an API behave if it is invoked during a cluster failover?

During a cluster failover, the storage system undergoes a downtime of approximately one minute. API requests that are sent during this downtime fail.

37.

How do I know whether a NetApp storage system (using Data ONTAP 8.1 or later) is in 7- Mode or ONTAP?

Run the command: apitest <host> <user> <password> system-get-version

Look for the tag <is-clustered>, which indicates the mode of the ONTAP version.

38.

How do I determine the list of all supported LIFs and IP addresses in a Cluster by using APIs?

Run the apitest and use the net-interface-get-iter Cluster-Mode API to discover the list of all the supported LIFs and IP addresses: apitest <host> <user> <passwd> netinterface- get-iter

After you obtain the LIFs, you can connect to the specific LIF and invoke an API.

39.

What are the SSL and TLS protocol versions supported by the SDK?

The SDK supports the following SSL and TLS version on the supported languages:

Language	Supported SSL and TLS versions
C	SSLv2, SSLv3, and TLSv1
Perl	SSLv2, SSLv3, and TLSv1
Java	SSLv3 and TLSv1
Python	SSLv3 and TLSv1
Ruby	SSLv3 and TLSv1
PowerShell, C# and VB.NET	SSLv3 and TLSv1