Automated ONTAP storage deployment using Ansible for FlexPod Datacenter with VMware vSphere 7.0 U2 and NetApp ONTAP 9.8 and 9.9

This repository contains Ansible roles and playbooks for an end-to-end ONTAP storage deployment for VMware vSphere 7.0 U2 in a FlexPod Datacenter.

The ONTAP deployment automation is based on the following roles:

ontap_primary_setup
ontap_network
ontap_svm
ontap_volumes
ontap_lifs
ontap_luns
ontap_nvme
ontap_finalize_setup

These roles are developed as per the best practices prescribed in the Cisco Validated Design (CVD) "FlexPod Datacenter with Cisco UCS 4.2(1) in UCS Managed Mode, VMware vSphere 7.0 U2, and NetApp ONTAP 9.9" https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/UCS_CVDs/flexpod_m6_esxi7u2.html.

The end-to-end automation package for this solution is available here - https://github.com/ucs-compute-solutions/FlexPod-UCSM-M6

Environment Validated

As the automation solution is specifically build for the above mentioned CVD, the current roles and playbooks support the following components:

Storage Operating System: ONTAP 9.8 and 9.9
Storage Protocols: iSCSI, NFS and NVMe
VMware vSphere: 7.0 U2

Prerequisite

1. It is assumed that the physical rack and stack, power-on, initialisation of ONTAP OS, setup of Node Management IPs and initial ONTAP Cluster with IP is completed.

NOTE: Aggregate creation is part of the automation.

2. The user should have an Ansible Control machine that has network reachability to the ONTAP storage system and internet access to pull this repository from GitHub. Refer https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/installation_guide/intro_installation.html for guidance on setting up an Ansible Control machine.

3. The Ansible control machine should have the NetApp libraries and collections installed

pip3 install netapp-lib
ansible-galaxy collection install netapp.ontap

Getting Started

1. From the Ansible Control machine Download a ZIP version of this repository or clone it using the below command:

git clone https://github.com/NetApp-Automation/FlexPod-Datacenter-with-Cisco-UCS-M6-VMware-7.0-U2-and-NetApp-ONTAP-9.9.git

2. There is a variable file under the vars folder 'ontap_main.yml' for setup of ONTAP, that needs to be filled out with environment specific parameters prior to executing the playbook.

NOTE: The format of the variable file needs to be maintained as it is, any changes to the structure of the file may lead to failure in execution of the playbook.

NOTE: Sample values are pre-populated against some variables in order to provide the user additional clarity on how the variable needs to be filled out. Please replace the sample values with your environment specific information.

3. Update the credentials for the ONTAP Cluster

Navigate to the 'ontap' file within the 'group_vars' directory and update it with the admin credentials for the ONTAP cluster

Example -

# Credentials for connecting to the ONTAP Cluster
username: admin
password: password

4. Update the Inventory file

Open the 'hosts' file and update it with a record for the ONTAP Cluster Management IP

Example -

[ontap]
# ONTAP Cluster Management IP, list only one ONTAP Cluster IP
192.168.10.5

5. Executing the Playbook

A playbook by name 'Setup_ONTAP.yml' is available at the root of this repository. It calls all the required roles to complete the setup of the ONTAP storage system.

The ONTAP setup is split into three sections, use the tags - ontap_config_part_1, ontap_config_part_2 and ontap_config_part_3 to execute parts of the playbook at the appropriate stage of setup.

Execute the playbook from the Ansible Control machine as an admin/ root user using the following command:

After setup of Cisco Nexus switches	-	ansible-playbook -i hosts Setup_ONTAP.yml -t ontap_config_part_1

After setup of Cisco UCS		-	ansible-playbook -i hosts Setup_ONTAP.yml -t ontap_config_part_2

After setup of VMware ESXi		-	ansible-playbook -i hosts Setup_ONTAP.yml -t ontap_config_part_3

If you would like to run a part of the deployment, you may use the appropriate tag that accompanies each task in the role and run the playbook in the below fashion -

ansible-playbook -i hosts Setup_ONTAP.yml -t <tag_name>

If you would like to deploy NetApp ONTAP Tools for VMware vSphere via Ansible, you can find the associated playbook and roles here - https://github.com/NetApp-Automation/ONTAP-Tools-for-VMware-vSphere

Authors

• Arvind Ramakrishnan ([email protected])
• Kamini Singh ([email protected])