During an upgrade from a pair of FAS2520s to a 2-node FAS8300 cluster, which capability preserves existing data?

During an upgrade from a pair of FAS2520s to a 2-node FAS8300 cluster, which capability preserves existing data?

• A. Move the volumes between the old and new nodes.
• B. Reformat and recreate all volumes on the new cluster.
• C. Back up data to external media and restore later.
• D. Shut down the old cluster and replace drives individually.

Answer: (A)

Moving the volumes between the old and new nodes is the method that preserves existing data because it relocates the ownership of the volumes to the new cluster without rewriting or recreating the data. In NetApp, a volume sits on disks with its data blocks and metadata intact; relocating that volume simply changes which node serves it and updates the necessary routing, while the actual data on disk remains unchanged. This allows a seamless upgrade path from the two older controllers to the new 2-node FAS8300 cluster with data preserved and accessible. Reformatting and recreating volumes would wipe data, and backing up to external media and restoring, while safe, adds additional steps and downtime rather than preserving data automatically. Shutting down the old cluster and replacing drives individually would risk data loss or require a complex, time-consuming migration. So, moving volumes is the correct approach for preserving data during the upgrade.

Moving the volumes between the old and new nodes is the method that preserves existing data because it relocates the ownership of the volumes to the new cluster without rewriting or recreating the data. In NetApp, a volume sits on disks with its data blocks and metadata intact; relocating that volume simply changes which node serves it and updates the necessary routing, while the actual data on disk remains unchanged. This allows a seamless upgrade path from the two older controllers to the new 2-node FAS8300 cluster with data preserved and accessible.

Reformatting and recreating volumes would wipe data, and backing up to external media and restoring, while safe, adds additional steps and downtime rather than preserving data automatically. Shutting down the old cluster and replacing drives individually would risk data loss or require a complex, time-consuming migration. So, moving volumes is the correct approach for preserving data during the upgrade.