Which configuration is essential to ensure proper time synchronization and name resolution in an ONTAP deployment?

Which configuration is essential to ensure proper time synchronization and name resolution in an ONTAP deployment?

• A. SSH access enabled and SNMP community string configured.
• B. The cluster must have at least three nodes.
• C. RAID-DP must be enabled on all aggregates.
• D. DNS is correctly configured for the cluster and SVMs, and NTP is configured so all nodes share synchronized time.

Answer: (D)

Accurate time alignment and reliable name resolution across the cluster hinge on having DNS correctly configured for the cluster and its SVMs, and on NTP ensuring all nodes share synchronized time. DNS lets the cluster, nodes, and SVMs resolve each other’s names, which is essential for management access, inter-node communication, and services that rely on host names. NTP keeps clocks in lockstep across every node, which is critical for authentication, logs, snapshots, replication timing, and certificate validation. When DNS and NTP are properly set up, the cluster can coordinate operations smoothly and maintain consistent behavior. The other options don’t address these fundamental requirements. SSH access and SNMP are about management and monitoring, not time or name resolution. A minimum node count is a topology detail, not a time/DNS concern. RAID-DP relates to data protection, not clock synchronization or name lookup.

Accurate time alignment and reliable name resolution across the cluster hinge on having DNS correctly configured for the cluster and its SVMs, and on NTP ensuring all nodes share synchronized time. DNS lets the cluster, nodes, and SVMs resolve each other’s names, which is essential for management access, inter-node communication, and services that rely on host names. NTP keeps clocks in lockstep across every node, which is critical for authentication, logs, snapshots, replication timing, and certificate validation. When DNS and NTP are properly set up, the cluster can coordinate operations smoothly and maintain consistent behavior.

The other options don’t address these fundamental requirements. SSH access and SNMP are about management and monitoring, not time or name resolution. A minimum node count is a topology detail, not a time/DNS concern. RAID-DP relates to data protection, not clock synchronization or name lookup.