Use Cloud Manager APIs to automate your Data Fabric!

Many of you reading this may already be familiar with NetApp’s Cloud Volumes ONTAP and OnCommand Cloud Manager, and you're hungry for... well...'more'.  That's why I'm writing this... to provide ... well.. 'more'.  

For those of you less familiar, Cloud Volumes ONTAP (formerly ONTAP Cloud) is NetApp's virtualized version of the #1 Storage operating system in the world running in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud. Enterprise class Data Management for the public cloud people!!!  

Additionally, Cloud Manager is the Intuitive user interface that makes it a super simple task to deploy and manage your Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems.  I’ve spent many, many, many… many (yes, actually... quite a few) ... quality hours with both products and I’ve created several ‘How-To’ videos that are hosted in our Cloud Manager & Cloud Volumes ONTAP YouTube Playlist. These videos are put together in a way that should allow you to follow along with the tasks while the video plays… well… at least that’s the intent. (hint:  if they miss the mark, please, please, please let us know!)

Now, while Cloud Manager makes it a simple task to deploy new Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems, and discover physical systems... and while I really do like the intuitiveness of the UI... things get really much more interesting when you use the APIs.  Soooo much more enabling.  The whole Cloud Manager UI is built ontop of the APIs, so that's AWESOME from an automation perspective.  That said, sometimes using the API’s can be a bit challenging, and guidance isn't just a good thing... it's expected.  That’s why I put together two API centric videos for Cloud Manager:

1. Using the OnCommand Cloud Manager online API documentation

The title is pretty self-explanatory.  This video shows you where you can access the Cloud Manager online API documentation, and how you can use it.

2. Using Cloud Manager APIs to create and manage Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems

Without going into too much detail, this video will show you how we’ve used WFA and PowerShell commands to:

• Authenticate to the Cloud Manager system
• Identify the right Cloud Manager APIs to use
• Create a JSON Request body to use with the APIs
• Initiate the Cloud Manager APIs

Also… spoiler alerts:

The main point of the video is to show you how you can use the APIs to create a new Cloud Volumes ONTAP system with remote API calls.

That said… I also show you a WFA workflow that:

• Creates two Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems… in different AWS Regions
  • You heard me… different …AWS Regions, not just Availability Zones
  • I did this by setting up a software VPN between my us-east-1 and us-west-1 regions. This allows Cloud Manager to manage the Data Fabric across AWS Regions
• Creates volumes on both Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems
• Add the newly created Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems to an OnCommand Insight system for monitoring and analytics
• Create replication relationships for both volumes to its alternate Cloud Volumes ONTAP systems 

Along with all of this, you can access and take advantage of some of these WFA workflows for Cloud Manager today for yourself!!!  In working with the WFA teams, there is now an OnCommand Cloud Manager Pack you can download and import into your own WFA system from the NetApp Automation Store.  This is the first of many Cloud Packs that will be offered via the NetApp Automation Store.

I’m really excited to share all of this with you, and the best part of all of this is that we’re just getting started!

Stay tuned, because more is definitely coming... soon!

Be sure to take advantage of 30-day free trial of Cloud ONTAP.