Flash Device State Test
A Flash Cache 2, Flash Cache, or Performance Acceleration Module (PAM) PCIe-based, memory module optimizes the performance of random read-intensive workloads by functioning as an intelligent external read cache. This hardware works in tandem with the WAFL External Cache software component of Data ONTAP. Flash Cache speeds data access through intelligent caching of recently read user data or NetApp metadata. Flash Cache works with all NetApp storage protocols and software, enabling you to:
- Increase I/O throughput by up to 75% thus eliminating performance bottlenecks
- Use up to 75% fewer disk drives without compromising performance
- Increase e-mail users by up to 67% without adding disk drives
- Lower costs—use SATA drives with Flash Cache for important workloads.
- Save power, cooling & rack space by using fewer, larger hard disk drives.
This test monitors the current state of each Flash Cache installed on the NetApp Cluster and reports the percentage of Flash Cache that is currently online.
Target of the test : A NetApp Cluster
Agent deploying the test : An external/remote agent
Outputs of the test : One set of results for each aggregate on the NetApp Cluster being monitored.
Parameters | Description |
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Test Period |
How often should the test be executed. |
Host |
The IP address of the storage controller cluster. |
Port |
Specify the port at which the specified host listens in the Port text box. By default, this is NULL. |
User |
Here, specify the name of the user who possesses the readonly role. If such a user does not pre-exist, then, you can create a special user for this purpose using the steps detailed in Creating a New User with the Role Required for Monitoring the NetApp Cluster. |
Password |
Specify the password that corresponds to the above-mentioned User. |
Confirm Password |
Confirm the Password by retyping it here. |
Authentication Mechanism |
In order to collect metrics from the NetApp Cluster, the eG agent connects to the ONTAP management APIs over HTTP or HTTPS. By default, this connection is authenticated using the LOGIN_PASSWORD authentication mechanism. This is why, LOGIN_PASSWORD is displayed as the default Authentication Mechanism. |
Use SSL |
Set the Use SSL flag to Yes, if SSL (Secured Socket Layer) is to be used to connect to the NetApp Unified Storage System, and No if it is not. |
API Report |
By default, in most environments, NetApp Cluster listens on port 80 (if not SSL-enabled) or on port 443 (if SSL-enabled) only. This implies that while monitoring the NetApp Cluster, the eG agent, by default, connects to port 80 or 443, depending upon the SSL-enabled status of the NetApp Cluster - i.e., if the NetApp Cluster is not SSL-enabled (i.e., if the Use SSL flag above is set to No), then the eG agent connects to the NetApp Cluster using port 80 by default, and if the NetApp Cluster is SSL-enabled (i.e., if the Use SSL flag is set to Yes), then the agent-NetApp Cluster communication occurs via port 443 by default. Accordingly, the API Port parameter is set to default by default. In some environments however, the default ports 80 or 443 might not apply. In such a case, against the API Port parameter, you can specify the exact port at which the NetApp Cluster in your environment listens, so that the eG agent communicates with that port for collecting metrics from the NetApp Cluster. |
Exclude Aggregates |
If you wish to exclude certain aggregates from the scope of monitoring, specify a list of comma-separated aggregates in this text box. By default, none will be displayed here. |
Timeout |
Specify the duration (in seconds) beyond which the test will timeout if no response is received from the device. The default is 120 seconds. |
Measurement | Description | Measurement Unit | Interpretation | ||||||||
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State |
Indicates the current state of this Flash Cache. |
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The values that this measure can report and their corresponding numeric values have been listed in the table below.
Note: By default, this measure reports the above-mentioned Measure Values while indicating the current status of a Flash Cache. However, in the graph of this measure, states will be represented using the corresponding numeric equivalents i.e., 0 to 2. |
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Online |
Indicates the percentage of Flash Cache capacity that is currently online. |
Percent |
A high value is desired for this measure. |