It happens more often than you think. After analyzing options, an organization determines that they need to upgrade their IT infrastructure, but then transition related momentum stalls when the realities of implementation are discovered. A case in point is with NetApp's latest data storage technology, Clustered Data ONTAP (cDOT), and current customers that want to replace some or all of their existing Data ONTAP 7-Mode systems (7-Mode) with cDOT. 

Transitioning to a new cDOT system with minimal disruption to end-users is challenging enough when performing the upgrade from one existing 7-Mode system to one new cDOT system. But for NetApp customers with multiple 7-Mode systems, the ability to simultaneously upgrade all 7-Mode systems to cDOT is simply not possible, or even desired in some instances.

Data Interoperability Expands Transition Strategies and Accelerates Implementations

As cDOT is a relatively new platform from NetApp, selecting the right data management tools to assist with transition related tasks is the key to avoiding an all or nothing strategy and building project momentum by expanding available options when planning a transition to cDOT. So, how does this work in the real world?

By utilizing the PeerSync family of products to enable data interoperability between 7-Mode and cDOT systems, NetApp storage administrators with multiple 7-Mode systems can now opt for a gradual, phased approach for upgrading to cDOT. PeerSync is integrated with NetApp's FPolicy API for both 7-Mode and cDOT, and offers the unique capability to support both forward and backward compatibility between the two systems. In practical terms this means that real-time, continuous folder and file replication can occur from 7-Mode to cDOT, from cDOT to 7-Mode, or bi-directional between any combination of 7-Mode and cDOT. This provides incredible flexibility in transition planning and execution including:

• Enabling cDOT backup to a 7-Mode system without utilizing SnapMirror and SnapVault, which are not backwards compatible from cDOT to 7-Mode. To solve this, we recommend PeerSync which can be used to provide continuous data protection from cDOT to 7-Mode systems.
  
  
• Branch offices with 7-Mode systems can backup to a disaster recovery (DR) site that recently upgraded to cDOT. PeerSync can be used for continuous data protection from each branch office 7-Mode system to the DR site using cDOT. 
  
  
• Ability to stagger cutover of end-users. This is ideal for organizations that cannot simultaneously move users to a new cDOT system, and need both the old 7-Mode and the new cDOT systems in production.
  
  
• Peace of mind thanks to the ability of PeerSync to roll back data from a recently upgraded cDOT system to a 7-Mode system if unforeseen problems occur.