A construction department wants the ability to work on a set of planning files in headquarters and on several construction sites locally. The…

BlueXP edge caching (formerly NetApp Global File Cache) is the solution designed specifically for this use case. It addresses the needs of distributed teams by creating a single, centralized data footprint, which can be hosted on-premises or in the cloud. It then deploys software-based "edge" instances at remote sites, like the construction sites in the scenario. These edges cache the active data locally, providing LAN-speed access to files. Critically, BlueXP edge caching enforces centralized, global file locking across all locations, ensuring data integrity and preventing users from overwriting each other's work on shared Windows files.

A. BlueXP tiering: This service is for storage efficiency. It automatically moves inactive ("cold") data from primary ONTAP storage to low-cost object storage, not for providing active data access to remote users.

B. Cloud Volumes Service: This provides managed file services in the public cloud. While it can serve as the central data source (core), it does not, by itself, provide the required local caching and global locking at remote sites.

D. BlueXP observability: This is a monitoring and analytics service. It provides insights into the health, performance, and costs of a data fabric but does not provide file access, caching, or locking capabilities.

1. NetApp BlueXP edge caching documentation: "BlueXP edge caching provides real-time file locking for globally distributed offices. When a user opens a file, that file is locked, and other users can't edit the file until the first user closes it. This functionality is transparent to users and prevents data loss."

Source: NetApp BlueXP Documentation, "Learn about BlueXP edge caching".

2. NetApp Solution Brief, SB-4053: "Global File Cache provides centralized file locking across all remote offices. This capability ensures that only one user can modify a file at a time, regardless of their location, preventing data corruption and versioning issues."

Source: NetApp, "Global File Cache: A Modern Alternative to Distributed File Services (DFS)", SB-4053-0320, Page 2.

3. NetApp BlueXP tiering documentation: "BlueXP tiering helps you to reduce your storage costs by tiering inactive data from your on-premises ONTAP clusters to object storage in the cloud."

Source: NetApp BlueXP Documentation, "Learn about BlueXP tiering".