A customer has a MetroCluster configuration and wants to automate the disaster recovery process for unplanned automatic switchover. Which NetApp tool…

The ONTAP Mediator service is specifically designed for NetApp MetroCluster IP configurations to enable an Automatic Unplanned Switchover (AUSO). It acts as a tie-breaker service, monitoring the health of both MetroCluster sites. In the event of a site-wide disaster where one site becomes unreachable, the Mediator service communicates with the surviving site and provides the necessary quorum to trigger an automatic switchover without manual intervention. This ensures business continuity by automating the disaster recovery process for unplanned outages.

A. ONTAP System Manager: This is a graphical user interface for managing an ONTAP cluster. It can be used to manually initiate a switchover but does not automate the process in response to a disaster.

B. SnapCenter: This tool provides application-consistent data protection through backup and recovery management. It is not designed to orchestrate or automate a MetroCluster site switchover.

D. Active IQ Unified Manager: This is a monitoring, reporting, and analytics tool for NetApp storage environments. While it monitors the health of a MetroCluster configuration, it does not trigger the switchover.

1. NetApp Product Documentation, "MetroCluster management and disaster recovery overview": "In a MetroCluster IP configuration, you can configure the ONTAP Mediator service to monitor the MetroCluster configuration and perform an automatic unplanned switchover if a site disaster occurs." (Search for "ONTAP Mediator" in the MetroCluster documentation section on docs.netapp.com).

2. NetApp Technical Report TR-4705, "MetroCluster IP Solution Architecture and Design": Section 3.3, "ONTAP Mediator service," states, "The ONTAP Mediator service is a key component of the MetroCluster IP solution. It monitors the MetroCluster IP configuration and, in the event of a site disaster, can trigger an automatic unplanned switchover (AUSO) to the surviving site."

3. NetApp ONTAP Documentation Center, "Install the ONTAP Mediator service": The introduction states, "You must install the ONTAP Mediator service to enable the automatic unplanned switchover (AUSO) capability in a four-node MetroCluster IP configuration."