NetApp System Manager: A System Manager Made for Managers
February 26, 2020

NetApp System Manager: A System Manager Made for Managers

Brandon Burch | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with NetApp ONTAP System Manager

NetApp ONTAP System Manager is used within our organization to manage our NetApp filers through a web interface. NetApp ONTAP System Manager is a very easy and intuitive GUI for managing your SVMs, volumes, shares, etc. We use it to make the typical day to day changes but it can also be used to change networking configurations, "rehome interfaces," check diagnostics, and set up SnapMirror relationships.

Pros

  • System Manager is extremely good at resizing volumes, changing snapshot policies and making day-to-day changes.
  • The Dashboard and the Hardware and Diagnostics tabs are a great window into the health of your filer and Cluster. You can immediately see any issues like volumes that are nearly full or errors in the event logs.

Cons

  • Like any "single pane of glass" GUI implementation, there are always settings and configurations you can't include.
  • System Manager cannot make specific/complex configuration changes. For example I had to log in to make changes to "fpolicies" and the users associated with them.
  • The biggest positive impact is time and efficiency. I no longer have to go through several log files to find what I'm looking for. I no longer have to type out a long command to simply resize a CIFS share volume that has been filled up. Simple right click and resize. It just makes things easier.
  • The only negative impact is that an over simplified GUI sometimes makes administrators complacent. It is important to keep in touch with the command line syntax in case you need it.
I've used NetApp systems for the last 12 years. The only alternative I have used is the old OnCommand system. This is a drastic improvement over what was available in the past. The ability to use this software from anywhere inside your network is huge. If you were to combine this with VPN access you could easily monitor and configure your NetApp from anywhere in the world.

Do you think NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software's feature set?

Yes

Did NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy NetApp ONTAP Data Management Software again?

Yes

NetApp ONTAP System Manager is a must-have for anyone that uses a current NetApp installation. In the past I always preferred to use the command line interface. I never really trusted GUIs to make sweeping changes. I always assumed something would go wrong. I've been using System Manager only for several years now (with the exception of the few settings omitted) and I have had absolutely no issues. In my case this has also been key for my coworkers who are not as familiar with NetApp products. While they don't know the CLI syntax they can easily figure out the System Manager interface.

Using NetApp ONTAP System Manager

2 - The two people that use NetApp ONTAP in our organization are the heads of the infrastructure side of the IT department. One person uses it predominately and the other only uses it when necessary.
2 - The only real things required to use ONTAP System Manager are a little NetApp knowledge and some basic technical know-how.

NetApp ONTAP System Manager Support

NetApp support is always second to none. That being said I have never once had to contact support for the NetApp System Manager software. It is simple, stable and easy to use. Given that their support is stellar in all other areas I don't see how this would be any different.

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