NetApp ONTAP 9.1 FlexGroup

FlexGroup volume:

A FlexGroup volume is a scale-out NAS container that leverages the cluster resources to provide performance and scale. FlexGroup volumes provide high performance along with automatic load distribution and scalability.

A FlexGroup volume contains a number of constituents that automatically and transparently share a traffic load.

FlexGroup volumes provide the following benefits:

• FlexGroup volumes provide high scalability.
  The qualified limits for a FlexGroup volume in ONTAP 9.1 are 20 PB maximum size with 400 billion files on a 10-node cluster.
• FlexGroup volumes can leverage the resources of an entire cluster to serve high-throughput and low-latency workloads
• A FlexGroup volume is single name space container that allows simplified management that is similar to FlexVol volumes.

You can either deploy a FlexGroup volume where ONTAP automatically selects the aggregates based on best practices and configures the FlexGroup volume, or create a FlexGroup volume by manually selecting the aggregates and configuring it for data access. 

• Deploying a FlexGroup volume
  You can automatically deploy a FlexGroup volume by using the volume flexgroup deploy command. When you use this command, ONTAP creates and configures the FlexGroup volume by automatically selecting aggregates. Aggregates are selected based on the best practices for optimum performance.
• Creating a FlexGroup volume
  Creating a FlexGroup volume involves manually selecting the aggregates on which the FlexGroup volume must be created, and specifying the number of constituents on each aggregate. After creating the FlexGroup volume, you must then mount the FlexGroup volume for NFS and CIFS access.

In System Manager, select SVM - Volumes - Flexgroups - create.

Two options are available.

1. Recommended Best Practices

2. Manually select Aggregates 

Now Creating Flex Group.

Successfully Flexgroup got created.

Now you can create a NAS (NFS/CIFS) share.

List the complete information and Manage the FlexGroups.