How to migrate/move the root volume (vol0) to a new aggregate on a NetApp

How to move the root vol

Ever need to move the root volume to a new set of disks on a NetApp?  Buy some more shelves and you want to rearrange the aggregates?  This article is for you then.

Disclaimer: I take no responsibility if you screw up, or otherwise render your system unusable.  That being said, if you aren't a moron, this works every time.

Before you start, you must remember that moving the root volume requires a reboot of the controller.  Therefore, this procedure should be completed during a maintenance window.

Estimated Working Time: 10-30 minutes
Typical Reboot Time: ~5 minutes

1. Make a new aggregate.  Depending on your disk types and preferences, this may vary but essentially you need a minimum of four disks (three plus a hot spare).  I like my root aggregates at the start of a shelf.

aggr create aggrnew -B 64 -t raid_dp -d 1d.10.0 1d.10.1 1d.10.2

Note: If you are running 8.2, the -B has been deprecated as all aggregates are now 64 bit.  So, the command would be:

        aggr create aggrnew -t raid_dp -d 1d.10.0 1d.10.1 1d.10.2

2. Create a new volume to become the new root.  It should be at least the minimum recommended by NetApp.

vol create vol0new aggrnew 250g

3. Turn on NDMP if it's not on already

ndmpd on

4. Copy the root volume to the new volume

ndmpcopy /vol/vol0 /vol/vol0new

5.  Wait for the copy to complete.  It should look something like this:

Ndmpcopy: NETAPP-A: Notify: dump successful
Ndmpcopy: Transfer successful [ 0 hours, 17 minutes, 19 seconds ]
Ndmpcopy: Done

If you have a controller that has no load, I've seen it take 28 seconds to copy everything.

6. Set vol options to make the new volume the active root volume at reboot

vol options vol0new root

7. Reboot the controller.  This is obviously disruptive.

reboot

8. Check to make sure you booted off the correct volume.  It should say "root" under options for "vol0new"

vol status

         Volume State           Status            Options
        vol0new online          raid_dp, flex     root
                                64-bit            
           vol0 online          raid_dp, flex     
                                32-bit          

9. Clean up the old volume

vol offline vol0
vol destroy vol0

10. Clean up the old aggregate (assuming the root volume was the only volume, and aggr0 was the name)

aggr offline aggr0
aggr destroy aggr0

11. Rename stuff so it was the way it was

vol rename vol0new vol0
aggr rename aggrnew aggr0

12. Zero the disks from the old aggregate for good measure
disk zero spares

13. If you are running 8.2 or 8.2.x and you receive "connection refused" when using the NetApp OnCommand System Manager, you may need to reinitialize the SSL certificate.

secureadmin setup ssl

Success!  If you messed it up, call NetApp - not me.