NetApp ONTAP licensing covers the software that runs NetApp’s unified (AFF, FAS) and SAN-only (ASA) storage systems, and the software-defined version of ONTAP called ONTAP Select. NetApp’s documentation defines a licence as “a record of one or more software entitlements”.[1] On NetApp hardware these entitlements are normally Controller-based. That means they are bundled with a storage controller identified by its serial number and last as long as the controller is operable. Other software licences are Standalone, and are Perpetual, Term or Capacity licences.[5] Since 2023 NetApp has sold almost all ONTAP functionality in a single suite per system. This replaced the per-feature licences and bundles that a licence manager may still find on older systems.
Editions
From May 2023 all AFF systems (A-series and C-series) and FAS systems are sold with either ONTAP One or ONTAP Base. From June 2023 all ASA systems are sold with ONTAP One for SAN. Each suite is a single NetApp license file (NLF). It replaces the separate NLF bundles introduced with ONTAP 9.10.1.[1]
| Suite | Contents named by NetApp | Catalog |
|---|---|---|
| ONTAP One | All licensed functionality, combining the former Core, Data Protection, Security and Compliance, Hybrid Cloud and Encryption bundles: FlexClone, SnapRestore, NFS, SMB, S3, FC, iSCSI, NVMe-oF, Autonomous Ransomware Protection, MTKM, SnapLock, SnapMirror (asynchronous, synchronous, active sync), SnapCenter, SnapMirror S3 and cloud, NetApp Volume Encryption, TPM[1] | ONTAP One |
| ONTAP Base | FlexClone, SnapRestore, NFS, SMB, S3, FC, iSCSI, NVMe-oF, NetApp Volume Encryption, TPM[1] | ONTAP Base |
| ONTAP One for SAN | FlexClone, SnapRestore, FC, iSCSI, NVMe-oF, MTKM, SnapLock, SnapMirror, SnapCenter, SnapMirror cloud, NetApp Volume Encryption, TPM[1] | ONTAP One for SAN |
NetApp positions ONTAP Base for cases where data protection and security features such as SnapMirror, SnapCenter and Autonomous Ransomware Protection are not needed, for example non-production test or development systems. No further licences can be added to ONTAP Base. A customer who needs SnapMirror must upgrade to ONTAP One.[1] Encryption is not available in restricted countries.[1] Catalog: AFF and FAS systems are sold with ONTAP One or ONTAP Base since May 2023; ONTAP Base cannot take add-on licences.
Not in ONTAP One. The suite excludes NetApp’s cloud-delivered services, such as NetApp Cloud Tiering and NetApp Backup and Recovery.[1] These are licensed separately. Catalog: ONTAP One excludes NetApp cloud-delivered services.
Existing systems. Systems under support that have not moved to ONTAP One keep their existing licences. A feature not already licensed, such as SnapMirror, can only be obtained by upgrading to ONTAP One, for an additional fee. From June 2023 systems that use 28-character keys can also upgrade to the ONTAP One or ONTAP Base compatibility bundle.[1] For a licence manager, an older estate may therefore hold three kinds of record at once: per-feature 28-character keys, NLF bundles from ONTAP 9.10.1, and suite NLFs. Catalog: Existing systems keep their licences; new features need the ONTAP One upgrade.
Metrics
- Life-of-controller. The ONTAP suites are bound to the controller. The terms grant a Life-of-controller licence “for the period of time during which Customer’s controller is operable”.[5]
- Capacity licence. A specified amount of storage capacity or usage, measured as raw or provisioned capacity, number of hosts or another measure NetApp prescribes.[4]
- FabricPool capacity, Capacity Tier and Capacity Pool are product-specific capacity licences, described below.
Counting / floors
Delivery and installation. From ONTAP 9.10.1, features are enabled with an NLF. Earlier releases use licence keys.[2] In ONTAP 8.2 through 9.9.1, each feature has its own 28-character key. A 28-character key cannot be installed over an NLF for the same feature.[1] System Manager and the system license show command display installed licences, their serial numbers and their status. Licences can also be deleted per package or per serial number.[3] Catalog: From ONTAP 9.10.1 licences are delivered as NetApp license files.
Clusters and HA pairs. Every controller in a cluster, HA pair or group must have the same Controller-based licences. Controllers with different licences may be combined, with failover between them for the time needed to fix a failure, only with NetApp’s prior written agreement and only if all controllers have the same level of support.[5] Catalog: All controllers in a cluster or HA pair need the same controller-based licences.
Moving licences. Controller-based licences may not be transferred to a different controller without NetApp’s written agreement. They may not be installed on third-party, second-hand or grey-market hardware that was not bought from NetApp or a NetApp partner.[4] A controller bought second-hand therefore does not bring its ONTAP entitlement with it. Certain licence types may also require NetApp’s remote support diagnostics to be enabled.[4] Catalog: Controller-based licences cannot move to another controller or used hardware.
FabricPool. FabricPool tiers inactive data from a local tier to an object store. It “requires a capacity-based license when attaching third-party object storage providers (such as Amazon S3) as cloud tiers for AFF and FAS systems”.[6] NetApp targets such as ONTAP S3 and StorageGRID are also supported cloud tiers.[6] Clusters with a DP_Optimized licence are not supported with FabricPool.[6] Catalog: FabricPool to third-party object storage needs a capacity licence.
ONTAP Select
ONTAP Select is licensed by capacity under one of two models. In both, capacity is allocated in 1 TB increments, licence files are uploaded to the Deploy administration utility, and the standard, premium and premium XL platform offerings are supported.[7]
| Capacity Tiers | Capacity Pools | |
|---|---|---|
| Licence unit | One licence per ONTAP Select node | One licence per shared Capacity Pool |
| Minimum | 1 TB | 2 TB |
| Locked to | A specific node | A License Manager instance in a Deploy utility |
| Capacity measured | Raw capacity: total size of data disks available to the VM | Raw capacity: total size of data aggregates |
| Duration | Capacity perpetual; support contract must be renewed | Valid for a set time; renewal required |
| HA | Each HA node needs a licence at least as large as its raw storage | All nodes lease from the shared pool |
Source: ONTAP Select production licensing.[7] A Capacity Tier licence file can be applied when the cluster is deployed or within 30 days afterwards. A node first deployed with a purchased licence cannot be converted to an evaluation licence.[7] The evaluation licence runs for up to 90 days and must not be used in production. An evaluation cluster can be upgraded to a Capacity Tier licence but not to Capacity Pools.[8] Catalog: ONTAP Select Capacity Tier licences are locked to a node and must cover its raw storage; ONTAP Select Capacity Pool capacity is time-limited and shared; ONTAP Select evaluation clusters may not be used in production; SKUs Capacity Tiers, Capacity Pools.
Virtualization & partitioning
ONTAP on AFF, ASA and FAS is not counted by processor or core. Entitlement follows the controller. The cited terms define no unit per storage VM (SVM), so dividing a cluster into SVMs does not by itself create additional ONTAP licences; the entitlement is recorded per controller.[5] ONTAP Select runs as a virtual machine, and its licence covers raw capacity per node or per pool, not hypervisor hosts.[7]
Cloud / BYOL
FabricPool can tier to public cloud object stores, which needs the capacity licence above.[6] In NetApp Keystone, unified storage supports all ONTAP One features and block-optimized storage supports all ONTAP One for SAN features, so a separate suite purchase is not needed.[10] ONTAP in public clouds is covered in NetApp Cloud Volumes ONTAP licensing.
Programs
Support Services. The software terms do not include updates or support, which must be bought separately.[5] With Support Services, the customer gets remote technical support and all generally available Software Updates.[9] The terms set three rules that matter for licence management:[9]
- The same level of support must be bought for all components and controllers in a system. When systems are combined, the whole system moves to the highest support level present.
- Reinstating lapsed support means paying the fees for the lapsed period, any reinstatement fee and the new period.
- No support is given after a product’s published End of Support date. NetApp may require an upgrade to a supported software version before it continues hardware support.
Support is non-transferable without NetApp’s written authorisation.[9] Catalog: The same support level must cover all controllers in a system; Reinstating lapsed support requires back-payment; No support after the published End of Support date.
Evaluation. Evaluation and pre-release software is limited to 90 days and to non-production use. Fees are owed if it is not removed within 30 days after the evaluation period.[4] Catalog: Evaluation software limited to 90 days and non-production use.
Out of scope
- The full feature-to-licence mapping of pre-2023 bundles (Core, Data Protection, Security and Compliance, Hybrid Cloud, Encryption) and the NetApp Support Site entitlement tools.
- StorageGRID, E-Series SANtricity and SnapCenter plug-in licensing.
- Hardware terms, Data Availability Guarantee and other program terms.