One of the great features of NetApp FAS 3200 series is the ability to add shelves without any downtime. As our need for storage space exponentially increases, we need the ability for our storage system to be expanded without any interruption to our business users. I recently added a DS4243 shelf into an existing stack, and followed the steps below:

1. Change the disk shelf ID. Make sure the shelf ID is unique among the stack. On the DS4243 shelf, the ID can be changed by pressing the U-shaped button located near the shelf LEDs. The shelf needs to be power cycled for the new ID to take effect.

2. Cable the SAS connection. It is very important to unplug/connect the cable one at time.

a. Unplug the cable from the I/O module A (IOM A)circle port from the last shelf in the stack.

b. Connect the cable from the new shelf IOM A square port to the IOM A circle port that was disconnected in step a.

c. Reconnect the cable that was disconnected in step a to the IOM A circle port of the new shelf.

d. Repeat the same procedure for IOM B.

3. Check connectivity by running the following commands on the console:

sasadmin expander_map
sasadmin shelf
storage show disk -p

4. Assign disk to the filer. If auto assign is turned on, the disks will be auto assigned to the filer. I disabled autoassign disk, since in a cluster, I want to control where the disks go. I usually go to the console of the filer where I want the disk assigned, check to see all unassigned disk drive using the command disk show -n, and finally issue the command disk assign all to assign the disks.

For a complete step by step instructions, consult your NetApp manuals.