How to boot the storage system

The storage system automatically boots Data ONTAP from a PC CompactFlash Card or from disk. The system has a PC CompactFlash card, shipped with the current Data ONTAP release and a diagnostic kernel in a single File Allocation Table (FAT) partition. The CompactFlash card contains sufficient space for an upgrade kernel.

The storage system can be upgraded to the most recent Data ONTAP release. When you install new software, the download command copies a boot kernel to the CompactFlash card—not to a boot block on disk, as in some prior system models. For more information, see the Data ONTAP Upgrade Guide.

Note: Single partitions were introduced in Data ONTAP 6.5. Prior to that, CompactFlash cards had four partitions. If you are upgrading your storage system from a version of Data ONTAP earlier than 7.0, your storage system will repartition the CompactFlash card. This allows the existing 32-MB CompactFlash to accommodate the size of the new kernel. Support for single partitions also includes support for larger 256-MB cards. For information about how to upgrade the CompactFlash card in your storage system, see the Data ONTAP Upgrade Guide.

Ways to boot the storage system
You can boot the storage system from the storage system prompt or the boot environment prompt. You can also boot the storage system remotely if your system has a Remote LAN Module (RLM) or a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC).
Booting the storage system at the storage system prompt
The storage system is configured to boot from the 256-MB PC CompactFlash card. You can boot the storage system from the storage system prompt.
Booting Data ONTAP at the boot environment prompt
You can boot the current release or the backup release of Data ONTAP when you are at the boot environment prompt.
Booting Data ONTAP remotely
If your storage system has a Remote LAN Module (RLM) or a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), you can boot Data ONTAP remotely.
Recovering from a corrupted CompactFlash image
You can recover from a corrupted CompactFlash image for a storage system with RLM installed or for a storage system with a built-in BMC.
Checking available Data ONTAP versions
You might need to check the current booted kernel and other kernels available on the CompactFlash card if the storage system was started via netboot from an unfamiliar system, if an upgrade was unsuccessful, or if you need to run kernel diagnostics.
Starting storage system through the netboot option
You can use the netboot option to start your storage system, booting from a Data ONTAP version stored on a remote HTTP or TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) server.

Parent topic: How to start and stop the storage system