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.