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).

You can boot the storage system from the storage system prompt, for example, toaster>.

If your system has a RLM or BMC, you can boot Data ONTAP remotely from the RLM or BMC prompt, for example, RLM toaster> or bmc shell ->.

You can also boot the storage system with the following boot options from the boot environment prompt (which can be ok>, CFE>, or LOADER>, depending on your storage system model):

boot_ontap
Boots the current Data ONTAP software release stored on the CompactFlash card. By default, the storage system automatically boots this release if you do not select another option from the basic menu.

boot_primary
Boots the Data ONTAP release stored on the CompactFlash card as the primary kernel. This option overrides the firmware AUTOBOOT_FROM environment variable if it is set to a value other than PRIMARY. By default, the boot_ontap and boot_primary commands load the same kernel.

boot_backup
Boots the backup Data ONTAP release from the CompactFlash card. The backup release is created during the first software upgrade to preserve the kernel that shipped with the storage system. It provides a “known good” release from which you can boot the storage system if it fails to automatically boot the primary image.

netboot
Boots from a Data ONTAP version stored on a remote HTTP or TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) server. Netboot enables you to:
- Boot an alternative kernel if the CompactFlash card becomes damaged
- Upgrade the boot kernel for several devices from a single server
To enable netboot, you must configure networking for the storage system (using DHCP or static IP address) and place the boot image on a configured server.
Note: To protect against data loss in the event of PC CompactFlash card corruption, enable netboot immediately for your storage system by placing a boot image on a local server.

boot_diags
Boots a Data ONTAP diagnostic kernel. For more information, see the Diagnostics Guide.

Note: Other boot options should be used only under the direction of technical staff.

Parent topic: How to boot the storage system