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Creating cluster peer relationships

You can create an authenticated cluster peer relationship to connect clusters so that the clusters in the peer relationship can communicate securely with each other.

Before you begin

  • You must have reviewed and completed the requirements for performing this task.

    Prerequisites for cluster peering

  • You must have created intercluster logical interfaces (LIFs).

  • You should be aware of which version of ONTAP each cluster is running.

About this task

  • You can create a peer relationship between a cluster running ONTAP 9.5 and a cluster running ONTAP 9.6. However, encryption is not supported in ONTAP 9.5, so the peer relationship cannot be encrypted.

  • In a MetroCluster configuration, when you create a peer relationship between the primary cluster and an external cluster, it is a best practice to create a peer relationship between the surviving site cluster and the external cluster as well.

  • You can create a custom passphrase or you can use the system-generated passphrase to authenticate the cluster peer relationship. However, the passphrases of both clusters must match.

  1. Click Protection > Overview.
  2. Check whether there are network interfaces listed under Intercluster Settings.

    If there are no network interfaces listed under Intercluster Settings, go to setting up Intercluster LIFs.

  3. Go to Cluster Peers.
  4. Select Peer Cluster.
  5. Specify a user-defined passphrase or a system-generated passphrase and at least one intercluster LIF.
  6. Repeat steps 1 to 5 for the second cluster.
  7. Click Initiate Cluster Peering.

After you finish

You should specify the SVM details in the SVM Peering window to continue with the peering process.