Which mechanism enables FlexCache to operate efficiently across multiple ONTAP clusters?

Which mechanism enables FlexCache to operate efficiently across multiple ONTAP clusters?

• A. Inter-cluster peering between ONTAP clusters.
• B. Volume encryption keys shared over SMB.
• C. NFSv3 or NFSv4.1 protocol support for client access.
• D. SnapMirror replication between cache and origin.

Answer: (A)

FlexCache relies on a direct, authenticated connection between the origin ONTAP cluster and the cache cluster to fetch data on demand and keep metadata coordinated. Inter-cluster peering creates that efficient cross-cluster communication channel, allowing the cache to serve frequently accessed data locally while retrieving less-used data from the origin as needed. This setup minimizes latency for clients and reduces WAN traffic because only cache misses go across the network to the origin. Volume encryption keys shared over SMB, NFS protocol support for clients, or relying on SnapMirror replication between cache and origin do not establish the necessary cross-cluster data path that FlexCache uses to fetch and serve data efficiently across clusters.

FlexCache relies on a direct, authenticated connection between the origin ONTAP cluster and the cache cluster to fetch data on demand and keep metadata coordinated. Inter-cluster peering creates that efficient cross-cluster communication channel, allowing the cache to serve frequently accessed data locally while retrieving less-used data from the origin as needed. This setup minimizes latency for clients and reduces WAN traffic because only cache misses go across the network to the origin.

Volume encryption keys shared over SMB, NFS protocol support for clients, or relying on SnapMirror replication between cache and origin do not establish the necessary cross-cluster data path that FlexCache uses to fetch and serve data efficiently across clusters.