You can use the boot menu to correct configuration problems on a node, reset the admin password, initialize disks, reset the node configuration, and restore the node configuration information back to the boot device.

If an HA pair is using encrypting SAS or NVMe drives (SED, SE, FIPS), you must follow the instructions in the topic Returning a FIPS drive or SED to unprotected mode for all drives within the HA pair prior to initializing the system (boot options 4 or 9). Failure to do this may result in future data loss if the drives are repurposed.

Steps

Reboot the node to access the boot menu by using the system node reboot command at the system prompt.

The node begins the reboot process.

During the reboot process, press Ctrl-C to display the boot menu when prompted to do so.

The node displays the following options for the boot menu:

(1) Normal Boot.
(2) Boot without /etc/rc.
(3) Change password.
(4) Clean configuration and initialize all disks.
(5) Maintenance mode boot.
(6) Update flash from backup config.
(7) Install new software first.
(8) Reboot node.
(9) Configure Advanced Drive Partitioning.
(10) Set onboard key management recovery secrets.
(11) Configure node for external key management.
Selection (1-11)?

Boot menu option (2) Boot without /etc/rc is obsolete and takes no effect on the system.

Select one of the following options by entering the corresponding number:

To… Select…

Continue to boot the node in normal mode

1) Normal Boot

Change the password of the node, which is also the “admin” account password

3) Change Password

Initialize the node’s disks and create a root volume for the node

4) Clean configuration and initialize all disks

This menu option erases all data on the disks of the node and resets your node configuration to the factory default settings.

Only select this menu item after the node has been removed from a cluster (unjoined) and is not joined to another cluster.

For a node with internal or external disk shelves, the root volume on the internal disks is initialized. If there are no internal disk shelves, then the root volume on the external disks is initialized.

If the node you want to initialize has disks that are partitioned for root-data partitioning, the disks must be unpartitioned before the node can be initialized, see 8) Configure Advanced Drive Partitioning and Disks and aggregates management.

Perform aggregate and disk maintenance operations and obtain detailed aggregate and disk information.

5) Maintenance mode boot

You exit Maintenance mode by using the halt command.

Restore the configuration information from the node’s root volume to the boot device, such as a PC CompactFlash card

6) Update flash from backup config

ONTAP stores some node configuration information on the boot device. When the node reboots, the information on the boot device is automatically backed up onto the node’s root volume. If the boot device becomes corrupted or needs to be replaced, you must use this menu option to restore the configuration information from the node’s root volume back to the boot device.

Install new software on the node

7) Install new software first

If the ONTAP software on the boot device does not include support for the storage system that you want to use for the root volume, you can use this menu option to obtain a version of the software that supports your storage system and install it on the node.

This menu option is only for installing a newer version of ONTAP software on a node that has no root volume installed. Do not use this menu option to upgrade ONTAP.

Reboot the node

8) Reboot node

Unpartition all disks and remove their ownership information or clean the configuration and initialize the system with whole or partitioned disks

9) Configure Advanced Drive Partitioning

The Advanced Drive Partitioning option provides additional management features for disks that are configured for root-data or root-data-data partitioning. The following options are available from Boot Option 9:

(9a) Unpartition all disks and remove their ownership information.
(9b) Clean configuration and initialize system with partitioned disks.
(9c) Clean configuration and initialize system with whole disks.
(9d) Reboot the node.
(9e) Return to main boot menu.