In ONTAP, what is an aggregate and what function does it serve?

• A. A collection of physical disks configured with RAID-DP to provide storage capacity and data protection; FlexVols are created on top of aggregates.
• B. A logical container for virtual machines.
• C. A network switch.
• D. A single disk.

Answer: (A)

An aggregate in ONTAP is a storage pool created by grouping physical disks, typically with RAID-DP protection, to provide both capacity and data protection. It serves as the backing storage layer that manages how data is distributed and safeguarded across those disks. FlexVols are then created on top of this aggregate; they are the usable volumes that host data and are presented to clients. The dual-parity RAID-DP within the aggregate protects against disk failures, helping maintain availability while leveraging multiple disks for storage and parity. The other descriptions don’t fit because an aggregate isn’t a VM container, a network switch, or a single disk—it’s the protected storage pool from which flexible volumes derive their space.