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What is the maximum file size supported in ONTAP?

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Applies to

  • ONTAP 9
  • Data ONTAP 8 7-mode
  • Inode/ file count

Volume type

  • FlexVol
  • FlexGroups

Answer

ONTAP Write Any Where File Layout (WAFL) system allows a maximum file size of 16 TB 

Note: In 9.12.1P2+ and 9.13.0P1+ the maximum file size (incl. LUNs) is 128TB

OS Version Documentation link
ONTAP 9
 
Data ONTAP 7-mode

Additional Information

Maximum file size for CIFS shares and NFS exports

  • File sizes are also bound by the amount of physical disk space available on the filer, and the supported capacity on the controller
  • Regardless of the version of ONTAP in use, some protocols support files only up to a certain size:
    • NFSv2 has a maximum file size of 2 GB
    • NFSv3 allows for 64-bit file offsets, which is larger than the WAFL 16 TB maximum
    • Microsoft NTFS has a 16 TB file size limit in Windows 2003
    • CIFS protocol allows for 64-bit file offsets, but most likely the WAFL limit will be reached beforehand
  • Certain client operating systems may also limit the file size they can access, regardless of protocol
  • Creating a file larger then 16TB fails on 9.12.1P2 
  • Enable large volume and large file support (netapp.com)
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