Using PowerShell with NetApp to Remove Snapshots

Most VMware administrators have learned to use PowerShell for scripting. VMware has done a wonderful job with its PowerCLI to embrace this scripting language.

VMware is often implemented on NetApp due to some wonderful advantages with NFS, de-duplication, VDI and Snapshots. Thanks to work in a codeplex project known as PoshOnTap, it is possible to manage NetApp OnTap with the same ease.

A common problem is old snapshots that need to be discovered and deleted. It is simple with PoshOnTap to find all snapshots older than one week:

import-module PoshOnTap
connect-naserver -filer toaster -Credential (get-credential)
Get-NaVol | Get-NaSnapshot | where-object {$_.Created -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)}


Want to delete those snapshots? You can append a " | remove-nasnapshot" to the above command:

Get-NaVol | Get-NaSnapshot | where-object {$_.Created -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)} | remove-nasnapshot

I like to put a delay in between snapshot deletions so I tend to use code to introduce a 10 minute delay in between each deletion:

import-module PoshOnTap
connect-naserver -filer toaster -Credential (get-credential)
$snapshots=(Get-NaVol | Get-NaSnapshot | where-object {$_.Created -lt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7)})
foreach ($s in $snapshots) {remove-nasnapshot -name $s.Snapshot -volume $s.Volume; start-sleep 600}


PoshOnTap has a wealth of management functions for NetApp OnTap. The work done by the coders is exceptional and greatly appreciated!