NetApp AFF A700
The NetApp AFF A700 was an 8U high-end enterprise modular all-flash storage system designed for massive IOPS, extensive PCIe connectivity, and zero-downtime controller upgrades. Serving tier-1 enterprise workloads, it offered up to 20 PCIe expansion slots and supported thousands of SAS solid-state drives in multi-shelf SAN/NAS deployments.
Specifications
| Brand | NetApp |
|---|---|
| Family | AFF A-Series |
| Form factor | 8U modular rack |
| Released | Sep 2016 |
| End of sale | Apr 2022 |
| End of support | Apr 2027 |
| Controller configuration | Dual modular controllers in 8U enclosure |
| Processor | Dual Intel Xeon 18-core processors per controller |
| Memory | 512GB system memory per HA pair with NVRAM |
| Drive bays | Connects to DS224C and DS2246 SAS SSD drive shelves |
| Supported drives | 12Gb SAS SSDs (960GB, 3.8TB, 7.6TB, 15.3TB, 30.7TB) |
| Maximum raw capacity | Up to 175PB in a 24-node cluster |
| Host connectivity | Up to 20 PCIe expansion slots supporting 40GbE, 32Gb FC, 16Gb FC, and 10GbE |
| Storage protocols | FC, iSCSI, NFS, SMB |
| Clustering | Up to 24 nodes (12 HA pairs) |
| Management | NetApp ONTAP 9 |
Generations
- Previous generation: NetApp AFF A-Series AFF8080 EX
- Next generation: NetApp AFF A900
Compatible parts
Cables
X6536-R6 NetApp X6536-R6 optical network cable, 5 m
X6553-R6 NetApp X6553-R6 optical network cable, 2 m
X6562-R6 NetApp X6562-R6 Cat 6 RJ-45 Ethernet cable, 5 m
X6566B-2-R6 NetApp X6566B-2-R6 10 GbE network cable, 2 m
X6566B-3-R6 NetApp X6566B-3-R6 10 GbE network cable, 3 m
X6566B-5-R6 NetApp X6566B-5-R6 10 GbE network cable, 5 m
X6585-R6 NetApp X6585-R6 Cat 6 RJ-45 Ethernet cable, 3 m
X66031A NetApp X66031A storage cable, 1 m
X66032A NetApp X66032A storage cable, 2 m
X66033A NetApp X66033A storage cable, 3 m
X66100-1 NetApp X66100-1 40 GbE cable, 1 m
X66100-3 NetApp X66100-3 40 GbE cable, 3 m
X66211A-05 NetApp X66211A-05 100 GbE cable, 0.5 m
X66211A-1 NetApp X66211A-1 100 GbE cable, 1 m
X66211A-2 NetApp X66211A-2 100 GbE cable, 2 m
X66211A-5 NetApp X66211A-5 100 GbE cable, 5 m
Other parts
X91148A NetApp X91148A I/O module for NS224 shelf connection
SSDs
X9170A NetApp X9170A 1TB NVMe core dump module
Works together
How the NetApp AFF A700 connects to servers, storage and the network: 1 way, with the parts and products on each path.
File storage (NFS and SMB)
Front-end ports face the clients; back-end ports (on scale-out systems) connect the nodes to each other and need their own switch pair.
Servers
Dell PowerEdge R830 2U rack
HPE Edgeline EL1000 1U converged edge system
HPE Edgeline EL4000 1U converged edge system
HPE Superdome Flex 5U chassis, 4 sockets each, up to 8 chassis
HPE Synergy 660 Gen10 Compute Module full-height compute module
Cisco UCS C220 M5 1U rack
Adapters for the server
BCM957414A4142CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57414 Dual-Port 25GbE SFP28 PCIe 3.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
BCM957416A4160C Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57416 Dual-Port 10GBASE-T PCIe 3.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
BCM957504A5041CC Broadcom NetXtreme-E BCM57504 Quad-Port 100GbE QSFP56 PCIe 4.0 Ethernet Network Adapter
540-BBGN Dell Broadcom 57412 Dual Port 10GbE SFP+ PCIe Adapter
Switches
Cisco Nexus 31108PC-V 1U fixed switch
Juniper QFX Series QFX5200-64Q 2U fixed switch
Arista 7280R 7280CR-48 2U fixed switch
Arista 7280R 7280SR-48C6 1U fixed switch
Optics
QSFP-100G-CWDM4-AR Arista 100GBASE-CWDM4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-LR4-AR Arista 100GBASE-LR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver Module
QSFP-100G-SR4 Arista 100GBASE-SR4 QSFP28 Optical Transceiver
Plan and size it
- Draw this setup in the topology planner mrplanb.com
- Add up rack power and space rack-density.com
- NFS explained mrplanb.com
- Block vs object storage mrplanb.com
- Object storage Ledger mrplanb.com
Check compatibility with NetApp
Before you buy, confirm the exact configuration against the vendor's own lists: firmware levels, operating systems, adapters and optics that NetApp has tested with the NetApp AFF A700.
- Compatibility NetApp Interoperability Matrix Tool (IMT) (free vendor sign-in)
- Specifications NetApp Hardware Universe (platform specs and supported parts)
- Support NetApp Support
Equivalent models from other brands
FAQ
What architecture did the AFF A700 share?
The AFF A700 shared the modular 8U chassis architecture with the hybrid FAS9000 system.
Can an AFF A700 be upgraded to NVMe?
Yes, customers could perform a controller-swap upgrade to AFF A900 controllers to gain PCIe Gen 4 and NVMe shelf support.
Buying or selling AFF A700?
New, refurbished or used. Tell us the quantity and condition and we connect you with a vetted reseller in your region, usually within one working day.
Sources
- NetApp AFF A700 Documentation, checked 2026-10-28
- NetApp Hardware Universe - AFF A700 Specifications, checked 2026-10-28
- Install an AFF A700 storage system using detailed steps, checked 2026-10-28