Quick Start Guide¶

Get your NetApp ActiveIQ MCP Server up and running in 5 minutes!

Prerequisites¶

Before starting, ensure you have:

✅ Docker installed and running
✅ NetApp ActiveIQ Unified Manager accessible
✅ Valid credentials with appropriate permissions
✅ Python 3.10+ (for development setup)

Option 1: Docker Quick Start (Recommended)¶

1. Pull the Docker Image¶

docker pull netapp/activeiq-mcp-server:latest

2. Create Configuration File¶

Create a .env file with your NetApp credentials:

# NetApp ActiveIQ Configuration
NETAPP_UM_HOST=your-unified-manager.company.com
NETAPP_USERNAME=admin
NETAPP_PASSWORD=your-secure-password

# MCP Server Configuration
MCP_SERVER_PORT=8080
MCP_SERVER_HOST=0.0.0.0
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

# Optional: Temporal Integration
TEMPORAL_HOST=localhost:7233
TEMPORAL_NAMESPACE=default

3. Run the Server¶

docker run -d \
  --name netapp-mcp-server \
  --env-file .env \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  netapp/activeiq-mcp-server:latest

4. Verify Installation¶

# Check server status
curl http://localhost:8080/health

# List available MCP tools
curl http://localhost:8080/tools

Option 2: Development Setup¶

1. Clone the Repository¶

git clone https://github.com/netapp/activeiq-mcp-server.git
cd activeiq-mcp-server

2. Install Dependencies¶

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Configure Environment¶

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your NetApp credentials

4. Run the Server¶

python -m netapp_mcp_server

First Steps with MCP Tools¶

1. Test Connection¶

# Test NetApp connection
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/tools/test_connection \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

2. Get Cluster Information¶

# List all clusters
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/tools/get_clusters \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"arguments": {"fields": ["name", "version", "state"]}}'

3. Monitor Storage¶

# Get volume information
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/tools/get_volumes \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"arguments": {"max_records": 10}}'

Connect with AI Assistant¶

Using with Claude Desktop¶

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "netapp-activeiq": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["exec", "-i", "netapp-mcp-server", "python", "-m", "netapp_mcp_server", "--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "NETAPP_UM_HOST": "your-unified-manager.company.com",
        "NETAPP_USERNAME": "admin",
        "NETAPP_PASSWORD": "your-secure-password"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop
Try natural language queries:
"Show me the health status of all clusters"
"What volumes are running low on space?"
"Create a new SVM for the production environment"

Using with Other MCP Clients¶

The server implements the standard MCP protocol and can be used with any MCP-compatible client. See the MCP Protocol documentation for integration details.

Verification Checklist¶

After setup, verify everything is working:

Server starts without errors
Health endpoint returns 200 OK
NetApp connection test succeeds
MCP tools are listed correctly
Sample queries return data
AI assistant can communicate with server

Common Issues¶

Connection Issues¶

Problem: Cannot connect to NetApp Unified Manager

# Check network connectivity
curl -k https://your-unified-manager.company.com/api/v2/datacenter/cluster/clusters

# Verify credentials
curl -k -u "username:password" https://your-unified-manager.company.com/api/v2/datacenter/cluster/clusters

Authentication Issues¶

Problem: 401 Unauthorized responses - Verify username/password in .env file - Check user has required roles (Operator, Storage Administrator, or Application Administrator) - Ensure account is not locked

Docker Issues¶

Problem: Container won't start

# Check logs
docker logs netapp-mcp-server

# Check environment variables
docker exec netapp-mcp-server env | grep NETAPP