You have a StorageGRID environment consisting of two sites deployed as virtual machines.

When a physical or virtual host containing multiple StorageGRID nodes fails, NetApp defines a specific recovery-order requirement when one of those nodes is the primary Admin Node. StorageGRID 12.0 documentation states that if the failed server hosts the primary Admin Node, the primary Admin Node must be recovered first. This prevents subsequent node-recovery operations from stopping while attempting to communicate with services associated with the primary Admin Node.

Therefore, the administrator should deploy a replacement VM for the primary Admin Node and perform the documented primary Admin Node recovery. After the primary Admin Node is operational, recovery of the failed Gateway Node can proceed, restoring the intended client load-balancing path.

Option A is invalid because StorageGRID does not permit adding a primary Admin Node through an expansion; the primary Admin Node is established during initial installation and a failed one must be recovered. Options B and D incorrectly prioritize the Gateway Node while the failed host also contains the primary Admin Node. The StorageGRID 12.0 recovery guidance explicitly requires the primary Admin Node to be handled first in this situation.

Reference topics: Maintenance → Node Recovery → Primary Admin Node Recovery → Multiple Nodes on Failed Host → Gateway Node Recovery → Load Balancer Service