You have upgraded your cluster from ONTAP 9.

Reverting to a previous ONTAP version requires careful preparation because ONTAP upgrades often introduce irreversible changes. To successfully revert, the following actions are needed:

C. Reinstall your boot media and install ONTAP 9.5 software

Explanation:You need to reinstall the older version of ONTAP (9.5) on the boot media because the current version (9.7) has been installed as part of the upgrade. The reinstallation ensures that the system boots with ONTAP 9.5.

Steps:

Boot the node into maintenance mode.

Perform the reinstallation using the appropriate ONTAP 9.5 image.

D. Wipe your config and restore from backup

Explanation:A revert requires wiping the configuration because ONTAP upgrades may have made changes to the cluster configuration or WAFL metadata. Restoring the configuration from a backup ensures consistency with the older ONTAP version.

Steps:

Back up the current cluster configuration before proceeding.

Use the restored backup after the revert is complete to reconfigure the system.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Revert from ONTAP 9.7 software to ONTAP 9.6 software and then to ONTAP 9.5 software:

Incorrect. ONTAP reverts must directly target the desired version. You cannot perform multi-step reverts.

B. Delete all Snapshot copies from the past two days:

Incorrect. Deleting Snapshot copies is not a prerequisite for reverting ONTAP. While older Snapshot copies might not be compatible with the reverted version, they do not need to be deleted before the revert.

References:

NetApp Documentation: ONTAP Upgrade and Revert Procedures.

NetApp Knowledge Base: Steps for reinstallation and configuration restoration during a revert.