How does the NetApp Remote Support Agent (RSA) connect to NetApp support?

NetApp Support does not initiate connections to the RSA because this would require customers to open inbound firewall ports, creating unnecessary security exposure.

NetApp Support does not initiate connections to the RSA at all, and non-secure connections are never used for remote support communications involving customer systems.

The RSA is designed to initiate outbound HTTPS connections from the customer environment to NetApp AutoSupport servers, ensuring security through TLS encryption and eliminating the need for customers to open inbound firewall ports - this outbound-only model is a deliberate security and operational design choice.

While the RSA does initiate the connection, it is always a secure TLS-encrypted connection - a non-secure outbound connection would violate NetApp's support security requirements.