During my Nutanix cluster deployments, I often came across the question of the test plan to be carried out after each installation.
As I sometimes forgot certain things, I ended up creating a complete, readable and understandable test plan that I am making available to you today.
The test plan presented allows you to check and ensure that all configurations have been set up, that the network and electrical redundancy of your cluster comply with best practices.
For a customer case, we had to create more than 70 subnets on 2 clusters and performing the operation through the graphical interface would have been much too long and tedious. Here is the method to perform the operation in CLI in just a few minutes.
Creating unmanaged subnets
To make my task much easier, I created an Excel file in .csv format in which I put 3 columns:
The idea is to fill the VLAN_NAME and VLAN_ID column with the name of the VLANs and their associated IDs, provided by the customer in the Predelivery Questionnaire:
Which would give:
Save the file and then open it with Notepad++:
Replace the “;” character with a space:
Then replace “vlan=” with “vlan=” to attach the VLAN ID to the command:
Then connect to a CVM in your cluster and copy and paste all the lines at once into the command line interface:
Nutanix Controller VM (CVM) is a virtual storage appliance.
Alteration of the CVM (unless advised by Nutanix Technical Support or
Support Portal Documentation) is unsupported and may result in loss
of User VMs or other data residing on the cluster.
Unsupported alterations may include (but are not limited to):
- Configuration changes / removal of files.
- Installation of third-party software/scripts not approved by Nutanix.
- Installation or upgrade of software packages from non-Nutanix
sources (using yum, rpm, or similar).
** SSH to CVM via 'nutanix' user will be restricted in coming releases. **
** Please consider using the 'admin' user for basic workflows. **
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_10 vlan=10
acli net.create VLAN_26 vlan=26
acli net.create VLAN_27 vlan=27
acli net.create VLAN_28 vlan=28
acli net.create VLAN_29 vlan=29
acli net.create VLAN_30 vlan=30
acli net.create VLAN_31 vlan=31
acli net.create VLAN_32 vlan=32
acli net.create VLAN_33 vlan=33
acli net.create VLAN_34 vlan=34
acli net.create VLAN_35 vlan=35
acli net.create VLAN_36 vlan=36
acli net.create VLAN_37 vlan=37
acli net.create VLAN_38 vlan=38
acli net.create VLAN_39 vlan=39
acli net.create VLAN_40 vlan=40nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_11 vlan=11
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_12 vlan=12
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_13 vlan=13
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_14 vlan=14
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_15 vlan=15
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_16 vlan=16
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_17 vlan=17
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_18 vlan=18
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_19 vlan=19
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_20 vlan=20
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_21 vlan=21
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_22 vlan=22
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_23 vlan=23
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_24 vlan=24
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_25 vlan=25
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_26 vlan=26
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_27 vlan=27
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_28 vlan=28
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_29 vlan=29
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_30 vlan=30
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_31 vlan=31
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_32 vlan=32
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_33 vlan=33
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_34 vlan=34
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_35 vlan=35
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_36 vlan=36
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_37 vlan=37
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_38 vlan=38
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_39 vlan=39
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$ acli net.create VLAN_40 vlan=40
nutanix@NTNX-e854cc31-A-CVM:192.168.2.200:~$
A quick check on the Prism Element interface to confirm that your VLANs have been created correctly:
Then, you must of course redo the cleaning of your file via Notepad to replace with a space or remove the “;” before importing all this into your SSH terminal.
In our example, you will create the following network:
For those who don’t know, I’m a “gamer” in my spare time and the other night, comfortably installed on my couch with my Steamdeck, I wanted to check something on my Nutanix cluster…
Why not walk, start the computer and connect to the cluster? Laziness of course! And it was much more fun to do it on Valve’s portable console.
For those who are curious, here is the procedure!
Accessing the cluster: child’s play
To access my Nutanix cluster from the Steamdeck, I simply:
switched the console to “Desktop” mode
launched Microsoft Edge or Firefox
entered the cluster address in the address bar
It’s nothing more or less than a browser on a Linux OS so nothing too difficult for now!
Add Prism to Steam to switch to “Nutanix Game Mode”
Launching the Prism interface on a browser in desktop mode is good, but having it in Game Mode is better! Game Mode is the integration of the web interface into the Steam launcher as if it were a game.
To set it up, it’s not extremely complicated. The first step is to add Mozilla Firefox as a non-Steam game directly from the Steam interface still in desktop mode:
Click on “Add a game > Non-Steam games”, select Firefox and click on “Add selection”:
Switch back to Game Mode, find Firefox in your game library under “Non-Steam Games”, open the properties of the “game” and rename it:
Then, in the launch options, add the following 2 options at the end of the line:
URL_PRISM_ELEMENT --kiosk
This will launch the web interface of your cluster when Firefox starts in full screen mode.
Then go to the controller settings of your game and change it to “Web browser”, this will make handling much easier:
There you have it, your Nutanix in Steamdeck mode is ready to use and it works like a charm:
The command first returns general information about the cluster (name, ID, UUID, Version, IPs, etc.):
####################################################
# TIMESTAMP : Fri Jul 26 09:07:43 2024 (UTC +0000) #
####################################################
Cluster Name: MiddleEarth
Cluster Id: 585086141872525258
Cluster UUID: 00061c09-6abd-7835-081e-a4bf0150cfca
Cluster Version: 6.5.2
NCC Version: 4.6.6.3-5e8b6399
CVM ID(Svmid) : 2
CVM external IP : 192.168.2.200
Hypervisor IP : 192.168.2.199
Hypervisor version : Nutanix 20220304.342
IPMI IP : 192.168.2.139
Node serial : BQWL80251503
Model : CommunityEdition
Node Position : A
Block S/N : e854cc31
Then the command will start to return general information about the cluster, namely the hypervisor, the manufacturer, all the node information (position, host name, manufacturer, model, serial number, etc.), the BIOS and management interface information as well:
Running /hardware_info/show_hardware_info [ INFO ]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Detailed information for show_hardware_info:
Node 192.168.2.200:
INFO:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Updated: Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:54:59 UTC
Host UUID: 22dd9131-373f-482a-818f-c60b06988a7d
CVM IP: 192.168.2.200
Hypervisor Version:el7.nutanix.20220304.342
NOS Version:el7.3-release-fraser-6.5.2-stable-f2ce4db7d67f495ebfd6208bef9ab0afec9c74af
NCC Version:4.6.6.3-5e8b6399
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nutanix Product Info
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Manufacturer | Intel Corporation |
| Product name | CommunityEdition |
| Product part number | CommunityEdition |
| Configured Serial Number | e854cc31 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Chassis
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bootup state | Safe |
| Manufacturer | ............................... |
| Serial number | .................. |
| Thermal state | Safe |
| Version | .................. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Node Module
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Node Position | A |
| Bootup state | Safe |
| Host name | NTNX-e854cc31-A |
| Hypervisor type | KVM |
| Manufacturer | Intel Corporation |
| Product name | S2600WTTR |
| Product part number | G92187-372 |
| Serial number | BQWL80251503 |
| Thermal state | Safe |
| Version | G92187-372 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BIOS Information
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Release date | 09/02/2020 |
| Revision | 0.0 |
| Rom size | 16384 KB |
| Vendor | Intel Corporation |
| Version | SE5C610.86B.01.01.1029.090220201031 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
BMC
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Device id | 33 |
| Device available | True |
| Device revision | 1 |
| Firmware revision | 1.61.1 |
| Ipmi version | 2.0 |
| Manufacturer | Intel Corporation |
| Manufacturer id | 343 |
| Product id | 111 (0x006f) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
The storage controller is then listed:
Storage Controller
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | ioc0 |
| Driver name | virtio-pci |
| Manufacturer | Red Hat, Inc. |
| Status | running |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | ioc0 |
| Driver name | virtio-pci |
| Manufacturer | Red Hat, Inc. |
| Status | running |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Then it’s the turn of all the general information on the installed memory:
Physical Memory Array
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bank | NODE 1 |
| Configured slots | 5 |
| Max size | 384 GB |
| Num slots | 12 |
| Total installed size | 160 GB |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bank | NODE 2 |
| Configured slots | 6 |
| Max size | 384 GB |
| Num slots | 12 |
| Total installed size | 192 GB |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Then the information concerning the power supplies is displayed:
System Power Supply
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | Pwr Supply 1 FRU (ID 2) |
| Manufacturer | None |
| Max power capacity | 0.0 W |
| Product part number | G84027-009 |
| Revision | None |
| Serial number | EXWD80400190 |
| Status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | Pwr Supply 2 FRU (ID 3) |
| Manufacturer | None |
| Max power capacity | 0.0 W |
| Product part number | G84027-009 |
| Revision | None |
| Serial number | EXWD82000830 |
| Status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | To Be Filled By O.E.M. |
| Manufacturer | To Be Filled By O.E.M. |
| Max power capacity | 0.0 W |
| Product part number | To Be Filled By O.E.M. |
| Revision | To Be Filled By O.E.M. |
| Serial number | To Be Filled By O.E.M. |
| Status | Unknown |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Then those concerning the processor(s):
Processor Information
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Socket designation | Socket 1 |
| Core count | 10 |
| Core enabled | 10 |
| Current speed | 2400 MHz |
| External clock | 100 MHz |
| Id | 0xbfebfbff000406f1L |
| L1 cache size | 640 KB |
| L2 cache size | 2560 KB |
| L3 cache size | 25600 KB |
| Max speed | 4000 MHz |
| Status | POPULATED |
| Thread count | 20 |
| Type | Central |
| Version | Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2640 v4 @ 2.40GHz |
| Voltage | 1.8 V |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Socket designation | Socket 2 |
| Core count | 10 |
| Core enabled | 10 |
| Current speed | 2400 MHz |
| External clock | 100 MHz |
| Id | 0xbfebfbff000406f1L |
| L1 cache size | 640 KB |
| L2 cache size | 2560 KB |
| L3 cache size | 25600 KB |
| Max speed | 4000 MHz |
| Status | POPULATED |
| Thread count | 20 |
| Type | Central |
| Version | Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2640 v4 @ 2.40GHz |
| Voltage | 1.8 V |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Next comes the detailed information for each installed RAM unit:
Memory Module
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_A1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 1 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA4F9 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_A2 |
| Bank connection | NODE 1 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401E96DC |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_B1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 1 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401E97B9 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_B2 |
| Bank connection | NODE 1 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA624 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_C1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 1 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA4AB |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_E1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 2 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA625 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_E2 |
| Bank connection | NODE 2 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401E97AC |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_F1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 2 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA591 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_F2 |
| Bank connection | NODE 2 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA5D8 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_G1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 2 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA1E7 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | DIMM_H1 |
| Bank connection | NODE 2 |
| Capable speed | 2667.000000 MHz |
| Current speed | 2134 MHz |
| Installed size | 32768 MB |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Product part number | M393A4K40CB2-CTD |
| Serial number | 401EA4A9 |
| Type | DDR4 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Then the information concerning the installed network cards:
NIC
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | eth0 |
| Device name | eth0 |
| Driver name | ixgbe |
| Firmware version | 0x800004f8 |
| Mac address | a4:bf:01:50:cf:ca |
| Manufacturer | Intel Corporation(8086) |
| Product name | Ethernet Controller 10-Gigabit X540-AT2(1528) |
| Sub device | Subsystem device 35c5(35c5) |
| Sub vendor | Intel Corporation(8086) |
| Driver Version | 5.16.5 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | eth1 |
| Device name | eth1 |
| Driver name | ixgbe |
| Firmware version | 0x800004f8 |
| Mac address | a4:bf:01:50:cf:cb |
| Manufacturer | Intel Corporation(8086) |
| Product name | Ethernet Controller 10-Gigabit X540-AT2(1528) |
| Sub device | Subsystem device 35c5(35c5) |
| Sub vendor | Intel Corporation(8086) |
| Driver Version | 5.16.5 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
All installed storage disks, HDD and SSD, are then displayed:
SSD
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 120.0 GB |
| Firmware version | 2.22 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | OCZ-AGILITY3 |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | OCZ-6F95UNJ029ACBIFD |
| Smartctl status | PASSED |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C925 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | WDC |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | V6V2TU8A |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | 5 |
| Capacity | 500.0 GB |
| Firmware version | RVT04B6Q |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Power on hours | 3921 |
| Product part number | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | S4CNNX0N803693N |
| Smartctl status | PASSED |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | 6 |
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C925 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | WDC |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | V6V2PDUA |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | 8 |
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C925 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | WDC |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | V6V2U2TA |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | 9 |
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C925 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | WDC |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | V6V2SYZA |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | 10 |
| Capacity | 500.0 GB |
| Firmware version | RVT04B6Q |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Power on hours | 3926 |
| Product part number | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | S4CNNX0N803688F |
| Smartctl status | PASSED |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Location | 12 |
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C925 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | WDC |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | V6V2L6LA |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
HDD
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C004 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | SEAGATE |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 10500 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | WBN3AW060000C036516V |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C003 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | SEAGATE |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 10500 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | WBN1FVRH0000K9277TAC |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C003 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | SEAGATE |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 10500 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | WBN1B7QZ0000K923B2PF |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 500.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | Samsung SSD 860 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 500.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | Samsung SSD 860 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C003 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | SEAGATE |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 10500 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | WBN1EH950000K93000FK |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | WUSTR6480ASS204 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | None |
| Hypervisor disk | False |
| Manufacturer | Seagate |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 0 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | None |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C001 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | SEAGATE |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 10500 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | WBN00K6G0000E802B5B0 |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Capacity | 1800.0 GB |
| Firmware version | C003 |
| Hypervisor disk | True |
| Manufacturer | SEAGATE |
| Power on hours | 0 |
| Product part number | ST1800MM0129 |
| Rotation rate | 10500 rpm |
| Secured boot disk | False |
| Serial number | WBN0DZLT0000E837B2FX |
| Smartctl status | OK |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
And finally, information regarding the GPU(s) possibly installed with residual details regarding the logs displayed:
GPU
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Class | Display controller:VGA compatible controller:VGA controller |
| Device | MGA G200e [Pilot] ServerEngines (SEP1) |
| Revision | 5 |
| Slot | 0000:08:00.0 |
| Sub device | Subsystem device 0103 |
| Sub vendor | Intel Corporation |
| Vendor | Matrox Electronics Systems Ltd. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
INFO: Hardware Info log file can be found at : /home/nutanix/data/hardware_logs
INFO: NuCollector output written to: /home/nutanix/data/hardware_logs/192.168.2.200_output
INFO: The command to verify the output is: cd /home/nutanix/data/hardware_logs && sha224sum -c output.checksum
Refer to KB 7084 (http://portal.nutanix.com/kb/7084) for details on show_hardware_info or Recheck with: ncc hardware_info show_hardware_info
+-----------------------+
| State | Count |
+-----------------------+
| Info | 1 |
| Total Plugins | 1 |
+-----------------------+
Plugin output written to /home/nutanix/data/logs/ncc-output-latest.log
This command is really useful for quickly exporting an exhaustive list of the entire hardware configuration of your cluster, especially if it is necessary to check compatibility or to transmit the information to support if this proves necessary.
With a little delay, here is my retrospective in images of Nutanix .NEXT Barcelona 2024!
3 crazy days where we were able to meet up between Nutanix Technology Champions, share a nice moment with work colleagues and take advantage of this chance that was offered to us to exchange with exceptional partners.
When deploying a new cluster, the default storage container name is automatically generated and is not particularly aesthetically pleasing.
To rename it, there is only one solution: go through the Command Line Interface.
To carry out this operation, connect to a CVM in your cluster and list all the existing containers on the cluster:
nutanix@CVM: ncli container list
All the containers and their associated details will then be displayed. Find the container you want to rename in the list and type the following command:
Replace “CURRENT_NAME” with the name automatically generated by the system when creating the container, and NEW_NAME with the name you wish to assign to this container, leaving no spaces or special characters other than – and _
Then check that your container has been correctly renamed with the command:
nutanix@CVM: ncli container list
Sur Prism Element, vous verrez également apparaitre le nouveau nom que vous avez attribué à votre container de stockage :
Nutanix has just announced the availability of version 6.8 eSTS of AOS and with this new version comes a lot of new features including…. Prism Central version pc2024.1!
I am not going to detail all the features added or updated in this new version of AOS and let you consult the Release Notes which detail their content.
I decided to focus on a feature that arrives with the new version of Prism Central awaited by many customers who have a modest infrastructure: Prism Central X-Small.
Prism Central X-Small
Among all the new features made available by the new pc2024.1 version of Prism Central, one feature addition caught my attention: Prism Central X-Small.
Until now, the deployment of Prism Central was only possible according to 3 templates:
Template
VM configuration
Limitations
Small
6 vCPU / 28Gb RAM / 500Gb Storage
2500 VMs / 10 Clusters / 200 Nodes
Large
10 vCPU / 46Gb RAM / 2500Gb Storage
12500 VMs / 25 Clusters / 500 Nodes
X-Large
14 vCPU / 62Gb RAM / 2500Gb Storage
12500 VMs / 25 Clusters / 500 Nodes
Like the X-Large deployment which offers an imposing configuration of Prism Central, until now a minimum size deployment was missing. Prism Central X-Small fills this void:
VM configuration
Limitations
4 vCPU 18Gb RAM 100Gb Storage
500 VMs 5 Clusters 50 Nodes
As you can see, this Prism Central template has a lightweight hardware configuration, this is not the only point of differentiation with other deployment templates.
Indeed, due to its configuration, this deployment of Prism Central does not allow you to exploit all the functionalities usually offered. Here are the points of differentiation:
Supported
Unsupported
Multi-cluster management (Up to 5)
Scale-out
VM management
Flow Virtual Networking
Host management
Flow Network Security
Infrastructure management, monitoring and health
Self-Service
Enterprise authentication and RBAC
Intelligent Operations
REST APIs
Nutanix Kubernetes Engine
Comprehensive search
Objects
Life Cycle Manager (LCM)
Files
Pulse Insights
Foundation Central
Prism Central Backup and Restore
Foundation
Categories
Quotas
Projects
Multi-site DR
Microservices infrastructe
Marketplace
Identity and access management
Reporting and Dashboards
Security dashboard
Nearsync / Synchronous replication
If you want to benefit from a feature not supported by Prism Central X-Small, you will need to consider deploying a Small / Large / X-Large template.
Use cases
The main use case that immediately comes to mind is the following:
a simple infrastructure
1 to 3 modest-sized clusters
a hundred virtual machines
no need for additional services (Flow, Self-Service, NKE, etc.)
This is the type of installation that we encounter in many SMEs or local authorities for example, the arrival of Prism Central X-Small is therefore timely.
I often receive messages asking for information on getting started with Nutanix. There is no magic recipe, but a lot of documentation available with open access for the most part.
Whether it’s best practices, compatibility lists, EOLs… you’re bound to find what you’re looking for.
My selection to get you started:
Nutanix Community Edition: set up your own cluster to do tests, discover the interface and features.
Network best practices: the reference document to ensure optimal operation of your cluster at the network level.
Compatibility matrix: a doubt about the compatibility of the operating system of one of your servers? Check it out and get started!
The Nutanix Test Drive
You don’t want to install a cluster at home but you still want to test the solution? Test Drives are made for you!
These virtual environments will allow you to test the solution on restricted areas.
Nutanix Community Edition 2.0
Did the Test Drives make your mouth water? Go to the top speed !
Nutanix Community Edition 2.0 allows you to deploy a cluster at home and get hands-on with the solution.
Find my article on the deployment of the solution here.
Nutanix University
Nutanix University is the temple of certification and there is something for all levels.
To access the certifications, you must register on the portal. Access to the courses is free, but certification requires payment for each attempt ($199 or $299 depending on the certification completed).
There are also preparation courses dedicated to certain certifications if you want support to pass your certifications, but this comes at a price.
Finally, be aware that Nutanix regularly offers coupons allowing you to pass these certifications for free, notably on March 14 (Pi-Day), Halloween, Christmas, etc.
If you are new to the solution, you can start with the NCA (Nutanix Certified Associate) which will allow you to acquire basic knowledge of the solution. The logical sequence is then the NCP-MCI.
The Nutanix Bible
For this part, the Nutanix Bible is definitely a deep dive into the entire architecture and operation of the solution.
Everything is dissected and explained, from the basic concepts of hyperconvergence to the operation of the smallest functionality of the Nutanix solution, you will inevitably find the information you are looking for.
It’s in Nutanix’s roadmap! Password authentication is in the sights of the publisher who intends to put an end to it and warn its users via an informational alert:
The objective is to gradually switch clients to SSH key authentication in order to impose it in a future version of its hypervisor.
Creating SSH keys
Supported SSH encryption algorithms are:
AES128-CTR
AES192-CTR
AES256-CTR
If you already have such a key pair, you can proceed directly to cluster integration.
To create an SSH key pair, we will need a tool like PuttyGen.
Click “Generate” and move the mouse cursor over the window. Then indicate a passphrase then save the public key and the private key.
WARNING: be sure to use a strong, non-predictable passphrase.
We must now integrate the public key into the cluster.
Integration of the public key on the cluster
To integrate your public key into your cluster, connect to the Prism interface and go to “Settings > Cluster Lockdown”
Click on “New Public Key”, give it a name, paste the public key content and validate.
At this stage, classic password authentication and SSH key authentication are both active and functional, it is time to test.
Testing and activation of the cluster lockdown feature
First, we will test authentication via SSH key. Don’t panic, whatever happens, even if the SSH connection via the keys does not work after activating the cluster lockdown, you can always backtrack via the Prism interface.
Configure your favorite SSH connection tools, integrate your private key then launch a connection to your Nutanix cluster. First, enter the login you want to use, here I chose “nutanix”:
Then enter the passphrase that you configured when creating your SSH key. Validate, you are now connected to your cluster via your SSH key without having to use the password for the “nutanix” account.
Now let’s deactivate password authentication by returning to the “Settings > Cluster Lockdown” menu. Uncheck the “Enable Remote Login with Password” box:
Try logging in again using the “nutanix” account and the usual password and notice that you can no longer log in with this method:
Try with your private key and the associated passphrase :
Your cluster is now SSH accessible only via the SSH key system. If there are several administrators working on the server, don’t forget to repeat the operation for each of them.
Important point: remember to keep your private keys in a safe place and use a strong passphrase.
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