Team Leader - Nutanix Technology Champion - Nutanix NTC Storyteller

Julien DUMUR
Infrastructure in a Nutshell

nutanix

Nutanix AHV : Rename the default storage container in CLI

Published: 27 June 2024
Written by Julien D.
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Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

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:

nutanix@CVM: ncli container edit name=CURRENT_NAME new-name=NEW_NAME

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 :

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Pass your Nutanix NCA / NCP certification for free!

Published: 22 June 2024
Written by Julien D.
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Categories: Nutanix EN

Want to take your Nutanix NCA certification or one of the NCP certifications for free? You are in the right place !

Today I am offering you a code valid for one of these certifications, a code valid until June 28 for a certification pass before July 31.

Code: AUJLZNWJAB

How does it happen :

  • Then click on “Continue booking”

  • Select “Live Monitoring” then click “Continue Booking”

  • Check your information (Last name, First name, Email) then click on “Continue booking”
  • Select a country and time zone and click “Find”

  • Select a day and time to pass before July 31 and click “Book this time slot”.

  • Complete the coupon provided and click “Continue”

  • Make a final check of all the information, check the box and click “Purchase”.

Good revisions !

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Nutanix AHV 6.8 eSTS and Prism Central X-Small

Published: 17 May 2024
Written by Julien D.
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Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

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:

TemplateVM configurationLimitations
Small6 vCPU / 28Gb RAM / 500Gb Storage2500 VMs / 10 Clusters / 200 Nodes
Large10 vCPU / 46Gb RAM / 2500Gb Storage12500 VMs / 25 Clusters / 500 Nodes
X-Large14 vCPU / 62Gb RAM / 2500Gb Storage12500 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 configurationLimitations
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:

SupportedUnsupported
Multi-cluster management (Up to 5)Scale-out
VM managementFlow Virtual Networking
Host managementFlow Network Security
Infrastructure management, monitoring and healthSelf-Service
Enterprise authentication and RBACIntelligent Operations
REST APIsNutanix Kubernetes Engine
Comprehensive searchObjects
Life Cycle Manager (LCM)Files
Pulse InsightsFoundation Central
Prism Central Backup and RestoreFoundation
CategoriesQuotas
ProjectsMulti-site DR
Microservices infrastructeMarketplace
Identity and access managementReporting 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.

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Nutanix: getting started

Published: 7 May 2024
Written by Julien D.
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Categories: Nutanix EN

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.

Official Nutanix documentation

To start, there is the official Nutanix documentation available on a dedicated portal.

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.

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Nutanix AHV : SSH keys and cluster lockdown

Published: 17 April 2024
Written by Julien D.
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Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN, Security

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.

Official documentation

The Nutanix official documentation: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Nutanix-Security-Guide-v6_7:mul-security-cluster-lockdown-pc-t.html

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Nutanix AHV: master your updates with LCM

Published: 3 April 2024
Written by Julien D.
No comments
Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

Updating a hyperconverged cluster can sometimes be time-consuming and present certain risks of production interruption if the process is poorly managed.

Nutanix has optimized the process of updating its clusters so that it is as simple and automated as possible, the famous “1-click upgrade”.

Life Cycle Manager on Prism Element

LCM has slight differences between Prism Element and Prism Central. This is what the interface looks like on Prism Element:

LCM on Prism Element allows you to manage updates to some of the bricks in your cluster:

  • AHV
  • AOS
  • Cluster Maintenance Utilities
  • File
    Flow
  • Foundation
  • Licensing
  • NCC

These are the bricks that you can update through Prism Element.

Life Cycle Manager on Prism Central

LCM on Prism Central allows you to manage the updating of the remaining bricks which are mainly the software bricks:

Life Cycle Manager: inventory

The LCM Inventory, whether on Prism Element or Prism Central, allows you to list all the software and hardware versions installed on your cluster, as well as any updates or firmware available:

The inventory process lasts around ten minutes:

It then allows access to all installed and available versions:

LCM: the recommended update order

With the multitude of software bricks and the hardware part, it is not always easy to know in what order to update the different modules.

The first step of updating your cluster takes place on Prism Central:

The actions to be carried out in order:

  • LCM inventory
  • NCC Check and Upgrade
  • Prism Central Upgrade

You must then switch to Prism Element for the second step:

The actions to be carried out in order:

  • LCM inventory
  • NCC Check and Upgrade
  • Foundation Upgrade
  • AOS Upgrade
  • Firmware Upgrade
  • AHV Upgrade

It is recommended to do another LCM inventory once the AHV update is complete to verify that there are no hardware updates remaining to be applied.

Finally comes the last step, again on Prism Central:

The actions to be carried out in order:

  • LCM inventory
  • All software updates (Nutanix Files, Self-Services (Calm), NKE (Karbon), NDB, Flow…)

To carry out the desired updates, simply check them then click on “View upgrade plan”:

Once the update plan has been developed by LCM, you must click one last time to start the process:

Each step of the process requires time because the cluster multiplies checks at each step to verify the conformity of the installed updates:

It is important to specify that the cluster update process, with the exception of certain software bricks, does not cause a service shutdown if good practices are respected regarding fault tolerance.

Official Nutanix documentation

Official documentation: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Acropolis-Upgrade-Guide-v6_5:upg-upgrade-recommended-order-t.html

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VMWare vs Nutanix: Features Comparison

Published: 27 March 2024
Written by Julien D.
No comments
Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

Following the takeover of VMWare by the giant Broadcom and the subsequent runaway prices, many customers are looking for alternative solutions. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find your way around.

VMWare vs Nutanix comparison

The most complicated thing when we are used to a technical solution is to make a radical change.

Will we find all the features we use? What do the names correspond to? What prospects for possible developments among competitors?

I took the time to make a comparison of the different VMWare and Nutanix bricks:

I hope this will help you see things more clearly and shed light on a possible future choice.

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Nutanix AHV : Deploy Nutanix Self-Service

Published: 23 March 2024
Written by Julien D.
No comments
Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

Nutanix has a tool for automating the deployment and life cycle of applications: Nutanix Self-Service (formerly Calm).

I’ll show you how to deploy Nutanix Self-Service on your Nutanix cluster.

Nutanix Self-Service Overview

Self-Service (formerly Calm) streamlines application management, deployment, and scalability across hybrid clouds through self-service, automation, and centralized role-based governance.

Deploy Nutanix Self-Service

To deploy Nutanix Self-Service, you must have a functional Prism Central on your cluster. Indeed, almost all of Nutanix’s complementary building blocks are managed by Prism Central, so don’t look for it on Prism Element.

In the side menu, look for the “Services” section and click on “Calm” (the old name for Nutanix Self-Service):

Deployment is very simple, then just click on “Enable App. Orchestration”:

The first box must be checked to be able to deploy Self-Service, the second is optional but highly recommended because it allows access to the online catalog offering a plethora of ready-to-use blueprints.

Once you have made your choice, click on “Save” and wait around ten minutes while Self-Service deploys:

Once deployment is complete, a new Volume Groups will be available on your Nutanix cluster:

That’s it, Nutanix Self-Service is deployed and ready to use:

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Nutanix AHV : locked “admin” account

Published: 12 March 2024
Written by Julien D.
No comments
Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

It happens that the admin account of a Nutanix cluster is locked due to too many authentication failures and that you can no longer connect to it.

Most of the time, this is the result of changing the password of the admin account on the cluster if it is used on other systems such as Nutanix Move or HYCU for example.

Here’s how to reset the password for the “admin” account of a cluster

Remove the “admin” account from routines

To begin with, if you do not want the problem to recur, you must remove the “admin” account from the cluster from the elements that can cause this. This could be backup software, a Nutanix brick (Move for example), possibly a monitoring tool.

It is important not to use the “admin” account of a cluster to connect a tool to the cluster.

Reset “admin” password

Connect by SSH to a CVM of the Nutanix cluster on which the account is locked with the “root” account.

Then enter the following command:

passwd admin

Enter the new password twice, the password is reset.

Unlock the “admin” account

To unlock the “admin” account, enter the following command:

allssh sudo faillock --user admin --reset

The “admin” account is now unlocked.

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Nutanix AHV: deploy a hypervisor nested on AHV

Published: 26 February 2024
Written by Julien D.
3 Comments
Categories: Nutanix AHV EN, Nutanix EN

As part of setting up labs on a Nutanix infrastructure, you may be required to deploy a hypervisor (ESXi, Promox, Hyper-V, etc.) on the AHV hypervisor (Inception!).

You will then be confronted with this type of error message when installing ESXi for example (the form differs for other hypervisors, but the substance remains the same):

The processor will not be detected as having virtualization capabilities and you will therefore not be able to deploy a hypervisor… But it is possible to bypass this restriction.

Nutanix AHV: bypass processor restriction

I assume that the virtual machine on which you want to deploy a hypervisor is already created.

To bypass the processor restriction, we must connect to one of the CVMs in our cluster and modify our virtual machine with the acli vm.update command and the “cpu_passthrough” parameter:

acli vm.update VM_NAME cpu_passthrough=true

You will get the following message:

nutanix@NTNX-a64e778d-A-CVM:192.168.2.241:~$ acli vm.update VM_NAME cpu_passthrough=true
VM_NAME: pending
VM_NAME: complete

Please note, this command will only work if your virtual machine is turned off.

Once the command is applied you can restart your installation… Except for ESXi which still requires a little subtlety!

Nutanix AHV: truncate NIC type to install ESXi

To install an ESXi nested on Nutanix AHV and have it be fully functional, you also need to modify the network adapters to make it think they are e1000 type.

To do this, with the virtual machine still off, connect to one of the CVMs, and type the following command:

acli vm.nic_create VM_NAME network=NETWORK_NAME model=e1000

Be sure to replace VM_NAME with the name of the virtual machine concerned, and NETWORK_NAME with one of the networks previously created on your Nutanix cluster. You will get the following message:

nutanix@NTNX-a64e778d-A-CVM:192.168.2.241:~$ acli vm.nic_create VM_NAME network=NETWORK_NAME model=e1000
NicCreate: pending
NicCreate: complete

You can now restart the installation of your hypervisor.

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