How It works

Lets say that you want to monitor or modify your cluster by utilizing some of our REST APIs.  To view Nutanix REST APIs, go to Prism > click on the username on the top right > REST API Explorer.  Automating the API calls can make your daily tasks easier and faster, it's a script that you write once and you can use it via bots on chat platforms like Slack and Google Hangouts.  For example, if you have multiple clusters and you wish to see the alerts on all of them, you have the option to automate a script that sends you the alerts by simply writing "<cluster name> alerts" as opposed to logging in to each cluster and inserting the credentials every time.  Here is my example snippet of a server-side automation with Node.js, the call is to show the alerts on a cluster named Prolix where you can send a basic Auth credentials to pass the login page, the parsed result will be printed in the console. It’s important to include the first line:  process.env['NODE_TLS_REJECT_UNAUTHORIZ

You might receive an alert stating that “IP x.x.x.x is authenticating to the REST API with the admin user.” The cause of this alert is that an external client is configured to authenticate to REST API with the admin user.   The admin user will be disabled in a forthcoming release. REST API calls from the admin user will stop working. The resolution is to authenticate to the REST API with a different user that has administrative privileges.   To resolve the warning, create another user as per the below procedure. This user can authenticate to the REST API without an alert being raised.   To know how to do this, check out https://portal.nutanix.com/#/page/docs/details?targetId=Web-Console-Guide-Prism-v510:wc-user-management-wc-c.html   To know more about the alert, check out https://portal.nutanix.com/#/page/kbs/details?targetId=kA00e000000kAHyCAM

There can be many scenarios like PSU troubleshooting or upgrades where we might want to know the current BMC and BIOS version in the cluster. Let’s say for a tracking/planning sheet of firmware upgrades or sometimes its asked from the Nutanix support for an open case you have.   There are two ways to get this information. Using IPMI or cli to get the BIOS and BMC versions on individual nodes. Using NCC to determine the model, BIOS and BMC version for all nodes.   To know in detail about the above methods take a look at https://portal.nutanix.com/#/page/kbs/details?targetId=kA0600000008ZDeCAM   Planning to upgrade the firmware in your cluster? Take a look at https://portal.nutanix.com/#/page/docs/details?targetId=Acropolis-Upgrade-Guide-v5_16:upg-firmware-upgrades-c.html

Could some one help me to understand how to calculate CVM overheads? I mean witout using the Sizer. I'm prety sure that some time before I have seen something about that in the documentation but now is removed. Nutanix bible sows some infor Drive Breakdown section but I'm not sure that it is up to date. So my question is how I can calculate overheads for the below: SSD: Nutanix Home Ext4 Formatting Genesis Cassandra OpLog Content Cache HDD Ext4 Formatting Genesis Curator

Running the checks "CVM using default password", HOST using default password", IPMI using default password", I always get green status even if the CVM, HOSTS and IPMI passwords are the default ones. Why?

Earlier we have discussed the Interoperability between the different software, we also discussed the compatibility between the different software solutions and Hardware-Software integration.   What about upgrading a specific software, what is the latest version you can upgrade to? In some cases if your software is too old, you can't directly upgrade it to the latest version since each version has some prerequisites. That's why we have the upgrade paths page. which works for AOS, Prism Central and Nutanix Files upgrades. You simply choose the component with your current version and you'll see the supported versions in green under the "Target Release Version" drop-down. For more information:  To view upgrade paths for old AOS releases, please visit here http://download.nutanix.com/alerts/upgradePaths.pdf To view AOS EOL versions, please visit here http://download.nutanix.com/misc/AOS_EOL/AOS_EOL.pdf To view Prism Central EOL versions, please click here http://download.nutanix.com/misc/P

Let’s say you recently acquired a brand new Nutanix Cluster that will allow your business-critical applications like Oracle to take full advantage of low-latency storage performance and linear scalability, high availability, and simplified management.   By shifting their workloads to Nutanix, DBAs and system administrators can achieve a lower TCO and eliminate the complexity of constantly managing and optimizing their underlying compute and storage in a multitier architecture.   With the RMAN TO PLATFORM feature, you can migrate your Oracle database across platforms, making it easier than ever to get started on Nutanix.   I hope that this note empowers you to begin moving Oracle user tablespaces from Solaris to Linux on Nutanix.   See the specific details on Step by Step Migration Instructions document to get the steps for converting user tablespaces from Solaris to Linux.   Also you can consult : The complete Oracle Database Migration from Solaris to Linux technical note. The Oracle o

Hi Does anyone know how to use this Powershell cmdlet properly mount-ntnxguesttoll -vmid 54312c2a-2b7e-4dbe-b7ac-0fa58b575ad2 nor mount-ntnxguesttool -vmid 00054abc-11c2-77b7-2a9b-246e963f27a8::54312c2a-2b7e-4dbe-b7ac-0fa58b575ad2 work Trying to pipe to the mount-ntnxguesttool doesn’t help either. Help!!! Christopher

hello, I would like to know if, in addition to our AHV hypervisor on the NUTANIX, if it is possible to add the ORACLE hypervisor

Let's say that you want to upgrade your physical memory on one of the nodes.  On Nutanix Hardware, we allow users to add DIMMs on the empty slots without losing the support contract. When adding a DIMM, there are multiple things that you should take into consideration depending on your Nutanix Block Model, for example:  Number of slots on each node  Which DIMMs are supported, which manufacturer? The supported DIMM speed  Are there any restrictions?   To check the specification of your system, check out this page, choose the model type and the platform (NX-xxxx-Gx). you will be redirected to your model’s page. Good to know: The memory performance is most efficient with a configuration where every memory channel contains the same number of DIMMs. Nutanix supports other configurations, but be aware that these configurations result in lower performance. On G4 and G5 models, each node must contain only DIMMs of the same type and capacity. (Adding higher-speed DIMMs is supported, but the DIM

Hi All, I am pulling some data with the API. For example https://MYIP:9440/PrismGateway/services/rest/v2.0/hosts Results with , among other metrics, the following. Where can I find an explanation of each metric?             "stats": {                 "hypervisor_avg_io_latency_usecs": "0",                 "num_read_iops": "319",                 "hypervisor_write_io_bandwidth_kBps": "0",                 "timespan_usecs": "20000000",                 "controller_num_read_iops": "696",                 "read_io_ppm": "641128",                 "controller_num_iops": "1588",                 "total_read_io_time_usecs": "-1",                 "controller_total_read_io_time_usecs": "196391465",                 "hypervisor_num_io": "0",                 "controller_total_transformed_usage_bytes": "-1",                 "hypervisor_cpu_usage_ppm": "60000",                 "controller_num_write_io": "17846",                 "avg_read_io_latency_usecs": "-1",                 "content_cache_logical_ssd_

Hi, I am dealing with an EOL cluster (3060). I am facing recently a case where the prism element does list a vm which does not exist on the AHV. It is a fake vm.  There is no active support to ask them. Any help?    

Q. Why does  the home share have an icon to it as if it was a link and not a directory? The top-level directories act as a reparse point—essentially a shortcut. Consequently, administrators must create directories at the root of the share for optimal load balancing. Because it appears as a shortcut, we don’t allow user files in the root level of the share; we recommend setting permissions at the share or export root before deploying user folders. This step allows newly created top-level directories to inherit permissions, so you don’t have to adjust them after the fact using the Nutanix Files Microsoft Management Console (MMC) plug-in.   Q. Why is it necessary to empty directory prior to deleting the home share?  Distributed share directories with NFSv4 introduce some unique behaviors. To balance performance across FSVMs, each top-level directory you create becomes an automatically generated export. Nutanix Files mounts the export on demand when the directory is accessed. Since these a

If you are completing a security audit or setting up a firewall, you probably need details about the ports used by your Nutanix cluster. Thankfully, we have a reference provided which explains the ports needed by various services on an AOS cluster. You can find out about ports used by different AOS services in the KB article Port numbers used for inter CVM communication . The Security Guide found in our software documentation library is the best reference for firewall rules, which are detailed in this section. The Security Guide details which ports should be open and to what URL(s) specifically for Remote Support (reverse SSH tunnel), Pulse, Alerts (call-home for automatic case creation), SMTP sending, Data Replication to remote clusters, 1-click upgrades, and LCM.   

Nutanix, like any other system is composed of several components including hardware, software and firmware. If a component has to communicate with another at any given moment, the connection has to be pre-integrated and supported. How do you keep-up and understand what is compatible with what? Easy! with our compatibility matrix. For example, you have a Nutanix block model NX-8035-G5 and you want to know the supported AOS and Hypervisor for the chosen Model. The matrix shows the AOS, AHV, and hypervisor compatibility for Nutanix NX and SX Series platforms and SW-Only Models qualified by Nutanix (such as Cisco UCS, Dell PowerEdge, HPE ProLiant and others listed here). For other platforms not listed here, such as Dell XC, Lenovo HX, and others, please see your vendor documentation for compatibility. The matrix is presenting the fields in a cascading style, to show a clear components dependencies. Also in the compatibility matrix, you can see the Nutanix Ready Solution where we show the

Nutanix is continuously developing and improving it's features with new releases of different components, how could you know if the current software of component A is compatible with software B? For example if you are interested in upgrading your Prism Central or the Nutanix Files, there would be a specific set of Prism Central and Nutanix Files versions that can be installed with a limit of an older version depending on your AOS version. This goes both ways, if you are interested in upgrading your Operating System (AOS), you need to check your current Prism Central and Nutanix Files to understand which AOS version you can use on your current cluster's versions. We have a public page for our customers that can do the checks for you, on our Software Product Interoperability page you choose your software and the target software type, you choose your current version and the compatible version will be presented in green. The information there is dynamic and it could change with every relea

Most of us are aware of what maintenance mode is. But how is its execution different in ESXi and AHV in Nutanix?   Well… it’s just a small tweak!   While trying to put ESXi host in maintenance mode, it will get stuck as the CVM, which cannot be migrated off to other hosts, needs to be powered off and then the action will be completed.   In the case of AHV, this need not be done, once you provide the instruction to put the host in maintenance mode, the user VMs will be migrated to other hosts and the host will enter maintenance mode, irrespective of the CVM being powered off.   In short, “The CVM need not be powered off to put AHV host in maintenance mode, which is the case with ESXi”   Have any questions? Leave them below and let’s start a discussion! Check out the community post https://next.nutanix.com/how-it-works-22/cluster-maintenance-or-relocation-33391 for more on cluster maintenance or relocation.

Whenever we hear the word cluster, the picture that comes in our mind is multiple nodes. So doesn’t a single or two-node cluster sound weird?   But, it’s possible!   Well… In a traditional Nutanix cluster at least 3 nodes are expected to form a cluster. There is an option however to form a single-node or a two-nodes cluster for ROBO (Remote Office/Branch Office) implementations or as a backup site.   Confused or have questions regarding the implementation or requirements/dependencies? Check out Guide for single-node and two-node clusters for any clarifications.   To know more on single-node clusters:  Data Protection and Recovery with Prism Element: Single-Node Replication Target Clusters Prism Web Console Guide: Single-Node Clusters   For more information on two-nodes cluster: Prism Web Console Guide v5.16: Two-Node Clusters

Below are new knowledge base articles published on the week of February 16-22, 2020. KB 8880 - Understanding 3rd Party Backup Integration KB 8996 - Self Service Restore Failing for Microsoft Storage Spaces Disk Note: You may need to log in to the Support Portal to view some of these articles.

Your CVMs can upload log bundles directly to Nutanix for an open case, and this can speed case resolution especially if the alternative is the two-step process of pulling multiple GiB over WiFi to download and THEN upload. With common security restrictions around FTP or SFTP leaving the datacenter this may require explicit firewall rules. The logbay command to collect and upload logs looks like this: logbay collect --dst=sftp://nutanix -c <case_number> That destination “nutanix” isn’t helping us with that firewall rule, so where is the upload going? The software is really just automating the old manual methods described in this KB: Uploading Files for Nutanix Support Using FTP, SFTP or the Customer Portal. Referencing that article, we can see the DNS name for FTP uploads is ftp.nutanix.com . The IP address varies by region and might change, so I’d suggest using the URL. To allow log upload, you’ll need to allow port 22 for SFTP. You could also allow port 21 for FTP, but if it nee

Let’s say that a VM migration is required for data protection or as part of a disaster recovery, what is the scenarios and the recommended practice? Check out our documentation about data protection and disaster recovery we wrote this guide for IT administrators and architects who want more information about the data protection and disaster recovery features built into the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud. The data protection subject is huge and has a lot of branches, let’s focus on a small component which is migrating the VMs from one location to another. The migration could be done between Nutanix hosts, Nutanix Clusters or migration from non-Nutanix Storage to a Nutanix Storage.  The simplest scenario is migrating the VMs from one host to another in the same cluster, the VMs will migrate automatically after placing the host into maintenance mode by the recommended practice of the host’s hypervisor, the only CVM that would stay on that host is the Controller VM (CVM) which is responsible for

Let's say you have modified the license assignments, removed a node from the cluster and you got an alert in Prism stating that there is no current license for the cluster.  You can reclaim and optionally re-apply licenses for nodes in your clusters. This procedure describes how to reclaim licenses where the cluster is not configured with Portal Connection or the cluster is not connected to the internet (also known as dark-site clusters). After you remove a node, you can also move the node to another cluster. More info. You must un-license your cluster when you plan to destroy a cluster. More info Return licenses to your inventory when you remove one or more nodes from a cluster. You can reclaim licenses for nodes in your clusters in cases where you want to make modifications or downgrade licenses. More info You do not need to reclaim Starter licenses for Nutanix NX Series platforms. These licenses are automatically applied whenever you create a cluster. For more information about rec

Customers can observe cluster issues when they use more than 90 percent of the total available storage on the cluster.  For node resiliency and redundancy, the disk usage must be below the Max Usable value. One of the most common alerts is Cluster can not tolerate # node failure(s). This alert is fired by the NCC health check "sufficient_disk_space_check" that checks if there is sufficient storage space on the cluster to provide node resiliency. See more details on  (KB 1863) Share your comments in this forum!

Besides the fact that LTS is Long Term Release and STS is Short Term Release, Is there any reason that STS shouldn't be used for production purposes over LTS ?I want to switch to 5.9 for the ESXi 6.7 compatibility.

Everyone who has used, maintained or supported NX Solution have come across the term “Foundation”.    So what exactly is foundation?     Let’s take a scenario where you bought a new NX solution (YAYY!!) but what now?   Does it have the AOS or the hypervisor installed?  How can you create a cluster using the new nodes?   Do you install anything in the node before you try to add it to an existing cluster?      The answer to all these questions lies in the tool called Foundation, which is used to do a field installation, consisting of installing a hypervisor and Nutanix Controller VM on the node before creating a new cluster or adding a new node to an existing cluster.   Field installation can be performed for either factory-prepared nodes or bare metal.    So are there any guidelines for using foundation?    Of Course, go through the link below to know more about the guidelines    Field Installation Guide    Want to know more about Foundation?     The following links might help you to un