Nutanix Licensing

The below NCC alert gets raised when VM flash mode (vDsik Pinning) is enabled nut Ultimate Tier license is not applied on the cluster:Running : health_checks system_checks check_license_compliance[==================================================] 100%/health_checks/system_checks/check_license_compliance [ WARN ]-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+Detailed information for check_license_compliance:Node XX.XXX.XXX.XX:WARN: Features not permitted by license(s) applied are being used. Non compliant features:vDisk pinning| Cluster Configuration:vDisk_pinning enabledRefer to KB 2469 (http://portal.nutanix.com/kb/2469) for details on check_license_compliance or Recheck with: ncc health_checks system_checks check_license_compliance To resolve the issue, you can apply Ultimate tier license to the cluster. If you do not want to purchase/upgrade to the Ultimate Tier, then you can uncheck the Enable Flash Mode option from the virtual machine set

In portal, we have a feature where we can tag licenses based on our requirements, to be used on different clusters. However, please be informed that this functionality is only applicable while licensing clusters through Prism Element and not Prism Central. Tag usage for Prism Central licensing is being worked upon and will be available for use in the coming days. However, we have a comprehensive KB on how we can work around this and continue to assign licenses that are tagged while licensing through Prism Central on this KB-16865. As always, should you have any questions or face any issues, please feel free to reach out to us or create a case by writing to portal-accounts@nutanix.com and we will be happy to assist you.  

Requirements and limitations to consider before converting your legacy licenses to cloud platform licenses. This topic provides a conversion table of old (legacy) to new (cloud platform) licenses.Licensing Conversion Map

Reclaiming the licenses applied to a cluster is necessary:When you remove one or more nodes from a cluster or move nodes from one cluster to another. First, move the nodes, then re-apply the licenses and reclaim the excess. If you plan to destroy or decommission a cluster.  First, reclaim the licenses and then destroy the cluster. A cluster's license must be reclaimed to remove the cluster from the Support & Insights page. If you want to modify or downgrade licenses. For example, when changing from Ultimate to Pro level licenses.The License Manager Guide describes full procedures for this. Once a cluster's licenses have been reclaimed, the cluster can be destroyed and marked as decommissioned on the Support & Insights page in the support portal. These instructions are found in the Acropolis Advanced Administration Guide. Refer to the chapter in the Manually Reclaim Licenses by Unlicensing in the License Manager Guide for the most up-to-date procedures for reclaiming licenses.  

You’ve uploaded an older/inactive cluster summary file(CSF) / You’ve uploaded an outdated and inactive cluster summary file(CSF) Please review this article if one of the following errors is displayed upon uploading the Cluster Summary File (CSF) to the licensing portal.Error 1:You’ve uploaded an older/inactive cluster summary file(CSF). To continue, download the latest CSF from Prism Element or Prism Central.Example screenshot:Error 2: You’ve uploaded an outdated and inactive cluster summary file(CSF). If you’ve previously encountered an error during license file generation or been instructed by support, please proceed with the licensing workflow by clicking Next. Please make sure that you have uploaded the latest CSF downloaded from the Prism Central.Example screenshot:  These messages appear when uploading a Cluster Summary File (CSF) downloaded at step one of the three-step license workflow in Prism.   Solution:Confirm that the CSF is current and that you are logged in to the correc

For the clusters to be visible while opening a case, there are two criteria. Either pulse has to be enabled. Steps to enable Pulse here.  Or the cluster must be licensed completely with valid licenses. It takes anywhere between 6-24 hours for the clusters to reflect in the case creation window after they are relicensed/licensed, or Pulse is enabled. 

A cluster is licensed through Prism Central but after licensing, the following discrepancy is observed.The Prism Element interface displays an ''Unlicensed'' status for the cluster under the ''About Nutanix'' popup, as shown in the screenshot below, even though the cluster is licensed correctly:  If the popup in Prism Element is not in sync with the current licensed state this cosmetic discrepancy may be observed.  The cluster will continue to work based on the licenses that have been applied and which are shown in the Prism Element licensing page. This was resolved in AOS version 6.5.3.6 and later versions.

Prism Central displays a blue banner with the following message even though the cluster is fully licensed:Your environment is partially licensed. The operational features and data will be available for licensed clusters only.  This is a cosmetic issue that does not impact performance or functionality.This issue is fixed in Prism Central pc.2023.1.0.2 and newer releases.   

Some of you might be receiving a red banner in Prism Central saying you have license violation for Flow license like in the below screenshot, If you want to continue using Flow Network Security (FNS), install a valid Flow license. Refer to the Licensing documentation on the Support PortalHowever, if you are not using Flow Network Security (FNS) or any of its related features and still receive this warning, this is a known issue in Prism Central version pc.2022.x.x and has been fixed in pc version above pc.2023.x. However, this violation banner does not impact production or cluster functionalities.  You can learn more about Flow and its features here - https://www.nutanix.com/products/legacy/software-options As always, should you have any questions or face any issues, please feel free to reach out to us or create a case by writing to portal-accounts@nutanix.com and we will be happy to assist you. 

Hey, just highlighting a few of the latest improvements to the workflow for those of us assisting with license conversions to the latest PnP 2.0 license model.  First, a new mechanic was added to calculate and clearly show the NBL to CBL conversion rate (node to cores) when using the “Unapplied Licenses” option.        This allows you to do the math and verify what the core count total will be at the end of the conversion and make sure that matches your intended result.      You must select the blue “Accept”  option in order to move forward to the next page but you can always select the “Back” option if needed.    The other improvement to point out which, you can see in the screenshots, you can now convert Prism Central node licenses that may have been left behind due to not being applied to the cluster. The best practice is still to apply as may of the “legacy” Prism Pro/Prism Ultimate licenses to the clusters so the system can get the exact core count, but in the situation where ther

When a new node is added to an existing cluster, an alert will be triggered to notify you. This alert will provide details about the node that is still in an unlicensed state and specify which type of license is missing on the node. The cluster's licenses must be updated to resolve this alert. More info can be found in this KB Generate the Cluster Summary File(CSF) from prism and navigate to Support Portal. Select "Manage Licenses" and upload the CSF Click on "Edit Selection" under the license type which needs to be applied Select the related cluster, click on "Actions" then select "Advanced Licensing" Please note that if there are multiple clusters which need updating you will need to do this step cluster-by-cluster. You will be presented with the the quantity required on screen.  Choose "Select Licenses" for each presented tile. If the particular license ID in use has available licenses, unselect in and then select in again so that it takes the required license. If you have

 Hardware Support/Support Contract and the License validity are 2 different entities. • Hardware Support/Support Contract covers the support from the Nutanix end with regards to the portal issues and hardware. This is term based. If this is expired users would not be able to login to the Nutanix Support portal or get any technical support on the Hardware/Software upgrade. This is not same as the License Expiry Date.• License validity refers to the Prism/Cluster license which is managed in the Prism Web Console. This helps in accessing prism features but not the Support portal.• License and Support Contract are renewed individually, and they are not interlinked. For the renewal, user must reach out to the Nutanix Account Manager(AM), or drop an email to renewals@nutanix.com team by looping in the AM.

If you see a warning that says, "Warning! The current license level does not allow for the use of this feature" while creating a File Server, you can still proceed by clicking Continue. This warning is informational and will not prevent the file server creation process from continuing.   If the CONTINUE field is greyed out, you need to download the file image and set the data services IP. This will enable the CONTINUE button.          

When uploading a cluster summary file into the license portal the error "No compatible products found for the uploaded cluster summary file" is observed. This issue arises when the account has the new licensing model (NCI, NCM, NUS products) and Prism Element (PE) CSF(Cluster Summary File) is used instead of Prism Central (PC) CSF. You must follow the below process to license the cluster: 1. Download and install Prism Central version PC.2022.4 or higher, and register your Prism Element clusters with this PC if you haven't already.2. Download the Prism Central CSF from the licensing page and upload it to the support portal instead of the PE CSF.3. Apply the license and generate the License File (LSF). Then, upload this file back to Prism Central.The minimum requirements of the Acropolis and Prism Central needed for this operation are::Applying cloud platform licenses except for Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) requires that the cluster is running the minimum versions of the following softw

Getting notifications about expired licenses every time you open Prism Central, however, the licenses have been renewed?  Dont worry! If you renewed the licenses and the old expiration date is still showing up on Prism Central or the Portal all we need to do is relicense Prism so the latest expiration date is updated. Complete the Licensing process in Prism Central and your environment shouldl be updated to the latest expirations.Check KB 8098 for detailed instructions for non renewed and KB 7837 for already renewed licenses…

Nutanix has introduced Seamless licensing from AOS 6.1.0.6 and pc.2022.9. Enabling this functionality will apply and manage your licenses from the Prism Central web console without needing you to download and upload files manually. Your Prism Central will need be connected to the internet and you will need to allow outbound traffic to portal.nutanix.com:443 BenefitsWill Save your time and effort compared to the traditional 3-step licensing workflow because you do not need to download and upload files manually. Supports licensing for all Nutanix products, including the new Nutanix cloud platform packages (see Nutanix Cloud Platform Package Licensing). Allows you to apply multiple product licenses to multiple clusters in a single workflow. Automatically tracks license renewals. When your license terms extend, the Licensing page in the Prism Central web console automatically updates to display the extended terms. For more information, please check Seamless Licensing

Nutanix has introduced product license enforcement to prevent unauthorized use of Nutanix Software. Below are the main key points regarding the prerequisites and policies: Enforcement will kick-in on a licensed cluster once the cluster is on the below SW releases or later.AOS 6.7.1 PC 2023.4 NCC 4.6.6Enforcement will be implemented in two levels:Day 0 of cluster expiration AOS/NCI: No cluster expansion / No storage creation or update Prism/NCM: Turn off Ops (UI only; except analysis and Dashboard) No Support Day 60 past cluster expiration No upgrades (including security patches) No cluster UI management or monitoring Disable access to NCM features Enforcement is disabled by default: Upgrading to an AOS/PC version will not enable the enforcement.Licensing action is required to enable enforcement: Licensing action is applying or updating licenses of a cluster. Each time a licensing action is executed, the enforcement policy will be updated on the cluster in conjunction with applied

In order to convert your legacy old licenses (AOS/Prism) to the new cloud platform (NCI/NCM/NUS) licenses, you will need have the following requirements:For Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI), minimum versions are: AOS 6.0.1.7 NCC 4.3.0 pc.2021.9 For Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM) Self-Service, minimum version is pc.2023.3. For Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), minimum versions are: AOS 6.1.1 NCC 4.5.0 pc.2022.4 For NCI Edge, minimum versions are: AOS 6.7 and pc.2023.3. Dark site clusters minimum versions are: AOS 6.1.1 NCC 4.6.2 pc.2022.4  The cluster must be fully licensed before conversion, or you must have enough available licenses to fully convert the cluster (combination of old and new licenses). If two licenses merge into one, the expiration date must be the same. For example, AOS + Flow or Prism + Calm. All existing Prism licenses in a Prism Central instance must be converted to NCM. You must apply all Flow and Encryption licenses. Unapplied Flow and Encryption licenses are

You will not be able to convert the following licenses to our new Nutanix Cloud Platform LicensingEPA (Enterprise Purchase Agreement) LOD (Life of Device) Non-renewable NTE (Not To Exceed) One-time use POC (Proof of Concept) SWO (software only) perpetualFollowing scenarios will not allow a conversion operation:A license upgrade quote is in flight The license is due for renewal in the next 90 days A renewal opportunity is in the advanced stage Role-based access control (RBAC) accounts and RBAC-based users cannot perform conversions in the following scenarios.Capacity cores are in one account and flash storage capacity is in another account An AOS Ultimate license is in one account and a Flow license is in another account An Objects license is in one account and a Files license is in another account A Prism Pro license is in one account and a Calm Cores license is in another account A VDI Pro license is in one account and an Encryption license is in another account A VDI Pro license is i

Not seeing the Ultimate 90-day trial on Prism Central? No problem!When registering our cluster from Prism Element with Prism Central you will have the opportunity to try our highest tier of licenses and features for 90 days. If this is the first time you are registering the cluster with Prism Central and don’t see the option we can enable the features by following these simple steps.If you have Seamless licensing enabled in your Prism Central then…Please log on to PCVM, Load the Licensing page under the Admin Center Click on Applied Licenses  Select Prism, and click on More Actions Select Show Features on the top right corner of the features page, you will find a button to enable Prism Ultimate Trial.If you don’t have seamless licensing…Log in to the Prism Central Web Console. Select the Gear icon and select Licensing. The license type displayed is Prism Ultimate Trial.  Click on the "View & Manage Features" link next to the word Prism. Toggle the "Enable Ultimate Trial" button to

License Feature Violation is triggered when a feature running on the cluster doesn’t have the proper tier of License. From the CVM you can get the details of the allowed license features and check which one is showing as false:nutanix@cvm:~$ ncli license get-allowances Feature : dr_compression Feature Display Name : Remote Site Compression Allowance Type : BOOLEAN Allowance : true Feature : self_encrypting_drives_password_enabled Feature Display Name : Self Encrypting Drives Password Allowance Type : BOOLEAN Allowance : false <<<--------- If you do not want to use the feature any more, you can disable the feature and run NCC check to resolve the alert. if you wish to continue using the feature please check the Software Tier table and apply/purchase the proper licenses. AOS/Prism Software Tier Nutanix Cloud Platform Software Tier

Below are two documents referencing the features and tiers of Legacy Software and Nutanix Cloud Platform Software options. Legacy Software Options Nutanix Cloud Platform Software Options