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Storage and Backups-Nutanix

License Manager Guide

Last updated: 2022-11-29

Welcome to License Manager

The Nutanix corporate web site includes up-to-date information about AOS software editions .

License Manager provides Licensing as a Service (LaaS) by integrating the Nutanix Support portal Licensing page with licensing management and agent software residing on Prism Element and Prism Central clusters. Unlike previous license schemes and work flows that were dependent on specific Nutanix software releases, License Manager is an independent software service residing in your cluster software. You can update it independently from Nutanix software such as AOS, Prism Central, Nutanix Cluster Check, and so on.

License Manager provides these features and benefits.

  • Simplified upgrade path. Upgradeable through Life Cycle Manager (LCM), which enables Nutanix to regularly introduce licensing features, functions, and fixes. Upgrades through LCM help ensure that your cluster is running the latest licensing agent logic.
  • Streamlined web console interface for Prism Element and Prism Central. After licensing unlicensed clusters and adding new software products through the Nutanix Support Portal, the web console provides a single 1-click control plane for most work flows. The web console only displays your licensed products and their current status.
  • Simplified 1-click work flow. Invisible integration with the Nutanix Support Portal helps simplify the most common licensing work flows and use cases.
  • Consistent experience. License Manager works for all licensable products that are available for Prism Element and Prism Central.

Licensing Management Options

License Manager provides more than one way to manage your licenses, depending on your preference and cluster deployment. Except for dark-site clusters, where AOS and Prism Central clusters are not connected to the Internet, these options require that your cluster is connected to the Internet.

Manage Licenses with License Manager and 1-Click Licensing

This feature is not available to dark site clusters, which are not connected to the Internet.

See Enable 1-Click Licensing and Manage Licenses with 1-Click Licensing.

Nutanix recommends that you configure and enable 1-click licensing. 1-click licensing simplifies license and add-on management by integrating the licensing work flow into a single interface in the web console. Once you enable this feature, you can perform most licensing tasks from the web console. It is disabled by default.

Depending on the product license you purchase, you apply it through the Prism Element or Prism Central web console. See Prism Element Cluster Licensing or Prism Central License Categories.

Manage Licenses with License Manager Without Enabling 1-Click Licensing (3-Step Licensing)

This feature is not available to dark site clusters, which are not connected to the Internet.

See Manage Licenses with Update License (3-Step Licensing).

After you license your cluster, the web console Licensing page allows you to manage your license tier by upgrading, downgrading, or otherwise updating a license. If you have not enabled 1-click licensing and want to use 3-step licensing, the Licensing page includes a Update License button.

Manage Licenses For Dark-Site Clusters
For legacy licenses (that is, licenses other than Nutanix cloud platform package licenses), see Manage Licenses for Dark Site Clusters (Legacy License Key).

For cloud platform package licenses, see Manage Licenses for Dark Site Clusters (Cloud Platform License Key).

Use these procedures if your dark site cluster is not connected to the Internet (that is, your cluster is deployed at a dark site). To enter dark site cluster information at the Nutanix Support Portal, these procedures require you to use a web browser from a machine connected to the Internet. If you do not have Internet access, you cannot use these procedures.

Nutanix Support Portal Licenses Page

This topic assumes that you already have user name and password credentials for the Nutanix Support portal.

After you log on to the Nutanix Support portal at https://portal.nutanix.com, click the Licenses link on the portal home page or the hamburger menu available from any page. Licenses provides access to these licensing landing pages:

  • Summary . Displays a license summary page with panes (widgets) for each type of license that you have purchased. Each pane specifies the tier type, usage percentage (how many you have used out of your total availability), and the metric for each type of license. Click the Manage Licenses button (top of page) to get started with new licenses or administer existing licenses.
  • License Inventory . Includes the following two license category pages.
    • Active Licenses . Displays a table of active licenses for your account (default view for License Inventory ). Active licenses are purchased licenses that are usable currently. Entry information in the table varies by tab and includes license ID, tier, class, expiration date, and other information. If you are using tags, the portal displays tag names on the page, which you can use to Filter licenses. To download a comma-separated values file containing the details from the table, click Download all as CSV . You can also select one or more specific entries to download only the selected cluster license details. The table includes the following tabs that filter the list by status:
      • All : Lists all active licenses in your inventory.
      • Available : Lists licenses that are currently available to be provisioned to a cluster.
      • Applied : Lists licenses that are provisioned to an active cluster.
      • Upgrade : Lists purchased upgrade licenses. An upgrade license enables you to activate one or more features from a higher licensing tier without having to purchase completely new licenses. That is, you upgrade your existing unexpired lower tier license (for example, AOS Pro) with an upgrade license (AOS Ultimate). For each upgrade license, you must have an existing lower tier license to activate the upgrade license. As with future licenses, you cannot apply an upgrade license to a cluster until the Start Date has passed. See Upgrade Licenses.
      • Reserved (Nutanix Cloud Clusters only): Lists the licenses that you have partially or fully reserved for Nutanix Cloud Clusters. You can download the licensing details as a CSV file and manage the license reservations. You can also specify the capacity allocation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (see Reserve Licenses for Nutanix Cloud Clusters).
      • Expiring : Lists licenses that will be expiring soon.
      • Future : Lists licenses that start at a future date and cannot be applied to clusters until the start date is in the past.
    • Inactive Licenses . Displays a table of inactive licenses for your account. Inactive licenses are purchased licenses that have either expired or were decommissioned. Entry information includes license ID, expiration date, days since expiry, quantity, tier, class, PO number, and tag.
  • Clusters . Includes one or more of the following category pages depending on your account type. To download a comma-separated values file containing the details from any of the pages, click Download all as CSV . Click the Cluster UUID link to see cluster license details.
    • Licensed Clusters . Displays a table of licensed clusters including the cluster name, cluster UUID, license tier, and license metric.
    • Cloud Clusters . Displays a table of licensed Nutanix Cloud Clusters including the cluster name, cluster UUID, billing mode, and status.
    • License with file . Displays a table of clusters licensed with a license summary file (LSF) including the cluster name, cluster UUID, license tier, and license metric.
    • License with key . Displays a table of (usually dark site) clusters licensed with a license key including the cluster name, cluster UUID, license key, and license tags.
    • Cluster Expirations . Displays a table that lists when a license will expire. Entries include the expiry date, days to expiration, cluster name, and cluster UUID. To filter the table, select the duration from the pull-down list in the View all clusters expiring in the next XX Days field.

Displaying License Features, Details, and Status

About this task

The most current information about your licenses is available from the Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console. It is also available at the Nutanix Support Portal License page. You can view information about license levels, expiration dates, and any free license inventory (that is, unassigned available licenses).

From a PE Controller VM (CVM) or PC VM, you can also display license details associated with your dark site license key.

Procedure

  1. In the web console, click the gear icon, and select Licensing .
  2. Click the license tile to show the feature list for that license type. For example:
    Figure. License Features Click to enlarge List of features for your license

    Scroll down to see other features, then click Back to return to the licensing page.
  3. To show a list of all licenses and their details, click license details .
    Figure. License Details Click to enlarge List of features for your license

    Scroll down to see all licenses, then click Back to return to the licensing page.

Showing License Details Associated with Your Dark Site License Key

About this task

Use the command line license_key_util script to see license key information.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PE CVM or PC CVM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util show key=license_key
Licenses Allowed:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Upgrading License Manager

License Manager is independent software and is therefore updated independently from Nutanix software such as AOS, Prism Central, Nutanix Cluster Check, and so on.

When upgrades are available, you can upgrade License Manager through Life Cycle Manager (LCM). LCM enables Nutanix to regularly introduce licensing features, functions, and fixes. Upgrades through LCM help ensure that your cluster is running the latest licensing agent logic.

Nutanix has also designed License Manager so that cluster node restarts are not required.

The Life Cycle Manager Guide describes how to perform an inventory and, if a new version is available, how to update a component like License Manager.

What Version Of License Manager Do I Have?

Log on to the Prism Element or Prism Central web console and do one of the following.

  1. Click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel. Under the gear icon, you can see the version. For example, LM.2021.7.2.
    Figure. License Manager Version Click to enlarge License Manager Version

  2. From the Home menu, click LCM > Inventory . Select View By > Component . The list shows the version. For example, LM.2021.7.2.

About Licenses

Products That Do Not Require a License

Not all Nutanix software products require a license. Nutanix provides these products and their features without requiring you to do anything license-wise:

  • Nutanix AHV
  • Karbon (enabled through Prism Central)
  • Prism Starter
  • Framework and utility software such as Life Cycle Manager (LCM), X-Ray, and Move
  • Foundation

Prism Element License Categories

See these Nutanix corporate web sites for the latest information about software licensing and the latest available platforms.

  • Nutanix Software Editions and AOS Software Licensing Models
  • Nutanix Hardware Platforms and Dynamic Specsheet

Nutanix generally categorizes licenses as follows.

Software-only
  • Platforms are qualified by Nutanix (NX Series) or by approved third-party vendors, such as HPE, Cisco, Dell, and others.
  • No license is embedded or delivered as a default, as you purchase hardware and licenses separately.
  • You can purchase AOS Starter, Pro, or Ultimate, and Add-On licenses.
  • Your purchased license metric is based on capacity based licensing (CBL), remote office/back office (ROBO), or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
  • Licenses are transferable.
Third-party OEM
  • Includes OEM platforms qualified by Dell (Nutanix on Dell XC Series appliances and XC Core nodes), Lenovo (Lenovo HX Series Certified Nodes), and other vendors.
  • No license is embedded or delivered as a default, as you purchase hardware and licenses separately.
  • You can purchase AOS Starter, Pro, or Ultimate, and Add-On licenses.
  • Your purchased license metric is based on capacity based licensing (CBL), remote office/back office (ROBO), or virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).
  • Licenses are transferable.

Prism Element Cluster Licensing

Licenses you can apply through the Prism Element web console include:

AOS Starter, Pro, and Ultimate Licenses

See Prism Element License Categories.

Software-only and third-party OEM platforms require you to download and install a Starter license file that you have purchased.

For all platforms: the AOS Pro and Ultimate license levels require you to install this license on your cluster. When you upgrade a license or add nodes or clusters to your environment, you must install the license.

If you enable 1-click licensing as described in Enable 1-Click Licensing, you can apply the license through the Prism Element web console without needing to log on to the support portal.

If you do not want to enable this feature, you can manage licenses as described in Manage Licenses with Update License (3-Step Licensing). This licensing workflow is also appropriate for dark-site (non-Internet connected or restricted connection) deployments.

Note: Legacy-licensed life of device Nutanix NX and OEM AOS Appliance platforms include an embedded Starter license as part of your purchase. It does not have to be downloaded and installed or otherwise applied to your cluster.
AOS Remote and Branch Office (ROBO) and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure per User (VDI) Licenses

The Nutanix corporate web site includes the latest information about these license models.

AOS Capacity-Based Licenses

Capacity-based licensing is the Nutanix licensing model where you purchase and apply licenses based on cluster attributes. Cluster attributes include the number of raw CPU cores and total raw Flash drive capacity in tebibytes (TiBs). See AOS Capacity-Based Licensing.

Add-Ons

You can add individual features known as add-ons to your existing license feature set. When Nutanix makes add-ons available, you can add them to your existing license, depending on the license level and add-ons available for that license.

See Add-On Licenses.

Prism Central License Categories

As the control console for managing multiple clusters, Prism (also known as Prism Central) consists of three license tiers. If you enable 1-click licensing as described in Enable 1-Click Licensing, you can apply licenses through the Prism web console without needing to log on to the support portal.

If you do not want to enable this feature, you can manage licenses as described in Manage Licenses with Update License (3-Step Licensing). This licensing workflow is also appropriate for dark-site (non-Internet connected or restricted connection) deployments.

Licenses that are available or that you can apply through the Prism web console include:

Prism Starter

Default free Prism license, which enables you to register and manage multiple Prism Element clusters, upgrade Prism with 1-click through Life Cycle Manager (LCM), and monitor and troubleshoot managed clusters. You do not have to explicitly apply the Prism Starter license tier, which also never expires.

Prism Pro

Includes all Prism Starter features plus customizable dashboards, capacity, planning, and analysis tools, advanced search capabilities, low-code/no-code automation, and reporting.

Prism Ultimate

Prism Ultimate adds application discovery and monitoring, budgeting/chargeback and cost metering for resources, and a SQL Server monitoring content pack. Every Prism Central deployment includes a 90-day trial version of this license tier.

Add-Ons

You can add individual features known as add-ons to your existing license feature set. When Nutanix makes add-ons available, you can add them to your existing license, depending on the license level and add-ons available for that license.

See Add-On Licenses.

Cluster-based Licensing

Prism Central cluster-based licensing allows you to choose the level of data to collect from an individual Prism Element cluster managed by your Prism Central deployment. It also lets you choose the related features you can implement for a cluster depending on the applied Prism Central license tier. You can collect data even if metering types (capacity [cores] and nodes) are different for each node in a Prism Element cluster. See Prism Central Cluster-Based Licensing for more details.

AOS Capacity-Based Licensing

AOS capacity-based licensing is the Nutanix licensing model where you purchase and apply licenses based on cluster attributes. Cluster attributes include the number of raw CPU cores and raw total Flash drive capacity in tebibytes (TiBs). This licensing model helps ensure a consistent licensing experience across different platforms running Nutanix software.

Each license stores the currently licensed capacity (CPU cores/Flash TiBs). If the capacity of the cluster increases, the web console informs you that additional licensing is required.

Upgrade Licenses

An upgrade license enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier without having to purchase completely new stand-alone licenses. For example, you can upgrade your lower tier AOS Pro license to an Ultimate Upgrade license, which allows you to now activate or use the available Ultimate features.

For each upgrade license, you must have an existing unexpired lower tier license to activate the upgrade license. As with future licenses, you cannot apply an upgrade license to a cluster until the Start Date has passed.

View Upgrade Licenses at the Nutanix Support Portal

When you log on to the Nutanix Support portal and go to Licenses > License Inventory > Upgrade Licenses , the table shows all purchased Upgrade Licenses. See also Nutanix Support Portal Licenses Page.
Figure. Nutanix Support Portal Upgrade Licenses Page Click to enlarge A web page listing upgrade license details
Click a License Id link to see the properties of the upgrade license.
Figure. Example Upgrade License Properties Click to enlarge A popup window listing license properties
  • License ID . Upgrade license ID.
  • Upgraded From License . License ID of the existing unexpired lower tier license.
  • Applied qty / Available qty . Number of licenses that you have applied to clusters and the available number of licenses.
  • Product . Software product type such as Acropolis (AOS), Prism Central, and so on.
  • Tier . The upgraded license tier. Depending on your base lower tier, Pro or Ultimate.
  • Meter . How the license usage is metered. In this example, a capacity-based license (CBL) using vCPU cores as the metric.
  • Expires . Upgrade license expiration date. Your base license most likely has a different expiration date, expiring sooner than the upgrade license. The upgrade license typically extends your license term.

Nutanix Calm Licensing

For more information about how to enable Calm in Prism Central, see Enabling Calm in the Prism Central Guide and Calm Administration and Operations Guide.

The Nutanix Calm license for Prism Central enables you to manage the number of VMs that are provisioned or managed by Nutanix Calm. Calm licenses are required only for VMs managed by Calm, running in either the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud or public clouds.

The most current status information about your Calm licenses is available from the Prism Central web console. It is also available at the Nutanix Support Portal.

Once Calm is enabled, Nutanix provides a free trial period of 60 days to use Calm. It might take up to 30 minutes to show that Calm is enabled and your trial period is started.

Approximately 30 minutes after you enable Nutanix Calm, the Calm licensing card and licensing details show the trial expiration date. In Use status is displayed as Yes . See also License Warnings in the Web Console.

How The Nutanix Calm License VM Count is Calculated

The Nutanix Calm license VM count is a concurrent VM management limit and is linked to the application life cycle, from blueprint launch to application deletion. Consider the following:

  1. You launch a Nutanix Marketplace blueprint as an application named Example that includes three VMs. These three VMs are counted against your Calm license (that is, three VMs under Calm management).
  2. You later scale Example with two additional VMs. Now, five VMs are under Calm management.
  3. You launch another blueprint as an application named Example2 with four new VMs. Total current number of VMs now under Calm management is nine (total from Example and Example2 ).
  4. You delete Example . Total current number of VMs now under Calm management is four (from the existing active Example2 deployment).

Any VM you have created and are managing independently of Nutanix Calm is not part of the Calm license count. For example, you created a Windows guest OS VM through the Prism Element web console or with other tools (like a Cloudinit script). This VM is not part of a Calm blueprint.

However, if you import an existing VM into an existing Calm blueprint, that VM counts toward the Calm license. It counts until you delete the application deployment. If you stop the VM in this case and the application deployment is active, the VM is considered as under Calm management and part of the license count.

Endpoints Associated with a Runbook

For license usage, Calm also counts each endpoint that you associate to a runbook as one VM under Calm management. This license usage count type is effective as of the Nutanix Calm 3.1 release.

Add-On Licenses

Individual products known as add-ons can be added to your existing license feature set. For more information, see Nutanix Platform Software Options.

Before You License Your Cluster

Requirements and considerations for licensing. Consider the following before you attempt to manage your licenses.

Create a Cluster

Before attempting to install a license, ensure that you have created a cluster and logged into the Prism Element or Prism Central web console at least once. You must install a license after creating a cluster for which you purchased AOS Pro or AOS Ultimate licenses. If you are using Nutanix Cloud Clusters, you can reserve licenses for those clusters (see Reserve Licenses for Nutanix Cloud Clusters).

Before You Destroy a Cluster, Reclaim Licenses By Unlicensing Your Cluster

In general, before destroying a cluster with AOS licenses (Starter / Pro / Ultimate) for software-only and third-party hardware platforms, you must reclaim your licenses by unlicensing your cluster. Unlicensing a cluster returns your purchased licenses to your inventory.

You do not need to reclaim licenses in the following cases.

  • When you use the dark site license key method to apply a key to your cluster, there is no requirement to reclaim licenses. Each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID, so there is nothing to reclaim.
  • You do not need to reclaim legacy-licensed life of device AOS Starter licenses for Nutanix and OEM AOS Appliance platforms. These licenses are embedded and are automatically applied whenever you create a cluster. You do need to reclaim AOS Pro and Ultimate licenses for these platforms.

Can I Mix License Tiers in a Cluster?

If a cluster includes nodes with different license tiers (for example, AOS Pro and AOS Ultimate), the cluster and each node in the cluster defaults to the feature set enabled by the lowest license tier. For example, if two nodes in the cluster have AOS Ultimate licenses and two nodes in the same cluster have AOS Pro licenses, all nodes effectively have AOS Pro licenses and access to that feature set only.

Attempts to access AOS Ultimate features in this case result in a license noncompliance warning in the web console.

License a Cluster and Add-On

As 1-click licensing is disabled by default, use these Update License procedures to license your cluster that is also connected to the Internet. These procedures also apply if a cluster is unlicensed (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you).

Figure. Update License Click to enlarge Update License Button

Licensing a Cluster (Internet Connected)

Use this procedure to license your cluster. These procedures also apply if a cluster is unlicensed (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you). After you complete this procedure, you can enable 1-click licensing.

Before you begin

For this procedure, keep two browser windows open:

  • One browser window for the Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console
  • One browser on an Internet-connected machine for the Nutanix Support Portal

Procedure

  1. Log on to your PE or PC web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Click Update License , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. First Time Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  4. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
  5. Click Add Licenses in the Acropolis tile (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The Acropolis tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  6. [Optional] Before continuing, you can also license any add-ons as part of this step by clicking Add Licenses in the add-on tile.
    Depending on the add-on, you simply license it with the same steps as the Acropolis work flow above (for example, Data Encryption). For add-ons that are based on capacity like Nutanix Files, you might have to specify the disk capacity to allocate to files. You can rebalance this add-on in the web console later if you need to make any changes.

    If you choose not to license any add-ons at this time, you can license them later. See Licensing An Add-On (Internet Connected).

  7. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  8. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

What to do next

After you complete this procedure, you can now enable 1-click licensing. See Enable 1-Click Licensing.

Licensing An Add-On (Internet Connected)

Use this procedure after you have licensed your cluster and you did not license add-on features at the same time, or if you later purchased add-on features after you initially licensed your cluster. This procedure describes how to do this on a cluster connected to the Internet.

About this task

  • If you did not license any add-ons as part of Licensing a Cluster (Internet Connected), use this procedure.
  • The Nutanix corporate web site includes up-to-date information about add-ons like Nutanix Files, Calm, and so on.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have an active My Nutanix account with valid credentials.
  • Make sure you have licensed your cluster first. See Licensing a Cluster (Internet Connected) or Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site).

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Download the cluster summary file.
    1. 1-click licensing enabled: Click License with Portal , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    2. 1-click licensing not enabled or disabled: Click Update License , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-Step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  4. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    Available add-ons in your inventory like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Nutanix Calm add-on in your inventory.
  5. Click Add Licenses in the add-on tile. For example, the Data Encryption tile.
    1. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    2. Click Save .
      The example the Data Encryption tile now shows two links: Edit License , where you can make any changes, and Unselect License , which returns the add-on to an unlicensed state.
  6. Continue licensing any add-ons in your inventory by clicking Add Licenses in the add-on tile.
    Depending on the add-on, you simply license it with the same steps as the Data Encryption step above. Unrestricted add-ons will not have the Cluster Deployment Location? selection.

    For add-ons that are based on capacity or other metrics like Nutanix Files, for example, specify the cluster disk capacity to allocate to Files. You can rebalance this add-on in the web console later if you need to make any changes, as described in Using Rebalance to Adjust Your Licenses.

  7. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  8. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

    Below each license tile is the 1-Click Licensing options menu, where you can select more licensing actions: Rebalance , Extend , or Unlicense . See 1-Click Licensing Actions.

Enable 1-Click Licensing

This feature is not available to dark site clusters, which are not connected to the Internet. To enable 1-click licensing, you must create an API key and download an SSL key from your My Nutanix dashboard. 1-click licensing simplifies licensing by integrating the licensing work flow into a single interface in the web console. As this feature is disabled by default, you need to enable and configure it first.

Note: Your network must allow outbound traffic to portal.nutanix.com:443 to use this feature.

If your cluster is unlicensed, make sure you have licensed it first, then enable 1-click licensing. See Licensing a Cluster (Internet Connected).

1-click licensing simplifies licensing by integrating the licensing work flow into a single control plane in the Prism Element (PE) and Prism Central (PC) web consoles. Once you enable 1-click licensing, you can perform most licensing tasks from the web console Licensing settings panel without needing to explicitly log on to the Nutanix Support Portal.

1-click license management requires you to create an API key and download an SSL key from your My Nutanix dashboard to secure communications between the Nutanix Support Portal and the PE or PC web console.

With the API and SSL keys associated with your My Nutanix account, the web console can communicate with the Nutanix Support Portal to detect any changes or updates to your cluster license status.

  • The API key is initially bound to the user that creates the key on the Nutanix Support Portal. All subsequent licensing operations are done on behalf of the user who created the key and any operations written to an audit log include information identifying this user. That is, licensing task X was performed by user Y (assuming user Y created the key).
  • The API key is also bound to the Prism user that logs on to the web console and then registers the key. For example, if user admin registers the key, any licensing task performed by admin is performed on behalf of user Y (who created the key on the Support Portal). A Prism user (such as admin) must have access to the API key to use this feature. You can use Role Mapping and/or Lightweight Directory Access Protocol to manage key access or provide an audit trail if more than one admin user is going to manage licensing.

After enabling 1-click licensing, you can also disable it.

Enabling 1-Click Licensing

This feature is not available to dark site clusters, which are not connected to the Internet. To enable 1-click licensing, first create a Licensing API key and download an SSL public key. After you do this, register both through the Prism Element or Prism Central web console. You might need to turn off any pop-up blockers in your browser to display dialog boxes.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have an active My Nutanix account with valid credentials.
  • Make sure you have licensed your cluster first. See Licensing a Cluster (Internet Connected) or Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site).

Procedure

  1. Create an API key and download the SSL key as described in Creating an API Key.
    Make sure you select the Licensing scope when creating the API key. If you are currently logged on to the Nutanix Support Portal, you can access the API Key page by selecting API Keys from your profile. See also API Key Management.
  2. When you create an API key, make sure you give it a unique name.
  3. Register the keys through the Prism Element or Prism Central web console.
    1. Log on to the web console, click the gear icon, then click Licensing .
    2. Click Enable 1-Click Licensing .
    3. Paste the API key in the API KEY field in the dialog box.
    4. Add the SSL public key by clicking Choose File and browsing to the public key file that you downloaded when you created the key.
    5. Click Save .
    Figure. Enable 1-click licensing Click to enlarge Enable 1-click licensing dialog

    Messages display showing that 1-click licensing is enabled. You can also check related task messages on the Tasks page in the web console.

    The Licensing page now shows two buttons: Disable 1-Click Licensing , which indicates 1-click licensing is enabled, and License With Portal , which lets you upgrade license tiers and add-ons by using the manual Nutanix Support Portal 3-step licensing work flow.

    Below each license tile is the 1-Click Licensing options menu, where you can select more licensing actions: Rebalance , Extend , or Unlicense . See 1-Click Licensing Actions.

    After enabling 1-click licensing, you can also disable it .

Disabling 1-Click Licensing

This feature is not available to dark site clusters, which are not connected to the Internet. Disables 1-click licensing through the web console. For security reasons, you cannot reuse your previously-created API key after disabling 1-click licensing.

About this task

You might need to disable the 1-click licensing connection associated with the API and public keys. If you disable the connection as described here, you can enable it again by obtaining a new API key as described in Creating an API Key.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the web console, click the gear icon, then click Licensing .
  2. Click Disable 1-Click Licensing .
  3. Click Disable , then click Yes to confirm.
    A status message and dialog box is displayed.
  4. To close the dialog box, click Cancel .
    The Licensing page now shows two buttons: Enable 1-Click Licensing , which indicates 1-click licensing is enabled, and License With Portal , which lets you upgrade license tiers and license add-ons by using the manual Nutanix Support Portal 3-step licensing work flow.

Manage Licenses with 1-Click Licensing

After you license your cluster, 1-click licensing helps simplify licensing by integrating the licensing work flow into a single interface in the web console. As this feature is disabled by default, enable and configure it first.

This feature is not available to dark site clusters, which are not connected to the Internet.

Once you configure this feature, you can perform most tasks from the Prism web console without needing to explicitly log on to the Nutanix Support Portal.

When you open Licensing from the Prism Element or Prism Central web console for a licensed cluster, each license tile includes a drop-down menu so you can manage your licenses without leaving the web console. 1-click licensing communicates with the Nutanix Support Portal to detect any changes or updates to your cluster license status.

If you want to change your license tier by upgrading or downgrading your license, use the procedures in Upgrading or Downgrading (Changing Your License Tier).

Before You Begin
Before you begin, make sure your cluster and any add-ons are licensed.
  • See Before You License Your Cluster, License a Cluster and Add-On, and Enable 1-Click Licensing.
  • Your network must allow outbound traffic to portal.nutanix.com:443 to use this feature.

1-Click Licensing Actions

On the Licensing page in the Prism Element or Prism Central web console for a licensed cluster, each license tile includes a drop-down menu so you can manage your licenses directly from the web console.

Rebalance

If you have made changes to your cluster, choose Rebalance to help ensure your available licenses (including licensed add-ons) are applied correctly. Use Rebalance if you:

  • Have added a node and have an available license in your account
  • Have removed one or more nodes from your cluster. Choose Rebalance to reclaim the now-unused license and return it to your license inventory.
  • Move nodes from one cluster to another.
  • Have reduced in capacity in your cluster (number of nodes, Flash storage capacity, number of licenses, and so on)

Extend

Choose Extend to extend the term of current expiring term-based licenses if you have purchased one or more extensions.

If your license has expired, you have to license the cluster as if it were unlicensed. See License a Cluster and Add-On.

Unlicense

Choose Unlicense to unlicense a cluster (including licensed add-ons) in one click. This action removes the licenses from a cluster and returns them to your license inventory. This action is sometimes referred to as reclaiming licenses.

  • Before destroying a cluster, you must unlicense your cluster to reclaim and return your licenses to your inventory.
  • You do not need to reclaim legacy-licensed life of device AOS Starter licenses for Nutanix and OEM AOS Appliance platforms. These licenses are embedded and are automatically applied whenever you create a cluster. You do need to reclaim AOS Pro and Ultimate licenses for these platforms.

  • You do need to reclaim AOS licenses (Starter / Pro / Ultimate) for software-only and third-party hardware platforms.

Using Rebalance to Adjust Your Licenses

Before you begin

If you have destroyed the cluster and did not reclaim the existing licenses by unlicensing the cluster first, contact Nutanix Support to help reclaim the licenses. For more information about how to destroy a cluster, see Destroying a Cluster in the Acropolis Advanced Administration Guide.

About this task

  • 1-Click Licensing Actions describes when to use Rebalance .
  • If License Manager does not detect any changes to your cluster after you click 1-Click Licensing > Rebalance , any subsequent dialog action buttons are grayed out or unavailable

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Element or Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To rebalance Acropolis or Prism Central licenses, choose 1-Click Licensing > Rebalance from the Acropolis or Prism Central tile.
    1. If you have reduced physical capacity in your cluster (for example, added or removed nodes or change Flash storage capacity) the rebalance task begins.
    2. If your license type is based on the number of users (such as a VDI license) or VMs (such as a ROBO license), you can adjust the number of licenses allocated. Increase or decrease the number in the dialog box and click 1-Click Licensing > Rebalance .
    License Manager contacts the Nutanix Support portal and rebalances your cluster. During this operation, web console Licensing is unavailable until the operation is completed.
  3. To rebalance add-on licenses, choose 1-Click Licensing > Rebalance from the add-on tile. For example, Files for AOS.
    1. For add-ons that are based on capacity or other metrics like Nutanix Files, for example, specify the capacity to allocate. For example, to change the cluster disk capacity to allocate to Files, increase or decrease the number in the dialog box and click 1-Click Licensing > Rebalance .
    License Manager contacts the Nutanix Support portal and rebalances your cluster. During this operation, web console Licensing is unavailable until the operation is completed.

Using Extend to Update Your License Term

About this task

Choose Extend to extend the term of current expiring term-based licenses if you have purchased one or more extensions. 1-Click Licensing Actions describes Extend and other actions.

If your licenses have expired, you basically have to license the cluster as described in License a Cluster and Add-On.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Element or Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To update AOS licenses, choose 1-Click Licensing > Extend from the Acropolis tile.
  3. To update add-on licenses, choose 1-Click Licensing > Extend from the add-on tile. For example, Files for AOS.
    License Manager contacts the Nutanix Support portal. During this operation, web console Licensing is unavailable until the operation is completed. Note that the Valid Until date text under the extended tile changes to the new expiration date.

Using Unlicense to Reclaim and Return Licenses to Inventory

About this task

Choose Unlicense to unlicense your cluster (sometimes referred to as reclaiming licenses). 1-Click Licensing Actions describes when to choose Unlicense and other actions.

Perform this task for each cluster that you want to unlicense. If you unlicense Prism Central (PC), the default license type Prism Center Starter is applied as a result. Registered clusters other than the PC cluster remain licensed.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Element or PC web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To reclaim AOS or PC licenses and any add-on licenses (such as Nutanix Files, Data Encryption, and so on), choose 1-Click Licensing > Unlicense from the Acropolis or PC tile.
  3. To reclaim add-on licenses only, choose 1-Click Licensing > Unlicense from the add-on tile. For example, Files for AOS.
    License Manager contacts the Nutanix Support portal. During this operation, web console Licensing is unavailable until the operation is completed. Note that the tile text changes to No License or Starter , depending on your platform.

Applying An Upgrade License

Use this procedure when you have purchased an upgrade license. An upgrade license enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier without having to purchase completely new stand-alone licenses.

Before you begin

This procedure uses the 3-Step Licensing method. You cannot apply this license type automatically with 1-click licensing.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, do one of the following steps.
    1. If you have enabled 1-click licensing, click License with Portal , then click Download .
    2. If you have not enabled 1-click licensing, click Update License , then click Download .
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    In the license tile, a message is displayed that you have upgrade licenses available. For example, Ultimate Upgrade licenses are available for use on this cluster .
  4. Click Modify Selection in the Acropolis (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the License Tier drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  5. Click Next and review the Summary page.
    A message is displayed that lists the upgrade licenses that you can apply to a cluster, along with a table showing license ID, tier, and so on. The Status column shows Adding for the upgrade license and No Change for any licenses that you are not upgrading.
  6. Click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close returns to the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  7. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Upgrading or Downgrading (Changing Your License Tier)

Use License with Portal or Update License in the web console to change your license tier if you have purchased completely new stand-alone licenses. For example, to upgrade from AOS Pro to AOS Ultimate or downgrade Prism Ultimate to Prism Pro. This procedure does not apply if you purchased an upgrade license, which enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier.

Before you begin

For this procedure, keep two browser windows open:

  • One browser window for the Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console
  • One browser on an Internet-connected machine for the Nutanix Support Portal

Procedure

  1. Log on to your PE or PC web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, do one of the following steps.
    1. If you have enabled 1-click licensing, click License with Portal , then click Download .
    2. If you have not enabled 1-click licensing, click Update License , then click Download .
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
      The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank. To read about tags, see Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.
  4. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
  5. Click Edit License in the Acropolis (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  6. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  7. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Manage Licenses with Update License (3-Step Licensing)

After you license your cluster and you do not plan to enable 1-click licensing, use Update License in the web console to change your license tier. For example, to upgrade from AOS Pro to AOS Ultimate or downgrade Prism Ultimate to Prism Pro.

After you license your cluster, the web console Licensing page allows you to manage your license tier by upgrading, downgrading, or otherwise updating a license. If you have not enabled 1-click licensing and want to use 3-step licensing, the Licensing page includes a Update License button.

3-Step Licensing refers to most manual licensing procedures. These procedures describe the 3-Step Licensing procedure (in more detail):

  1. For clusters connected to the Internet: In the Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, download a cluster summary file, then upload it to the Nutanix Support portal.

    For dark-sites where a cluster is not connected to the Internet: In the PE or PC web console, copy the dark-site cluster summary information and then enter it at the Nutanix Support Portal Licensing page. See Manage Licenses for Dark Site Clusters (3-Step Licensing).

  2. Download a license file from the Nutanix Support portal.
  3. In the PE or PC web console, apply the license file to the Internet-connected or dark-site cluster.
Before You Begin
Before you begin, make sure your cluster and any add-ons are licensed.
  • See Before You License Your Cluster and License a Cluster and Add-On
  • Your network must allow outbound traffic to portal.nutanix.com:443 to use this feature.

Licensing Actions by Using the Update License Button

If you did not enable 1-click licensing, when you open Licensing from the Prism Element or Prism Central web console for a licensed cluster, you can use the Update License button to manage licenses.

Rebalance Your Licenses After a Cluster Change

If you have made changes to your cluster, download and apply a new licensing summary file (LSF) to help ensure your available licenses (including licensed add-ons) are applied correctly. Rebalance your cluster if you:

  • Have added a node and have an available license in your account
  • Have removed one or more nodes from your cluster. Reclaim the now-unused license and return it to your license inventory
  • Move nodes from one cluster to another
  • Have reduced in capacity in your cluster (number of nodes, Flash storage capacity, number of licenses, and so on)

Extend the Term of Any Current Expiring Licenses

If you have purchased one or more license extensions, download and apply a new LSF to extend the term of current expiring term-based licenses.

Apply an Upgrade License

If you have purchased an upgrade license, apply it to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier without having to purchase completely new stand-alone licenses.

Unlicense Your Cluster to Return Licenses to Your Inventory (Also Known as Reclaiming)

Unlicense a cluster (including licensed add-ons) to remove the licenses from a cluster and returns them to your license inventory. This action is sometimes referred to as reclaiming licenses. You also download and apply a new LSF in this case.

  • Before destroying a cluster, you must unlicense your cluster to reclaim and return your licenses to your inventory.
  • You do not need to reclaim legacy-licensed life of device AOS Starter licenses for Nutanix and OEM AOS Appliance platforms. These licenses are embedded and are automatically applied whenever you create a cluster. You do need to reclaim AOS Pro and Ultimate licenses for these platforms.

  • You do need to reclaim AOS licenses (Starter / Pro / Ultimate) for software-only and third-party hardware platforms.

Rebalancing Licenses After a Cluster Capacity Change (Update License)

Before you begin

Use this procedure if you have not enabled 1-click licensing. Licensing Actions by Using the Update License Button describes when you should rebalance your cluster license.

Procedure

  1. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to your Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, click Update License , then click Download
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses pages shows product license tiles. You might see this message in a license tile: Your licenses have been updated to meet your capacity change .
  4. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  5. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Reclaim Licenses by Unlicensing (Update License)

Before you begin

Use this procedure if you have not enabled 1-click licensing. See Licensing Actions by Using the Update License Button.

Procedure

  1. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to your Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, click Update License , then click Download
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses pages shows product license tiles.
  4. In the Acropolis tile (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters), click Unlicense , then click Unlicense again.
    This action removes cluster and add-on licenses.
  5. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  6. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license state (for example, No License or Starter).

Extending Your License Term (Update License)

If you have purchased one or more license extensions, download and apply a new license summary file to extend the term of current expiring term-based licenses. This procedure includes a step for expired licenses.

About this task

Use this procedure if you have not enabled 1-click licensing. See Licensing Actions by Using the Update License Button.

Procedure

  1. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to your Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, click Update License , then click Download
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses pages shows product license tiles.
  4. If your license has expired, do these steps. Otherwise, skip this step.
    1. Click Add Licenses in the Acropolis tile (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    2. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    3. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    4. Click Save .
      The Acropolis tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
    5. [Optional] Before continuing, you can also license any add-ons as part of this step by clicking Add Licenses or Edit License in the add-on tile.
      Depending on the add-on, you simply license it with the same steps as the Acropolis work flow above (for example, Data Encryption). For add-ons that are based on capacity like Nutanix Files, you might have to specify the disk capacity to allocate to files. You can rebalance this add-on in the web console later if you need to make any changes.
  5. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  6. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Applying An Upgrade License

Use this procedure when you have purchased an upgrade license. An upgrade license enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier without having to purchase completely new stand-alone licenses.

Before you begin

This procedure uses the 3-Step Licensing method. You cannot apply this license type automatically with 1-click licensing.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, do one of the following steps.
    1. If you have enabled 1-click licensing, click License with Portal , then click Download .
    2. If you have not enabled 1-click licensing, click Update License , then click Download .
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    In the license tile, a message is displayed that you have upgrade licenses available. For example, Ultimate Upgrade licenses are available for use on this cluster .
  4. Click Modify Selection in the Acropolis (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the License Tier drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  5. Click Next and review the Summary page.
    A message is displayed that lists the upgrade licenses that you can apply to a cluster, along with a table showing license ID, tier, and so on. The Status column shows Adding for the upgrade license and No Change for any licenses that you are not upgrading.
  6. Click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close returns to the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  7. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Upgrading or Downgrading (Changing Your License Tier)

Use License with Portal or Update License in the web console to change your license tier if you have purchased completely new stand-alone licenses. For example, to upgrade from AOS Pro to AOS Ultimate or downgrade Prism Ultimate to Prism Pro. This procedure does not apply if you purchased an upgrade license, which enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier.

Before you begin

For this procedure, keep two browser windows open:

  • One browser window for the Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) web console
  • One browser on an Internet-connected machine for the Nutanix Support Portal

Procedure

  1. Log on to your PE or PC web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, do one of the following steps.
    1. If you have enabled 1-click licensing, click License with Portal , then click Download .
    2. If you have not enabled 1-click licensing, click Update License , then click Download .
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder that you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
      The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank. To read about tags, see Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.
  4. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
  5. Click Edit License in the Acropolis (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can apply that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  6. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.
  7. Back at the PE or PC web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
    The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

License a Cluster and Add-On (Dark Site Legacy License Key)

Use this procedure to license your cluster if your cluster is not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site). These procedures also apply if a cluster is unlicensed (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you). This procedure requires you to collect only the PC or cluster UUID that you later enter at the Nutanix Support portal.
Note: To license a dark site cluster with a license key, first contact your account team (sales engineer) or Nutanix Support to enable this feature.

Use the procedure described in Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site Legacy License Key) if:

  • You have not purchased Nutanix cloud platform packages.
  • Your cluster is running a version of Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) that supports license keys. See the NCC Release Notes version that introduces license key support
  • Your cluster is not licensed and also not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site)
  • You are applying a license key that you generate from the Nutanix Support portal

If you purchased Nutanix cloud platform packages, see License a Cluster and Add-On (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key).

Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site Legacy License Key)

Use this procedure to generate and apply a legacy license key to a cluster that is not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site).

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

These steps apply to dark site clusters, where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a legacy license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal. These procedures also apply if the dark site cluster is unlicensed (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you) and you need to generate and apply a legacy license key.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PE or PC web console and get the cluster UUID.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the Cluster UUID.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Legacy License Keys .
  4. Depending on your cluster type, select Prism Element or Prism Central and do the following:
    1. Provide a unique Name for your cluster. The name cannot include spaces.
    2. Enter the unique Cluster UUID .
    3. Click the plus sign.
    If you want to license more than one cluster and have the unique cluster UUID for each cluster, repeat these steps.
  5. Click Next .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. Here, you can:
    • Create a license tag to group your licenses or select an existing tag
    • Select all licensing required for your cluster, like AOS, PC, and any add-ons.
  6. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank.
  7. Click Add Licenses in the Acropolis tile (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The Acropolis tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can add that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  8. Before continuing, you can also license any add-ons as part of this step by clicking Add Licenses in the add-on tile.
    Depending on the add-on, you simply license it with the same steps as the Acropolis work flow above (for example, Data Encryption). For add-ons that are based on capacity like Nutanix Files, you might have to specify the disk capacity to allocate to Files. You can rebalance this add-on in the web console later if you need to make any changes.
  9. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Generate License Keys .
    The portal begins generating keys.
  10. After the portal generates the keys, you can print the resulting page for a copy of the license keys or click Download as CSV to download a comma-separated file that lists each key and the associated cluster UUID.
    For example, a key might look like this: ABCDE-FGH2K-L3OPQ-RS4UV-WX5ZA-BC7EF-GH9KL
  11. Click Done .

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster, as described in this procedure.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the AOS or Prism Central (PC) license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PE Controller VM or PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    Note: You must apply the PC license key first, and then you can apply the Prism Element (PE) license key. If you have multiple PE license keys, you must apply them one at a time.
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util show key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Allowed:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Licensing An Add-On (Dark Site Legacy License Key)

Use this procedure after you have licensed your cluster and you did not license add-on features at the same time, or if you later purchased add-on features after you initially licensed your cluster.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site), where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a legacy license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PE or PC web console and get the cluster UUID.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the Cluster UUID.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Legacy License Keys .
  4. Depending on your cluster type, select Prism Element or Prism Central and do the following:
    1. Provide a unique Name for your cluster. The name cannot include spaces.
    2. Enter the unique Cluster UUID .
    3. Click the plus sign.
    If you want to license more than one cluster and have the unique cluster UUID for each cluster, repeat these steps.
  5. Click Next .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. Here, you can:
    • Create a license tag to group your licenses or select an existing tag
    • Select all licensing required for your cluster, like AOS, PC, and any add-ons.
  6. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
  7. Click Add Licenses in the add-on tile. For example, the Data Encryption tile.
    1. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    2. Click Save .
      The example Data Encryption tile now shows two links: Edit License , where you can make any changes, and Unselect License , which returns the add-on to an unlicensed state.
  8. Continue licensing any add-ons in your inventory by clicking Select License in the add-on tile.
    Depending on the add-on, you simply license it with the same steps as the Data Encryption step above. Unrestricted add-ons will not have the Cluster Deployment Location? selection.

    For add-ons that are based on capacity or other metrics like Nutanix Files, for example, specify the cluster disk capacity to allocate to Files. You can rebalance this add-on in the web console later if you need to make any changes.

  9. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Generate License Keys .
    The portal begins generating keys.
  10. After the portal generates the keys, you can print the resulting page for a copy of the license keys or click Download as CSV to download a comma-separated file with each key and associated cluster UUID.
    For example, a key might look like this: ABCDE-FGH2K-L3OPQ-RS4UV-WX5ZA-BC7EF-GH9KL
  11. Click Done .

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster, as described in this procedure.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the AOS or Prism Central (PC) license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PE Controller VM or PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util show key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Allowed:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Manage Licenses for Dark Site Clusters (Legacy License Key)

Use these procedures if your cluster is not connected to the Internet (that is, your cluster is deployed at a dark site) and you plan to apply a legacy license key. To enter dark site cluster information at the Nutanix Support Portal and generate a legacy license key, use a web browser from a machine with an Internet connection.

To adhere to regulatory, security, or compliance policies at the customer site, dark-site AOS and Prism Central clusters are not connected to the Internet. 1-click licensing and License with Portal licensing actions are not available in this case.

Before You Begin
  • To license a dark site cluster with a license key, first contact your account team (sales engineer) or Nutanix Support to enable this feature.
  • Before attempting to install a license, ensure that you have created a cluster and logged into the Prism Element or Prism Central web console at least once.
  • You must install a license after creating a cluster for which you purchased AOS Pro or AOS Ultimate licenses. After creating the cluster, license your cluster, including any add-ons licensed. See Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site Legacy License Key) and Licensing An Add-On (Dark Site Legacy License Key).
  • A key point to remember is that each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID. The generated key cannot be used with a different cluster (that is, with a different cluster UUID).

Dark Site Legacy License Key Considerations

Considerations and related actions or work flows that apply when you license your dark site Prism Element or Prism Central cluster with a license key. A key point to remember is that each license key is associated to a unique cluster UUID. The generated key cannot be used with a different cluster (that is, with a different cluster UUID).

When Do I Need to Generate a License Key?

You need to generate a license key at the Nutanix Support portal and apply it to your cluster for the following scenarios.

  • Licensing a cluster, including an unlicensed cluster (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you).
  • Purchasing an add-on after previously licensing your cluster. For example, you applied a license key to your cluster that is running the AOS Pro tier. Six months later, you purchase the Nutanix Files add-on. You must license your cluster again with a new key to reflect the add-on.
  • Upgrading or downgrading your license tier.
  • Extending a license term. If you have purchased one or more license extensions, generate and apply a new key to extend the term of current expiring term-based licenses.

Do I Need to Rebalance a License Key After a Cluster Change?

No. Each license key is associated to a unique cluster UUID. If you have made changes to your cluster, you do not need to rebalance licenses across your cluster. A cluster rebalance or cluster change is defined as one or more of the following scenarios:

  • You add one or more nodes to your cluster.
  • You remove one or more nodes from your cluster.
  • You move one or more nodes from one cluster to another.
  • You reduce capacity in your cluster (number of nodes, Flash storage capacity, number of licenses, and so on).

Can I Reclaim Licenses and Return Them to My Inventory?

When you use the dark site license key method to apply a key to your cluster, there is no requirement to reclaim licenses. Each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID, so there is nothing to reclaim.

Before I Destroy a Cluster, Do I Need to Reclaim the License Key?

No. Each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID, so there is nothing to reclaim. When you create a new cluster, however, you do need to generate and apply a new license key.

I Previously Licensed My Clusters with a License Summary File. Can I Use License Keys Instead?

Yes. If your cluster is running the latest version of NCC and AOS or Prism Central versions compatible with this NCC version, you can switch to using a license key when any cluster attribute changes. That switch to a key includes clusters where you have upgraded NCC and AOS/Prism Central to versions that support license keys. Nutanix recommends the following if you want to use license keys:

  • See the NCC Release Notes version that introduces license key support.
  • Do not upgrade to using a license key unless your cluster attributes change.
  • If your cluster capacity or other cluster attribute changes (upgrade the license tier, extend the license term, or purchase additional add-ons), you can then license these changes by applying a license key.

Extending Your License Term (Dark Site Legacy License Key)

If you have purchased one or more license extensions to extend the term of current expiring term-based legacy licenses, use this procedure to update your cluster license.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site), where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a legacy license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal. This procedure includes a step for expired licenses.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PE or PC web console and get the cluster UUID.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the Cluster UUID.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Legacy License Keys .
  4. Depending on your cluster type, select Prism Element or Prism Central and do the following:
    1. Provide a unique Name for your cluster. The name cannot include spaces.
    2. Enter the unique Cluster UUID .
    3. Click the plus sign.
    If you want to license more than one cluster and have the unique cluster UUID for each cluster, repeat these steps.
  5. Click Next .
  6. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank. To read about tags, see Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.
  7. If your license has expired, do these steps. Otherwise, skip this step.
    1. Click Add Licenses in the Acropolis tile (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    2. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    3. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    4. Click Save .
      The Acropolis tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can add that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
    5. [Optional] Before continuing, you can also license any add-ons as part of this step by clicking Add Licenses or Edit License in the add-on tile.
      Depending on the add-on, you simply license it with the same steps as the Acropolis work flow above (for example, Data Encryption). For add-ons that are based on capacity like Nutanix Files, you might have to specify the disk capacity to allocate to files. You can rebalance this add-on in the web console later if you need to make any changes.
  8. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Generate License Keys .
    The portal begins generating keys.
  9. After the portal generates the keys, you can print the resulting page for a copy of the license keys or click Download as CSV to download a comma-separated file with each key and associated cluster UUID.
    For example, a key might look like this: ABCDE-FGH2K-L3OPQ-RS4UV-WX5ZA-BC7EF-GH9KL
  10. Click Done .

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster, as described in this procedure.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the AOS or Prism Central (PC) license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PE Controller VM or PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util show key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Allowed:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Applying An Upgrade License (Dark Site Legacy License Key)

Use these procedures if your dark site cluster is not connected to the Internet (that is, your cluster is deployed at a dark site) and you have purchased an upgrade license.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

An upgrade license enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier without having to purchase completely new stand-alone licenses. These steps apply to dark site clusters, where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a legacy license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PE or PC web console and get the cluster UUID.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the Cluster UUID.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Legacy License Keys .
  4. Depending on your cluster type, select Prism Element or Prism Central and do the following:
    1. Provide a unique Name for your cluster. The name cannot include spaces.
    2. Enter the unique Cluster UUID .
    3. Click the plus sign.
    If you want to license more than one cluster and have the unique cluster UUID for each cluster, repeat these steps.
  5. Click Next .
  6. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank.
  7. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Generate License Keys .
    The portal begins generating keys.
  8. After the portal generates the keys, you can print the resulting page for a copy of the license keys or click Download as CSV to download a comma-separated file with each key and associated cluster UUID.
    For example, a key might look like this: ABCDE-FGH2K-L3OPQ-RS4UV-WX5ZA-BC7EF-GH9KL
  9. Click Done .

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster, as described in this procedure.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the AOS or Prism Central (PC) license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PE Controller VM or PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util show key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Allowed:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Upgrading or Downgrading Your License Tier (Dark Site Legacy License Key)

Use this procedure to change your license tier.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

This procedure does not apply if you purchased an upgrade license, which enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier. Use this procedure to change your license tier. For example, to upgrade from AOS Pro to AOS Ultimate or downgrade Prism Ultimate to Prism Pro. These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site), where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a legacy license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PE or PC web console and get the cluster UUID.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the Cluster UUID.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Legacy License Keys .
  4. Depending on your cluster type, select Prism Element or Prism Central and do the following:
    1. Provide a unique Name for your cluster. The name cannot include spaces.
    2. Enter the unique Cluster UUID .
    3. Click the plus sign.
    If you want to license more than one cluster and have the unique cluster UUID for each cluster, repeat these steps.
  5. Click Next .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. Here, you can:
    • Create a license tag to group your licenses or select an existing tag
    • Edit your cluster licenses, like AOS, PC, and any add-ons.
  6. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank.
  7. Click Edit License in the Acropolis (for AOS clusters) or Prism tile (for PC clusters).
    1. Select a License Level such as Pro or Ultimate from the drop-down menu.
    2. For Cluster Deployment Location? , select your location or None of the Above .
      In most cases, select None of the Above . The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, select it.
    3. Click Save .
      The tile now shows the license level and other available license tiles. For example, your available add-ons like Nutanix Files are shown with a Add Licenses link, meaning you can add that license now. Add-ons not associated with your account appear grayed out or unavailable. For example, you might not have the Data Encryption add-on feature.
  8. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Generate License Keys .
    The portal begins generating keys.
  9. After the portal generates the keys, you can print the resulting page for a copy of the license keys or click Download as CSV to download a comma-separated file with each key and associated cluster UUID.
    For example, a key might look like this: ABCDE-FGH2K-L3OPQ-RS4UV-WX5ZA-BC7EF-GH9KL
  10. Click Done .

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster, as described in this procedure.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the AOS or Prism Central (PC) license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

About this task

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Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PE Controller VM or PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util show key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Allowed:
AOS
Add-Ons:
Software_Encryption
File
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

License a Cluster and Add-On (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key)

Use this procedure to apply Nutanix cloud platform package licenses to a dark site cluster (that is, a cluster that is not connected to the Internet). This procedure also applies if a cluster is unlicensed (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you). For information about the cloud platform packages, see Nutanix Cloud Platform Software Options.
Note:
  • To license a dark site cluster with a license key, first contact your account team (sales engineer) or Nutanix Support to enable this feature.
  • After purchasing Nutanix cloud platform package licenses, you cannot use the Prism Element (PE) web console to apply your licenses. Use the Prism Central (PC) web console instead.

To apply licenses for your cloud platform packages, you must use the procedure described in Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key) to generate and apply a cloud platform license key. This procedure requires you to collect the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license. You enter each UUID at the Nutanix Support portal. To use this procedure, see the following requirements.

  • Your cluster is running the minimum versions of AOS 6.1.1, Nutanix Cluster Check 4.6.2, and pc.2022.4
  • Your cluster is not licensed and also not connected to the Internet.
  • You are applying a license key that you generate from the Nutanix Support portal

In summary, the procedure is as follows.

  1. Log on to your dark site PC web console and collect information about your cluster.
  2. Log on to the Nutanix Support portal and use Manage Licenses to generate Nutanix cloud platform license keys.
  3. Once Nutanix generates the license keys, save them.
  4. Apply the license keys to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script.

Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key)

Use this procedure to generate and apply a cloud platform license key to a cluster that is not connected to the internet (that is, a dark site).

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

These steps apply to dark site clusters, where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a cloud platform license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal. These procedures also apply if the dark site cluster is unlicensed (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you) and you need to generate and apply a cloud platform license key.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PC web console and get the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license. You will enter this information in the Nutanix Support Portal.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. Click License Options > Generate Nutanix Cloud Platform License Keys .
  4. Select the check boxes and then click Confirm to verify that your clusters meet the minimum versions of pc.2022.4, AOS 6.1.1, and NCC 4.6.2.
  5. Enter the UUID of your PC and then click Confirm .
    Entering a Name can help you identify your PC more easily.
  6. Enter the Cluster UUID for each of your clusters.
    Click + to add a cluster and - to remove a cluster. Entering a Name can help you identify your clusters more easily.
  7. Click Next
    The Select Licenses page appears. The page displays tiles for each licensing option.
  8. In the tile of a license that you want to apply, click Apply to Cluster .
  9. In the Select Clusters page, select the clusters to apply the license to.
    To filter the cluster list, enter a partial cluster name in Type to filter .
  10. After you select the clusters, click one of the following to apply cloud platform licenses.
    • To apply only the selected license to the selected clusters, click Save and Skip Selecting Add-on .
    • To apply the selected license and select add-on licenses to apply, click Save and Select Add-on . A dialog box appears. Select the add-on licenses to apply from the list and then click Save .
    The Select Licenses page appears again. The tiles now show the number of clusters licensed with each license tier. In a tile, you can click:
    • Edit/Add Cluster to add or remove licenses.
    • Unlicense to remove all licenses.
  11. Repeat steps eight through ten for any other licenses that you want to apply.
  12. After applying all desired licenses, click Next from the Select Licenses page.
  13. Review the Review and Finish summary page.
  14. Click Confirm .
    Clicking Confirm generates and displays the license keys for each of your clusters.
  15. Save the license keys.
    You can save the license keys by printing them or downloading a comma-separated file that lists each key and the associated cluster UUID.
  16. Click Done

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the NCI or NCM license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Licensing an Add-On (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key)

Use this procedure after you have licensed your cluster and you did not license add-on features at the same time, or if you later purchased add-on features after you initially licensed your cluster.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site), where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a cloud platform license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PC web console and get the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license. You will enter this information in the Nutanix Support Portal.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Nutanix Cloud Platform License Keys .
  4. Select the check boxes and then click Confirm to verify that your clusters meet the minimum versions of pc.2022.4, AOS 6.1.1, and NCC 4.6.2.
  5. Enter the UUID of your PC and then click Confirm .
    Entering a Name can help you identify your PC more easily.
  6. Enter the Cluster UUID for each your clusters.
    Click + to add a cluster and - to remove a cluster. Entering a Name can help you identify your clusters more easily.
  7. Click Next
    The Select Licenses page appears. The page displays tiles for each licensing option. You can edit your cluster licenses and any add-ons.
  8. In the tile of a license that you want to apply add-on licenses, click either Apply to Cluster or Edit/Add Cluster .
  9. If applicable, in the Select Clusters page, select the clusters to apply the license to.
    To filter the cluster list, enter a partial cluster name in Type to filter .
  10. Click Save and Select Add-on , select the add-on licenses to apply from the list in the dialog box, then click Save .
    The Select Licenses page appears again. The tiles now show the number of clusters licensed with each license tier. In a tile, you can click:
    • Edit/Add Cluster to add or remove licenses.
    • Unlicense to remove all licenses.
  11. Repeat steps eight through ten for any other licenses that you want to apply.
  12. After applying all desired licenses, click Next from the Select Licenses page.
  13. Review the Review and Finish summary page.
  14. Click Next .
    Clicking Next generates and displays the license keys for each of your clusters.
  15. Save the license keys.
    You can save the license keys by printing them or downloading a comma-separated file that lists each key and the associated cluster UUID.
  16. Click Done

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the NCI or NCM license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Manage Licenses for Dark Site Clusters (Cloud Platform License Key)

Use these procedures if your cluster is not connected to the Internet (that is, your cluster is deployed at a dark site) and you plan to apply a cloud platform license key. To enter dark site cluster information at the Nutanix Support Portal and generate a cloud platform license key, use a web browser from a machine with an Internet connection.

To adhere to regulatory, security, or compliance policies at the customer site, dark-site AOS and Prism Central clusters are not connected to the Internet. The License with Portal licensing action is not available in this case.

Before You Begin
  • To license a dark site cluster with a license key, first contact your account team (sales engineer) or Nutanix Support to enable this feature.
  • Before attempting to install a license, ensure that you have created a cluster and logged into the Prism Central web console at least once.
  • You must install a license after creating a cluster for which you purchased NCI Pro or NCI Ultimate licenses. After creating the cluster, license your cluster, including any add-ons licensed. See Licensing a Cluster (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key) and Licensing an Add-On (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key).
  • A key point to remember is that each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID. The generated key cannot be used with a different cluster (that is, with a different cluster UUID).

Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key Considerations

Considerations and related actions or work flows that apply when you license your dark site Prism Element or Prism Central cluster with a license key. A key point to remember is that each license key is associated to a unique cluster UUID. The generated key cannot be used with a different cluster (that is, with a different cluster UUID).

When Do I Need to Generate a License Key?

You must generate a license key at the Nutanix Support portal and apply it to your cluster for the following scenarios.

  • Licensing a cluster, including an unlicensed cluster (newly deployed or previously unlicensed by you).
  • Purchasing an add-on after previously licensing your cluster. For example, you applied a license key to your cluster that is running the NCI Pro tier. Six months later, you purchase the NDB add-on. You must license your cluster again with a new key to reflect the add-on.
  • Upgrading or downgrading your license tier.
  • Extending a license term. If you have purchased one or more license extensions, generate and apply a new key to extend the term of current expiring term-based licenses.

Do I Need to Rebalance a License Key After a Cluster Change?

No. Each license key is associated to a unique cluster UUID. If you have made changes to your cluster, you do not need to rebalance licenses across your cluster. A cluster rebalance or cluster change is defined as one or more of the following scenarios:

  • You add one or more nodes to your cluster.
  • You remove one or more nodes from your cluster.
  • You move one or more nodes from one cluster to another.
  • You reduce capacity in your cluster (number of nodes, Flash storage capacity, number of licenses, and so on).

Can I Reclaim Licenses and Return Them to My Inventory?

When you use the dark site license key method to apply a key to your cluster, there is no requirement to reclaim licenses. Each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID, so there is nothing to reclaim.

Before I Destroy a Cluster, Do I Need to Reclaim the License Key?

No. Each license key is associated with a unique cluster UUID, so there is nothing to reclaim. When you create a new cluster, however, you do need to generate and apply a new license key.

I Previously Licensed My Clusters with a License Summary File. Can I Use License Keys Instead?

Yes. If your cluster is running the latest version of Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) and AOS or Prism Central versions compatible with this NCC version, you can switch to using a license key when any cluster attribute changes. That switch to a key includes clusters where you have upgraded NCC and AOS/Prism Central to versions that support license keys. Nutanix recommends the following if you want to use license keys:

  • See the NCC Release Notes version that introduces license key support.
  • Do not upgrade to using a license key unless your cluster attributes change.
  • If your cluster capacity or other cluster attribute changes (upgrade the license tier, extend the license term, or purchase additional add-ons), you can then license these changes by applying a license key.

Extending Your License Term (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key)

If you have purchased one or more license extensions to extend the term of current expiring term-based cloud platform licenses, use this procedure to update your cluster license.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site), where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a cloud platform license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal. This procedure includes a step for expired licenses.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PC web console and get the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license. You will enter this information in the Nutanix Support Portal.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Nutanix Cloud Platform License Keys .
  4. Select the check boxes and then click Confirm to verify that your clusters meet the minimum versions of pc.2022.4, AOS 6.1.1, and NCC 4.6.2.
  5. Enter the UUID of your PC and then click Confirm .
    Entering a Name can help you identify your PC more easily.
  6. Enter the Cluster UUID for each your clusters.
    Click + to add a cluster and - to remove a cluster. Entering a Name can help you identify your clusters more easily.
  7. Click Next
    The Select Licenses page appears. The page displays tiles for each licensing option.
  8. If your license has expired, do these steps. Otherwise, skip this step.
    1. In the tile of a license that you want to apply, click Apply to Cluster .
    2. In the Select Clusters page, select the clusters to apply the license to.
      To filter the cluster list, enter a partial cluster name in Type to filter .
    3. After you select the clusters, click one of the following to apply cloud platform licenses.
      • To apply only the selected license to the selected clusters, click Save and Skip Selecting Add-on .
      • To apply the selected license and select add-on licenses to apply, click Save and Select Add-on . A dialog box appears. Select the add-on licenses to apply from the list and then click Save .
      The Select Licenses page appears again. The tiles now show the number of clusters licensed with each license tier. In a tile, you can click Edit/Add Cluster to add or remove licenses. You can click Unlicense to remove all licenses.
    4. Repeat substeps a through c for any other licenses that you want to apply.
  9. After applying all desired licenses, click Next from the Select Licenses page.
  10. Review the Review and Finish summary page.
  11. Click Next .
    Clicking Next generates and displays the license keys for each of your clusters.
  12. Save the license keys.
    You can save the license keys by printing them or downloading a comma-separated file that lists each key and the associated cluster UUID.
  13. Click Done

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the NCI or NCM license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Upgrading or Downgrading Your License Tier (Dark Site Cloud Platform License Key)

Use this procedure to change your license tier.

Before you begin

For this procedure, you must access:
  • The Prism Central (PC) dark-site web console
  • The Nutanix Support Portal on an Internet-connected machine

About this task

This procedure does not apply if you purchased an upgrade license, which enables you to upgrade your existing unexpired lower license tier to a higher license tier. Use this procedure to change your license tier. For example, to upgrade from NCI Pro to NCI Ultimate or downgrade NCM Pro to NCM Starter. These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site). These steps apply to clusters not connected to the Internet (that is, a dark site), where you are using the Nutanix Cluster Check utility script license_key_util to apply a cloud platform license key you obtain from the Nutanix Support portal.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your dark-site PC web console and get the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license.
    1. Click the gear icon, then select Cluster Details in the Settings panel.
    2. Copy the PC UUID and the UUID of each cluster connected to the PC that you want to license. You will enter this information in the Nutanix Support Portal.
  2. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to the Nutanix Support portal and click Licenses > Summary > Manage Licenses .
  3. From License Options , select Generate Nutanix Cloud Platform License Keys .
  4. Select the check boxes and then click Confirm to verify that your clusters meet the minimum versions of pc.2022.4, AOS 6.1.1, and NCC 4.6.2.
  5. Enter the UUID of your PC and then click Confirm .
    Entering a Name can help you identify your PC more easily.
  6. Enter the Cluster UUID for each your clusters.
    Click + to add a cluster and - to remove a cluster. Entering a Name can help you identify your clusters more easily.
  7. Click Next
    The Select Licenses page appears. The page displays tiles for each licensing option. You can edit your cluster licenses and any add-ons.
  8. In the tile of your current license tier, click Unlicense .
    All of your current licenses are removed from your clusters.
  9. In the tile of the license tier that you want to apply, click Apply to Cluster .
    1. In the Select Clusters page, select the clusters to apply the license to.
      To filter the cluster list, enter a partial cluster name in Type to filter .
    2. After you select the clusters, click one of the following to apply cloud platform licenses.
      • To apply only the selected license to the selected clusters, click Save and Skip Selecting Add-on .
      • To apply the selected license and select add-on licenses to apply, click Save and Select Add-on . A dialog box appears. Select the add-on licenses to apply from the list and then click Save .
      The Select Licenses page appears again. The tiles now show the number of clusters licensed with each license tier. In a tile, you can click Edit/Add Cluster to add or remove licenses. You can click Unlicense to remove all licenses.
  10. After applying all desired licenses, click Next from the Select Licenses page.
  11. Review the Review and Finish summary page.
  12. Click Next .
    Clicking Next generates and displays the license keys for each of your clusters.
  13. Save the license keys.
    You can save the license keys by printing them or downloading a comma-separated file that lists each key and the associated cluster UUID.
  14. Click Done

Applying Licenses with the License Key

About this task

Apply the licenses with the license key to the dark site cluster with the license_key_util script. Apply one license key per cluster. The key is associated with the cluster UUID and is unique to that cluster.

When you apply the license key to the cluster, the license key enables the license tiers and add-ons that you select in this procedure. After you apply the key to your cluster, your license details show the NCI or NCM license tier, license class, purchased add-ons, and so on.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the dark-site PC Controller VM with SSH as the Nutanix user.
  2. To apply the licenses to the cluster, use the utility script license_key_util with the apply and cluster options. For example: 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
  3. Use the show option to display the licenses associated with the license key. 
    nutanix@cvm$ ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util apply key=license_key cluster=cluster_uuid
Licenses Applied:
NCI Pro CORES
NCM Pro CORES
Add-Ons:
NCI Security CORES
Nutanix Database Service as Addon CORES
NCI Nutanix Kubernetes Engine CORES
    You can also log on to the web console and display license details as described in Displaying License Features, Details, and Status.
    Help is available from the command by typing ~/ncc/bin/license_key_util help

Reserve Licenses for Nutanix Cloud Clusters

Note: This feature applies to Nutanix Cloud Clusters only.

With a bring-your-own-license (BYOL) experience, you can leverage your existing on-prem licenses for Nutanix Cloud Clusters. You can reserve your licenses, partially or entirely, for Nutanix Cloud Clusters and specify the capacity allocation for cloud deployments. The licenses reserved for Nutanix Cloud Clusters are automatically applied to Cloud Clusters to cover their configuration and usage.

You can unreserve the licenses when you do not need them for Nutanix Cloud Clusters and add them back to the on-prem licenses pool. You can use the unreserved capacity for your on-prem clusters.

You can better use your licenses and control your expenses by tracking the reserved licenses consumption and making appropriate adjustments in the capacity usage. The reserved licenses are consumed first, and when no more reserved licenses are available, your chosen Pay As You Go or Cloud Commit payment plans are used.

Note:
  • You can reserve the licenses only if the products are metered and you are using Pay As You Go or Cloud Commit plans. The supported licenses are AOS PRO, AOS ULT, VDI ULT, and Files licenses.
  • It is recommended to unreserve the licenses and return them before your subscription is canceled or expired or when you terminate your cluster.
  • You can expand the license capacity up to the maximum unreserved capacity in the licenses pool and shrink the license capacity up to the currently used capacity.

Reserving Licenses

About this task

To reserve licenses for Nutanix Cloud Clusters, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Nutanix Support portal at https://portal.nutanix.com and then click the Licenses link on the portal home page.
  2. Under Licenses on the left pane, click Active Licenses and then click the Available tab in the Available Licenses page.
    Figure. Available Licenses Page Click to enlarge example portal available licenses page

  3. Select the licenses that you want to reserve for Nutanix Cloud Clusters and then select Update reservation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) from the Actions pull-down menu.

    The Update reservation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) option becomes available only after you select at least one license for reservation.

  4. On the Manage Reservation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) page, click the hamburger icon available in the row of the license you want to reserve, and then click Edit .
    Figure. Manage Reservations Page Click to enlarge example manage reservations page

  5. Enter the number of licenses that you want to reserve in the Reserved for AWS column for the license.

    The available licenses appear in the Total Available to Reserve column.

  6. Click Save to save the license reservations.

Modifying License Reservations

About this task

To update the existing license reservations for Nutanix Cloud Clusters, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Nutanix Support portal at https://portal.nutanix.com and then click the Licenses link on the portal home page.
  2. Under Licenses on the left pane, click Active Licenses and then click the Reserved tab in the Available Licenses page.
    Figure. Portal Reserved Licenses Page Click to enlarge example portal reserved licenses page

  3. Select the licenses for which you want to update the license reservation and then click the Update reservation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) from the Actions pull-down menu.

    The Update reservation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) button becomes available only after you select at least one license for reservation.

  4. On the Manage Reservation for Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) page, click the hamburger icon available in the row of the license you want to reserve, and then click Edit .
    Figure. Manage Reservations Page Click to enlarge example manage reservations page

  5. Change the number of licenses that you want to reserve in the Reserved for AWS column for the license.

    The available licenses appear in the Total Available to Reserve column.

  6. Click Save to save the license reservations.

Prism Central Cluster-Based Licensing

Cluster-based licensing allows you to choose the Prism Central (PC) features you can use and level of data to collect from a Prism Element (PE) cluster managed by your PC deployment.

With cluster-based licensing, you decide which PC license tier features to use to manage a specific cluster. For example, you might need features provided by a Prism Ultimate license to manage PE cluster A, while you only need Prism Pro features to manage PE cluster B. You can also designate a cluster (PE Cluster C) as unlicensed (no cluster-based license is applied). For example, you can leave a non-production or development cluster as unlicensed.

All nodes in a cluster must be licensed with a cluster-based license or unlicensed (that is, no cluster-based license is applied). For cluster-based licensing, all nodes in each cluster must be at the same cluster-based licensing tier. You cannot mix license tiers in the same cluster (for example, unlicensed and Prism Ultimate licensed nodes cannot reside in the same cluster).

Only Prism Starter features are available in an unlicensed cluster. If you try to access a Prism Pro or Prism Ultimate feature for an unlicensed cluster (for example, Capacity Runway), PC displays a Feature Disabled type message. Any unlicensed cluster data is filtered out from any reporting.

Cluster-based licensing also lets you select different metering types (capacity [cores] and nodes, depending on the cluster licensing) for each node in a PE cluster. Also, if your PC deployment includes Nutanix Calm or Flow, you can choose Calm Core or Flow Core licensing as the metering type.

See the Prism Central release notes or supplement where PC Cluster-based licensing is introduced. Also read Cluster-based Licensing Requirements and Limitations.

Figure. Prism Central Cluster-Based Licensing Example Click to enlarge Prism Central is managing Prism Pro, Prism Ultimate, and unlicensed clusters

Cluster-based Licensing Requirements and Limitations

  • Cluster-based licensing is not available for dark site clusters or deployments where clusters are not connected to the Internet.
  • To use Prism Central (PC) cluster-based licensing, Prism Element (PE) AOS clusters registered with PC must be licensed with an AOS Starter, AOS Pro, or AOS Ultimate license.
  • If you have not implemented cluster-based licensing for your managed clusters, you have access to features provided by your existing PC license tier for all clusters registered to PC as usual.
  • When using PC cluster-based licensing, a PE cluster is considered unlicensed if no cluster-based license is applied. Only PC Starter features are available to manage a cluster without a cluster-based licensed applied.
  • If you have not implemented cluster-based licensing for your managed clusters when it is available in your PC version, the next time you update your license from PC (for example, applying a new license or consuming unused existing licenses), the Licensing page at the Nutanix Support portal will now present the cluster-based licensing work flow tasks. That is, you must now use cluster-based licensing for eligible registered clusters.

Manage Cluster-Based Licenses

The Prism Central (PC) web console Licensing page allows you to apply your cluster-based licenses with the Apply licenses button and by using 3-Step Licensing. 3-Step Licensing is a mostly manual licensing procedure. After the licenses are applied, manage them with the Update License button.

Before you begin, make sure AOS clusters registered with and managed by PC are licensed with AOS licenses.

  1. In the PC web console, download a cluster summary file, then upload it to the Nutanix Support portal. Your network must allow outbound traffic to portal.nutanix.com:443.

  2. Download a license file from the Nutanix Support portal.
  3. In the PC web console, apply the license file.

Applying Cluster-based Licenses

About this task

For clusters connected to the Internet, if your clusters are unlicensed (that is, cluster-based licenses are not applied), use these procedures to apply cluster-based licenses from Prism Central. This procedure also applies if you later add newly-registered Prism Element clusters to be managed by Prism Central.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Click Apply licenses , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. Apply Licenses Click to enlarge Update License Button

    Figure. Prism Central Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  4. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter) and add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Starter licenses.
    Figure. Select Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license tiles in the Select Licenses page

  5. Depending on the license tier you want to apply, click Select Licenses in the Ultimate or Pro tile.
    The Add Clusters dialog box is displayed. It shows a list of clusters registered to your Prism Central instance.
  6. Select the clusters to apply the cluster-based licenses, then click Save .
    To display and select a subset of the total clusters displayed, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
    Figure. Select Licenses Page 2 Click to enlarge This picture shows the list of clusters

    After you click Save , the Select Licenses page is displayed again. The tiles show the number of clusters licensed with each license tier.
  7. Continue applying cluster-based licenses by clicking Select Licenses in the Ultimate or Pro tile.
    1. Select the clusters to license.
    2. Click Save .
  8. [Optional] Before continuing, you can also license any add-ons as part of this step by clicking Add Licenses in the specific add-on tile.
    • Licensing Calm (Cluster-based Licensing)
    • Licensing Objects (Cluster-based Licensing)
    If you choose not to license any add-ons at this time, you can license them later.
  9. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Licensing Calm (Cluster-based Licensing)

Procedure

  1. If you have already uploaded the cluster summary file and are displaying the Select Licenses page at the Nutanix Support portal, start at the Selecting the License Type step. Otherwise, do all the steps in this procedure.
  2. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  3. Click Apply licenses , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. Prism Central Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  4. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  5. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter). You might need to scroll down to see the add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Central Starter licenses.

Selecting the License Type

Procedure

  1. At the Calm tile, click Select Licenses to display the Select Calm Licenses dialog box.
  2. To apply one or more VM pack licenses, click Add VM Pack , enter the number of VM packs to apply, and click Done ,
  3. To apply core-based licenses to clusters managed by Prism Central, do these steps.
    1. Click Add Clusters .
    2. Select the clusters to apply the core-based licenses, then click Save .
      To display and select a subset of the total clusters displayed, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
    After you click Save , the Select Licenses page is displayed again. The tiles show the number of clusters licensed.
  4. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Licensing Flow (Cluster-based Licensing)

Procedure

  1. If you have already uploaded the cluster summary file and are displaying the Select Licenses page at the Nutanix Support portal, start at the Selecting the License Type step. Otherwise, do all the steps in this procedure.
  2. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  3. Click Apply licenses , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. Prism Central Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  4. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  5. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter). You might need to scroll down to see the add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Central Starter licenses.

Selecting the License Type

Procedure

  1. At the Flow tile, click Select Licenses to display the Select Flow Licenses dialog box.
  2. Click Add Clusters .
  3. Select the clusters to apply the Flow license, then click Save .
    To display and select a subset of the total clusters displayed, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
    After you click Save , the Select Licenses page is displayed again. The tiles show the number of clusters licensed.
  4. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Licensing Objects (Cluster-based Licensing)

About this task

Nutanix provides the following two types of Objects licenses.
  • Objects For AOS : This license allows you to deploy Objects on clusters with AOS licenses.
  • Objects Dedicated : This license allows you to deploy an Objects-only cluster without AOS licenses.

Procedure

  1. If you have already uploaded the cluster summary file and are currently displaying the the Nutanix Support portal Select Licenses page, start at the Selecting the License Type step. Otherwise, do all the steps in this procedure.
  2. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  3. Click Apply licenses , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. Prism Central Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  4. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  5. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter). You might need to scroll down to see the add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Central Starter licenses.

Selecting the License Type

Procedure

  1. To license Objects for AOS, in the For AOS tile, click Select Licenses to display the Select Objects for AOS Licenses dialog box.
    1. Add the number of tebibytes (TiBs) to license for the object store.
    2. Click Save.
  2. To license Objects Dedicated, in the Dedicated tile, click Select Licenses to display the Select Objects for Dedicated dialog box.
    1. Add the number of tebibytes (TiBs) to license for the object store.
    2. Select an add-on license.
      • Objects Encryption . After selecting this add-on, click Yes or No depending on where your cluster is deployed. The list includes countries where certain technology license restrictions apply. If your cluster deployment is in one of those locations, click Yes . Otherwise, click No .
      • Objects Replication . For more information about replication, see Objects User Guide . Select this add-on if you require this option.
    3. Click Save.
  3. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Changing Your Cluster-based License Tier

At the Prism Central web console Licensing page, use Update License to change the cluster-based license tier of one or more licensed clusters.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Click Update License , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  4. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
      The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank. To read about tags, see Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter) and add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Central Starter licenses.
  5. Click Edit Selection in the Prism Pro or Prism Ultimate tile.
  6. Select the clusters whose tier you want to change.
    To display and select a subset of the total clusters displayed, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
  7. Change the license tier.
    1. From the Actions drop-down, select Change Tier .
    2. From Select Tier , select Prism Pro or Prism Ultimate to change the license tier.
    3. Click Save , the click Save again.
  8. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Changing Your Cluster-based License Metering Type

At the Nutanix Support portal, use the Advanced Licensing action to change the AOS cluster license metering type to node or core licensing.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Click Update License , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  4. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
      The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank. To read about tags, see Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter) and add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Starter licenses.
  5. Click Edit Selection in the tile for the item where you want to change the metering type.
  6. Select the clusters whose metering type you want to change.
    To display and select a subset of the total clusters displayed, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
  7. Change the metering license type.
    1. From the Actions drop-down, select Advanced Licensing to display the Advanced Licensing dialog box.
    2. Select I want to customize the license meters , then select node or core license.
    3. Optionally, you can filter the licenses by License Tag or license Expiration Date .
    4. Select the license from the list of available licenses.
    5. Click Save , the click OK .
    Figure. Advanced Licensing Click to enlarge This picture shows the Advanced Licensing dialog box at the support portal.

  8. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Rebalancing Cluster-based Licenses After a Cluster Capacity Change

Procedure

  1. On an Internet-connected machine, log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. To save a cluster summary file to your local machine, click Update License , then click Download
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses as described in Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses pages shows product license tiles. You might see this message in a license tile: Your licenses have been updated to meet your capacity change .
  4. If you want to change the automatic licensing changes, click Edit Selection on each updated tile and make these changes. Otherwise, to accept the automatic changes, skip this step.
  5. Click Next , review the Summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step. Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Unlicensing Clusters (Cluster-based Licenses)

Before you begin

Use this procedure to a remove cluster-based license from your cluster. After you complete these steps, your cluster is considered unlicensed (that is, a cluster-based license is not applied). Only Prism Starter features are available in an unlicensed cluster.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Central web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Click Update License , then click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    The cluster summary file is saved to your browser download folder or any folder you choose.
    Figure. 3-Step Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the 3-step license task page in the web console.

  3. To open the Nutanix Support Portal license page and upload the cluster summary file, click Licenses page , then click Manage Licenses at the portal.
  4. Click License Clusters .
    1. If you have previously tagged your licenses, select the tag name or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
      The default tag is All Licenses . You can also leave this field blank. To read about tags, see Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded and select it. Then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page is displayed. It shows tiles for each Prism Central license tier (Ultimate, Pro, Starter) and add-on tiles like Flow, Calm, Objects, and Files. All clusters are automatically assigned with free Prism Central Starter licenses.
  5. Click Edit Selection in the Prism Pro or Prism Ultimate tile.
  6. Select the clusters you want to unlicense.
    To display and select a subset of the total clusters displayed, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
  7. Unlicense the clusters.
    1. From the Actions drop-down, select Unlicense .
    2. Click Save , the click Save again.
  8. Click Next , review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and Close .
    • At the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (like LIC-08220516). If you need to make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your purchased licenses, including how many you have used.

Applying the License File

Procedure

Back at the Prism Central web console Licensing settings panel, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, and click Apply .
The Licensing panel displays all license details for the cluster, like license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.

Nutanix Cloud Platform Package Licensing

Prism Central supports licensing for a set of cloud platform packages that deliver broad solutions to customers with simple and comprehensive bundles. The packages are:

  • Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)
  • Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM)
  • Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)
  • Nutanix Database Service (NDB)
  • Nutanix End User Computing

You can add licenses or convert existing licenses to the new packages. For more information about the cloud platform packages, see Nutanix Cloud Platform Software Options.

Cloud platform licensing follows the same workflow as cluster-based licensing (see Prism Central Cluster-Based Licensing). This chapter provides supplemental information about licensing your clusters for the cloud platform packages.

Licensing Views

You can view licensing information from the Nutanix Support Portal for your entire account, Prism Central (PC) for all clusters registered to that PC instance, and Prism Element for that cluster. However, only the Support Portal and PC are used to apply or convert cloud platform licenses.

Support Portal Licensing View

The Licensing view on the Support Portal is extended to include cloud platform packages. Select Licenses from the collapse ("hamburger") menu to display the Licensing view. The Summary page includes widgets for any purchased licenses including cloud platform packages. The cloud platform package names also appear in the relevant fields in other licensing pages, for example the License Tier column in the Licensed Clusters page.

Figure. Support Portal Licenses Summary Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license summary page in the support portal.

Prism Central Licensing View

The Licensing view in PC is extended to include cloud platform packages. Select Licensing in the Settings panel to display the Licensing view. The View All Licenses tab includes sections for any applied licenses including cloud platform packages.

Figure. Prism Central Applied Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the applied licenses summary page in Prism Central

Clicking View license details displays the details page, which also now includes applied cloud platform package license information.

Figure. Prism Central Applied License Details Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the applied licenses details page in Prism Central

The View all clusters tab and cluster license details pages are also extended to include cloud platform packages.

Figure. Prism Central Cluster Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows a clusters license summary page in Prism Central

Figure. Prism Central Cluster License Details Page Click to enlarge This picture shows a cluster license details page in Prism Central.

Applying Cloud Platform Licenses

Use this procedure to apply cloud platform licenses to your cluster.

Before you begin

  • Make sure that the cluster is connected to the Internet (no dark sites).
  • You might need to turn off any pop-up blockers in your browser to display dialog boxes.
  • Applying cloud platform licenses, excluding NUS, requires that the cluster is running the minimum versions of the following software:
    • AOS 6.0.1.7
    • Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) 4.3.0
    • pc.2021.9
  • Applying NUS licenses requires that the cluster is running the minimum versions of the following software:
    • AOS 6.1.1
    • NCC 4.5.0
    • pc.2022.4

Procedure

  1. Log on to your Prism Central (PC) web console, click the gear icon, then select Licensing in the Settings panel.
  2. Click Update Licenses .
    Figure. Prism Central Licensing Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  3. Click Download to save a cluster summary file to your local machine.
    By default, the cluster summary file saves to your browser download folder. You can also save it to a folder of your choosing.
    Figure. License Steps Click to enlarge displays licensing steps page

  4. Click Licenses page to go to the Licenses page on the Support Portal, and then click Manage Licenses at the top of the portal Licenses page.
    Figure. Support Portal Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license page in the support portal.

  5. Click License Clusters (under Clusters With Internet ).
    Figure. Cluster Information Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the cluster information page

    1. Select the tag name (if you have tagged your licenses previously) or All Licenses in the Choose License Tags drop-down menu.
    2. Click Upload File , browse to the cluster summary file you downloaded, select it, and then click Upload File .
    The Select Licenses page appears. The page displays tiles for each licensing option.
    Figure. Select Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license tiles in the Select Licenses page

  6. In the tile of a license that you want to apply, click Select Licenses .
  7. In the Add Clusters page, select the clusters to apply the license to.
    The page lists all clusters registered to the PC instance. To filter the cluster list, enter a partial cluster name in the Type to filter field.
    Figure. Select Clusters Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the list of clusters

  8. After you select the clusters, click one of the following to apply cloud platform licenses.
    • To apply only the selected license to the selected clusters, click Save and Skip Selecting Add-on .
    • To apply the selected license and select add-on licenses to apply, click Save and Select Add-on . A dialog box appears. Select the add-on licenses to apply from the list and then click Save .
      Note: There is a different procedure to apply NUS licenses. Before you click either Save and Skip Selecting Add-on or Save and Select Add-on , use License Quantity for NUS to select the number of licenses that you want.
    The Select Licenses page appears again. The tiles now show the number of clusters licensed with each license tier.
  9. Repeat steps six through eight for any other licenses that you want to apply.
    For information about the cloud platform packages, see Nutanix Cloud Platform Software Options . For information about applying other licenses, see Prism Central Cluster-Based Licensing.
  10. After applying all desired licenses, click Next from the Select Licenses page, review the Review and Finish summary page, then click Confirm and then Close .
    • On the Review and Finish summary page, click the down arrow to the right of each licensed cluster to show the associated license number (such as LIC-08220516). To make changes, click Back to return to the Select Licenses page.
    • Clicking Confirm automatically downloads the license summary file, which you need in the next step.
    • Clicking Close shows the portal Licenses page with a summary of your licenses, including how many you have used.
    Figure. Review and Finish Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the list of cluster licenses to apply

  11. Back at the PC web console Licensing page (see step 3), click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, select that file, and then click Apply License .
    The Licensing page displays a summary of all applied licenses. The page includes various links to license details for each cluster including the license tier, licensed add-ons, and expiration dates.
    Figure. Prism Central Applied Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the licenses applied to registered clusters for this PC

Converting to Cloud Platform Licenses

Use this procedure to convert your existing licenses to cloud platform licenses. You can convert your existing licenses whether you have applied them to a cluster or they are unused.

Before you begin

Review the Conversion Requirements and Mapping.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Nutanix Support Portal.
  2. Go to the Licenses page, and click Convert Licenses .
    Figure. Support Portal Licenses Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the licenses page in the support portal.

  3. In the initial conversion page, select one of the following:
    • To convert applied licenses, click Convert by cluster .
    • To convert unused licenses, click Convert currently unused licenses and then skip to step 5.
    Figure. Initial Conversion Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the introduction page for the conversion workflow in the support portal.

  4. [cluster convert only] Upload a Prism Central (PC) CSF file:
    1. Log on to your PC web console, and follow the steps to download a CSF file (see steps 2 and 3 in Applying Cloud Platform Licenses).
    2. In the Support Portal upload page, click Upload it Now .

    After uploading the file, the information is validated before continuing. If a configuration issue is detected, an appropriate message appears. If all the checks are validated, the "Convert your licenses" screen appears.

    Figure. Upload CSF File Page Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  5. In the "Select licenses to convert" page, select the cluster licenses to convert and then click Convert selected licenses (and then click Yes, Proceed if prompted to verify command). Alternately, to convert all listed licenses, simply click Select & convert all .

    The "Select licenses to convert" page displays a table of applied licenses by cluster. The table also lists what each license will be converted to during the process. The table varies slightly depending on which workflow (cluster or unused) you are doing. See Conversion Requirements and Mapping for a list of all the conversion mappings.

    • For the cluster workflow, each row in the table represents a single cluster and includes the cluster name, current license name, applied quantity, new (converted) license name, and converted quantity. For AOS, Flow, and Files licenses, you select the clusters to convert. Prism Pro and Calm are all or nothing conversions, meaning you convert these licenses for all clusters; you may not select a subset of clusters to convert. For clusters managed by a single PC instance, all clusters must have either Files and Objects licenses only or NUS licenses only; you may not convert clusters with a combination of Files, Objects, and NUS licenses.
      Figure. Select Licenses to Convert Page (cluster workflow) Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

    • For the unused licenses workflow, each row in the table represents a single license and includes the license ID, PO number, current license name, available/purchased quantities, new (converted) license name, converted quantity, and expiration date. You select the licenses to convert.
      Figure. Select Licenses to Convert Page (unused workflow) Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

    After clicking the Convert selected licenses or Select & convert all button, the conversion process begins immediately. When the process completes, the "Review & Apply" page appears.
  6. Review the results in the "Review & Apply" page.

    The conversion table reappears. Again, the table varies slightly depending on which workflow (cluster or unused) you are doing.

    • For the cluster workflow, the conversion table reappears with a reordered column (cluster name, new license name, new converted quantity, previous license name, previous quantity). Click a row to display licensing details for that cluster.
      Figure. Review & Apply Page (cluster workflow) Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

    • For the unused licenses workflow, the conversion table reappears with new license information (new license ID, new license name, converted quantity, expiration date). Click a row to see the license conversion details (previous license ID, previous license name, previous quantity). When you are done, click Close to close the page. This completes the workflow for converting unused licenses.
      Figure. Review & Apply Page (unassigned workflow) Click to enlarge This picture shows the license task page in the web console.

  7. [cluster convert only] Under "Next steps," click file_name .lsf to download the updated LSF file and then click Close to close the page.
  8. [cluster convert only] Back at the PC web console Licensing settings page, click Upload to upload the license summary file you just downloaded, select that file, and click Apply License (see step 11 in Applying Cloud Platform Licenses).

Conversion Requirements and Mapping

This topic contains requirements and limitations for you to consider before you convert your existing licenses to the new cloud platform packages. This topic also provides a conversion table of old (current) to new (cloud platform) licenses.

Review the following requirements and limitations before you convert licenses to the new cloud platform packages.

  • Requirements
    • The cluster is running the minimum versions of AOS 6.0.1.7, Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) 4.3.0, and pc.2021.9. For NUS, the cluster is running the minimum versions of AOS 6.1.1, NCC 4.5.0, and pc.2022.4.
    • The cluster is fully licensed before conversion or has enough available licenses to fully convert the cluster (combination of old and new licenses).
    • The expiration date must be the same if two licenses are being merged into one, for example AOS + Flow or Prism + Calm.
    • ATR-related objects are not populated immediately after conversion. Actions to populate ATR-related objects are triggered after the cool off period (1 week) after conversion.
    • All existing Prism licenses in a Prism Central instance should be converted to NCM.
    • Flow, Encryption, and Object licenses must be applied. Unapplied licenses will not be converted.
  • Limitations
    • Cloud platform licensing is not available for dark sites.
    • The following licenses may not be converted: POC (Proof of Concept), LOD (Life of Device), EPA (Enterprise Purchase Agreement), NTE (Not To Exceed), Upgrade Licenses, SWO (software only) perpetual licenses.
    • Prism Pro, Prism Ultimate, and Calm licenses may not be mixed with cloud platform licenses in a single Prism Central.
    • Conversion is not allowed if an upgrade quote is in flight, the license is due for renewal in the next 90 days, or a renewal opportunity is in the advanced stage.
    • RBAC-based users are not allowed to perform conversions.
    • Partial conversions are not allowed for Files licenses. All Files licenses in Prism Central are converted.

The following is a conversion table of old (current) to new (cloud platform) licenses.

Table 1. Licensing Conversion Map
Package Old License New License
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) AOS Starter NCI Starter
AOS Pro NCI Pro
AOS Ultimate NCI Ultimate
AOS Pro + Encryption NCI Pro + Security
AOS Pro + Flow
AOS Pro + Flow + Encryption
AOS Pro + Adv DR NCI Pro + Adv DR
AOS Starter + Flow NCI Pro + Security
AOS Ultimate + Flow NCI Ultimate
AOS Pro + Adv DR + Encryption NCI Pro + Adv DR + Security
AOS Pro + Adv Rep + Flow
AOS Pro + Adv Rep + Encryption + Flow
AOS Starter + Files (for AOS) NCI Starter + NUS Pro
AOS Pro + Files (for AOS) NCI Pro + NUS Pro
AOS Ultimate + Files (for AOS) NCI Ultimate + NUS Pro
AOS Starter + Objects (for AOS) NCI Starter + NUS Starter
AOS Pro + Objects (for AOS) NCI Pro + NUS Starter
AOS Ultimate + Objects (for AOS) NCI Ultimate + NUS Starter
AOS Starter + Era add-on NCI Starter + NDB add-on
AOS Pro + Era add-on NCI Pro + NDB add-on
AOS Ultimate + Era add-on NCI Ultimate + NDB add-on
Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM) Prism Pro NCM Starter
Prism Ultimate NCM Pro
Calm Cores NCM Ultimate
Prism Pro + Calm Cores
Prism Ultimate + Calm Cores
Pro Special (n/a)
Nutanix Database Service (NDB) Era Platform NDB Platform
Era Cores NDB add-on
Era vCPU
Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) Objects Dedicated NUS Starter
Objects (for AOS)
Objects Dedicated + Encryption NUS Starter + Security
Objects Dedicated + Adv DR NUS Starter + Adv DR
Files Dedicated NUS Pro
Files Dedicated + Object Dedicated
Files (for AOS) + Objects (for AOS)
Files Dedicated + Adv DR NUS Pro + Adv DR
Files Dedicated + Encryption NUS Pro + Security
Files (for AOS) NUS Pro
Nutanix End User Computing (n/a) (no conversion for VDI, Frame, or ROBO)

Use Tags to Organize Your Licenses

On the Licenses > License Inventory page on the Nutanix Support portal, you can label your licenses with a tag to conveniently group them.

Tags help provide more granularity and ease of use to your license management.

For example, you can apply a tag to licenses to group them according to:

  • A common expiration date
  • Use case (clusters used by remote offices)
  • Assigned organization (clusters used by an engineering department)

When you tag one or more licenses, you can then:

  • Sort them by tag name on the support portal
  • Perform license actions (on the portal) on clusters grouped by tag (especially when selecting licenses manually)

Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses

Label your licenses with a tag to conveniently group them. You can add multiple tags to a single license.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Nutanix Support Portal, then click Licenses > License Inventory .
    The portal displays a sortable table listing your purchased licenses. You can sort the table by clicking any table heading (License ID, Tier, License Class, and so on).
  2. To create a new tag:
    1. Click Actions > Create a Tag , then enter a tag name in the New Tag field.
    2. Click Create .
  3. To apply one or more existing tags:
    1. Select the licenses that you want to tag, then click Actions > Add or Remove Tag .
    2. Click the field and then select one or more existing tags from the drop-down list.
    3. Click Apply .
    The Support Portal web page refreshes and displays your tagged licenses.

Renaming a Tag or Removing a Tag from a License

About this task

This procedure describes how to rename a tag or remove a tag from a license (that is, how to untag it).
Note: To delete an existing tag, which also removes the tag from any licenses where it is applied, see Deleting a Tag.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Nutanix Support Portal, then click Licenses > License Inventory .
    The portal displays a sortable table listing your purchased licenses. You can sort the table by clicking any table heading (License ID, Tier, License Class, and so on).
  2. To rename a tag:
    1. Click Actions > Rename Tag , then select the tag that you want to rename from the drop-down list.
    2. Enter a new tag name, then click Rename .
      Any licenses tagged with the old tag are automatically tagged with the new tag.
  3. To remove a tag from a license:
    1. Select the licenses with the tag that you want to untag, then click Actions > Add or Remove Tag . For the Add or Remove Tag option to display, you must select at least one license.
      The dialog box shows the current tags for the selected license.
    2. In the dialog box, remove one or more tags.
      To remove tags, you can click the tag name, unselect tags from the drop-down list, or press the backspace key on a tag.
    3. Click Apply .
    The Support Portal web page refreshes and displays your tagged licenses.

Deleting a Tag

About this task

This procedure enables you to permanently delete an existing tag, which also removes the tag from any licenses where it is applied.
Note:
  • To remove tags from individual licenses (that is, untag licensed clusters) without deleting the tag itself, see Renaming a Tag or Removing a Tag from a License.
  • If you accidentally delete a tag, you can recreate it as a new tag and apply it. See Creating and Adding a Tag to Your Licenses.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Nutanix Support Portal, then click Licenses > License Inventory .
    The portal displays a sortable table listing your purchased licenses. You can sort the table by clicking any table heading (License ID, Tier, License Class, and so on).
  2. Click Actions > Delete Tag .
  3. In the dialog box, click Select a tag and then select one or more tags.
    If you know the name of a tag, you can type the name and then select it from the list.
  4. Click Apply .
    The existing tag is deleted, which also removes the tag from any licenses where it is applied. The portal removes the tag from the list.

License Warnings in the Web Console

Most license warnings in the web console are related to license violations or licenses that are about to expire or expired. In most cases, the resolution is to extend or purchase licenses.
  • AOS and Prism Starter licenses never expire for Nutanix NX and third-party OEM hardware appliances. Go to Licensing in the web console to check your Starter license expiration status.
  • AOS, Prism Pro, and Ultimate licenses have an expiration date. The web console alerts you both before and after a license expires.
  • If you attempt to use features not available in the license level for the cluster, a warning is issued. Upgrade your license level if you require continued access to Pro or Ultimate features.
  • If a cluster includes nodes with different license levels, the cluster and each node in the cluster defaults to the minimum feature set enabled by the lowest license level. For example, if two nodes in the cluster have AOS Pro licenses and two nodes in the same cluster have AOS Ultimate licenses, all nodes will effectively have AOS Pro licenses and access to that feature set only. Attempts to access AOS Ultimate features in this case result in a Warning in the web console.
  • If you are using a trial license, the warning shows the expiration date and number of days left in the trial period. Typically, the trial period is 60–90 days. The license name will also display as a Trial license level.
  • During upgrade of AOS, the Prism web console might incorrectly display a license violation alert. After you complete the upgrade, the alert is not displayed.

Nutanix Calm License Warnings in the Web Console

Most license warnings in the web console are related to license violations or licenses that are about to expire or have expired. In most cases, the resolution is to extend or purchase licenses.

  • Nutanix Calm licenses have an expiration date. The web console alerts you both before and after a license expires.
  • An alert is generated providing the number of license packs required for compliance. For example, The cluster needs 1 additional license pack. Please expand Calm capacity with 1 pack.
  • If the license pack is already expired, an alert is generated.
Note:
  • Any powered off VMs are also counted for license calculation.
  • If a VM is deleted manually from a cloud provider without deleting the app from Calm, it will be counted for license calculation.
  • After applying a new license, you can wait for the next scheduled Nutanix Cluster Checks to run and only after that the alerts are auto-resolved.

Disabling a Trial License

How to disable the Prism Pro or Prism Ultimate tier (and remove the violating license message that appears in Prism Central if the Prism Pro features are enabled without a valid license).

Procedure

  1. Log on to Prism Central (PC), click the gear icon, and select Licensing .
  2. In the Licensing page, click View & Manage Features .
  3. For example, click Disable Ultimate Trial .

    A message box appears stating that the operation is reversible. Click the Disable Ultimate Trial button. This immediately logs you out of PC and returns you to the logon page. When you log back on, the features are disabled.

Disabling An Existing Trial License After Upgrading

Follow these steps to disable the trial license if your current license tier is Prism Pro Trial and after upgrading, a Prism Ultimate tier trial is available. Enable and then disable the Ultimate trial to remove the trial from the cluster.

Procedure

  1. Log on to PC, click the gear icon, and select Licensing .
  2. In the Licensing page, click View & Manage Features .
  3. Click Enable Ultimate Trial .
    This immediately logs you out of PC and returns you to the logon page. When you log back on, the features are enabled.
  4. In the Licensing page, click View & Manage Features .
  5. Click Disable Ultimate Trial .

    A message box appears stating that the operation is reversible. Click the Disable Ultimate Trial button. This immediately logs you out of PC and returns you to the logon page. When you log back on, the features are disabled.

API Key Management

After you log on to My Nutanix and depending on your role, the API Key Management tile enables you to create and manage API keys. Use these keys to establish secure communications with Nutanix software and services. Typical user roles able to access this tile include Account Administrators for Cloud Services and existing Support Portal users.

An API key is a unique token that you can use to authenticate API requests associated with your Nutanix software or service. You can create multiple API keys for a single product or service. However, you can use an API key only once to register with that software or service.

It is a randomly generated unique UUID4 hash and can be 36–50 characters long. When you create the key, you choose a service (such as Licensing) and the key is mapped directly to that service. You can use it for the chosen service only. For example, you cannot use a Support Case key with Prism Central (PC).

You can use the API key for secure communication in many scenarios, including but not limited to the following.

  • Licensing. 1-click licensing for Nutanix software
  • Create Support Case. Generating support cases associated with your account
  • Prism Ops. API IAMV1 token generation and authorization

API Key Scope

Scope is the service group, feature, or specific function of a service group and is defined as part of a unique key value pair (scope name paired with the unique scope category). For example, with Prism Ops as the scope, the generated key enables you to authenticate when using the PC or Prism Element (PE) APIs.

The API Key is restricted for use depending on the scope you choose. For example, a key created with a scope of Licensing allows you to enable 1-click licensing through the PE or PC web console.

Creating an API Key

The API Key Management tile is available depending on your role. Typical user roles able to access the tile include Account Administrators for Cloud Services and existing Support Portal users.

Before you begin

  • Ensure that you have an active My Nutanix account with valid credentials.
  • You can create one or more API keys associated with a scope (that is, service such as Licensing). However, you can use only a specific key once when you register it with the service (for example, when enabling 1-click licensing in the web console).

Procedure

  1. Log on to your My Nutanix or cloud account at https://my.nutanix.com.
  2. In the My Nutanix dashboard, find the API Key Management tile and click Launch .
    If you have previously created keys, this page displays a list of keys and the +Create API Keys button.
  3. To begin, click +Create API Keys .
    The Create API Key window is displayed.
  4. Do these steps.
    1. Name. Enter a unique name for your API key to help you identify the key.
    2. Scope. Select a scope category from the Scope drop-down list.
      Scope is the service group, feature, or specific function of a service group and is defined as part of a unique key value pair (scope name paired with the unique scope category). For example, with Prism Ops as the scope, the generated key enables you to authenticate when using the Prism Central or Prism Element APIs.
  5. Click Create .
    The Created API Key window is displayed. Do not click Close . The window always shows an API Key field. Depending on the scope you chose, it might also show a Key ID field and Download Optional SSL Key button.
    Caution: You cannot recover the generated API key and key ID after you close this window. Click the icon to copy the API key and key ID and store it securely. If you forget or lose the API Key, generate a new API Key.
    Figure. Example API Key and Key ID for Prism Ops Scope Click to enlarge Created API Key window. You cannot recover the generated API key and key ID after you close this window. Copy the API key and key ID and store it securely. If you forget or lose the API Key, generate a new API Key.

    Figure. Example API Key and SSL Key for Licensing Scope Click to enlarge API Key window for Licensing scope. You cannot recover the generated API key and key ID after you close this window. Copy the API key and store it securely. If you forget or lose the API Key, generate a new API Key.

  6. Copy each key field value and store it securely for use.
  7. To optionally generate an SSL key, click Download optional SSL Key to save it for use when you register the API Key.
    Download optional SSL Key appears if you choose Licensing and Create Support Case scope categories. To enable 1-click licensing, the SSL is required. Download it if this is your use case.
  8. Click Close .
    The API Key Management page shows the key that you created (by name and scope) and any other keys you have created.

Viewing API Key Details

The API Key Management tile is available depending on your role. Typical user roles able to access the tile include Account Administrators for Cloud Services and existing Support Portal users.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your My Nutanix or cloud account at https://my.nutanix.com.
  2. In the My Nutanix dashboard, find the API Key Management tile and click Launch .
    If you have previously created keys, this page displays a list of keys and the +Create API Keys button.
  3. To view information about a specific API key, click Details to the right of the API key.
    A window is displayed, showing audit information about the key.
  4. To optionally generate an SSL key, click Download optional SSL Key to save it for use when you register the API Key.
    Download optional SSL Key appears if you chose Licensing and Create Support Case scope categories when you created the key.
    Figure. Download optional SSL Key Click to enlarge Download option SSL key button

  5. Click Close .

Deleting an API Key

The API Key Management tile is available depending on your role. Typical user roles able to access the tile include Account Administrators for Cloud Services and existing Support Portal users.

About this task

Delete an API key. Deleting an API key also revokes it in any scope or service where it is used. It might also disrupt any service operations where you have registered this API key.

Procedure

  1. Log on to your My Nutanix or cloud account at https://my.nutanix.com.
  2. In the My Nutanix dashboard, find the API Key Management tile and click Launch .
    If you have previously created keys, this page displays a list of keys and the +Create API Keys button.
  3. To delete a specific API key, click Delete to the right of the API key.
    Warning: Deleting an API key also revokes it in any scope or service where it is used. It might also disrupt any service operations where you have registered this API key.
  4. To confirm that you want to delete the API key, click Delete .
  5. Click Close .

Mine™ with Veeam Guide

Mine 2.0.1

Last updated: 2022-09-11

Release Notes

Release 2.0.1

Note the following that are new for release 2.0. The release 1.0 notes also apply to 2.0 (except for the required AOS version).

  • A Mine™ cluster requires a current LTS version of AOS (5.15 or 5.20). AOS STS versions are not recommended.
  • Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam automatically installs Veeam Backup & Replication v10. (Release 1.0 installed Veeam Backup & Replication v9.5.)
  • The "Physical Cluster Usage" and "Storage Throughput" widgets in the Mine™ dashboard now display usage data when you hover the mouse over any point on the time line.
  • If you see an "Unable to load Mine configuration settings …" error when viewing the Mine™ dashboard in Prism, the problem is likely DNS related. To circumvent the issue, access Prism using an IP address instead of a host name.
  • The Mine™ console now includes an option to upgrade the Mine™ version. However, this is a feature of 2.0, so it cannot be used to upgrade from 1.0 to 2.0 without some intervening manual steps. To upgrade from 1.0 to 2.0, do the following:
    1. Upgrade Veeam Backup & Replication server from 9.5 to 10 patch 2 (see Upgrading from Veeam Availability for Nutanix AHV 1.0 ).
    2. Log on to Prism, go to the VMs dashboard, select the Mine™ foundation VM ("Foundation for Mine with Veeam" VM), and click the Launch Console button (below the table) to open the console. Enter your login credentials when prompted.
    3. Using a text editor, add the following lines to the end of the file /etc/apt/sources.list : 
      deb [arch=amd64] https://repository.veeam.com/mine/1/public/updater stable main
deb [arch=amd64] https://repository.veeam.com/mine/1/public/mine stable main
    4. Enter the following curl command (as root) to add a repository key: 
      veeam@minevm$ sudo su
root@minevm$ curl http://repository.veeam.com/keys/veeam.gpg | apt-key add
root@minevm$ exit
    5. Using a text editor, update the /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades file as follows:
      1. Uncomment the following two lines: 
        ${distro_id}ESM:${distro_codename}";
${distro_codename}-security";
      2. In the same section, add the following line: 
        "Foundation for Mine With Veeam updater:stable";
      The following is an example of the updated section: 
      // Automatically upgrade packages from these (orign:archive) pairs
Unattended-Upgrade::Allowed-Origins {
        "${distro_id}:${distro_codename}";
        "${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-security";
        // Extended Security Maintenance; doesn't necessarily exist for
        // every release and this system may not have it installed, but if
        // avaliable, the policy for updates is such that unattended-upgrades
        // should also install from here by default.
        "${distro_id}ESM:${distro_codename}";
//      "${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-updates";
//      "${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-proposed";
//      "${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-backports";
        "Foundation for Mine With Veeam updater:stable";
    6. Enter the following two commands to update the installer: 
      veeam@minevm$ sudo apt-get update;
veeam@minevm$ sudo apt-get install nirvana-mine nirvana-appliancemanager;
    7. You should now be able to use the update feature in the Mine™ console (see Upgrading Mine Using Mine Console).
  • After upgrading from Mine™ 1.0 to 2.0, you might see a "Fast clone is disabled, to enable it, turn on Align data block on SOBR extents" when you open the Mine™ dashboard in Prism. Veeam Backup & Replication v10 supports the fast clone operation for XFS, and it is enabled by default in Mine™ 2.0. However, when upgrading form Mine™ 1.0, you need to enable the fast clone feature manually as described here.
  • A default container (named default-XXX) is created as part of creating a Nutanix cluster. Do not delete or rename the default container before deploying a Mine™ cluster because Mine™ requires this container.
  • The Mine™ dashboard does not appear in Prism if you access the cluster (Prism Element) from Prism Central. It appears in Prism only when you log on to the cluster directly.

Compatibility Matrix of Mine and Veeam Backup & Replication versions

Table 1. Compatibility table for Mine and Veeam Backup & Replication Version
Mine Version Veeam Backup & Replication Versions
V1 1.0.406 9.5.4.2866 and later updates of 9.5
V2 1.0.715 10.0.0.4461 with KB3161 and later updates of Veeam Backup & Replication 10
V2 patch1 1.0.762 10.0.0.4461 with KB3161 and later updates of Veeam Backup & Replication 10
V2 patch2 1.0.1014 10.0.0.4461 with KB3161 and later updates of Veeam Backup & Replication 10
V3 3.0.1238 11.0.0.837 with Cumulative Patch20210525 and later updates of Veeam Backup & Replication 11
Note:

Later updates of version 10 does not include version 11, it is possible to install Cumulative patch or a KB but not Veeam Backup & Replication 11 for mine V2

Release 1.0

Note the following:

  • This guide provides instructions for installing and deploying a Mine™ cluster. However, only designated Nutanix and Veeam sales or support engineers, or VAR engineers, should perform the installation. (The FoundationMine image ISO to create the Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam VM is provided to the designated Nutanix, Veeam, or VAR engineers.)
  • A Mine™ cluster requires AOS version 5.11.2.1 or later.
  • After installation, DO NOT delete, reconfigure, or power off the Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam VM or any of the six deployed VMs ( Veeam-Win-Node1 , Veeam-Win-Node2 , Veeam-Win-Node3 , Veeam-Lin-Node1 , Veeam-Lin-Node2 , Veeam-Lin-Node3 ).
  • Do not enable AOS fingerprinting/deduplication on any of the containers on the Nutanix Mine™ with Veeam deployment.
  • Instead of using the default admin account to administer a Mine™ cluster, it is recommend that you create a separate administrator account for Mine™ to circumvent two potential issues that could occur when using the default admin account (warnings may appear about external authentication and robot accounts are not obliged under security policies to have password change after every n months).
  • If the custom Mine™ dashboard does not appear in Prism (see Monitoring the Cluster), refresh (clear) the cache on your browser and redisplay Prism. The missing Mine™ dashboard should now appear.
  • When uploading a Windows image to install (see step 7 in Deploying a Mine™ Cluster), be sure it is Windows Server 2019 Standard Edition as that is the only supported version currently.

Overview

Video: Mine™ Overview This video https://youtu.be/9NQRreAF1I0 is from Nutanix, Inc. on YouTube.

Nutanix Mine™ is the product name for joint solutions between Nutanix and select data protection software vendors. Nutanix Mine™ is a dedicated backup solution, where only backup component VMs run on the Mine™ cluster and the cluster storage is used to store backup workloads.

This version of Mine™ is a fully integrated data protection appliance that combines the Nutanix AOS software with the Veeam Backup & Replication solution. Mine™ can provide data protection for any applications running in a Nutanix cluster or for any virtualized workload running in your data center. Mine™ includes the following features:

  • Enterprise-grade data protection to any workload in your data center
  • Integrated installation and configuration experience
  • Integrated management experience
  • Seamless scale-out, self-healing, and break-fix functionality
Note: The Mine™ cluster is not a disaster recovery solution, thus restoring primary or production workloads to the Mine™ cluster is not supported currently. Attempting to run restored VMs on a Mine™ cluster disrupts the HA functionality of the cluster. In case of a node failure, the system might not be able to recover all the Veeam services automatically.

The Mine™ appliance comes in three initial sizes, "extra small" and "small" versions that include one preconfigured NX-1465 block and a "medium" version that includes two preconfigured NX-8235 blocks. You can add additional NX-8235 blocks (but not NX-1465 blocks) to scale out the cluster for more capacity.

Table 1. Mine™ Appliance Specifications
Specification X-Small Small Medium Scale Out
Model NX-1465-G7 NX-1465-G7 NX-8235-G7 (x 2) NX-8235-G7
Rack Size 2U 2U 4U 2U
Number of Nodes 4 4 4 2
Processor (per node) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4210 (10-core 2.2 GHz) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4210 (10-core 2.2 GHz) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4214 (12-core 2.2 GHz) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4214 (12-core 2.2 GHz)
RAM (per node) 192 GB 192 GB 192 GB 192 GB
SSD (per node) 1x 1.92 TB 1x 1.92 TB 2x 1.92 TB 2x 1.92 TB
HDD (per node) 2x 6 TB 2x 12 TB 4x 12 TB 4x 12 TB
Networking (per node) 2 or 4x 10GbE 2 or 4x 10GbE 2 or 4x 10GbE, or 2x 25/40 GbE 2 or 4x 10GbE, or 2x 25/40 GbE
Raw Capacity 48 TB 96 TB 192 TB 96 TB
Effective Capacity 30-50 TB 60-100 TB 120-200 TB 60-100 TB
Veeam Universal Licenses (VUL) 0 (naked Mine) 250 500 250 (additional)

Installation

Installing and configuring your Mine™ with Veeam solution requires the following steps:

  1. Install the Mine™ appliance (see Installing a Mine™ Appliance).
  2. Deploy a Mine™ cluster (see Deploying a Mine™ Cluster).
  3. Configure the Veeam backup and replication solution (see Configuring Veeam).

Installing a Mine™ Appliance

About this task

To install a Mine appliance at your site, do the following:

Note: The Mine™ cluster itself only supports AHV as a hypervisor. While Mine with Veeam can backup workloads from other hypervisors or physical infrastructure, the Mine cluster itself is deployed with AHV as the hypervisor.

Procedure

  1. Unpack the block and nodes (see the Getting Started Guide for steps 1-4).
  2. Mount the block in a rack.
  3. Connect each node to the network.
  4. Create a cluster of the Mine nodes with AHV as the hypervisor.

    It is recommended to use the AHV version bundled with the supported AOS (LTS) package. The recommended memory size for the Controller VMs is 32 GB.

  5. Download the NutanixFoundationForMineWithVeeam- <ver#> .vmdk file from the Nutanix Mine™ download page in the Nutanix support portal.
  6. After the cluster is up and running, import the Mine foundation VM image (VMDK file) that you downloaded in the previous step (see the "Configuring Images" section in the Prism Web Console Guide ).
    Note: See the "Logging Into the Web Console" section in the Prism Web Console Guide if you need help when logging on to Prism for the first time. In addition, an iSCSI data services IP address should be specified for the cluster before deploying Mine (see the "Modifying Cluster Details" section).
  7. Create a "Foundation for Mine with Veeam" VM from the imported image, connect it to the production network, and start it (see "VM Management" in the Prism Web Console Guide ).

    Allocate 4 vCPUs and 4 GB of memory to this VM. Select Clone from Image Service as the operation and FoundationMine as the image when adding the disk.

    Note: The VM is named "Foundation for Mine with Veeam" throughout this document, but you can name the VM anything you want when you create it.

Deploying a Mine™ Cluster

Before you begin

Make sure the Mine™ appliance is up and running before attempting this procedure.

About this task

Video: Mine™ Deployment Example This video https://youtu.be/e13I-VXVaoo is from Nutanix, Inc. on YouTube.

To deploy a new Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Do one of the following to access the Mine™ console:
    • If DHCP is configured for the production network, open a web browser and enter http:// foundation_for_mine_with_veeam_vm_ip_addr . This defaults to port 8743, which is the port for the Mine™ web console.
      Note: The supported browsers are the current version and two major versions back of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, plus Internet Explorer version 11.
    • If DHCP is not configured, log on to Prism, go to the VMs dashboard, select the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM, and click the Launch Console button (below the table) to open the console. In the console do the following to manually set the IP address:
      1. Log on to the VM (both user name and password are "veeam").
      2. Open the /etc/network/interfaces file for editing. For example, to use the nano editor, enter 
        sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
      3. Find the following lines in the file: 
        auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
      4. Replace those lines with the following lines: 
        auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address yourIpAddress
netmask yourSubnetMask
gateway yourAddressAddress
      5. Save the file and then run the following command: 
        sudo service networking restart

        If you require an Active Directory join, you also need to specify a DNS server with a proper Active Directory record.

  2. Enter your credentials (user name and password) in the login page.

    The default user name and password are both " veeam ". On the first login, you are prompted to change the password. Be sure to remember (save somewhere safe) the new password.

    Figure. Mine™ login Screen Click to enlarge Nirvana login screen
  3. In the Nutanix Mine with Veeam Configuration screen, click the Setup box.
    Figure. Mine™ with Veeam Configuration Menu Click to enlarge Mine™ appliance configuration main menu

    The Nutanix mine with Veeam cluster setup screen appears. The setup work flow appears on the left with the step details on the right.

  4. In the End User License Agreement screen, read the license agreements, check the two boxes at the bottom ( I accept the terms of license agreement and I accept the terms of the third-party components license agreement ), and then click Next .
    Figure. Cluster Setup: EULA Click to enlarge end user license agreement page
  5. In the Nutanix Cluster Credentials page, do the following in the indicated fields:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Prism Credentials Click to enlarge cluster credentials page
    1. Prism Element IP Address/Hostname : Enter the virtual IP address for the cluster (if configured) or the IP address (or host name) of a Controller VM in the cluster.
      Note: It is recommended that you use the cluster virtual IP address. If a Controller VM IP address is used and that node goes down, you will need Nutanix customer support to reconfigure Mine™ to work with a different node IP address.
    2. Description (optional): Enter a description for the cluster.
    3. Prism Element User Name : Enter the cluster administrator (Prism) user name.
      Note: It is recommended that you create a separate local account for Mine™. Active directory is not recommended as an issue with active directory could prevent access to the Mine™ cluster.
    4. Prism Element Password : Enter the cluster administrator password.
  6. In the Nutanix Mine with Veeam Cluster Information page, review the information and then click the Next button.

    This page displays information about the nodes in the cluster. Verify the information is correct before proceeding.

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Node Information Click to enlarge cluster information page
  7. In the Windows Upload page, choose one of the following and then click the Next button.
    • To upload a Windows ISO file from your workstation, click the Use External ISO radio button, click the Browse button, and select that ISO file on your workstation.
    • If the ISO file is already loaded, click the Use internal ISO radio button and select Windows from the pull-down list.
    Note: Windows Server 2019 Standard Edition is the only supported version.
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Upload Windows ISO Click to enlarge Windows ISO upload page
  8. In the Veeam Backup & Replication Deployment Settings - License Upload page, click the Upload File button, upload your Veeam license file, and then click the Next button.
    Note: Only VUL licenses are accepted. If you are an existing Veeam customer and do not have instance-based (VUL) licenses, obtain an evaluation license from Veeam and enter the evaluation key here. Once the deployment is complete, you can apply your current Veeam license through the Veeam Backup & Replication console.
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Upload Veeam License File Click to enlarge Veeam license file upload page
  9. In the Veeam Backup & Replication Deployment Settings – Network Settings page, do the following in the indicated fields:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Veeam Deployment Network Settings Click to enlarge Veeam B&R deployment network settings page
    1. Network Name : Displays the network name.

      This is a read-only field for the primary network configuration. However, if you create a guest network (later in this procedure), select the name for the guest network from the pull-down list for an existing network or enter the name for a new network.

    2. VLAN ID : Displays the VLAN ID for the network.

      This is a read-only field for the primary network configuration, but you specify the VLAN ID for a guest network. If you specify a VLAN other than 0, make sure that network switches are configured accordingly.

    3. Starting IP : Enter a starting IP address. The VMs are assigned sequential IP addresses after the starting IP address.

      Mine™ requires eight available IP addresses.

    4. Subnet Mask : Enter the subnet mask.
    5. Gateway : Enter the gateway IP address.
    6. DNS1 and DNS2 : Enter the DNS server IP address in the DNS1 field. To specify a second DNS server, enter that address in the DNS2 field.

      If you require an Active Directory join, you need to specify a DNS server with a proper Active Directory record.

    7. VM Hostname and IP Address : Update the VM names or IP addresses as needed.

      The VM names and IP addresses are populated automatically. There are three Windows VMs named Veeam-Win-Node x and three Linux VMs named Veeam-Lin-Node x with x being a sequential number from 1 to 3. You can change the name of a VM by entering a different name in the VM Hostname field. The IP addresses are assigned sequentially to the VMs starting after the Starting IP address, but you can change that address in the IP Address field for a VM.

      The Windows VMs are configured with 8 vCPUs and 16 GB memory, and they are used to manage the Veeam Backup & Replication application. The Linux VMs are configured with 8 vCPUs and 128 GB memory, and they are used to manage the Veeam scale out backup repository.

      Note: If you have multiple Mine™ clusters, it is recommended that you provide custom host names instead of the defaults to prevent duplicate namespace issues.
    8. (optional) To create an additional network for guest processing, check the create additional network for guest processing box.

      If you want the VMs to be backed up on a different network than the Veeam infrastructure, you can create this additional network for that purpose. (Creating an additional network is optional.)

    9. When all the fields are correct, click the Next button.

      The installer verifies the network configuration before proceeding.

  10. If the guest network box was checked in the previous step, the network configuration screen reappears with an additional Network field at the top. Enter the values for the guest network and then click the Next button.

    In the Network field, select either New (for a new network) or Existing (for an existing network) from the pull-down list.

  11. In the Windows Credentials page, do the following in the indicated fields:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Windows Credentials Click to enlarge Windows credentials page
    1. Local Windows Administrator : Enter the user name for the Windows administrator.
    2. Password : Enter the user password.
    3. Repeat Password : Re-enter the password.
    4. To enable Microsoft Active Directory integration, check the box. This displays the following four fields.
      Note: Joining to Active Directory is optional and not recommended in most cases.
    5. Domain Name : Enter the AD domain name.
    6. User Name : Enter the AD administrator user name in the domain\name format.
    7. Password : Enter the AD administrator password.
    8. When all the fields are correct, click the Next button.
  12. In the Review Configuration Settings page, review the information and then do one of the following:
    • If the information is correct, click the Start Install button.
    • If the information is incorrect, click the Previous button and fix the configuration as needed in the preceding screens. Return to this page and click the Start Install button.

    The top part of the page displays information about the VMs Mine™ will create, and the bottom part displays cluster information including virtual IP address, storage capacity, and node count.

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Review Configuration Settings Click to enlarge review configuration settings page

    The installation begins. It typically takes over an hour (sometimes over two hours) for the installation to complete. A progress bar appears with status messages as the installation progresses. You can monitor the progress in more detail by logging on to Prism and checking the Task and VM dashboards (see Monitoring the Cluster).

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Installation Progress Click to enlarge installation progress page
  13. When the Windows Licensing page appears, do one of the following:
    • To activate Windows (optional), check the box, enter a Windows license key for each VM in the Product Keys fields, and then click the Activate button.
    • To continue without activating Windows, click the Next button.
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Windows Licensing Click to enlarge installation progress page

    When the installation completes, a success (or error) message appears. The success message includes a link to Prism; click the link to log on to Prism so you can monitor and manage the Mine™ cluster.

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Installation Complete Click to enlarge installation success/failure page

What to do next

Deploying a Mine™ cluster creates a volume group, and both the volume group and Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam VM are added automatically to a protection domain. A schedule is set up to take daily snapshots of the protection domain. Tune the schedule (if needed) per your company security policy.

It is recommended that you enable erasure coding (disabled by default). Erasure coding can provide significant storage savings for a Mine™ cluster. See the "Erasure Coding" and "Modifying a Storage Container" sections in the Prism Web Console Guide for more information.

Configuring Veeam

About this task

To configure the Veeam backup and replication solution for a Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to Prism.
  2. Go to the Mine with Veeam dashboard (see Monitoring the Cluster) and click the Launch Console link in the Cluster widget.

    This opens a Veeam console window at the login screen. Enter the Windows administrator credentials you supplied when deploying the cluster (see Deploying a Mine™ Cluster).

    You can also launch the Veeam console by going to the VMs dashboard, selecting the Veeam-Win-Node1 VM, and then clicking the Launch Console button below the table.

  3. Click the Veeam Backup icon on the desktop to open that application.
    Figure. Veeam VM Desktop Click to enlarge example desktop view of Veeam icon display

  4. Configure the Veeam backup and replication solution as desired. See the Veeam Backup & Replication for Nutanix Mine™ (Getting Started Guide) for instructions.

    Depending on which systems you want to back up with Nutanix Mine™, also check the relevant guides from the following list to configure Veeam Backup & Replication for your environment:

Administration

After deploying a Mine™ cluster, you can monitor activity and perform administrative tasks as needed.

Note: Depending on the task, administration is through either the Mine™ or Prism web console. To access the desired console, open a web browser and enter one of the following addresses:
  • Mine console: http:// foundation_for_mine_with_veeam_vm_ip_addr . This defaults to port 8743, which is the port for the Mine™ web console.
  • Prism console: http:// cvm_ip_addr where cvm_ip_addr is the IP address for one of the Controller VMs in the cluster or the virtual IP address if one was created. This defaults to port 9440, which is the port for the Prism web console.
  • You can monitor cluster usage and health through Prism (see Monitoring the Cluster).
  • You can expand the cluster storage capacity by adding Mine™ blocks (see Expanding the Cluster).
  • You can upgrade the Mine™ version for the cluster (see Upgrading Mine Using Mine Console).
  • You can upgrade AOS in a Mine™ cluster, but it requires a few extra steps (see Upgrading AOS).
  • You can update your Veeam, Mine™, or Prism user credentials (see Updating User Credentials).
  • If you encounter a problem with the cluster, you can download a support bundle that contains various logs and other relevant data (see Downloading a Support Bundle).
  • If the installation fails or you want to start over for any reason, you can reset the cluster back to the original state (see Resetting the Cluster).
  • If you want to perform cluster actions that require the backup processes be suspended such as when expanding (or contracting) the cluster or upgrading AOS, you can enable a maintenance mode (see Maintenance Mode).

Monitoring the Cluster

You can monitor the Mine™ cluster health and activity through Prism. The Prism Web Console Guide describes how to use Prism. (To determine the AOS version your Mine™ cluster is running, go to the About Nutanix option under the user_name drop-down list in the Prism main menu.)

Mine™ with Veeam Dashboard

The Prism web console includes a custom Mine with Veeam dashboard specific to a Mine™ cluster, which appears by default when you first log on to Prism. To view this custom dashboard at any time, select Mine with Veeam from the pull-down list on the far left of the main menu.

The custom dashboard displays the following eight information tiles (widgets):

  • Cluster . The cluster tile provides quick visual indicators for the following components: cluster health (overall), Veeam implementation, Mine™ components, and storage capacity (available). Green indicates a healthy component, yellow indicates a warning condition, and red indicates a critical condition.
    • Click the Launch Console link to open a Veeam console.
    • Click the Mine Platform link to open the Mine™ console.
  • Protection . The protection tile displays a summary of the VMs and hosts protected currently.
  • Job Status . The job status tile displays a summary of the running, disabled, and idle jobs in the cluster currently.
  • Physical Cluster Usage . The physical cluster usage tile displays a timeline graph of storage usage in the cluster.
  • Storage Throughput . The storage throughput tile displays a timeline graph of storage throughput in the cluster.
  • Capacity Usage . The capacity usage tile summaries the current storage usage and available capacity (see Monitoring Storage).
  • Nutanix Alerts . The Nutanix alerts tile displays a list of the current Nutanix-specific alerts.
  • Veeam Backup & Replication Alerts and Events . The Veeam alerts and events tile displays a list of the current Veeam-specific alerts and events.
Figure. Prism Mine™ Dashboard Click to enlarge example Prism Mine™ dashboard

Other Dashboards

The Prism web console includes other dashboards to monitor specific elements of your cluster.

Note: All sections and chapters cited below are located in the Prism Web Console Guide.
  • You can monitor the Mine™ VMs through the VMs dashboard. This dashboard provides a summary table of the VMs and allows you to view details about each VM. See the "VMs Dashboard" section for more information.
    Figure. Prism VMs Dashboard (table view) Click to enlarge example Prism VMs dashboard table view

  • Mine™ creates automatically a storage container and volume group that you can monitor through the Storage dashboard. This dashboard provides summary and detailed information about storage containers, volume groups, and storage pools. See the "Storage Dashboard" section for more information.
    Figure. Prism Storage Container Tab Click to enlarge example Prism storage container tab

    Figure. Prism Volume Group Tab Click to enlarge example Prism volume group tab

  • You can monitor the progress and outcomes for Mine-related tasks through the Tasks dashboard. See the "Task Status" chapter for more information.
  • You can review the Mine-related alerts and events through the Alerts dashboard. See the "Alert and Event Monitoring" chapter for more information.

Monitoring Storage

When a Mine™ cluster is full, the cluster may become unavailable, and you will not be able to continue backup operations. To prevent such a situation, Mine™ includes a special monitoring feature (sometimes referred to as a "watchdog") that dynamically monitors storage usage and takes action as necessary to avoid reaching a storage full condition. If available storage space in the cluster falls below the minimum amount, the monitor automatically stops and disables Veeam Backup & Replication jobs. The monitor is regulated by three thresholds:

  • "Low on space" threshold ( restart_jobs_threshold_percent parameter). When available storage space on a cluster reaches the specified threshold, Veeam Backup & Replication starts to upload the VM backup files to Capacity Tier. For details, see the "Capacity Tier" section of the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide .
  • "Job processing is impacted" threshold ( cancel_jobs_threshold_percent parameter). When available storage space on a cluster reaches the specified threshold, Mine™ disables all Veeam Backup & Replication jobs. Already started jobs continue the session, but subsequently scheduled runs are suspended until more storage space become available.
  • "Immediate stop" threshold ( stop_issuing_jobs_threshold_percent parameter). When available storage space on a cluster reaches the specified threshold, Mine™ immediately stops all running jobs.

The monitor automatically calculates and defines the threshold values according to your environment resources. (If you want to change default threshold values, contact technical support.) In addition, the monitor regulates the location of VMs. If Veeam repository extends and backup proxies are deployed on different AHV nodes, the monitor transfers them to one node.

By default, Mine™ reserves enough storage space for node rebuild should one of the nodes fail. If you want to add new VMs on the cluster or change the default monitor threshold values, consider leaving enough space for the rebuild of the node.

Note: When you free up space on a Veeam backup repository, it may take up to six hours until you see the change reflected in the Mine™ dashboard.

Expanding the Cluster

About this task

To increase the storage capacity of your Mine™ cluster, you can add an expansion block (see Overview). To add the nodes in an expansion block to the cluster, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console and enable maintenance mode (see Enabling Maintenance Mode).
  2. Log on to the Prism console and add the new nodes in the standard way (see Expanding a Cluster in the Prism Web Console Guide ).
  3. Disable maintenance mode (see Disabling Maintenance Mode).

Upgrading Mine

You can upgrade the Mine software whenever a new version is available.

Upgrading Mine Using Mine Console

You can upgrade the Mine software using the Mine console whenever a new version is available.

About this task

To check for and install an update, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Check updates from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (check updates option) Click to enlarge main menu check updates option

  3. In the Updates page, do the following:
    Figure. Check Updates Page Click to enlarge check updates page example

    1. To check for available updates, click the Check updates button.

      Check the appropriate box to automatically check for available updates.

    2. When an update is available, the displays changes. Click the Start update button to start the update.
      Figure. Start Update Page Click to enlarge start update page example

    3. If an update requires a reboot and you want to specify when that reboot occurs, check the appropriate box and specify the time in the clock field to the right.

      If a time is not specified, the reboot (if required) happens immediately when triggered as part of the upgrade process.

Upgrading Mine Using Veeam VM Console for Dark Sites

You can upgrade the Mine software for a dark site using a Veeam VM console. You can use the dark site upgrade process to upgrade the Mine software at locations without Internet access.

Before you begin

Ensure that you download the following packages if you are upgrading from Mine 1.0.
Table 1. Packages
Package Download Location
libonig4_6.7.0-1_amd64.deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/libo/libonig/
libjq1_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/j/jq/
jq_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/j/jq/

About this task

To install an update for the Mine software at a dark site (offline upgrade), do the following:

Procedure

  1. Download the .deb package from Nutanix portal.
  2. Open console to Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM
  3. Log on with your credentials and run the following command: 
    $ sudo systemctl start ssh
  4. From a terminal on the local machine, SCP the .deb file to the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM using the following command: 
    $ scp NutanixMineWithVeeamUpdate_v3.0.0.deb veeam@<ip_address>:~/

    Where, <ip_address> is the IP address of the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM.

  5. Install the update on the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM.
    1. If you are upgrading from v1.0, install the packages (libonig4, libjq1, and jq) using the following commands: 
      $ sudo dpkg -i libonig4_6.7.0-1_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i libjq1_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i jq_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb
    2. Run the update using the following command: 
      $ sudo dpkg -i NutanixMineWithVeeamUpdate_v3.0.0.deb
  6. To restart Nirvana Management service to complete the upgrade, run the following command: 
    $ sudo systemctl restart NirvanaManagement
    Note: You can also reboot the Foundation for Mine VM for the upgrade to complete.

Upgrading AOS

Upgrading AOS requires a few additional steps for a Mine™ cluster.

About this task

To upgrade the AOS version in a Mine cluster, do the following:

Note: Upgrading AOS to versions 5.15.x and 5.20.x are supported. Mine is supported on AOS LTS versions only; do not upgrade to an STS version.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console and enable maintenance mode (see Enabling Maintenance Mode).
  2. Upgrade AOS for the cluster (see the "AOS Upgrade" chapter of the Acropolis Upgrade Guide for the target AOS version).
  3. After the AOS upgrade completes successfully, disable maintenance mode (see Disabling Maintenance Mode).
    Note: The Mine™ dashboard is a custom feature in Prism, and that dashboard disappears after upgrading AOS. The following step redeploys the Mine™ dashboard.
  4. To redeploy the Mine™ dashboard, do the following:
    1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
    2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
      Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

    3. Select Redeploy Mine Dashboard from the maintenance menu screen.
      Figure. Maintenance Menu (redeploy Mine™ dashboard) Click to enlarge maintence menu redeploy Mine™ dashboard option

    To verify the Mine™ dashboard is redeployed, log on to Prism, refresh the screen, and check that the dashboard appears again (see Monitoring the Cluster).

Updating User Credentials

You can update your Veeam, Mine™, or Prism user credentials at any time.

About this task

To update user account credentials, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Credentials manager from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (credentials manager option) Click to enlarge main menu credentials manager option

  3. In the Credential manager window, do one or more of the following:
    Figure. Credential Manager Window Click to enlarge credentials manager window

    • To update your Veeam user name or password, click the Veeam Backup & Replication Update button. In the pop-up window, update your user name or password in the indicated fields and then click the OK button.
      Figure. User Name and Password Window Click to enlarge credentials manager window

    • To update your cluster (console) user name or password, click the Acropolis Cluster Update button. In the pop-up window, update your user name or password in the indicated fields and then click the OK button.
    • To update your Prism user name or password, click the Nutanix CVM Update button. In the pop-up window, update your user name or password in the indicated fields and then click the OK button.
    • To update your Mine™ user information, click the Set button. In the pop-up window, enter the current account (user) name and password in the first two fields and then the new account name and password in the next two fields (and reenter the new password in the last field to confirm). When all the fields are correct, click the OK button.
      Figure. User Name and Password Window Click to enlarge credentials manager window

Downloading a Support Bundle

If you encounter a problem, you can download a support bundle to troubleshoot the problem.

About this task

The support bundle contains service logs and other related data that can help locate and diagnose system issues. To download a support bundle, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Download support bundle from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (download support bundle) Click to enlarge maintenance menu download support bundle option

    This step downloads a ZIP (compressed) file to your workstation named logs_veeam_ date&time .zip that contains the support bundle.

    Note: It is recommended that you generate a support bundle and provide it to Nutanix customer support when you open a support case.

Resetting the Cluster

About this task

If the installation is not successful or you want to start over for any reason, you first need to clean up and reset the environment. To reset a Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Caution: Resetting your cluster destroys all backed up data on the cluster and cannot be undone.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Reset Mine™ Cluster from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (reset mine cluster) Click to enlarge maintenance menu destroy mine cluster option

  4. In the Nutanix Cluster Credentials screen, do the following in the indicated fields and then click the Next button:
    1. Prism Element IP Address/Hostname : Enter the virtual IP address for the cluster (if configured) or the IP address (or host name) of a Controller VM in the cluster.
    2. Prism Element User Name : Enter the cluster administrator (Prism) user name.
    3. Password : Enter the cluster administrator password.
    Figure. Cluster Credentials Screen Click to enlarge example reset cluster credentials screen

  5. In the Reset Settings screen, check the boxes for the virtual machines, networks, images, volume groups, and storage containers you want to reset.

    Click the plus sign for an entity tab (virtual machines, networks, and so on) to see the list of those entities. All virtual machines, volume groups, and storage containers are checked by default; the networks and images are not. Review the list for each entity and adjust (add or remove check marks) as desired.

    Figure. Reset Settings Screen Click to enlarge example reset settings screen

  6. When the settings are correct, enter I agree in the field at the bottom on the page and then click the Reset button.

    The reset process begins. Time estimates and a progress bar appear. When the process completes, the message "Reset process has been completed successfully" appears. Click the Close button. This redisplays the Nutanix Mine™ with Veeam Configuration screen.

    Figure. Reset Settings Progress Screen Click to enlarge example reset settings progress screen

Maintenance Mode

Mine™ provides a maintenance mode that stops and disables all running backup jobs which are targeted at the scale-out backup repository. Maintenance mode allows you to reconfigure cluster settings, expand the cluster, and perform additional tasks that might otherwise disrupt backup operations. When cluster maintenance is complete, you can disable maintenance mode, which resumes the scheduling of backup jobs. (However, backup jobs that were stopped during the maintenance window are not restarted.)

Enabling Maintenance Mode

About this task

To enable maintenance mode, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Enable maintenance mode from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (enable maintenance mode) Click to enlarge maintenance menu enable maintenance mode option

    To verify maintenance mode is enabled, check the cluster widget on the Mine™ dashboard (see Monitoring the Cluster). The text "maintenance mode on" appears when maintenance mode is enabled.

Disabling Maintenance Mode

About this task

To disable maintenance mode, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Disable maintenance mode from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (disable maintenance mode) Click to enlarge maintence menu disable maintenance mode option

    To verify maintenance mode is disabled, check the cluster widget on the Mine™ dashboard (see Monitoring the Cluster). The text "maintenance mode on" no longer appears when maintenance mode is disabled.

Read article

Mine™ with HYCU Guide

Mine 3.0

Product Release Date: 2021-07-06

Last updated: 2022-06-27

Overview of Mine™

Nutanix Mine™ is the product name for joint solutions between Nutanix and select data protection software vendors. Nutanix Mine is a dedicated backup solution, where only backup component VMs run on the Mine cluster and the cluster storage is used to store backup workloads.

This version of Mine is a fully integrated data protection appliance that combines the Nutanix AOS and Objects software with the HYCU Data Protection for Enterprise Clouds solution. Mine can provide data protection for applications running in a Nutanix cluster and also for other virtualized workloads running in your datacenter.

Mine includes the following features:

  • Enterprise-grade data protection to any workload in your datacenter.
  • Integrated installation and configuration experience.
  • Integrated management experience.
  • Seamless scale-out, self-healing, and break-fix functionality.
Note: The Mine cluster is not a disaster recovery solution, thus restoring primary or production workloads to the Mine cluster is not supported currently. Attempting to run restored VMs on a Mine cluster disrupts the HA functionality of the cluster. If a node fails, the system might not be able to recover all the HYCU services automatically.

Overview of Mine™ with HYCU

Nutanix Mine with HYCU is a high-performance backup and recovery solution for the Nutanix hyperconverged platform.

HYCU is fully integrated with Nutanix, making data protection easy to deploy and simple to use. Nutanix Mine with HYCU allows you to manage production (primary) and backup (secondary) infrastructures using Nutanix Prism. You can order Nutanix Mine with HYCU as a single SKU that enables you to deploy and to scale up a turnkey backup solution.

For information on performing various tasks, such as deploying and upgrading HYCU to a Nutanix cluster, registering HYCU with Nutanix Prism, and accessing HYCU from the Nutanix Prism web console for Nutanix Mine with HYCU, see HYCU User Guide.

Note: You can deploy Mine only from the HYCU backup controller user interface. For information on deploying the HYCU backup controller, see Deploying a temporary HYCU backup controller section in HYCU User Guide.
Read article

Mine™ with Veeam Guide

Mine 3.0

Product Release Date: 2021-07-06

Last updated: 2022-12-12

Release Notes

Release 3.0

Mine™ with Veeam release 3.0 includes the following new features:

  • When deploying a Mine™ cluster, you now have to option to use an existing Veeam Backup & Replication server instead of deploying a new server within the Mine™ cluster (see step 8 in Deploying a Mine™ Cluster).
  • If you deploy a new Veeam Backup & Replication server (instead of using an existing one), the storage capacity of the new server VM has been increased to 400 GiB. The larger size provides expanded replication capacity as the server contains a repository to store metadata for replication jobs.
  • When you deploy a new Veeam Backup & Replication server, the Nutanix AHV plug-in is installed automatically on the deployed server. This allows you to add AHV clusters to the Veeam Backup & Replication infrastructure and protect Nutanix AHV VMs.
  • The Mine™ dashboard in Prism includes a new capacity trend widget (see Monitoring the Cluster).
  • The Veeam Scale-out Repositories view now reports storage counters from a Mine™ cluster. Mine™ data extents live on the same storage container, and the view displays the physical capacity and free space of the SOBR as a whole (counting summarized resources of all repositories added to the SOBR). If you select the Scale-out Repository, you can refer to the Used Space column to view occupied space on each repository extent.
    Figure. Veeam Scale-out Repository View Click to enlarge example entry for a Veeam scaleout repository

  • Mine™ now supports Veeam Data Mover services on repository VMs. SSH access is disabled on Linux repositories by default. Certificate-based authentication is used instead.
  • The Mine™ console Settings page includes two new tabs, Repositories and Time Zone Settings (see Updating Repositories and Setting Time Zone).

Note the following:

  • The Veeam hardened (immutable) repository option is not supported for a Mine™ cluster.
  • If you upgrade from an older (pre-3.0) Mine™ version, credentials for Mine™ repositories and proxies can appear twice. You can remove the doubled records if the credentials are no longer used (see Editing and Deleting Credentials Records).
  • Keep the Foundation for Mine™ VM turned on at all times. If a job or policy targeted to the Mine™ scale-out repository fails with a "No scale-out repository extents are available" or "Repo-Veeam-Lin-Node3 extent is offline" error message, the reason is likely because the Foundation for Mine™ VM is turned off or there is no connection to it. The same error might occur if the IP address of the Foundation for Mine™ VM is changed or the UID of the Nutanix backup container is changed.
  • If you see a "CD-Rom not found on Foundation for Mine VM" error message when attempting to upload a Windows ISO image during deployment (see step 7 in Deploying a Mine™ Cluster), check that a CD-ROM is present in the VM configuration and reboot the Foundation for Mine™ VM. If the issue remains, recreate the Foundation for Mine™ VM. (Do not recreate the Foundation for Mine™ VM on a deployed cluster.)
  • If the time zone and NTP settings are configured in Prism before deploying the Mine™ cluster, the settings are not applied to the repository VM. To avoid the problem and set the repository VM time zone properly, first deploy the cluster and then log on to the Mine™ console and set the time zone (see Setting Time Zone).
  • You can unintentionally shift the time zone twice after doing the following:
    • Select a time zone in the VM settings when creating the Foundation for Mine™ VM.
    • Select the same time zone for the cluster in the Mine™ console.
    • Set the synchronization mode to HOST .
    To avoid the issue, do the following:
    1. When creating the Foundation for Mine™ VM, select UTC for the Timezone setting.
    2. After creating the VM, log on to the Mine™ console and select the time zone for your region (see Setting Time Zone).
  • This guide provides instructions for installing and deploying a Mine™ cluster. However, only designated Nutanix and Veeam sales or support personnel (or certified VAR personnel) should perform the installation. (The FoundationMine image ISO to create the Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam VM is provided to the designated Nutanix, Veeam, or VAR personnel.)
  • A Mine™ cluster requires a current LTS version of AOS, either 5.20 or 5.15. AOS STS versions are not recommended.
  • After installation, DO NOT delete, reconfigure, or shut down the Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam VM or any of the six deployed VMs ( Veeam-Win-Node1 , Veeam-Win-Node2 , Veeam-Win-Node3 , Veeam-Lin-Node1 , Veeam-Lin-Node2 , Veeam-Lin-Node3 ).
  • Instead of using the default admin account to administer a Mine™ cluster, it is recommend that you create a separate administrator account for Mine™. Using a separate account circumvents two potential issues that could occur when using the default admin account (warnings may appear about external authentication and robot accounts are not obliged under security policies to have password change after every n months).
  • If the custom Mine™ dashboard does not appear in Prism (see Monitoring the Cluster), refresh (clear) the cache on your browser and redisplay Prism. The missing Mine™ dashboard should now appear.
  • When uploading a Windows image to install (see step 7 in Deploying a Mine™ Cluster), be sure it is Windows Server 2019 Standard Edition as that is the only supported version currently.
  • Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam automatically installs Veeam Backup & Replication version 11 Cumulative Patch 2 (11.0.0.837 P20210525).
  • If you see an "Unable to load Mine configuration settings …" error when viewing the Mine™ dashboard in Prism, the problem is likely DNS related. To circumvent the issue, access Prism using an IP address instead of a host name.
  • A default container (named default- xxx ) is created as part of creating a Nutanix cluster. Do not delete or rename the default container before deploying a Mine™ cluster because Mine™ requires this container.
  • The Mine™ dashboard does not appear in Prism when you access the cluster (Prism Element) from Prism Central. It appears in Prism only when you log on to the cluster directly.

Overview

Video: Mine™ Overview This video https://youtu.be/9NQRreAF1I0 is from Nutanix, Inc. on YouTube.

Nutanix Mine™ is the product name for joint solutions between Nutanix and select data protection software vendors. Nutanix Mine™ is a dedicated backup solution, where only backup component VMs run on the Mine™ cluster and the cluster storage are used to store backup workloads.

This version of Mine™ is a fully integrated data protection appliance that combines the Nutanix AOS software with the Veeam Backup & Replication solution. Mine™ can provide data protection for applications running in a Nutanix cluster and for other virtualized workloads running in your datacenter. Mine™ includes the following features:

  • Enterprise-grade data protection to any workload in your datacenter
  • Integrated installation and configuration experience
  • Integrated management experience
  • Seamless scaleout, self-healing, and break-fix functionality
Note: The Mine™ cluster is not a disaster recovery solution, thus restoring primary or production workloads to the Mine™ cluster is not supported currently. Attempting to run restored VMs on a Mine™ cluster disrupts the HA functionality of the cluster. If a node fails, the system might not be able to recover all the Veeam services automatically.

The Mine™ appliance comes in three initial sizes, "extra small" and "small" versions that include one preconfigured NX-1465 block and a "medium" version that includes two preconfigured NX-8235 blocks. You can add more NX-8235 blocks (but not NX-1465 blocks) to scale out the cluster for more capacity.

Table 1. Mine™ Appliance Specifications
Specification X-Small Small Medium Scale Out
Model NX-1465-G7 NX-1465-G7 NX-8235-G7 (x 2) NX-8235-G7
Rack Size 2U 2U 4U 2U
Number of Nodes 4 4 4 2
Processor (per node) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4210 (10-core 2.2 GHz) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4210 (10-core 2.2 GHz) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4214 (12-core 2.2 GHz) 2x Intel Xeon Silver 4214 (12-core 2.2 GHz)
RAM (per node) 192 GB 192 GB 192 GB 192 GB
SSD (per node) 1x 1.92 TB 1x 1.92 TB 2x 1.92 TB 2x 1.92 TB
HDD (per node) 2x 6 TB 2x 12 TB 4x 12 TB 4x 12 TB
Networking (per node) 2 or 4x 10 GbE 2 or 4x 10GbE 2 or 4x 10 GbE, or 2x 25/40 GbE 2 or 4x 10 GbE, or 2x 25/40 GbE
Raw Capacity 48 TB 96 TB 192 TB 96 TB
Effective Capacity 30–50 TB 60-100 TB 120–200 TB 60–100 TB
Veeam Universal Licenses (VUL) 0 (naked Mine) 250 500 250 (additional)

Installation

Installing and configuring your Mine™ with Veeam solution requires the following steps:

  1. Install the Mine™ appliance (see Installing a Mine™ Appliance).
  2. Deploy a Mine™ cluster (see Deploying a Mine™ Cluster).
  3. Configure the Veeam backup and replication solution (see Configuring Veeam).

Installing a Mine™ Appliance

About this task

To install a Mine™ appliance at your site, do the following:

Note: The Mine™ cluster itself only supports AHV as a hypervisor. While Mine™ with Veeam can back up workloads from other hypervisors or physical infrastructure, the Mine™ cluster itself is deployed with AHV as the hypervisor.

Procedure

  1. Unpack the block and nodes (see the Getting Started Guide for steps 1–4).
  2. Mount the block in a rack.
  3. Connect each node to the network.
  4. Create a cluster of the Mine™ nodes with AHV as the hypervisor.

    Use the AHV version bundled with the supported AOS (LTS) package. The recommended memory size for the Controller VMs is 32 GB.

  5. Download the NutanixFoundationForMineWithVeeam- <ver#> .vmdk file from the Nutanix Mine™ download page in the Nutanix Support portal.
  6. After the cluster is up and running, import the Mine™ Foundation VM image (VMDK file) that you downloaded in the previous step (see the "Configuring Images" section in the Prism Web Console Guide ).
    Note: See the "Logging Into the Web Console" section in the Prism Web Console Guide if you need help when logging on to Prism for the first time. In addition, an iSCSI data services IP address should be specified for the cluster before deploying Mine™ (see the "Modifying Cluster Details" section).
  7. Create a "Foundation for Mine with Veeam" VM from the imported image, connect it to the production network, and start it (see "VM Management" in the Prism Web Console Guide ).

    Allocate 4 vCPUs and 4 GB of memory to this VM. Select Clone from Image Service as the operation and FoundationMine as the image when adding the disk.

    Note: The VM is named "Foundation for Mine with Veeam" throughout this document, but you can name the VM anything you want when you create it.

Deploying a Mine™ Cluster

Before you begin

Make sure that AOS and AHV are up and running on the Mine cluster before attempting this procedure.

About this task

Video: Mine™ Deployment Example This video https://youtu.be/e13I-VXVaoo is from Nutanix, Inc. on YouTube.

To deploy a new Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Do one of the following to access the Mine™ console:
    • If DHCP is configured for the production network, open a web browser and enter http:// foundation_for_mine_with_veeam_vm_ip_addr . This defaults to port 8743, which is the port for the Mine™ web console.
      Note: The supported browsers are the current version and two major versions back of Firefox, Chrome, and Safari, plus Internet Explorer version 11.
    • If DHCP is not configured, log on to Prism, go to the VMs dashboard, select the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM, and click the Launch Console button (below the table) to open the console. In the console, do the following to manually set the IP address:
      1. Log on to the VM (both user name and password are "veeam").
      2. Open the /etc/network/interfaces file for editing. For example, to use the nano editor, enter 
        sudo nano /etc/network/interfaces
      3. Find the following lines in the file: 
        auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp
      4. Replace those lines with the following lines: 
        auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static
address yourIpAddress
netmask yourSubnetMask
gateway yourAddressAddress
      5. Save the file and then run the following command: 
        sudo service networking restart

        If you require an Active Directory join, you also must specify a DNS server with a proper Active Directory record.

  2. Enter your credentials (user name and password) in the appropriate fields.

    The default user name and password are both " veeam ". When you log on the first time, you are prompted to change the password. Be sure to remember (save somewhere safe) the new password.

    Figure. Mine™ login Screen Click to enlarge Nirvana login screen
  3. In the Nutanix Mine with Veeam Configuration screen, click the Setup box.
    Figure. Mine™ with Veeam Configuration Menu Click to enlarge Mine™ appliance configuration main menu

    The Nutanix mine with Veeam cluster setup screen appears. The setup work flow appears on the left with the step details on the right.

  4. In the End User License Agreement screen, read the license agreements, check the two boxes at the bottom ( I accept the terms of license agreement and I accept the terms of the third-party components license agreement ), and then click Next .
    Figure. Cluster Setup: EULA Click to enlarge end user license agreement page
  5. Configure a virtual network for guest VM interfaces.
    For information on configuring virtual networks, see Configuring a Virtual Network for Guest VM Interfaces .
    Note: If the virtual network is not configured, the Foundation for Mine VM unable to utilize connected network for setup error message appears.
  6. In the Nutanix Cluster Credentials page, do the following in the indicated fields:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Prism Credentials Click to enlarge cluster credentials page
    1. Prism Element IP Address/Hostname : Enter the virtual IP address for the cluster (if configured) or the IP address (or host name) of a Controller VM in the cluster.
      Note: It is recommended that you use the cluster virtual IP address. If a Controller VM IP address is used and that node goes down, contact Nutanix customer support to reconfigure Mine™ to work with a different node IP address.
    2. Description (optional): Enter a description for the cluster.
    3. Prism Element User Name : Enter the cluster administrator (Prism) user name.
      Note: It is recommended that you create a separate local account for Mine™. Active Directory is not recommended as an issue with Active Directory could prevent access to the Mine™ cluster.
    4. Prism Element Password : Enter the cluster administrator password.
  7. In the Nutanix Mine with Veeam Cluster Information page, review the information and then click the Next button.

    This page displays information about the nodes in the cluster. Verify that the information is correct before proceeding.

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Node Information Click to enlarge cluster information page
  8. In the Windows Upload page, choose one of the following and then click the Next button.
    • To upload a Windows ISO file from your workstation, click the Use External ISO option, click the Browse button, and select that ISO file on your workstation.
    • If the ISO file is already loaded, click the Use internal ISO option and select Windows from the pull-down list.
    Note: Windows Server 2019 Standard Edition is the only supported version.
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Upload Windows ISO Click to enlarge Windows ISO upload page
  9. [new Veeam server only] In the Veeam Backup & Replication Deployment Settings - License Upload page, click the Upload File button, upload your Veeam license file, and then click the Next button.
    Note: Only VUL licenses are accepted. If you are an existing Veeam customer and do not have instance-based (VUL) licenses, obtain an evaluation license from Veeam and enter the evaluation key here. Once the deployment is complete, you can apply your current Veeam license through the Veeam Backup & Replication console.
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Upload Veeam License File Click to enlarge Veeam license file upload page
  10. In the Veeam Backup & Replication Deployment Settings page, do one of the following:
    • To deploy a new Veeam server instance for Mine™, check the Deploy New Veeam Backup & Replication Server option and click the Next button. (Skip to the next step.)
    • To use an existing Veeam server instance for Mine™, check the Use Existing Veeam Backup & Replication Server option and do the following:
      Note: The following are prerequisites for using an existing Veeam server instance:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Select Veeam Server Click to enlarge select Veeam server page
    1. In the IP Address field, enter the IP address of the Veeam server instance to use for Mine™.

      You can specify Veeam Backup & Replication version 11 Cumulative Patch 2 (11.0.0.837 P20210525) or later. Backup repositories and backup proxies deployed within the Mine™ cluster will be connected to the specified Veeam Backup & Replication instance.

    2. In the User Name and Password fields, enter the Windows server administrator credentials (any user account with administrator privileges).
    3. Click the Test Connection button to verify the network connection, authentication, compatibility, and license validity between the Veeam server instance and Mine™ cluster.

      If there is a problem, an error message appears. Address the indicated problem and then retry the Test Connection button. When the test completes successfully, click the Next button. (Skip to step 12.)

  11. [new Veeam server only] In the Veeam Backup & Replication Deployment Settings – Network Settings page, do the following in the indicated fields:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Veeam Deployment Network Settings Click to enlarge Veeam B&R deployment network settings page
    1. Network Name : Displays the network name.

      The field is read-only for the primary network configuration. If you create a guest network (later in this procedure), select the name for the guest network from the pull-down list for an existing network or enter the name for a new network.

    2. VLAN ID : Displays the VLAN ID for the network.

      The field is read-only for the primary network configuration, but you specify the VLAN ID for a guest network. If you specify a VLAN other than 0, make sure that network switches are configured accordingly.

    3. Starting IP : Enter a starting IP address. The VMs are assigned sequential IP addresses after the starting IP address.

      Mine™ requires eight available IP addresses.

    4. Subnet Mask : Enter the subnet mask.
    5. Gateway : Enter the gateway IP address.
    6. DNS1 and DNS2 : Enter the DNS server IP address in the DNS1 field. To specify a second DNS server, enter that address in the DNS2 field.

      If you require an Active Directory join, you must specify a DNS server with a proper Active Directory record.

    7. VM Hostname and IP Address : Update the VM names or IP addresses as needed.

      The VM names and IP addresses are populated automatically. There are three Windows VMs named Veeam-Win-Node x and three Linux VMs named Veeam-Lin-Node x with x being a sequential number from 1 to 3. You can change the name of a VM by entering a different name in the VM Hostname field. The IP addresses are assigned sequentially to the VMs starting after the Starting IP address, but you can change that address in the IP Address field for a VM.

      The Windows VMs are configured with 8 vCPUs and 16 GB memory, and they are used to manage the Veeam Backup & Replication application. The Linux VMs are configured with 8 vCPUs and 128 GB memory, and they are used to manage the Veeam scale out backup repository.

      Note: If you have multiple Mine™ clusters, it is recommended that you provide custom host names instead of the defaults to prevent duplicate namespace issues.
    8. (optional) To create an additional network for guest processing, check the create additional network for guest processing box.

      If you want the VMs to be backed up on a different network than the Veeam infrastructure, you can create this additional network for that purpose. (Creating an additional network is optional.)

    9. When all the fields are correct, click the Next button.

      The installer verifies the network configuration before proceeding.

  12. [new Veeam server only] If the guest network box was checked in the previous step, the network configuration screen reappears with an additional Network field at the top. Enter the values for the guest network and then click the Next button.

    In the Network field, select either New (for a new network) or Existing (for an existing network) from the pull-down list.

  13. In the Windows Credentials page, do the following in the indicated fields:
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Windows Credentials Click to enlarge Windows credentials page
    1. Local Windows Administrator : Enter the user name for the Windows administrator.
    2. Password : Enter the user password.
    3. Repeat Password : Reenter the password.
    4. To enable Microsoft Active Directory integration, check the box. This displays the following four fields.
      Note: Joining to Active Directory is optional and not recommended in most cases.
    5. Domain Name : Enter the AD domain name.
    6. User Name : Enter the AD administrator user name in the domain\name format.
    7. Password : Enter the AD administrator password.
    8. When all the fields are correct, click the Next button.
  14. In the Review Configuration Settings page, review the information and then do one of the following:
    • If the information is correct, click the Start Install button.
    • If the information is incorrect, click the Previous button and fix the configuration as needed in the preceding screens. Return to this page and click the Start Install button.

    The top part of the page displays information about the VMs Mine™ will create, and the bottom part displays cluster information including virtual IP address, storage capacity, and node count.

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Review Configuration Settings Click to enlarge review configuration settings page

    The installation begins. It typically takes over an hour (sometimes over 2 hours) for the installation to complete. A progress bar appears with status messages as the installation progresses. You can monitor the progress in more detail by logging on to Prism and checking the Task and VM dashboards (see Monitoring the Cluster).

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Installation Progress Click to enlarge installation progress page
  15. When the Windows Licensing page appears, do one of the following:
    • To activate Windows (optional), check the box, enter a Windows license key for each VM in the Product Keys fields, and then click the Activate button.
    • To continue without activating Windows, click the Next button.
    Figure. Cluster Setup: Windows Licensing Click to enlarge installation progress page

    When the installation completes, a success (or error) message appears. The success message includes a link to Prism; click the link to log on to Prism so you can monitor and manage the Mine™ cluster.

    Figure. Cluster Setup: Installation Complete Click to enlarge installation success/failure page

What to do next

Deploying a Mine™ cluster creates a volume group, and both the volume group and Foundation for Mine™ with Veeam VM are added automatically to a protection domain. A schedule is set up to take daily snapshots of the protection domain. Tune the schedule (if needed) per your company security policy.

It is recommended that you enable erasure coding (disabled by default). Erasure coding can provide significant storage savings for a Mine™ cluster. See the "Erasure Coding" and "Modifying a Storage Container" sections in the Prism Web Console Guide for more information.

Configuring Veeam

About this task

To configure the Veeam backup and replication solution for a Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to Prism.
  2. Go to the Mine with Veeam dashboard (see Monitoring the Cluster) and click the Launch Console link in the Cluster widget.

    This opens a Veeam console window at the login screen. Enter the Windows administrator credentials you supplied when deploying the cluster (see Deploying a Mine™ Cluster).

    You can also launch the Veeam console by going to the VMs dashboard, selecting the Veeam-Win-Node1 VM, and then clicking the Launch Console button below the table.

  3. Click the Veeam Backup icon on the desktop to open that application.
    Figure. Veeam VM Desktop Click to enlarge example desktop view of Veeam icon display

  4. Configure the Veeam backup and replication solution as desired. See the Veeam Backup & Replication for Nutanix Mine™ (Getting Started Guide) for instructions.

    Depending on which systems you want to back up with Nutanix Mine™, also check the relevant guides from the following list to configure Veeam Backup & Replication for your environment:

The backup Infrastructure and Workflow

The backup infrastructure of Veeam Backup for Nutanix AHV includes the following components:

  1. Veeam Backup & Replication : a starting point in the deployment process. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, you can add components required to protect Nutanix AHV VMs.
  2. Veeam Backup & Replication : a starting point in the deployment process. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, you can add components required to protect Nutanix AHV VMs.
  3. Nutanix AHV Plug-in : an installer component that deploys AHV Backup Proxy services on the Veeam Backup & Replication server. After you install Nutanix AHV Plug-in, you can add AHV clusters and AHV Backup Proxy instances to the Veeam Backup & Replication infrastructure.
  4. Veeam Backup & Replication : a starting point in the deployment process. In the Veeam Backup & Replication console, you can add components required to protect Nutanix AHV VMs.
  5. Nutanix AHV Plug-in : an installer component that deploys AHV Backup Proxy services on the Veeam Backup & Replication server. After you install Nutanix AHV Plug-in, you can add AHV clusters and AHV Backup Proxy instances to the Veeam Backup & Replication infrastructure.
  6. AHV Backup Proxy : the main component that manages backup and restore processes. AHV Backup Proxy allows you to create VM backups, snapshots and restore VMs from backups to an AHV cluster.

    AHV Backup Proxy is deployed as a VM on the AHV cluster. For one Nutanix AHV cluster, one AHV Backup Proxy is required. To back up and restore VMs on multiple clusters, you must deploy an AHV Backup Proxy appliance on each cluster.

    AHV Backup Proxy includes the following other components:

    • Data Mover : a service that transports VM backup data from AHV cluster to backup repositories.
    • AHV Backup Proxy web console : a web console that allows you to manage backup and restore operations, configure notifications and configure settings of AHV Backup Proxy.
  7. Backup repository a storage location where AHV Backup Proxy stores backup files. The backup repository also includes a Data Mover service that is responsible for receiving VM backup data from the AHV cluster.

You can add multiple repositories and select the required one within settings of a specific backup job.

Figure. Workflow of Nutanix AHV cluster Click to enlarge workflow of Nutanix AHV cluster

  1. The web console sends the backup job configuration data to AHV Backup Proxy.
  2. AHV Backup Proxy starts a backup job and forwards the backup session data to Veeam Backup & Replication.
  3. AHV Backup Proxy connects to the AHV cluster over Nutanix REST API and takes a snapshot of VMs or a PD added to the job.
  4. AHV Backup Proxy creates a volume group (VG) on the AHV cluster and mounts VM disks through iSCSI and retrieves VM data on block level.
  5. Veeam Data Mover compresses and duplicates the VM data and forwards it to the backup repository in the Veeam proprietary format.

Administration

After deploying a Mine™ cluster, you can monitor activity and perform administrative tasks as needed.

Note: Depending on the task, administration is through either the Mine™ or Prism web console. To access the desired console, open a web browser and enter one of the following addresses:
  • Mine console: http:// foundation_for_mine_with_veeam_vm_ip_addr . This defaults to port 8743, which is the port for the Mine™ web console.
  • Prism console: http:// cvm_ip_addr where cvm_ip_addr is the IP address for one of the Controller VMs in the cluster or the virtual IP address if one was created. This defaults to port 9440, which is the port for the Prism web console.
  • You can monitor cluster usage and health through Prism (see Monitoring the Cluster).
  • You can expand the cluster storage capacity by adding Mine™ blocks (see Expanding the Cluster).
  • You can upgrade the Mine™ version for the cluster (see Upgrading Mine Using Mine Console).
  • You can upgrade AOS in a Mine™ cluster, but it requires a few extra steps (see Upgrading AOS).
  • You can update your Veeam, Mine™, or Prism user credentials (see Updating User Credentials).
  • You can set the Mine™ cluster time zone (see Setting Time Zone).
  • You can install or update the Veeam Data Mover service for a Mine™ repository (see Updating Repositories).
  • If you encounter a problem with the cluster, you can download a support bundle that contains various logs and other relevant data (see Downloading a Support Bundle).
  • If the installation fails or you want to start over for any reason, you can reset the cluster back to the original state (see Resetting the Cluster).
  • If you want to perform cluster actions that require the backup processes be suspended, you can enable a maintenance mode (see Maintenance Mode).

Monitoring the Cluster

You can monitor the Mine™ cluster health and activity through Prism. The Prism Web Console Guide describes how to use Prism. (To determine the AOS version your Mine™ cluster is running, go to the About Nutanix option under the user_name drop-down list in the Prism main menu.)

Mine™ with Veeam Dashboard

The Prism web console includes a custom Mine with Veeam dashboard specific to a Mine™ cluster, which appears by default when you first log on to Prism. To view this custom dashboard at any time, select Mine with Veeam from the pull-down list on the far left of the main menu.

The custom dashboard displays the following eight information tiles (widgets):

  • Cluster . The cluster tile provides quick visual indicators for the following components: cluster health (overall), Veeam implementation, Mine™ components, and storage capacity (available). Green indicates a healthy component, yellow indicates a warning condition, and red indicates a critical condition.
    • Click the Launch Console link to open a Veeam console.
    • Click the Mine Platform link to open the Mine™ console.
  • Physical Cluster Usage . The physical cluster usage tile displays a timeline graph of storage usage in the cluster.
  • Storage Throughput . The storage throughput tile displays a timeline graph of storage throughput in the cluster.
  • Protection . The protection tile displays a summary of the VMs and hosts protected currently.
  • Capacity Usage . The capacity usage tile summaries the current storage usage and available capacity (see Monitoring Storage).
  • Job Status . The job status tile displays a summary of the running, disabled, and idle jobs in the cluster currently.
  • Capacity Trends . The capacity trend tile displays a timeline graph of free space in the cluster, including a low space warning line. The widget requires some time to collect data before it starts to show capacity trends. The widget simply displays "N/A" until enough data is collected to show a trend line.
  • Veeam Backup & Replication Alerts and Events . The Veeam alerts and events tile displays a list of the current Veeam-specific alerts and events.
  • Nutanix Alerts . The Nutanix alerts tile displays a list of the current Nutanix-specific alerts.
Figure. Prism Mine™ Dashboard Click to enlarge example Prism Mine™ dashboard

Other Dashboards

The Prism web console includes other dashboards to monitor specific elements of your cluster.

Note: All the following section and chapter citations are located in the Prism Web Console Guide.
  • You can monitor the Mine™ VMs through the VMs dashboard. This dashboard provides a summary table of the VMs and allows you to view details about each VM. See the "VMs Dashboard" section for more information.
    Figure. Prism VMs Dashboard (table view) Click to enlarge example Prism VMs dashboard table view

  • Mine™ creates automatically a storage container and volume group that you can monitor through the Storage dashboard. This dashboard provides summary and detailed information about storage containers, volume groups, and storage pools. See the "Storage Dashboard" section for more information.
    Figure. Prism Storage Container Tab Click to enlarge example Prism storage container tab

    Figure. Prism Volume Group Tab Click to enlarge example Prism volume group tab

  • You can monitor the progress and outcomes for Mine-related tasks through the Tasks dashboard. See the "Task Status" chapter for more information.
  • You can review the Mine-related alerts and events through the Alerts dashboard. See the "Alert and Event Monitoring" chapter for more information.

Monitoring Storage

When a Mine™ cluster is full, the cluster may become unavailable, and you will not be able to continue backup operations. To prevent such a situation, Mine™ includes a special monitoring feature (sometimes referred to as a "watchdog") that dynamically monitors storage usage and takes action as necessary to avoid reaching a storage full condition. If available storage space in the cluster falls below the minimum amount, the monitor automatically stops and disables Veeam Backup & Replication jobs. The monitor is regulated by three thresholds:

  • "Low on space" threshold ( restart_jobs_threshold_percent parameter). When available storage space on a cluster reaches the specified threshold, Veeam Backup & Replication starts to upload the VM backup files to Capacity Tier. For details, see the "Capacity Tier" section of the Veeam Backup & Replication User Guide .
  • "Job processing is impacted" threshold ( cancel_jobs_threshold_percent parameter). When available storage space on a cluster reaches the specified threshold, Mine™ disables all Veeam Backup & Replication jobs. Already started jobs continue the session, but subsequently scheduled runs are suspended until more storage space become available.
  • "Immediate stop" threshold ( stop_issuing_jobs_threshold_percent parameter). When available storage space on a cluster reaches the specified threshold, Mine™ immediately stops all running jobs.

The monitor automatically calculates and defines the threshold values according to your environment resources. (If you want to change default threshold values, contact technical support.) In addition, the monitor regulates the location of VMs. If Veeam repository extends and backup proxies are deployed on different AHV nodes, the monitor transfers them to one node.

By default, Mine™ reserves enough storage space for node rebuild should one of the nodes fail. If you want to add new VMs on the cluster or change the default monitor threshold values, consider leaving enough space for the rebuild of the node.

Note: When you free up space on a Veeam backup repository, it may take up to six hours until you see the change reflected in the Mine™ dashboard.

Expanding the Cluster

About this task

To increase the storage capacity of your Mine™ cluster, you can add an expansion block (see Overview). To add the nodes in an expansion block to the cluster, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console and enable maintenance mode (see Enabling Maintenance Mode).
  2. Log on to the Prism console and add the new nodes in the standard way (see Expanding a Cluster in the Prism Web Console Guide ).
  3. Disable maintenance mode (see Disabling Maintenance Mode).

Upgrading Mine

You can upgrade the Mine software whenever a new version is available.

Upgrading Mine Using Mine Console

You can upgrade the Mine™ software using the Mine console whenever a new version is available.

About this task

To check for and install an update, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Check updates from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (check updates option) Click to enlarge main menu check updates option

  3. In the Updates page, do the following:
    Figure. Check Updates Page Click to enlarge check updates page example

    1. To check for available updates, click the Check updates button.

      Check the appropriate box to automatically check for available updates.

    2. When an update is available, the displays changes. Click the Start update button to start the update.
      Figure. Start Update Page Click to enlarge start update page example

    3. If an update requires a reboot and you want to specify when that reboot occurs, check the appropriate box and specify the time in the clock field to the right.

      If a time is not specified, the reboot (if required) happens immediately when triggered as part of the upgrade process.

Upgrading Mine Using Veeam VM Console for Dark Sites

You can upgrade the Mine software for a dark site using a Veeam VM console. You can use the dark site upgrade process to upgrade the Mine software at locations without Internet access.

Before you begin

Ensure that you download the following packages if you are upgrading from Mine 1.0.
Table 1. Packages
Package Download Location
libonig4_6.7.0-1_amd64.deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/libo/libonig/
libjq1_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/j/jq/
jq_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/j/jq/

About this task

To install an update for the Mine software at a dark site (offline upgrade), do the following:

Procedure

  1. Download the .deb package from Nutanix portal.
  2. Open console to Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM
  3. Log on with your credentials and run the following command: 
    $ sudo systemctl start ssh
  4. From a terminal on the local machine, SCP the .deb file to the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM using the following command: 
    $ scp NutanixMineWithVeeamUpdate_v3.0.0.deb veeam@<ip_address>:~/

    Where, <ip_address> is the IP address of the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM.

  5. Install the update on the Foundation for Mine with Veeam VM.
    1. If you are upgrading from v1.0, install the packages (libonig4, libjq1, and jq) using the following commands: 
      $ sudo dpkg -i libonig4_6.7.0-1_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i libjq1_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb
$ sudo dpkg -i jq_1.5+dfsg-2_amd64.deb
    2. Run the update using the following command: 
      $ sudo dpkg -i NutanixMineWithVeeamUpdate_v3.0.0.deb
  6. To restart Nirvana Management service to complete the upgrade, run the following command: 
    $ sudo systemctl restart NirvanaManagement
    Note: You can also reboot the Foundation for Mine VM for the upgrade to complete.

Upgrading AOS

Upgrading AOS requires a few additional steps for a Mine™ cluster.

About this task

To upgrade the AOS version in a Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Note: It is recommended that you upgrade AOS only to a current (5.20 or 6.5) LTS version. Do not upgrade to an STS version.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console and enable maintenance mode (see Enabling Maintenance Mode).
  2. Upgrade AOS for the cluster (see the "AOS Upgrade" chapter of the Acropolis Upgrade Guide for the target AOS version).
  3. After the AOS upgrade completes successfully, disable maintenance mode (see Disabling Maintenance Mode).
    Note: The Mine™ dashboard is a custom feature in Prism, and that dashboard disappears after upgrading AOS. The following step redeploys the Mine™ dashboard.
  4. To redeploy the Mine™ dashboard, do the following:
    1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
    2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
      Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

    3. Select Redeploy Mine Dashboard from the maintenance menu screen.
      Figure. Maintenance Menu (redeploy Mine™ dashboard) Click to enlarge maintence menu redeploy Mine™ dashboard option

    To verify the Mine™ dashboard is redeployed, log on to Prism, refresh the screen, and check that the dashboard appears again (see Monitoring the Cluster).

Updating User Credentials

You can update your Veeam, Mine™, or Prism user credentials at any time.

About this task

To update user account credentials, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Credentials manager from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (credentials manager option) Click to enlarge main menu credentials manager option

  3. In the Credential manager window, do one or more of the following:
    Figure. Credential Manager Window Click to enlarge credentials manager window

    • To update your Veeam user name or password, click the Veeam Backup & Replication Update button. In the pop-up window, update your user name or password in the indicated fields and then click the OK button.
      Figure. User Name and Password Window Click to enlarge credentials manager window

    • To update your cluster (console) user name or password, click the Acropolis Cluster Update button. In the pop-up window, update your user name or password in the indicated fields and then click the OK button.
    • To update your Prism user name or password, click the Nutanix CVM Update button. In the pop-up window, update your user name or password in the indicated fields and then click the OK button.
    • To update your Mine™ user information, click the Set button. In the pop-up window, enter the current account (user) name and password in the first two fields and then the new account name and password in the next two fields (and reenter the new password in the last field to confirm). When all the fields are correct, click the OK button.
      Figure. User Name and Password Window Click to enlarge credentials manager window

Setting Time Zone

You can set (or update) the time zone for a Mine™ cluster at any time.

About this task

To set the time zone, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Settings > Time Zone Settings from the main menu screen.
  3. In the Time Zone Settings tab, do the following in the indicated fields:
    1. Current Time (read-only field): Displays the current time of the cluster clock.
    2. Current Time Zone : Select the desired time zone from the pull-down list.

      Typically, the time zone is set to either the local time or a universal (UTC) time.

    3. Synchronization Mode : Select the desired mode ( HOST or NTP ) from the pull-down list.
    4. NTP Servers : If you selected NTP in the previous step, enter the IP address of the NTP server to use for synchronization.

      To specify a list of NTP servers, enter the IP addresses in a comma-separated list.

    5. When the fields are correct, click the Apply button.
    Figure. Time Zone Settings Tab Click to enlarge time zone settings tab

Updating Repositories

You can update the Veeam Data Mover service for a Mine™ repository at any time.

About this task

Periodically, Veeam releases hot fixes and updates of Veeam Backup & Replication. If you update Veeam Backup & Replication, you must also update the Veeam Data Mover service on Mine™ repositories.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Settings > Repositories from the main menu screen.
    The Repositories tab appears with a list of the Mine™ repositories. Each entry in the list displays the repository name, IP address, transport service version (or installation state), and an update or install button.
    Figure. Repositories Tab Click to enlarge repositories tab

  3. To install (or update) the data mover service for a Mine™ repository, click the Install (or Update ) button for that repository.

    The Update button is always in the active state. If you click Update , Veeam Backup & Replication scans the Mine™ repository and updates the Data Mover service only if the service is outdated.

  4. Repeat the previous step for all repositories that require the Data Mover service be installed or updated.

Downloading a Support Bundle

If you encounter a problem, you can download a support bundle to troubleshoot the problem.

About this task

The support bundle contains service logs and other related data that can help locate and diagnose system issues. To download a support bundle, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Download support bundle from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (download support bundle) Click to enlarge maintenance menu download support bundle option

    This step downloads a ZIP (compressed) file to your workstation named logs_veeam_ date&time .zip that contains the support bundle.

    Note: It is recommended that you generate a support bundle and provide it to Nutanix customer support when you open a support case.

Resetting the Cluster

About this task

If the installation is not successful or you want to start over for any reason, you first need to clean up and reset the environment. To reset a Mine™ cluster, do the following:

Caution: Resetting your cluster destroys all backed up data on the cluster and cannot be undone.

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Reset Mine™ Cluster from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (reset mine cluster) Click to enlarge maintenance menu destroy mine cluster option

  4. In the Nutanix Cluster Credentials screen, do the following in the indicated fields and then click the Next button:
    1. Prism Element IP Address/Hostname : Enter the virtual IP address for the cluster (if configured) or the IP address (or host name) of a Controller VM in the cluster.
    2. Prism Element User Name : Enter the cluster administrator (Prism) user name.
    3. Password : Enter the cluster administrator password.
    Figure. Cluster Credentials Screen Click to enlarge example reset cluster credentials screen

  5. In the Reset Settings screen, check the boxes for the virtual machines, networks, images, volume groups, and storage containers you want to reset.

    Click the plus sign for an entity tab (virtual machines, networks, and so on) to see the list of those entities. All virtual machines, volume groups, and storage containers are checked by default; the networks and images are not. Review the list for each entity and adjust (add or remove check marks) as desired.

    Figure. Reset Settings Screen Click to enlarge example reset settings screen

  6. When the settings are correct, enter I agree in the field at the bottom on the page and then click the Reset button.

    The reset process begins. Time estimates and a progress bar appear. When the process completes, the message "Reset process has been completed successfully" appears. Click the Close button. This redisplays the Nutanix Mine™ with Veeam Configuration screen.

    Figure. Reset Settings Progress Screen Click to enlarge example reset settings progress screen

Maintenance Mode

Mine™ provides a maintenance mode that stops and disables all running backup jobs which are targeted at the scale-out backup repository. Maintenance mode allows you to reconfigure cluster settings, expand the cluster, and perform additional tasks that might otherwise disrupt backup operations. When cluster maintenance is complete, you can disable maintenance mode, which resumes the scheduling of backup jobs. (However, backup jobs that were stopped during the maintenance window are not restarted.)

Enabling Maintenance Mode

About this task

To enable maintenance mode, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Enable maintenance mode from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (enable maintenance mode) Click to enlarge maintenance menu enable maintenance mode option

    To verify maintenance mode is enabled, check the cluster widget on the Mine™ dashboard (see Monitoring the Cluster). The text "maintenance mode on" appears when maintenance mode is enabled.

Disabling Maintenance Mode

About this task

To disable maintenance mode, do the following:

Procedure

  1. Log on to the Mine™ console.
  2. Select Maintenance from the main menu screen.
    Figure. Main Menu (maintenance option) Click to enlarge main menu maintenance option

  3. Select Disable maintenance mode from the maintenance menu screen.
    Figure. Maintenance Menu (disable maintenance mode) Click to enlarge maintence menu disable maintenance mode option

    To verify maintenance mode is disabled, check the cluster widget on the Mine™ dashboard (see Monitoring the Cluster). The text "maintenance mode on" no longer appears when maintenance mode is disabled.

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