Nutanix AHV (Acropolis)
A Nutanix AHV connector configuration contains the credentials and storage location that the appliance needs to connect to Nutanix Acropolis. Use the Nutanix connector to package layers and publish images to Nutanix Acropolis.
Before you start
You can use your Nutanix Acropolis environment to create layers and publish layered images. Each Connector configuration accesses a specific storage location in your Nutanix Acropolis environment. You might need more than one Nutanix Connector configuration to access the correct location for each purpose. Further, you can publish each layered image to a location convenient to the system you provision with the published image. You can also export images from your Nutanix Acropolis environment via the Image Portability feature. For more information about Connectors and Connector configurations, see Connector configurations.
Layering
To package layers using a Nutanix virtual machine, specify a Nutanix Connector configuration when creating or versioning a layer. Specify a Nutanix or Machine Creation for Nutanix Connector configuration in an image template to have that image created in Nutanix when published.
Image Portability
You can export existing images from your Nutanix Acropolis environment by using the Nutanix Connector in conjunction with the Windows File Share Connector via the Image Portability export feature. Specify a Nutanix Connector with Offload Compositing enabled in the Connector Configuration dropdown of a Windows File Share Connector and then specify that Windows File Share Connector to the IPS export command. This will allow Image Portability to access your Nutanix Acropolis environment, and export images to the configured file share location.
Use one of the following to specify to the export command which image to export:
- The name or uuid of a disk image
- The name or uuid of a VM with exactly one disk attached
- The uuid of a virtual disk
Machine Creation for Nutanix Connector
The Machine Creation version of the Nutanix Connector publishes layered images in a state that is ready for use by Citrix Machine Creation Service in your Nutanix Acropolis environment. Published layered images are booted for final configuration, shut down, and then a snapshot is taken.
Notes:
The Machine Creation for Nutanix Connector configuration is for publishing layered images. You cannot package layers with it, nor use it with the Image Portability feature. Instead, use a Nutanix Connector configuration.
The Machine Creation for Nutanix Connector does not support caching
Prerequisites and permissions
Specify the Nutanix Prism Elements console
App Layering uses the Prism Elements web console and does not support the Prism Central console.
Important:
When using Nutanix connectors, App Layering requires direct NFS access to the hosts to work correctly. In older versions of Nutanix AHV (5.6 and 5.7), this direct NFS access to hosts was not allowed if a Prism Element host or cluster was registered with Prism Central. Make sure that your Nutanix setup allows this access. For details about this issue on various Nutanix versions, see Adding layer versions with Nutanix fails with error: Failed to execute the script
When configuring the Nutanix connector be sure to enter the URL for the Prism Elements console.
Note:
If Prism Central is used in the connector configuration, you will receive the error “internal error 500”.
Add the Citrix App Layering™ appliance to the Nutanix allow list
Ensure that the appliance is added to your Nutanix allow list so that it can access the appropriate storage containers, as needed. This can be accomplished by configuring the file system and container-level allow list settings. For details about adding an allow list with Nutanix, see the Nutanix documentation.
Permissions
Refer to the following list for required permissions when using the Nutanix Connector configuration.
- A Nutanix Prism account (new or existing) must have privileges to perform the following operations:
- VM operations:
- clone
- delete
- power on/off
- attach virtual disks
- Image operations:
- create
- update (aka upload)
- delete
- Virtual disks:
- create
- attach to VMs
- VM operations:
Required information for Nutanix connector configuration settings
Refer to the following required, recommended, and optional fields for configuration of your Nutanix Connector.
- Connector Configuration Name: A useful name to help identify this connector configuration.
- Web Console (Prism) Address: The host name (resolvable via DNS) or IP address of the Prism Web Console. This address is the same one that you use to access the Nutanix Prism Web Console.
- User Name/Password: The credentials for the account that the appliance uses to connect to the Nutanix system.
- Virtual Machine Template (recommended): Virtual Machine Template that can be used to clone a VM with the hardware settings for Nutanix, including memory, CPUs, and video settings. You can specify the host, datastore, and network for configuring the resulting VMs. Since there is no concept of a “template” at Nutanix, these “templates” are actual VMs. The OS version used by the selected “template” must match the OS version that you are using for building layers or publishing layered images. The template must not have any disks attached and must have at least one network card attached. If it does not, you see an error when trying to validate or save the configuration.
- Storage Container: Allows you to select the storage container for the images (virtual disks, VHDs) that are uploaded, and the resulting virtual disks that are created from those images. When creating app layers and OS layer versions, mount the storage container as an NFS mount point. Configure the allow list using the Nutanix web console or Nutanix CLI tools. Set the allow list to the cluster and every storage container on the cluster, even the ones you are not using. Note: If the appliance is not allow-listed for the selected storage container, the validation phase fails, and the error is indicated with the storage container selection.
- Layer Disk Cache Size in GB (optional): Specifies the size of the cache allowed for each layer.
- Offload Compositing: Enables the layer packaging or image publishing process to run on the specified Nutanix server. This feature increases performance and it allows you to use a native disk format and either BIOS or UEFI virtual machines. This is enabled by default.
- Packaging Cache Size in GB (recommended): Amount of cache size space (in GB) to use for packaging. Accept the recommended value or modify it.
How Virtual Machines are Organized
Nutanix does not provide a mechanism for organizing virtual machines. Because of this, it could be difficult to find the virtual machines created by your appliance when the total number of virtual machines is large. To help you find these VMs, the following naming conventions are used:
-
Packaging Machines (virtual machines created during the process of creating an App Layer or OS Version)
- The virtual machine name starts with the layer name that is being created/modified
- The virtual machine names end with the following text: (Packaging Machine)
-
Layered Image Virtual Machines (virtual machines created as a result of publishing a layered image)
- The virtual machine name starts with the image name that was published
- The virtual machine name ends with the following text: (Published Image)
When viewing virtual machines through the Nutanix web console, you can search for virtual machines by filtering on:
- “Citrix App Layering” to find all virtual machines created by the App Layering service.
- “Citrix App Layering Packaging Machine” to find all virtual machines created for layer management jobs.
- “Citrix App Layering Published Image” to find all virtual machines created to publish a layered image.
- Image name or layer name to find virtual machines related to a specific layered image publishing job or App or OS creation.
Virtual Machine Network Connectivity
The virtual network settings of the source template specified in the Nutanix AHV connector configuration will be carried over when creating any VMs through the Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) Connector. There is no option in the Connector Configuration UI to override the network settings.
To add a connector configuration
- Log in to the management console as an administrator.
- Select the Connectors > Add connector configuration.
- Select Nutanix AHV from the connector Type drop-down menu and click New. This opens the connector configuration.
- Enter the configuration Name, and the Acropolis Address, User Name, and Password. For guidance, see the above field definitions.
- Click the Connect button below the Acropolis Configuration field. The Virtual Machine Clone Settings field is then enabled if the connection is successful. Any connection problems are reported on the connector configuration blade. If there were server certificate errors found, you see an Ignore Certificate Errors and Continue button.
- Select the Virtual Machine Template.
- Select the Storage Repository.
- Click Confirm and Complete. If there are no errors, a summary page is displayed.
- Click Save. Verify that the new connector configuration is listed on the Connectors page.