AOS ANY

Getting Started Guide

NX Series

May 3, 2023
Contents

What Needs To Be Done.......................................................................................... 3

Unpacking the Box......................................................................................................4

Mounting the Block..................................................................................................... 6

Connecting the Nodes............................................................................................... 7

Downloading Files........................................................................................................9
Downloading AOS Installation Bundle..............................................................................................................9
Downloading Foundation Discovery Applet and Foundation................................................................10

Creating a Cluster........................................................................................................11

What To Do If You Have a Problem...................................................................20

Copyright.......................................................................................................................22
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE
In order to get the system up and running, you need to perform the following steps:
1. Unpack the block (chassis) and nodes.
2. Mount the block in a rack.
3. Connect each node to the network through a network switch.
4. Download the files necessary for cluster creation.
5. Launch the Foundation installer and create a cluster of your new nodes.
This manual guides you through each of these steps. If you encounter a problem, see What To
Do If You Have a Problem on page 20.

AOS |  What Needs To Be Done | 3

UNPACKING THE BOX
About this task
The first step is to unpack the physical block from the box.

Procedure

1. Take the box to the machine room where the block will be mounted.

2. Open the box and verify the contents.

The box should include the following contents:

• NX series block. The node(s) you ordered should already be inserted into the block. The
block chassis varies depending on the model you purchased (see Connecting the Nodes
on page 7).
• Documentation packet (includes documents such as end user license agreement and
warranty document).
• C-13/C-14 adapter power cables (two).
• [if ordered] Network SFP+ cables (one for each data port).
• [if ordered] SFP+ transceiver.
• Rack-mounting rails (left and right).
• Rack adapter for square hole to round hole.
• Bezel.

Example
The following image is a sample of shipping carton contents for a 4-node platform. It is
for representational purposes only. Your shipping carton might contain different packing
material, and the appropriate rack rails and cables.

AOS |  Unpacking the Box | 4

Figure 1: Sample Box Contents

AOS |  Unpacking the Box | 5

MOUNTING THE BLOCK
About this task
Nutanix blocks are shipped with all the necessary hardware to mount the block into a rack. The
block should be installed in a four-post rack that is located in a restricted access location (such
as a dedicated equipment room or service closet) with proper temperature, airflow, power, and
structural support.
The following video explains how to rack and stack a 2U chassis. Since there are some
differences between hardware generations as well as between 1U and 2U chassis, the steps to
mount a block vary depending on the model type. See the Nutanix Rack Mounting Guide for the
instructions to mount your model.

Figure 2: Hardware Installation

A video on this topic is available https://players.brightcove.net/5850956868001/

xJM5EiUJJ_default/index.html?videoId=6144453422001 on Brightcove.

AOS |  Mounting the Block | 6

CONNECTING THE NODES
After the block is installed in a rack, the nodes must be connected to the network and powered
on.
There are several models, but they all come in one of the following chassis form factors:

• Four node (2U4N)

• Two node (2U2N)
• Single node (2U1N or 1U1N)

Note: The following procedure is generic to all models. The procedure for your model might vary
slightly from what is described here.

Before you begin

Ensure that all the ports on the network switch are in the same VLAN.

Procedure
To connect and start up nodes, do the following:
1. Connect the dedicated IPMI port and a data-only port (with the maximum bandwidth) on the
node to a network switch.

Note:

• The network switch must allow untagged traffic and IPv6 multicast between
the nodes, the IPMI interfaces, and the workstation from which you run the
installation.
• After you have installed the software, you may plug in the remaining data ports on
the node to the network switch.

2. Connect the 1 GbE port on your laptop (or your workstation device) to a data port of the
network switch.
3. Plug in the power cables (back panel), press the power button on the control panel for each
node (front panel), and check the LED lights to verify that each node is powered on.
The following image is the back panel view of one of the models. It is for representational
purposes only. The back panel of your model might vary from what is described.

AOS |  Connecting the Nodes | 7

Figure 3: NX-3060-G7 back panel

AOS |  Connecting the Nodes | 8

DOWNLOADING FILES
Before you begin

Note:
Applicable to nodes shipped outside the USA
The Foundation Discovery Applet requires at least one node with AOS for the cluster
creation process. The nodes that are shipped outside the USA do not come with AOS.
In this case, you need a node other than the newly installed ones, and that has AOS
installed in it. If you do not have a node with AOS, then you need to use Portable
Foundation or Standalone Foundation instead of the applet.
Refer to the Field Installation Guide for information on using Portable Foundation or
Standalone Foundation.

Tip:
If you already have a running cluster and want to add these new nodes to it, you must
use the Expand Cluster option in Prism, instead of using Foundation. Expand Cluster
allows you to directly reimage a node whose hypervisor/AOS version does not match
the cluster's version, or a node that is not running AOS.
Refer to the "Expanding a cluster" section in Prism Web Console Guide for information
on using the Expand Cluster option in Prism.

About this task

This topic details the download procedure for the files required for the cluster creation process.
Download the files as necessary.

Procedure

1. Download the AOS Installation Bundle.

2. Download the Foundation Discovery Applet (mandatory).

3. Download the Foundation Installation Bundle.

Downloading AOS Installation Bundle

About this task
If the nodes are shipped within the USA, they come with AOS and AHV (hypervisor) installed. If
you intend to use the pre-installed version of AOS and the hypervisor, then you do not need to
download the AOS Installation Bundle. Skip to Downloading Foundation Discovery Applet and
Foundation on page 10 section.
If you want to upgrade AOS and AHV, and your nodes have access to the internet, the upgrade
can be carried out from the Prism web console after cluster creation. In this case as well, you do
not need to download the AOS Installation Bundle. Skip to Downloading Foundation Discovery
Applet and Foundation on page 10 section.
However, if you want to upgrade AOS and AHV, and your nodes do not have access to the
internet, then you need to download the corresponding AOS Installation Bundle.

AOS |  Downloading Files | 9

 If the nodes are shipped outside the USA, then they do not come with AOS and the hypervisor
installed. In this case as well, you need to download the AOS Installation Bundle.
The following steps detail the download procedure for AOS Installation Bundle.

Note: Nutanix recommends using the latest version of AOS which is compatible with your model.
For the complete list of AOS versions compatible with your model, see Compatibility Matrix.

Procedure

1. Log in to the Nutanix support portal (http://portal.nutanix.com).

2. Click the menu icon (at the top left), click Downloads, and then select AOS.
The AOS screen appears which displays information about AOS and the installation bundles
of several AOS versions for download.

3. Click the Download button for the required AOS version to download the corresponding
AOS Installation Bundle named nutanix_installer_package-version#.tar.gz to any
convenient location on your laptop (or your workstation).

Downloading Foundation Discovery Applet and Foundation

About this task
A software installation tool called Foundation is used to image the nodes (install the hypervisor
and Nutanix Controller VM) and create a cluster. To initiate Foundation, you need Foundation
Discovery Applet which is a Java applet.
The following steps detail the download procedure for Foundation Discovery Applet and
Foundation Installation Bundle:

Procedure

1. Log in to the Nutanix support portal (http://portal.nutanix.com).

2. Click the menu icon (at the top left), click Downloads, and then select Foundation.

3. Click the Download button for the Foundation Discovery Applet.

This downloads a bundle named FoundationApplet-offline.zip that contains the
Foundation Discovery Applet.

4. Click the Download button for Foundation Upgrade for CVM or Standalone Foundation VM
to download the Foundation Installation Bundle.

Note:
Download the Foundation Installation Bundle only if a newer version of Foundation is
available in the Nutanix portal and your nodes do not have access to the internet. To
find out the Foundation version on your nodes, check the file foundation_version in
the following location on your node:
/home/nutanix/foundation/
If your nodes have internet access, you do not have to download the Foundation
Installation Bundle. Foundation will automatically notify you if a newer Foundation
version is available when it is launched.

AOS |  Downloading Files | 10

CREATING A CLUSTER
Before you begin

• Connect your laptop (or your workstation device) to the same subnet as the newly installed
nodes.
• Ensure that at least one of the newly installed nodes has AOS installed.
The nodes that are shipped outside the USA do not come with AOS. In this case, you need a
node other than the newly installed ones, and that has AOS installed in it.
• Ensure that the Java version installed on your laptop is higher than Version 8 (build 1.8.0_221)
and lower than Version 8 (build 1.9). Foundation Discovery Applet might not work properly
with a different Java version.
• Determine the appropriate parameter values required for installation, which include the
gateway and DNS server IP addresses, the cluster name and (if needed) virtual IP address,
and the Controller VM, hypervisor, and (if needed) IPMI IP address ranges for the nodes.

About this task

The following steps detail the procedure for cluster creation using the Foundation Discovery
Applet.

Procedure

1. Extract the contents of the Foundation Discovery Applet bundle (FoundationApplet-

offline.zip) downloaded from the Nutanix portal.
See Downloading Files on page 9 for information on downloading the Foundation
Discovery Applet.

2. Start the Foundation Discovery Applet by double clicking nutanix_foundation_applet.jnlp.

Note: A security warning message may appear indicating this is from an unknown source.
Click the accept and run buttons to run the application. In some cases, you might also need
to add a security exception for applets that launch from the local machine. In the Java
security dialog, remove any URLs you have added that begin with "file" and then re-launch

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 11

 the applet. It might complain that you need to add an exception for "file://". If you see this
message, add an exception for "file:/" (not file://) and then re-launch the applet.

Foundation Applet window appears with a list of discovered nodes.

Note: "Discovered nodes" are factory prepared nodes on the same subnet. If your laptop is
not on the same subnet as the nodes you installed, the nodes will not be discovered.

If there are additional Nutanix nodes on the subnet, they also appear in the list on the
applet window (as in the following figure).

Figure 4: Foundation Discovery Applet Window

3. Select one of the nodes you installed and then click the Launch Foundation button. The
Foundation Discovery Applet requires that the selected node already has AOS installed.
The nodes that are shipped outside the USA do not come with AOS. In this case, you need
a node (other than the newly installed ones) that has AOS installed in it and is discovered
by the applet. Select this node and then click the Launch Foundation button.
This launches the Foundation GUI.
If a newer version of Foundation is available, then the Foundation GUI notifies you about
the same. However, if a newer version of Foundation is available and the nodes do not have
access to the internet, you need to perform the upgrade manually.

Note: Step 4 is applicable only if a newer version of Foundation is available. Skip to step 5 if
your nodes already have the latest version of Foundation.

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 12

4. Click the Show Update button and proceed to complete the upgrade process. Though
Foundation provides the option to skip the upgrade, Nutanix recommends upgrading
Foundation to the latest version.

Note:

• Foundation upgrade can be performed on only one node at a time. Hence, if

the upgrade is to be performed on multiple nodes, then each node should be
upgraded individually.
• An alternate approach to upgrade Foundation: If you plan to image a different
hypervisor or a different version of AHV on the nodes, then the Foundation
upgrade can be performed as part of the imaging process. First, perform the
Foundation upgrade on one of the nodes. Proceed to use this node to image the
other nodes. Foundation is automatically upgraded on the other nodes as part of
the imaging process.

If your nodes do not have access to the internet, then Foundation GUI will not be able
to notify you if a newer Foundation version is available. You need to manually download
the latest version of Foundation and provide the installation bundle when prompted for.
See Downloading Files on page 9 for information on downloading Foundation Installation
Bundle. Carry out the following steps to perform the upgrade manually:

a. On the Foundation Applet window, select the node on which you want to upgrade.

b. Click the Upgrade Foundation button.

c. Provide the Foundation installation bundle (downloaded from the Nutanix portal) when
prompted for and proceed to complete the upgrade process.

5. On the Start screen, follow the instructions in the sequence shown. Select the appropriate
option for the fields that require an input.
Do the following for the fields mentioned below:

a. Netmask of Every Host and CVM: Enter the netmask for the Controller VMs and
hypervisor.
b. Gateway of Every Host and CVM: Enter the IP address for the gateway used by the
Controller VMs and hypervisor.
c. Netmask of Every IPMI: Enter the netmask for the IPMI subnet.

d. Gateway of Every IPMI: Enter the IP address of the gateway for the IPMI subnet.
Click the Next button (lower right).

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 13

6. On the Nodes screen, select the nodes you installed.
All the Nutanix nodes on the subnet are displayed. Select only those nodes you want in the
cluster. An exclamation mark icon is displayed for unavailable nodes (nodes that are already
in a cluster). If a discovered node has a VLAN tag, that tag is displayed.
To remove the unselected nodes from the screen, select the Tools drop-down menu (top
right) and select Remove Unselected Rows. Only the selected nodes are displayed as
shown in the following figure.

Figure 5: Nodes Screen

Click the Next button (lower right).

7. On the Cluster screen, do the following in the fields mentioned below.

a. Cluster Name: Enter a name for the cluster.

b. Timezone of Every CVM: Select the appropriate time zone from the drop-down menu
options.
c. Cluster Virtual IP: Optionally, enter a virtual IP address for the cluster.

d. NTP Servers of Every CVM: Optionally, enter a list of NTP server IP addresses or domain
names separated by commas.
e. DNS Servers of Every CVM and Host: Optionally, enter a list of DNS server IP addresses
separated by commas. This is required if you have specified an NTP server by using its
domain name.
Click the Next button (lower right).

Note: This document goes through a basic installation that should be appropriate in most
cases. However, there are options on this screen (and the subsequent ones) that are not
described here. See the "Node Configuration and Foundation Launch" chapter in the Field
Installation Guide for information about all the options.

The AOS screen conveys that the AOS installation will be skipped since your nodes already
run the same AOS version. The option to skip AOS installation will not be available if your
nodes (other than the one selected) do not have AOS pre-installed.

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 14

8. If you want to view the AOS version installed on the nodes, then click the View existing
AOS version of each node... link.

» If you intend to use the pre-installed version of AOS, then skip AOS installation.
» If you want a newer version of AOS installed, then do one of the following:

• If your nodes have access to the internet, Nutanix recommends carrying out the AOS
upgrade from the Prism web console after cluster creation. Skip AOS installation.
• If your nodes do not have access to the internet, then click the unless you want it link
and provide the corresponding AOS installation bundle.
» If AOS is not pre-installed on your nodes, then you need to provide the corresponding
AOS installation bundle in this case as well.
See Downloading Files on page 9 for information on downloading AOS installation bundles.

Note: Nutanix recommends using the latest version of AOS which is compatible with
your model. For the complete list of AOS versions compatible with your model, see
Compatibility Matrix.

Click the Next button.

The Hypervisor screen conveys that the hypervisor installation will be skipped since
your nodes already run the same hypervisor (AHV). The option to skip the hypervisor
installation will not be available if your nodes (other than the one selected) do not have
AHV hypervisor pre-installed.

9. If you want to view the hypervisor installed on the nodes or to select nodes that you want
to use exclusively for storage, then click the View existing hypervisor of each node, or
select storage nodes... link.

» If you intend to use the pre-installed version of AHV, then skip AHV installation.
» If you want a newer version of AHV installed, then do one of the following:

• If your nodes have access to the internet, Nutanix recommends carrying out the AHV
upgrade from the Prism web console after cluster creation. Skip AHV installation.
• If your nodes do not have access to the internet, then click the unless you want it link
and provide the corresponding AOS installation bundle.
» If AHV is not pre-installed on your nodes, then you need to provide the corresponding
AOS installation bundle in this case as well.
See Downloading Files on page 9 for information on downloading AOS installation bundles.
If you want to use ESXi or Hyper-V as the hypervisor, then you must download the
respective hypervisor ISO image which is compatible with the installed AOS version. Hyper-
V and ESXi ISO images are not available in the Nutanix support portal; you must provide the

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 15

 hypervisor ISO file. See the "Hypervisor ISO Images" section in the Field Installation Guide
for more information about the supported ISO images.

Note:

• For ESXi, only the customized ISO image provided by VMware is supported.
• For Hyper-V, only the standard ISO image provided by Microsoft is supported;
do not attempt to use a custom ISO image.

Click the Next button.

The IPMI screen displays a table with the selected nodes and prompts for the IPMI
credentials for each of the nodes.

10. Since the Foundation installer is running inside a CVM, IPMI credentials are not needed here.
Click Start to begin cluster creation.
A pop-up window appears prompting you to ensure that your laptop (or your workstation
device) does not go to sleep during the installation due to inactivity.

11. Click the Proceed button to proceed with cluster creation.

Cluster creation begins and the screen displays the progress.

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 16

12. Monitor the progress of cluster creation. This screen includes the following sections:

• Progress bar at the top (blue during normal processing or red when there is a problem).
• Node status section with a line for each node (node IP addresses, status indicator,
progress message, and log link). The IPMI IP address and CVM IP address are displayed
as the cluster formation progresses.
• Cluster formation status section with a line for the cluster being created (cluster name,
status indicator, progress message, and log link).

Figure 6: Foundation Progress Screen: Ongoing

The status message for each node (in the Node status section) displays the imaging
completion percentage and current step. When the installation moves to cluster creation,
the status message displays the completion percentage and current step. The full process
(imaging the nodes, creating the cluster, and running the NCC tests) takes about an hour
depending on the hypervisor. To monitor the progress of node imaging or cluster creation,
click the Log link for a node or the cluster to display the corresponding log file in a separate
tab or window.

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 17

13. When the processing completes successfully, do the following:

a. If you want to save all the log files, click the Download Log Bundle link to download the
bundle file that contains all the log files.
b. Click the Click here link in the cluster section to open the Prism web console. Prism is the
user interface tool for configuring and monitoring a cluster.

Note: If processing does not complete successfully, see the "Troubleshooting" section in the
Field Installation Guide. For more information about logging in to Prism, see the "Logging
Into the Web Console" section of the Prism Web Console Guide.

Figure 7: Foundation Progress Screen: Successful Installation

14. Log in to the Prism web console using the Nutanix login credentials. The Home dashboard
of Prism opens.

15. On the Home dashboard, in the Health panel, check the cluster status.
A green heart indicates that the cluster is healthy. A yellow (warning) or red (critical) heart
indicates a potential problem that should be investigated. Click the heart icon to display the
Health dashboard, which provides more information about any potential problems. (You can

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 18

 also display the Health dashboard by selecting Health from the dashboard drop-down list.)
See the "Health Monitoring" chapter in the Prism Web Console Guide for more information.

Figure 8: Home Dashboard

What to do next
After verifying that the cluster is healthy, you can begin configuring it. Cluster configuration
steps done soon after creating a cluster typically include specifying an outgoing SMTP
server, enabling the remote support tunnel, enabling Pulse to send cluster status information
automatically to Nutanix customer support, adding a list of email recipients for alerts, and
creating a storage pool and one or more storage containers. (If AHV is the hypervisor, a storage
pool and one storage container are created automatically when the cluster is created.) See the
Prism Web Console Guide for instructions on how to do these and other configuration tasks. If
you need to reset the time zone, see the nCLI cluster set-timezone command under Nutanix
Command-Line Interface (nCLI) section in the Command Reference.
If you want to upgrade your nodes to a newer version of AOS and AHV, see the "AOS Upgrade"
and "AHV Upgrade" sections in the Acropolis Upgrade Guide respectively.

AOS |  Creating a Cluster | 19

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM
If you encounter a problem, check the documents cited in this section. All of these documents
are posted on the Nutanix customer support portal.
To access the documents, go to the home page of the Nutanix customer support portal, click
on Documentation in the bottom panel, and then click on the required documentation category
from the left pane. You can also access the documents by clicking on the menu icon (at the
top left on the portal), selecting Documentation, and then clicking the required documentation
category.

Hardware Issues

• If you have a hardware-related issue, see the NX Series Hardware Administration and
Reference for detailed information about your NX series platform.
• If any part of the shipment is missing or damaged, contact Nutanix customer support for
assistance (see Contacting Nutanix Customer Support on page 20 at the end of this
section).

Network Issues
If the Foundation installer cannot find the nodes or if other network-related issues occur, see the
"Network Requirements" section in the Field Installation Guide. (Connecting the IPMI port, which
is described in that section, is not necessary in this case.)

Login Issues
If you have trouble logging in to Prism, see the "Logging Into the Web Console" section in the
Prism Web Console Guide.

Hypervisor Support Issues

If you are not sure what Hyper-V and ESXi ISOs are supported or where to get them, see the
"Hypervisor ISO Images" section in the Field Installation Guide.

Cluster Creation Issues

• If you want more information about any of the fields on the Foundation installer screens, see
the appropriate section for each screen in the "Node Configuration and Foundation Launch"
chapter in the Field Installation Guide.
• If you run into a problem when trying to image the nodes or create the cluster, see the
"Troubleshooting" chapter in the Field Installation Guide.
• If you want more information about the cluster health checks, see the "Health Dashboard"
and "Alerts/Health Checks" sections in the Prism Web Console Guide.

Contacting Nutanix Customer Support

1. Log in to the Nutanix customer support portal (https://portal.nutanix.com).

Note: You need a login account to open a case on the Nutanix customer support portal.
Follow the instructions on the login screen if you do not have a login account.

2. Click + Create Case under the Cases panel.

AOS |  What To Do If You Have a Problem | 20

3. Enter appropriate information in the fields in the Case Create panel and then click the
Submit button.

Figure 9: Create Case Screen

AOS |  What To Do If You Have a Problem | 21

COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2023 Nutanix, Inc.
Nutanix, Inc.
1740 Technology Drive, Suite 150
San Jose, CA 95110
All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual
property laws. Nutanix and the Nutanix logo are registered trademarks of Nutanix, Inc. in the
United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other brand and product names mentioned herein
are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective holders.

AOS |  Copyright | 22