VMware vSphere clusters setting on Nutanix

To manage VMware vSphere clusters with Nutanix, follow these steps and best practices:

1. vSphere Cluster Settings for Nutanix:
   • Ensure that your vSphere cluster settings align with Nutanix best practices.

1. Here’s a quick checklist for recommended settings:

1. vSphere HA Settings:
   • Enable host monitoring.
   • Enable admission control with a percentage-based policy (based on the number of nodes in the cluster).
   • Set VM Restart Priority of all Controller VMs to Disabled.
   • Set Host Isolation Response of the cluster to Power Off.
   • Set Host Isolation Response of all Controller VMs to Disabled.
   • Disable VM Monitoring for all Controller VMs.
   • Enable Datastore Heartbeating using the Nutanix NFS datastore.
   • If the cluster has only one datastore, add an advanced option named das.ignoreInsufficientHbDatastore with a value of true.

1. vSphere DRS Settings:
   • Set Automation Level on all Controller VMs to Disabled.
   • Leave power management disabled (set to Off).

1. Other Cluster Settings:
   • Store VM swapfiles in the same directory as the virtual machine.
   • Enable Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) in the cluster.
2. VM Overrides
   • You must exclude Nutanix CVMs from vSphere HA and DRS.
   • In the Hosts and Clusters view, select Configure and click VM Overrides.
   • Click Add, select all the CVMs, and click Next.

Parameter	Value
DRS Automation Level	Disabled
VM HA Restart Priority	Disabled
VM Monitoring	Disabled

1. Access Prism Central:
   • Prism Central provides a unified management interface for Nutanix clusters.
   • You can access Prism Central via the Prism Element (PE) or Prism Central (PC) consoles.
   • PE is embedded in each Nutanix cluster, while PC provides a broader view across multiple clusters and vCenters.
2. Integration with vCenter:
   • Prism Central allows you to manage VMs across different Nutanix clusters and vCenter instances.
   • While Nutanix AHV is the primary hypervisor, Prism Central provides a consolidated view for managing both AHV and vSphere clusters.
3. Consider Prism Central Features:
   • Some features in Prism Central are optimized for AHV.
   • Evaluate whether Prism Central meets your requirements for managing vSphere clusters.

Remember to configure your vSphere clusters according to Nutanix best practices and leverage Prism Central for efficient management!

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References:

AOS 6.0 – vCenter Configuration (nutanix.com)