# Nutanix

> A Nutanix resource handler connects Cloud Management Platform (CMP) to a Nutanix Prism endpoint and manages the virtual machines on the clusters behind it

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Site [llms.txt](/llms.txt)

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Each imported Nutanix cluster becomes a CMP environment.

## Before you begin

- A Prism account with permission to create, read, update, and delete VMs.
- HTTPS access from CMP to Prism, on port `9440` by default.
- The Nutanix API version to connect with. Several features depend on it; see [Features by API version](#features-by-api-version).

## Add a Nutanix resource handler

1. Go to **Admin** > **Resource Handlers**, select **Add**, then select **Nutanix Acropolis** under **Private Cloud**.
1. Complete the credentials fields described below, then select **Continue**. CMP checks the connection at this point.
1. Enter a **Name**, and under **Import Nutanix Clusters**, select at least one cluster. CMP creates an environment for each.
1. Complete any of the optional settings described below, then select **Done**.

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Protocol** | **https**, the default. |
| **IP address** | The host name or IP address of the Prism endpoint. If CMP verifies the certificate, the host name must match the name on it. |
| **Port** | The Prism port. Defaults to `9440`. |
| **Account username** | The Prism account CMP authenticates as. Defaults to `admin`. |
| **Password** | The password for that account. If the password vault feature is enabled, this field offers **Locally Stored** or **Vault Managed**. Select **Vault Managed** to read the secret from a configured vault provider. See [Use password vaults](/docs/cmp/configure/access-and-security/security/use-password-vaults/). |
| **SSL Verification** | Whether CMP verifies the Prism certificate. If it is issued by a private certificate authority, add that CA under **Admin** > **SSL Root Certificates**. |
| **Nutanix api version** | **v2**, **v3**, or **v4** (the default). |

The settings dialog also includes **VM Names to Ignore**, comma-separated regular expressions for VMs to exclude from syncs. With API version v4, it adds **VM Tags to Include**, and with v3 it adds **Console feature**.

## Features by API version

The API version chosen on the handler decides what CMP can do with its servers.

| Feature | v2 | v3 | v4 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Guest customization with Sysprep or cloud-init | No | Yes | Yes |
| CMP passes the server's static IP address to Nutanix | Yes | Yes | No |
| **Change Resources**, and adding disks and network interfaces after provisioning | No | Yes | Yes |
| Removing network interfaces | No | No | Yes |
| Browser-based console | No | Yes | No |
| Tags | No | No | Yes |

For how static addresses are assigned on Nutanix networks, see [IP address management for Nutanix](/docs/cmp/configure/infrastructure/resource-handlers/nutanix/ipam/).

## Import clusters

To import clusters after the handler exists, open its **Clusters** tab and select **Import clusters**. Select clusters, then select **Import selected clusters**. To add another environment for an imported cluster, select the plus icon beside it and select **Create**.

### Change an environment's cluster

Each environment is tied to one cluster. To change it, open the environment, select **Edit** on its **Overview** tab, choose a **Nutanix Cluster**, then select **Save**. An environment with no cluster displays a warning on its **Overview** tab and cannot be used until a cluster is set.

## Import images

CMP provisions from disk images in the Nutanix image service, and imports only disk images: ISO images are not listed. To import images, open the handler's **Images** tab, select **Import Images**, then choose the images and select **Import selected Images**.

## Networks

Import networks on the handler's **Networks** tab. For how Nutanix-managed and CMP-managed addressing work, see [IP address management for Nutanix](/docs/cmp/configure/infrastructure/resource-handlers/nutanix/ipam/).

## Manage servers

From a server's page in CMP, you can:

- Power it off and on, and reboot it.
- Change its CPUs and memory with **Change Resources**, and add disks and network interfaces, with API version v3 or v4.
- Create and revert to snapshots. See [Snapshots](/docs/cmp/use/servers/snapshots/).
- Run scripts with **Ad Hoc Script**.

## Customize VMs during provisioning

With API version v3 or v4, CMP customizes a new server from one of two parameters, depending on the image's operating system:

- **Acropolis Sysprep File**: a Sysprep answer file for Windows images. See [Using Windows Sysprep with resource handlers](/docs/cmp/use/servers/windows-sysprep/).
- **Acropolis User Data**: cloud-init user data for Linux images.

Both are treated as templates, so values such as `{{ server.hostname }}` are filled in at build time.

## Nutanix parameters

CMP creates these parameters when the first Nutanix handler is saved. **Storage Container** options are imported for each environment.

| Parameter | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Boot Type** | Required. **Legacy BIOS**, **UEFI**, or **Secure Boot**. |
| **Storage Container** | The Nutanix storage container for the server's disks. |
| **Acropolis Sysprep File** | A Sysprep answer file for Windows images. |
| **Acropolis User Data** | Cloud-init user data for Linux images. |

CMP sets the cluster on each environment when you import it.

## Related

- [Snapshots](/docs/cmp/use/servers/snapshots/): create and revert server snapshots.
- [Use password vaults](/docs/cmp/configure/access-and-security/security/use-password-vaults/): store passwords in HashiCorp Vault, CyberArk, Keeper, AWS Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault.

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Section pages:

- [IP address management for Nutanix](/docs/cmp/configure/infrastructure/resource-handlers/nutanix/ipam/): A Nutanix server gets its IP address either from Nutanix on a managed network, or from Cloud Management Platform (CMP) on an unmanaged one