Storage overview on Nutanix
Overview of Storage Management in a Nutanix cluster
Last updated 23rd February 2022
Objective
This guide will show you how to create a storage container and a volume group.
OVHcloud provides services for which you are responsible, with regard to their configuration and management. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that they work properly.
This guide is designed to assist you as much as possible with common tasks. Nevertheless, we recommend contacting a specialist provider if you experience any difficulties or doubts when it comes to managing, using or setting up a service on a server.
Some options, such as the use of compression or deduplication, require specific licences provided by Nutanix through OVHcloud. Please contact OVHcloud Sales for more information.
Requirements
- A Nutanix cluster in your OVHcloud account
- Access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
- Being connected to the cluster via the Prism Element web interface
Overview of storage operations in a Nutanix cluster
When a Nutanix cluster is created, the system connects all the nodes' disks in a Storage Pool. It is not recommended to have multiple Storage Pools.
By default, the replication factor is set to 2, and it can be changed to 3 if you have at least 5 nodes.
The data is not stored directly in the Storage Pool, it is stored in Storage Containers where it is possible to enable options for compression, deduplication, etc. to optimise storage utilisation.
There are also Volume Groups that provide the ability to access via ISCSI or directly in SCSI simulation for:
- A third-party computer outside the cluster or a cluster VM
- Multiple third-party computers or VMs in the cluster for applications that require shared storage, such as Microsoft SQL databases in Cluster mode
Instructions
Modifying replication factor
Click the gear in the top right of the Prism Element interface.
Scroll through the settings and click Redundancy state.
If you have 5 nodes, you can change the Desired Redundancy factor setting from 2 to 3.
It takes some time for the data to be on 3 nodes.
Creating a Storage Container
We will create a Storage Container, with a minimum of 300 GB reserved for this storage. The other settings are default ones.
From the menu, select Storage.
Select the Storage Container tab and click + Storage Container on the right.
Enter a name for the storage container in the NAME entry box.
Then click Advanced Settings.
In the RESERVED CAPACITY field, enter the size of your container. Other options are also available.
Then click Save to finish creating the Storage Container.
The new Storage Container is then visible in the dashboard.
For details on creating a Storage Container, see the Go further section of this guide.
Create a Volume Group
Select the Volume Group tab and click + Volume Group on the right.
Click + Add New Disk.
Enter a size in the dedicated field and click Add.
The disk appears in the Volume Group. You can then add several other disks.
Once you have created your disk(s), browse the available options and confirm that you want to create the Volume Group by clicking Save.
The Volume Group will then appear in the list.
Go further
Presentation of a Nutanix cluster
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