| Day 1 |
1 |
Getting Started with a Nutanix Cluster |
Hands-on Labs |
Introduction to Nutanix architecture: CVM, AHV, Prism Element, Prism Central. Learn AOS core concepts — DSF, metadata, replication factor (RF2/RF3), and data locality. Hands-on covers accessing Prism, exploring cluster summary, storage utilization, and basic admin tasks. |
We can add Hybrid Cloud and Nutanix Troubleshooting section here |
| 2 |
Configuring Cluster Networking |
Hands-on Labs |
Configure AHV network bridges (br0, br1), uplinks, VLAN tagging, and physical NIC bonding. Understand difference between External, Internal, and Host-Only networks. Verify connectivity using lldpctl, network checks via NCC, and set MTU for Jumbo Frames. |
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| 3 |
Managing Images |
Hands-on Labs |
Use Prism Image Service to import OS templates (ISO, QCOW2, VMDK), manage versions, and distribute across clusters. Explore image replication and permissions. Lab focuses on uploading Windows/Linux templates and deploying test VMs from them. |
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| Day 2 |
4 |
Creating VMs |
Hands-on Labs |
Learn VM creation workflow: choosing images, assigning vDisks and NICs, setting up cloud-init and guest customization. Explore categories, affinity rules, and performance tuning. Lab builds Linux and Windows VMs and validates network connectivity. |
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| 5 |
Grafana & Prometheus Integration |
No Labs |
Overview of Prometheus and Grafana integration with Nutanix and NKP for unified monitoring. Prometheus gathers metrics from clusters, CVMs, and NKP nodes; Grafana visualizes performance, resource usage, and alerts for proactive operations. |
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| 6 |
Configuring and Managing Cluster Storage |
Hands-on Labs |
Deep dive into Nutanix DSF – storage containers, compression, deduplication, and erasure coding. Understand hot-tier vs cold-tier placement, caching, and OpLog. Lab configures new container, enables compression, and measures performance impact. |
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| Day 3 |
7 |
Data Protection and Disaster Recovery |
Hands-on Labs |
Configure Protection Domains (PD), Remote Sites, and Recovery Plans (RP). Demonstrate snapshot scheduling, async replication, and failover/failback. Lab sets up replication between two clusters and performs DR test. |
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| 8 |
File Services (Files) Integration |
No Labs |
Deploy and configure Nutanix Files (FSVM). Understand its architecture— File Server VMs, metadata, and file shares. Integrate with Active Directory for user authentication, quotas, and SMB/NFS protocols. Lab covers creation of file shares, permission mapping, and validating access from Windows and Linux clients. |
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| 9 |
Migrating Workloads with Nutanix Move |
Hands-on Labs |
Overview of Nutanix Move – supported hypervisors, pre-migration checks, agent deployment, and cutover planning. Lab performs migration of VMs from VMware ESXi to AHV and validates guest OS after migration. |
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| Day 4 |
10 |
Monitoring Cluster Performance |
Hands-on Labs |
Understand performance metrics (IOPS, latency, throughput, CPU, memory). Use Prism Central → Analysis → Metric Charts for detailed insights. Identify bottlenecks and view per-VM I/O heatmaps. |
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| 11 |
Monitoring Cluster Health |
Hands-on Labs |
Use Health Dashboard and NCC (Nutanix Cluster Check) for proactive analysis. Review alerts, recommendations, and remediation actions. Perform NCC health scans and interpret log outputs. |
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| 12 |
Maintaining and Upgrading a Cluster |
Hands-on Labs |
Learn Lifecycle Manager (LCM) for upgrading AOS, AHV, Foundation Central, and firmware. Practice pre-check validation, upgrade rollback, and post-upgrade verification. |
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| 13 |
Investigating and Remediating Performance Issues |
Hands-on Labs |
Use Prism Central metrics, ncli, and command line tools (iostat, top, hypervisor) for troubleshooting. Understand SSD wear leveling, hot-spot analysis, and metadata pressure. Create remediation checklist and validate with lab workloads. |
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| Day 5 |
14 |
Getting Started with NKP – Prepare the Environment |
Hands-on Labs |
Learn Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) architecture, prerequisites (Docker, containerd, etcd), networking (Calico/Cilium), and certificate handling. Lab sets up base infrastructure and verifies connectivity to Prism Central. |
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| 15 |
Multi-cluster Lifecycle Management – Manage Building an NKP Cluster |
Hands-on Labs |
Create NKP clusters via Prism Central. Manage node pools, upgrade Kubernetes versions, integrate with CSI (Container Storage Interface), and enable Nutanix CNI. Test workload scheduling and persistent volume provisioning. |
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| Day 6 |
16 |
Configuring and Managing Access Control |
Hands-on Labs |
Integrate Prism with AD/LDAP. Create custom roles, assign granular permissions, and audit logins. Understand Prism Central "Projects" and "Self Service Portal." Lab demonstrates role-based access between infra and app teams. |
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| 17 |
Working with Platform Applications |
Hands-on Labs |
Deploy apps via Calm Blueprints, automate multi-tier deployments, and integrate with ServiceNow. Discuss Calm DSL scripting and role of Calm Marketplace. |
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| 18 |
Protecting Clusters and Applications |
Hands-on Labs |
Use Nutanix Flow for micro-segmentation, define policies and service chains. Configure encryption (at-rest & in-flight), integrate with external key managers (KMIP). Validate traffic isolation through lab. |
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| Day 7 |
19 |
Configuring and Managing Cluster Storage (Advanced) |
Hands-on Labs |
Advanced storage management: volume groups, iSCSI block storage, replication to external arrays, and AIOps recommendations. Demonstrate capacity planning and thin provisioning. |
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| 20 |
Terraform Deployment & Infrastructure as Code (IaC) |
No Labs |
Introduction to Infrastructure-as-Code concepts using Terraform for Nutanix AHV. Learn provider configuration (nutanix provider setup), authentication, and variables management. Build and deploy clusters, networks, VMs, and storage containers automatically. Lab includes creating reusable .tf templates, executing terraform plan/apply, and managing state files. |
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| 21 |
CI/CD Pipeline |
No Lab |
Explore DevOps integration: using Nutanix Calm, Jenkins, Terraform, and Ansible for continuous deployment. Demonstrate blueprint automation for app release pipelines, NKP GitOps integration, and Infrastructure-as-Code workflows. |
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