Now it’s time to create a Nutanix cluster. But there are some default settings I would like to change before I create the cluster. This is not mandatory but this will increase the usability in the future. Just jump to the create cluster part if you want to skip that.
Changing the AHV hypervisor hostname (optional)
Use a ssh client like PuTTY or my favorite mRemoteNG to connect to the AHV (Host) IP. Use the default password when connecting as the “root” user which is “nutanix/4u”. Use a text editor like vi/nano to edit the “/etc/hostname” file and change the entry to a hostname you would like to have.
The following table shows the hostnames i used in this setup.
| DNS-Name | Type | IP |
|---|---|---|
| NTNX-NUC1 | AHV | 192.168.178.121 |
| NTNX-NUC2 | AHV | 192.168.178.122 |
| NTNX-NUC3 | AHV | 192.168.178.123 |
| NTNX-NUC1-CVM | CVM | 192.168.178.131 |
| NTNX-NUC2-CVM | CVM | 192.168.178.132 |
| NTNX-NUC3-CVM | CVM | 192.168.178.133 |
Changing the AHV hypervisor timezone (optional)
By default the timezone of the AHV hypervisor is PDT (Pacific daylight time). From a support perspective it makes sense that all logging dates are using PDT, so that it is easier to analyse different log files side by side. But I would like to have the time in my timezone which is Germany. To change the timezone it is needed to use the correct /etc/localtime file. You can find the files needed in “/usr/share/zoneinfo”.
- Make a backup of the actual /etc/localtime: “mv /etc/localtime /etc/localtime.bak”
- Make a link to the wanted timezone file: “ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Berlin /etc/localtime”
Changing the CVM name (optional)
This is a tricky part. I could not found a solution to change the CVM name. It seems there is no way to do this.
Changing the CVM timezone (optional)
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sudo mv /etc/localtime /etc/localtime.bak sudo ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Berlin /etc/localtime |
@TimArenz remind me that it may be easier and the better way to change the timezone after the cluster is created. This can be done via the Nutanix CLI (ncli)
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ncli cluster set-timezone timezone=Europe/Berlin |
Creating the 3 node cluster
There are two ways to install a multi node Nutanix CE cluster. Via the cluster init website or via the command line.
Cluster init web page
Connect to: http://CVMIP:2100/cluster_init.html
Enter the needed values and start the creation.
Cluster create via command line
We need to connect to one of CVMs of this setup via ssh with user “nutanix” and password “nutanix/4u”.
The creation is pretty simple which involves two steps. Invoke the create cluster command and set the DNS server.
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cluster -s 192.168.178.131,192.168.178.132,192.168.178.133 create ncli cluster add-to-name-servers servers="192.168.178.20" |
The first connect to PRISM
Open a browser and connect to one of the CVM IPs. Enter the user credentials: “admin/admin”
When login the first time after the installation you will be asked to change the admin password.
The NEXT Credentials which have been used for the download need to be entered now. This means that Nutanix CE edition needs a internet connection to work. There is a grace period which should be around 30 days.
Prism will be be shown now and it’s ready to go.
Go Wireshark!