Tag Archives: ESXi

Directly modifying ESXi host managed by vCenter Server

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In the world of Nutanix HCI on vSphere, you sometimes do not have access to the vCenter Server, but you do have the root credentials of the ESXi host. However, when you try to make your changes, the ESXi host returns the message, “Access to resource settings on the host is restricted to the server that is managing it”.

There is one particular administrator task where this workaround comes into play: the Nutanix CVM resizing procedure to increase/decrease vCPU and RAM. I always forget the exact details of this workaround and then spend 30 minutes searching for it, so here it is. If this was a Production system, then obviously you would have an approved Change Request before you executed the workaround.

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NPX – Design Exercise (Nutanix Design)

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The NPX Design Review (NDR) has a 60 minute “Design Exercise” where the NDR Examiners present a design scenario with a set of business requirements and constraints that you need to address.  This post is an enhancement of the design strategy I developed for VCDX and tailored for NPX and Nutanix XCP design.

The NDR Examiners are playing the role of a “customer”, with minimal training and knowledge of the platform, and the NPX candidate is the “expert” driving the logical design for the solution.

This post is written with an ESXi and AHV focus (clearly understand what AHV is capable of), Hyper-V is not covered at all.

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NPX – Hands-on Exercise (Nutanix Troubleshooting)

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The NPX Design Review (NDR) has a 30 minute “Hands-on Exercise” where the NDR Examiners present an issue with a live system that you need to resolve.  This post is an enhancement of the troubleshooting strategy I developed for VCDX and tailored for NPX and Nutanix XCP troubleshooting.

The NDR Examiners are the only ones with access to the live environment, so you need to talk them through what interfaces and screens to access.  They are playing the role of a “customer”, with minimal training and knowledge of the platform, and the NPX candidate is the “expert” driving the resolution.

This post is written with an ESXi and AHV focus, Hyper-V is not covered at all.

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Private Cloud – SDDC 1.0

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You may have read my recent Next-Generation Data Center post, that summarised the Conceptual Model and Logical Design of my ideal Private Cloud solution.  This post describes the current vendors that are the leaders of their respective markets and I believe they have a compelling integration story with the highest chance of success.  The back-bone of the strategy relies upon VMware, who in my opinion are the current leaders of SDDC for technology, professional services, training and support.

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