--- title: "Nutanix 100" slug: "nutanix-100" updated: 2025-12-10T16:46:30Z published: 2025-12-10T16:46:30Z canonical: "kb.expedient.com/nutanix-100" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.expedient.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Nutanix 100 ### Terminology and Components - **Prism** - The management console for Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure. - **Prism Element** - The management console for 1 cluster. - **Prism Central** - The management console for multiple clusters. - **AOS (Acropolis Operating System)** - The underlying OS for virtualization management. - **AHV (Acropolis Hypervisor)** - Nutanix’s hypervisor. - AHV is based on KVM and extends its base functionality to include features like HA, live migration, and IP address management. - **AOS Storage** - The underlying storage component of Nutanix. ![](https://cdn.document360.io/69e9f9c7-5da8-45e7-a671-4b8287f36122/Images/Documentation/image-UQ8KW069.png) - **Node** - A **node** is a server with compute and storage resources, and a cluster is a grouping of nodes. - **Block** - In a typical Nutanix cluster, a **block** is a chassis that holds one or more nodes along with power and the networking backplane for the cluster. - **Cluster** - A Nutanix **cluster** is a logical grouping of physical and logical components. A single Nutanix cluster can consist of one or more nodes, and these nodes can be housed in one or more blocks. > [!NOTE] > At Expedient, our standard cluster is a minimum of 3 nodes (and up to 20 nodes) with a replication factor (RF) of 2 in an N+1 configuration. > > Clusters with more than 20 nodes are set for a replication factor of 3 in an N+2 configuration. | Replication Factor | Minimum Nodes | Fault Tolerance | Compute Cluster | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | RF2 | 3 | FT1 | N+1 | A cluster can sustain the failure of single Nutanix node or disk | | RF3 | 5 | FT2 | N+2 | A cluster can sustain the failure of two Nutanix nodes or disk | **Controller VM (CVM) -** Each node in a cluster runs an industry-standard hypervisor (AHV in our case), and the CVM. The CVM runs the Nutanix software and serves all of the I/O operations for the hypervisor and all VMs running on that host. ### Nutanix / VMware Stack Comparison at Expedient > [!NOTE] > Note that AOS Storage can be used with other hypervisors, including ESXi, but we are only comparing Nutanix with AHV and VMware. | | Nutanix | VMware (Broadcom) | | --- | --- | --- | | Core Platform | Nutanix AOS | vSphere | | Management | Prism | vCenter | | Hypervisor | AHV | ESXi | | Storage | AOS | vSAN* *Expedient uses vSAN, AOS, or Pure Storage for different versions of Enterprise Cloud* | | Networking | Flow Virtual Networking | NSX | | Reporting | Intelligent Operations | vRealize Operations (now VMware Aria) | | Microsegmentation | Flow Network Security | NSX Microsegmentation | | **Add-ons** | | | Nutanix | VMware | | Disaster Recovery | Nutanix Disaster Recovery | Cloud Director Availability or Third-Party (Zerto) | | Backups | Third-Party (Cohesity) | Third-Party (Cohesity) | | Files | Nutanix Files | Third-Party (CTERA) | | Objects | Nutanix Objects | Third-Party (Cloudian) | | Logging | Third-Party (Elastic) | Third-Party (Elastic) | --- ### Getting Started Helpful links for some basic tasks through Prism Central’s UI. - Nutanix Documentation - ⭐ [Prism Central Landing Page](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-main-menu-pc-r.html) ![](https://cdn.document360.io/69e9f9c7-5da8-45e7-a671-4b8287f36122/Images/Documentation/image-I6Q8P299.png) - Nutanix Documentation - [VM Management](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-vm-create-manage-pc-c.html) - [Creating a VM through Prism Central](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-vm-create-acropolis-pc-t.html) - [Managing a VM through Prism Central](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-vm-manage-acropolis-pc-t.html#ntask_nzj_wcj_j5) - Nutanix Documentation - [Virtual Private Clouds](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:ear-flow-net-vpc-c.html) (VPC) - *Expedient configures our clusters to utilize a VPC, giving you the ability to deploy networks at layer 3.* - Nutanix Documentation - [Storage Container Management](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-storage-container-management-pc-r.html) - [Creating a Storage Container](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-container-create-ahv-pc-t.html) - [Modifying a Storage Container](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-container-modify-pc-t.html) - [Deleting a Storage Container](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-vpc_7_3:mul-container-delete-pc-t.html) ![](https://cdn.document360.io/69e9f9c7-5da8-45e7-a671-4b8287f36122/Images/Documentation/image-OCZCVRGA.png) ### Looking for more? - We recommend creating an account at [my.nutanix.com](https://my.nutanix.com/) to access more resources, including Nutanix Software Documentation and Nutanix University. - We recommend Nutanix University’s [**Nutanix Hybrid Cloud Fundamentals (NHCF)**](https://university.nutanix.com/public/course?course_id=66b316e7a213f80eb7ceb276) Online course for admins, technicians, or engineers looking to gain more familiarity with the platform. - You can also checkout [Nutanix in 3 Minutes](https://www.nutanix.com/library/infographics/nutanix-3-minutes): A brief overview of Nutanix hybrid multi-cloud solutions for a quick overview.