New Customer Initial Checklist

Create a MyNutanix account for each person at your organization that will manage or interact with the Nutanix environment. MyNutanix is your gateway to several informative websites, training, documentation, tools, and support. Sign up at: https://my.nutanix.com. Technical contacts should also activate their Nutanix Support Portal Account using the Support Portal tile on their My Nutanix page. Be sure to include accurate contact information for all assets, including install and parts addresses as well as support contacts, to ensure an optimal support experience.

Deploy your Nutanix environment.
Create your clusters
Nutanix typically recommends first time customers utilize professional services from either Nutanix directly or a channel partner to deploy their clusters and assist with initial migrations. Either method will provide a certified installer to get your environment online quickly. For more information on the installation process please review the Nutanix Field Installation Guide

Enable Files Datastore to share files in a centralized and protected location, eliminate the requirement of a third-party file server, and access analytics and monitoring of file servers. A trial of up to 1 TiB of storage is available with every AOS cluster.

Enable Objects Datastore for backup, and long-term retention and data storage for your cloud-native applications by using standard S3 APIs. A trial of up to 1 TiB of storage is available with every AOS cluster.

Test Drive Files and Objects for a quick walkthrough of how you can leverage these to simplify your data management.

Enable Pulse on all clusters and configure email notification addresses
Pulse is Nutanix’s built-in monitoring and alerting system. When the Nutanix software finds an issue with the environment, such as a failed power supply, bad hard drive, or low free storage space, it will do what it can to automatically resolve the issue; while Pulse will simultaneously send a notification to Nutanix (and to any additional email addresses you have configured) to proactively address the situation and create a support ticket as necessary.

Deploy Prism Central if this was not completed during the initial implementation
Prism Central is the native control plane user interface unified across multiple Nutanix clusters. A Prism Central can be deployed in either a single VM or a set of three VMs. Install Prism Central on an internet-connected cluster by following these instructions. Remember to enable Pulse on Prism Central as well.

Enable additional capabilities as desired. To get a flavor, explore our walkthroughs using Test Drive for Application Security, AI Ops and Automation, and more.

Enable Flow Network Security if you’ve purchased it for microsegmentation capabilities or if you’d like to start a 60-day trial (provided prerequisites are met).

Enable NCM Self-Service (formerly Calm) if purchased for application lifecycle management or if you’d like to start a trial (ensure prerequisites are met).

Enable Kubernetes Engine (Formerly known as Karbon) if you’re planning to run Kubernetes on your Nutanix infrastructure, and prerequisites are met. No additional licensing is required for Kubernetes Engine.

Note NCM Intelligent Operations capacity planning and advanced analytics capabilities are enabled by default and a 90-day trial is started unless a license is purchased. Remember to disable NCM Intelligent Operations before the 90-day trial ends If you don’t wish to purchase a license.

License your Nutanix environment
To license an Acropolis cluster (including AOS, any encryption or advanced replication add-ons, Files, and Objects), log in to Prism Element for the cluster, select the Gear Icon -> Licensing, and follow the instructions on the screen. To license Prism Central add-ons (including NCM Intelligent Operations (formerly Prism Pro), Flow Network Security, and NCM Self-Service (formerly Calm)), log in to Prism Central and select the Gear Icon -> Licensing and follow the instructions on the screen. Or review the full License Manager Guide for complete instructions.

Apply Nutanix Security Best Practices
Change all default passwords, including hypervisor, CVM, Prism, Prism Central, and out of band management. Review the Authentication Best Practices Guide for information on how to lockdown your servers.

Install SSL certificates for certificate-based authentication for console access as required

Review options for Data-at-Rest Encryption (DARE) and apply as desired.

Review the Nutanix Security Guide for additional information on how to further secure your environment

Migrate your workloads
Use Nutanix Move or other third-party tools for migrating existing workloads

Leverage available Best Practice Guides & Reference Architectures for your workloads

Explore resources and learn more about Nutanix
Take a tour of the Support portal, and view Insights for your environment

Utilize Nutanix University for operational training and certifications

Join the Nutanix Community to connect with your peers, join user groups, and get certified.

Subscribe to the Nutanix Community Podcast – Podcast can be found on iTunes, Spotify or Google or wherever you listen to podcasts.

View initial setup videos on Nutanix University’s YouTube channel, as well as other available instructional video playlists. If you’re planning to use AHV as a hypervisor, access Nutanix AHV Mission Control to view short videos on initial setup, day 1 basics, advanced operations, and migration.