Choose manual control or Nerdio Manager automation to run AVD Hybrid with Nutanix AHV.
Microsoft’s Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) Hybrid lets you run session hosts on‑premises while using AVD’s cloud control plane. On Nutanix AHV, organizations can keep data local to support sovereignty objectives and performance requirements while brokering secure access through a globally distributed control plane managed by Microsoft, with security controls configured by the customer. The hybrid model is enabled by Azure Arc preserving the Azure‑based identity, policy, and management experience. Nerdio Manager adds enterprise‑grade desktop orchestration and automation for VM lifecycle, image updates, power policies, and autoscaling on AHV, designed to help minimize operational effort compared to do-it-yourself scripts. For teams with strong scripting skills, Nutanix’s APIs offer a DIY path today; for teams prioritizing speed and simplicity, Nerdio Manager and the Nutanix AHV hypervisor provide tools designed to streamline image management and provisioning tools.
Manual (API‑Driven) on AHV: For teams comfortable with APIs, Nutanix provides a well-established path to deploy and manage AVD Hybrid with AHV. Admins provision Windows VMs from AHV templates, register each VM with Azure Arc, install the AVD agent and bootloader, and join a host pool using a registration token. Day‑2 tasks, power operations, image updates, and scale events are handled via Nutanix automation (Runbooks/Calm) or scripts, while AVD oversees brokering and session control in Azure. This approach offers fine‑grained control and leverages existing skills.
Automated with Nerdio Manager on AHV: For organizations prioritizing speed, consistency, and reduced operational effort, Nerdio Manager layers enterprise automation atop AHV‑hosted AVD session hosts. Nerdio Manager streamlines VM lifecycle, power management, image/patch pipelines, and auto‑scaling from a central console, while maintaining AVD as the control plane and leveraging Arc for hybrid connectivity. This reduces scripting overhead and is designed to streamline deployment timelines, particularly at scale or across multiple sites.
Both tracks keep desktops on Nutanix AHV and identities in Azure for a consistent, cloud-aligned experience.
Architecture: AVD’s control plane remains in Azure; session hosts run on Nutanix AHV in your datacenter. Each AHV VM installs the Azure Arc Connected Machine agent to onboard into Azure Arc, and register with a designated host pool. Users authenticate through Azure AD/Entra ID, and administrators manage host pools, policies, and monitoring in Azure, while VM power and capacity are managed on AHV. Nerdio Manager centralizes and automates these lifecycle actions for AHV‑hosted session hosts.
Supported OS & Identity: AVD Hybrid with AHV supports Windows Server (single or multi‑session with RDS CAL/SAL) and Windows 11 Enterprise (single‑session with VDA). Windows 11 multi‑session is exclusive to Azure/Azure Local and not supported on non‑Azure infrastructure. Unified identity relies on Azure AD/Entra ID and hybrid domain join for SSO and policy enforcement. Networking optimizations like RDP Shortpath remain available when properly configured.
Whether you prefer manual control with AHV APIs and scripts or an automated approach with Nerdio Manager, Nutanix AHV is the on‑prem foundation for AVD Hybrid. To design your path and timeline, contact your Nutanix team to discuss a pilot with AVD Hybrid with AHV and Nerdio Manager.
Learn more at www.nutanix.com