What is our primary use case?
To use geo clusters, you must have AHV running at the bottom of Prism Central. That was one application. Clusters must connect to multiple geographic locations.
Second, we needed a lightweight system that could integrate with AHV Prism natively.
Nutanix It was an out-of-the-box integration with AHV being Nutanix and Prism being Nutanix. We didn't have to do anything special to integrate it with Prism.
Third, an application feature was available with AHV that was not available with VMware or other solutions. That feature enabled us to create VM-level recovery and production sites across our spectrum.
Fourth, the way AHV and CVM actually work, because if you buy VMware, it must be integrated with vSAN; in this case, CVM was integrated with AHV.
What needs improvement?
Many backup solutions that we use today are available for purchase, be it IBM, VMware, Veritas, or anything else. They usually have very good vSphere and Hyper-V support. Because there isn't much AHV deployment in place, we typically have issues with the integrations that AHV has with backup solutions. We would like to see AHV's backup solution integration improved so that we can take VM-level backups directly from Nutanix.
The issue is that it provides a higher VM level for VMware and other areas. When it comes to AHV, however, you must purchase a separate set of third-party software, which can then supplement that backup via your IBM Spectrum Protect Plus.
One issue we frequently encounter when using AHV is that if you want to install specific software, you must first gain compatibility.
If you want to install an operating system, or OS, on top of your AHV, only a few operating systems are supported. That is one area where I would like to see some progress. VMware typically supports almost all of our systems, as does Hyper-V, but when it comes to AHV, we must apply specific patches in order to run it on top of AHV. Operating system support must be improved out of the box.
If you want to install software, you must first ensure that it is compatible with Nutanix AHV; not all software is compatible.
It is not possible to integrate it with everything. There is limited compatibility with the software that can be installed on top of Nutanix AHV, for example.
If you want to install a specific operating system, you must first check to see if it is listed in the compatibility list; only then will you be able to install it, and that is one issue for now.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Nutanix AHV Virtualization for approximately three to four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We had a few issues initially. There was some upgrading required because the system was initially behaving abnormally due to a firmware issue that was causing issues with our memory. However, a fix was provided, and we have had no problems since. We had no problems because Nutanix usually provides proactive support.
Overall Nutanix AHV Virtualization is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Nutanix AHV Virtualization is a very scalable solution.
I have approximately 6,000 people who use the services that I provide on top of this AHV system.
Because we are running Oracle-based ERP on that, all of the users are internal.
How are customer service and support?
In terms of support, there are two systems that I usually consider. First and foremost, it is most likely proactive in identifying any future problems that the team may encounter.
They have a system that allows them to log in every day to the support team, and they actually go through that support and let us know if they see any problems. For example, if we have a problem, and we engage the Nutanix resources, most of the resources that Nutanix aligns with us are very good technically, and they usually resolve the problem within an hour or two at most.
The support is excellent.
I would rate the technical support a five out of five because it is critical that vendors can see what the problem is with the product after they have made a sale.
It is important that the team providing user support assists us in resolving issues as quickly as possible.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Spectrum Protect Plus, is an IBM product, that we are using for backup and recovery.
We used multiple platforms to evaluate the products. What we were aiming for was a private cloud server environment in which we could provide application services, infrastructure services, and other similar services for a fee. This was the solution's actual vision.
To evaluate the product, we needed to consider a variety of factors. One was the product's technical soundness.
VMware has already been used in several cases, but the issue was that in the case of VMware, we had to procure four to five different solutions. For example, to deliver the same feature set as Nutanix Prism Central, we had to purchase vRealize Orchestrator, vRealize Operations Manager, Orchestrator, the NSX platform, and so on.
We chose Nutanix AHV Virtualization primarily because we did not require other products, for example, when comparing it to VMware, we simply listed three additional products that we required to deploy the VMware hyperconverged option. We chose Nutanix AHV because it was obviously the easier option.
How was the initial setup?
Nutanix Management Cluster was the solution we chose, with Nutanix Prism running on top.
It was pretty straightforward; all you had to do was turn on the hardware, and the software was already installed.
Nutanix can send you those configured, pre-installed, and up-and-running systems; all you have to do is bring it in and do the system. There was nothing to be done; the only initial configuration was to connect the cluster to the system, and that was it.
I would rate the initial setup a five out of five.
Everything was predeployed and preconfigured. We only needed to plug in the power and network to get it up and running.
The entire setup took about 15 to 20 minutes. It was just bouncing the servers and powering the bot.
Both options are available. You can also have a hybrid model, as well as an on-premises model and a cloud model. It really depends on how you want your infrastructure to be designed. We have a model that is on-premises.
We have the on-premises version of AHV, and as I mentioned earlier, everything grew so large that we had to move on-premises.
It is essentially self-sustaining. We don't have to intervene very often.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We can purchase a subscription and have a specific piece of hardware and software available on the cloud. We have the on-premises version.
There are two types of AHV licenses available on the market. The first is the perpetual model, in which the license is purchased once and an annual support fee is paid, and the second is the Cluster model.
When we removed AHV, we were left with the perpetual model.
We paid a one-time fee for the license, and there is an annual maintenance or support fee for patches and everything else.
We do not pay licensing costs on an annual basis, and we pay the support and maintenance fees once a year to ensure that we have the necessary support and maintenance.
The annual maintenance cost is approximately 15 to 18% of the actual cost that you pay. If you buy the solution for $100,000, the support and maintenance contract will cost you $15,000 per year.
It is dependent on the use case. If you only want to buy a hypervisor, it is a very expensive product; however, if you look at the entire solution as a whole, totality, it is less expensive. Because when we compared the prices of VMware and Nutanix as a whole bundle, there was a difference of around 25%, with Nutanix being 25% less expensive because you are purchasing the entire package.
Based on my experience, if you want to buy virtualization and other things, it is a little pricey, but it showed us what the value is.
Price can be a bit slow if you want to break into the market, but it is a premium product, it is pricey.
I would rate the pricing a three out of five. It is expensive, but it also provides the value for money and performance that you require as a hyperconverged and virtualization software.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We were looking for a turnkey solution for a hyperconverged system.
There were several options available, including Nutanix with VMware vSphere as the virtualization layer, Hyper-V as the virtualization layer, and AHV as the virtualization layer.
Certain feature sets are only available with AHV hypervisors when it comes to Nutanix clusters.
What other advice do I have?
Because they have revisions for backup, and their availability, I would rate Nutanix AHV Virtualization an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.