Configure Nutanix Cluster for FlashArray

Create a Virtual Switch for Storage Traffic:
It is required to create a dedicated virtual switch in your Nutanix cluster specifically for external storage traffic to the Everpure FlashArray. More in-depth information about Nutanix Virtual Switch options is available on the Nutanix portal.

Isolating storage traffic from other core Nutanix services offers a few key benefits:
- Dedicated configuration: Enables separate tuning of MTU, VLANs, and bonding policies optimized for storage workloads.
- Resource separation: Prevents potential contention with management or VM network traffic that uses the default virtual switch.
- Simplified troubleshooting: Distinct network paths make it easier to monitor, diagnose, and maintain both storage and core Nutanix traffic independently.
1. Log in to the Prism Element interface for the target cluster, or access the cluster via Prism Central.
2. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Settings.
3. Under the Network section, select Network Configuration.
4. Click on Virtual Switch and then + Create VS to create a new virtual switch.
5. Enter a name and an optional description for the new virtual switch, set the MTU size (For optimal performance, 9000 (jumbo frames) is recommended, and it must be set in this step as well as the upcoming step where the interface is created) and click Next:
  
  Important: Jumbo frames must be configured end-to-end across the network path (including switches and storage) for them to function correctly.
6. In the Uplink Configuration screen, choose from several options depending on the specific networking design and operational requirements of your environment.
  Note: There is no single "right" configuration as the optimal choice depends on your network switch architecture, performance goals, and redundancy needs.
  
  Bond Type Options for the Virtual Switch:
  - Active - Active:
    
    Utilizes all selected uplinks simultaneously, offering the highest aggregate performance. This configuration requires LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) on the connected physical switches to properly distribute traffic across all uplinks.
  - Active - Backup:
    
    This mode simplifies switch configuration since it does not require Link  Aggregation  Control  Protocol (LACP). Only one uplink is active at any time and the other remains on standby for redundancy. While it provides fault tolerance, it may deliver lower overall storage throughput compared to Active - Active.
    
    Additionally, when using Active - Backup bonding on a Nutanix AHV host, you can control link failover and fail-back behavior by selecting which physical uplink should be the preferred active link. For example, you can issue commands on the Controller VM (CVM) to view the current active interface and, if necessary, set a different interface as the active link (make certain the AHV host is in maintenance mode before executing these commands):
    
    ssh root@<CVM-IP> ovs-appctl bond/show <bond_name> ssh root@<CVM-IP> ovs-appctl bond/set-active-slave <bond_name> <interface>
    
    More information about this is available on the Nutanix portal.
  - No Uplink Bond:
    
    In this mode, there is no link aggregation between physical uplinks. Each uplink operates independently. This approach is useful in environments where each virtual switch serves a distinct purpose, or the network switches are unable to support LACP.
    
    When using this option, it is recommended to create multiple virtual switches and assign different physical NICs to each one. This can improve traffic isolation and simplify troubleshooting but does not provide link-level redundancy within a single virtual switch.
  After selecting a bond type, expand each Nutanix host and choose the physical network adapter or adapters that will be associated with the virtual switch. The physical uplink ports to be utilized cannot already be a member of an existing vSwitch.
  Note:
  
  For Active - Active or Active - Backup configurations, a minimum of two physical uplinks is required to achieve redundancy and failover.
  
  For the No Uplink Bond configuration, a single physical uplink per virtual switch is sufficient, although multiple discrete virtual switches can and should be used for redundancy across separate uplinks for storage traffic.
7. Click Create to complete the virtual switch configuration:
8. If the No Uplink Bond option is being used, repeat the above steps to create as many virtual switches as required based on the number of physical uplinks to be utilized for storage traffic.
Create a Nutanix Service Network for External Storage:

A Service Network is required to establish NVMe-TCP connectivity between the Nutanix AHV hosts and the Everpure FlashArray.

It is strongly recommended to configure at least two VLANs/subnets/Service Networks for this setup. Using dual networks (often referred to as an A/B configuration) provides path resiliency and failover capability in the event that a single network path becomes unavailable.
1. In the Nutanix Prism Element interface, navigate to Settings > Network Configuration, click on Internal Interfaces, then select Create New Interface:
2. Define the interface details:
  - Enter a name for the new interface.
  - Assign a VLAN ID.
  - Select a virtual switch created earlier in this guide (a vSwitch dedicated for storage traffic).
  - Ensure that a sufficient IP address pool exists on the specified VLAN to provide addresses for all cluster hosts.
  - Click Next to continue.
3. Enable external storage connectivity:
  - Under Feature Selection, enable the External Storage option.
  - Specify the desired MTU size (jumbo frames are recommended for optimal performance). Ensure that the MTU size is the same as the MTU size set on the vSwitch.
  - (Optional) Specify the external destination storage subnet and subnet gateway corresponding to the Everpure FlashArray NVMe-TCP initiators. This restricts connectivity to the defined subnet, improving security and network control.
  - Click Save to build the new interface.
4. Repeat sub-steps a-c above to create an additional interface for each VLAN used for storage traffic.

Your Nutanix cluster is now ready to be connected with FlashArray! go to the next section to find out how to configure FlashArray as external storage for your Nutanix cluster and complete this integration.