Nutanix - Prism API Extractor for AHV
Use the Nutanix - Prism API Extractor to collect configuration and performance data of the Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) entities. The collected data is used for analyzing and optimizing the capacity of your Nutanix environment.
A Prism is a distributed resource management platform that allows you to manage and monitor objects and services across your Nutanix environment. A Prism includes two key components:
- Prism Central (PC): A multi-cluster manager responsible for managing multiple Acropolis clusters to provide a single, centralized management interface.
- Prism Element (PE): A localized cluster manager responsible for local cluster management and operations. Each Acropolis cluster has built-in Prism elements.
Nutanix - Prism API Extractor supports the Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV). To collect data from the vSphere ESXi, use the VMware-vCenter-Extractor-Service.
The ETL makes API calls to collect metrics of the following entities:
- Cluster
- Host
- Virtual Machine
- Storage Pool
Collecting data by using the Nutanix - Prism API ETL
To collect data by using the Nutanix - Prism API ETL, do the following tasks:
I. Complete the preconfiguration tasks.
II. Configure the ETL.
III. Run the ETL.
Step I. Complete the preconfiguration tasks
- Ensure that you are collecting data from the supported versions of the Nutanix (AHV): 5.10, 5.11
- Ensure that the user that is used to connect to the Prism Server has read permissions (Reader role) to access all APIs.
- The ETL uses the Prism Central credentials to connect to each Prism Element when the Prism Central host is configured in the ETL. Ensure that the credentials used to connect to the Prism Central work with individual Prism Element. You can also configure an individual Prism Element. The ETL checks if the entered hostname is for Prism Central or Prism Element. If the ETL identifies that the host is a Prism Central, then the ETL collects all the Elements that are available in the Prism Central. If the ETL identifies that the host is a Prism Element, then the ETL collects the hierarchy and entities of the particular Prism Element.
Step II. Configure the ETL
You must configure the ETL to connect to Nutanix for data collection. ETL configuration includes basic and optional advanced properties. While configuring the basic properties is sufficient, you can optionally configure the advanced properties for additional customization.
A. Configuring the basic properties
Some of the basic properties display default values. You can modify these values if required.
To configure the basic properties:
- Navigate to Administration > ETL & System Tasks, and select ETL tasks.
- On the ETL tasks page, click Add > Add ETL. The Add ETL page displays the configuration properties. You must configure properties in the following tabs: Run configuration, Entity catalog, and Prism connection parameters.
- On the Run configuration tab, select Nutanix - Prism API Extractor from the ETL module list. The name of the ETL is displayed in the ETL task name field. You can edit this field to customize the name.
- Click the Entity catalog tab, and select one of the following options:
- Shared Entity Catalog: Select if other ETLs access the same entities that are used by the Nutanix - Prism API ETL.
- From the Sharing with Entity Catalog list, select the entity catalog name that is shared between ETLs.
- Private Entity Catalog: Select if this is the only ETL that extracts data from Nutanix resources.
- Shared Entity Catalog: Select if other ETLs access the same entities that are used by the Nutanix - Prism API ETL.
Click the Prism connection parameters tab, and configure the following properties:
Property
Description
Prism Server
Enter the name of Prism Central or Prism Element server. The ETL checks if the entered hostname is for Prism Central or Prism Element. If the ETL identifies that the host is a Prism Central, then the ETL collects all the Elements that are available in the Prism Central. If the ETL identifies that the host is a Prism Element, then the ETL collects the hierarchy and entities of the particular Prism Element.
Prism Username
Enter the username to connect to the server.
Prism Password
Enter the password.
(Optional) Override the default values of properties in the following tabs:
- Click Save.
The ETL tasks page shows the details of the newly configured Nutanix - Prism API ETL.
(Optional) B. Configuring the advanced properties
You can configure the advanced properties to change the way the ETL works or to collect additional metrics.
To configure the advanced properties:
- On the Add ETL page, click Advanced.
Configure the following properties:
- Click Save.
The ETL tasks page shows the details of the newly configured Nutanix - Prism API ETL.
Step III. Run the ETL
After you configure the ETL, you can run it to collect data. You can run the ETL in the following modes:
A. Simulation mode: Only validates connection to the data source, does not collect data. Use this mode when you want to run the ETL for the first time or after you make any changes to the ETL configuration.
B. Production mode: Collects data from the data source.
A. To run the ETL in the simulation mode
To run the ETL in the simulation mode:
- Navigate to Administration > ETL & System Tasks, and select ETL tasks.
- On the ETL tasks page, click the ETL. The ETL details are displayed.
- In the Run configurations table, click Edit
to modify the ETL configuration settings.
- On the Run configuration tab, ensure that the Execute in simulation mode option is set to Yes, and click Save.
- Click Run active configuration. A confirmation message about the ETL run job submission is displayed.
- On the ETL tasks page, check the ETL run status in the Last exit column.
OK Indicates that the ETL ran without any error. You are ready to run the ETL in the production mode. - If the ETL run status is Warning, Error, or Failed:
- On the ETL tasks page, click
in the last column of the ETL name row.
- Check the log and reconfigure the ETL if required.
- Run the ETL again.
- Repeat these steps until the ETL run status changes to OK.
- On the ETL tasks page, click
B. To run the ETL in the production mode
You can run the ETL manually when required or schedule it to run at a specified time.
To run the ETL manually
- On the ETL tasks page, click the ETL. The ETL details are displayed.
- In the Run configurations table, click Edit
to modify the ETL configuration settings. The Edit run configuration page is displayed.
- On the Run configuration tab, select No for the Execute in simulation mode option, and click Save.
- To run the ETL immediately, click Run active configuration. A confirmation message about the ETL run job submission is displayed.
When the ETL runs, it collects data from the source and transfers it to the BMC Helix Continuous Optimization database.
To schedule the ETL run in the production mode
By default, the ETL is scheduled to run daily. You can customize this schedule by changing the frequency and period of running the ETL.
To configure the ETL run schedule:
- On the ETL tasks page, click the ETL, and click Edit task. The ETL details are displayed.
- On the Edit task page, do the following, and click Save:
- Specify a unique name and description for the ETL task.
- In the Maximum execution time before warning field, specify the duration for which the ETL must run before generating warnings or alerts, if any.
- Select a predefined or custom frequency for starting the ETL run. The default selection is Predefined.
- Select the task group and the scheduler to which you want to assign the ETL task.
- Click Schedule. A message confirming the scheduling job submission is displayed.
When the ETL runs as scheduled, it collects data from the source and transfers it to the BMC Helix Continuous Optimization database.
Step IV. Verify data collection
Verify that the ETL ran successfully and the Nutanix data is refreshed in the WorkSpace.
To verify whether the ETL ran successfully
- Click Administration > ETL and System Tasks > ETL tasks.
- In the Last exec time column corresponding to the ETL name, verify that the current date and time are displayed.
- In the Last exit column corresponding to the ETL name, verify that the status is OK.
In case of WARNING or ERROR, click in the last column of the ETL name row to review the log files.
To verify that the data is refreshed:
- In the Workspace tab, expand (Domain name) > Systems > Nutanix Cluster name.
- In the left pane, verify that the hierarchy displays your storage pools, virtual hosts, and virtual machines.
- Click an instance, and click the Metrics tab in the right pane.
- Check if the Last Activity column in the Configuration data and Performance metrics tables displays the current date.
The following image shows sample metrics data. To learn more about these metrics and other related concepts, see Entities-lookup-information-metrics-and-API-calls-for-Nutanix-Prism-API-Extractor.