Nerdio Manager supports Nutanix AHV on-premises infrastructure as a hybrid host type for AVD host pools, providing automated VM lifecycle and power management for session host VMs running on Nutanix clusters. Session host VMs are managed through Nutanix Prism Central and connected to Azure via Azure Arc. This article provides an overview of prerequisites and walks you through the initial configuration steps required to set up the integration in Prism Central and Nerdio Manager.
The following minimum Nutanix component versions have been tested and validated for use with Nerdio Manager:
|
Component |
Minimum version |
|---|---|
|
v4.1 |
|
|
Nutanix AOS (Acropolis Operating System) |
v7.3 |
|
Nutanix AHV (Acropolis Hypervisor) |
v10.3 |
|
pc.7.3 |
Before configuring Nutanix integration in Nerdio Manager Enterprise, ensure that the Nerdio instance has network connectivity to Nutanix Prism Central. This connectivity must be established over a secure network path such as a site-to-site VPN or Azure ExpressRoute. Direct public internet access to the Prism endpoint is not supported. Confirm the following before proceeding:
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A VPN or ExpressRoute connection is active and stable between the Azure-hosted Nerdio instance and the network segment hosting Nutanix Prism Central.
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The Nerdio instance can reach the Prism endpoint on the required port (default: TCP 9440).
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Firewall rules permit inbound HTTPS traffic from the Nerdio instance to the Prism API endpoint.
Note
If you deploy session hosts to a Nutanix Flow overlay subnet, Windows session hosts can time out during onboarding or lose connectivity. Flow overlay networks use Geneve encapsulation, which lowers the effective MTU to 1442 bytes. This is a known Nutanix limitation. To avoid it, choose one of the following:
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Enable jumbo frames end to end (recommended). Nutanix recommends setting the MTU to 9000 bytes on the AHV virtual switch and making sure the physical network supports jumbo frames. This avoids the problem entirely and needs no changes to images or session hosts. For details, see Maximum Transmission Unit Requirements in the Nutanix Flow Virtual Networking Guide.
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If you can't change the physical network, set the MTU in a VM template created on Nutanix. Create a VM on the Flow overlay subnet, set the MTU of its network adapter to 1442 bytes, generalize it with Sysprep, and save it as a VM template. Then deploy session hosts from that template to the same overlay subnet you used to prepare it. The MTU setting is kept on the deployed session hosts. This only works when the session hosts use the same subnet configuration the template was prepared with.
Setting the MTU on an Azure-built desktop image doesn't work, including with a scripted action that runs during the Set as image process. While the image is built, its network adapters are connected to the Azure network, so the setting doesn't carry over to the adapters on your Nutanix subnets.
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A Domain Controller (DC) must be deployed and synchronized with Microsoft Entra ID. Nutanix Session Host VMs join this domain as part of the session host provisioning process.
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A client secret for the App Registration is required as part of the configuration process outlined below. For guidance on generating a client secret, see the Add a client secret tab in the Add and manage application credentials in Microsoft Entra ID Microsoft documentation.
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A Microsoft Entra ID App Registration is required for the Hybrid Client App configuration. Guidance on creating the App Registration is provided in Step 2: Configure Hybrid Client App (App Registration) below.
VM templates in Nutanix Prism Central must be generalized (sysprepped). During provisioning, Nerdio Manager deploys a VM from a template and applies an unattend.xml during the Windows specialize pass to set the VM computer name and execute the Azure Arc onboarding script. More details on this process are provided in the next document, Create a VM Template in Nutanix Prism Central.
Warning
Templates that have not been generalized fail during the guest customization step.
This procedure requires the Admin Nerdio role to carry out the tasks outlined below.
The Arc resource group is the Azure resource group you select for Arc machines when you add a host. Nerdio Manager registers the session host VMs there.
|
Role |
Assigned to |
Scope |
Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
|
The service principal of the Hybrid Client App registration (see Step 2: Configure Hybrid Client App (App Registration)) |
The Arc resource group. Assigning it at the subscription level also works. |
Allows the Hybrid Client App to register the session host VMs as Azure Arc-connected machines during provisioning. You assign this role yourself. When you add a host, Nerdio Manager checks for it and shows an error if it is missing. |
|
|
The user who adds the host, or the Nerdio Manager application identity (either one) |
The Arc resource group, or a higher scope such as the subscription |
Allows Nerdio Manager to assign the Reader role below. |
|
|
The host pool's system managed identity |
The Arc resource group |
Nerdio Manager assigns this role automatically the first time you add a host. See System managed identity and role assignment. |
Enter the following information:
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Sign in to Prism Central with an administrator account.
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Open the app switcher and select Admin Center.
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Navigate to IAM > Identities > Service Accounts.
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Select + Add New Service Account.
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Enter a Service Account Name and optionally a description and email.
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Select Save or Save and Create Keys.
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Immediately after creation (or via the Manage Keys button), generate an API key.
Note
Save the API key immediately. The secret access key cannot be viewed after closing the dialog.
By default, a new service account has no permissions. An authorization policy must be created to grant access.
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In the IAM section, navigate to the Authorization Policies tab.
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Select + Create Authorization Policy.
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In Select Role, search for and select the built-in Prism Admin role, then select Next.
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In Define Scope, select Full Access: all entity type & instances, then select Next.
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In Assign Users, select Service Account from the drop-down list.
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Search for your service account, select it, and select Save.
The generated API key is used when linking Prism Central in Step 1 of the configuration below.
In Nerdio Manager, Navigate to Settings > Environment > Integrations > Nutanix > Prism Central Configuration and select Add to link a Nutanix Prism Central instance.
Enter the following information:
|
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
A friendly display name for this Prism Central instance (max 256 characters) |
|
Base URL |
The hostname or IP address of the Prism Central instance (e.g. cluster.nutanix.com) |
|
Port |
The API port (default: 9440) |
|
API Key |
A Nutanix Prism Central API key used to authenticate all API requests |
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Copy the Application (client) ID and generate a client secret — both are required in the configuration fields below.
Next, navigate to Settings > Environment > Integrations > Hybrid Client App and select Configure.
The Hybrid Client App is a Microsoft Entra ID App Registration whose Service Principal is used to onboard session host VMs to Azure Arc. During VM provisioning, the onboarding script runs inside the guest OS and uses the Service Principal credentials to register the VM as an Azure Arc-connected machine.
Enter the following information:
|
Field |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Name |
A friendly display name (max 256 characters) |
|
App ID |
The Application (client) ID from the Entra ID App Registration |
|
App Secret |
A client secret for the App Registration (max 512 characters) |
The service principal associated with this app registration must have the Azure Connected Machine Onboarding role on the Arc resource group, which is the resource group you select for Arc machines when you add a host. You can also assign the role at the subscription level, which applies to every resource group in that subscription. Nerdio Manager does not assign this role for you. When you add a host, it checks for the role and shows an error if it is missing.
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Navigate to the Azure portal > Resource Group > Access Control (IAM).
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Select Add role assignment.
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Select Azure Connected Machine Onboarding.
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Assign it to the Service Principal of the App Registration.
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Switch back to Nerdio Manager and navigate to Host Pools.
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Select the Hybrid Host Pools tab.
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Select New Host Pool and then Add Nutanix Host Pool.
When you create a Nutanix host pool, Nerdio Manager creates a system managed identity for the host pool. The first time you add a host, Nerdio Manager assigns that identity the Reader role on the Arc resource group. You do not need to assign it yourself.
Note
To assign the Reader role, Nerdio Manager uses the permissions of the user who adds the host. If that fails, it uses the Nerdio Manager application identity. At least one of them needs a role that can assign roles, such as User Access Administrator or Owner, on the Arc resource group or a higher scope. If neither does, adding the host fails with an error. If you assign the Reader role to the host pool's system managed identity on the Arc resource group yourself before you add the first host, Nerdio Manager skips this step and neither permission is needed.
When creating session hosts, the following parameters are configured:
|
Parameter |
Description |
Constraints |
|---|---|---|
|
VM Name Prefix |
Prefix for auto-generated VM names |
Standard Azure VM naming rules |
|
Region |
Azure region for the Arc resource |
Must match deployment region |
|
Resource Group |
Azure resource group for Arc machines |
The Hybrid Client App service principal must have the Azure Connected Machine Onboarding role on this resource group |
|
Prism Central |
The linked Prism Central instance |
Must be configured in Settings |
|
VM Template |
Nutanix VM template (must be generalized) |
From selected Prism Central |
|
Subnet |
Nutanix network subnet, grouped by cluster |
From selected Prism Central |
|
Sockets |
Number of CPU sockets |
1 - 32 |
|
vCPUs (Cores) |
Total number of virtual CPU cores |
1 - 128 |
|
Memory (GB) |
RAM allocation in gigabytes |
1 - 1024 GB |
|
Disk Size (GB) |
Additional data disk size |
32 – 32,767 GB |
|
Storage Container |
Nutanix storage container for the additional disk above |
From selected Prism Central |
|
Categories |
Nutanix categories to tag the VM |
Optional, from selected Prism Central |
The following articles guide you through additional setup and management of AVD Hybrid on Nutanix AHV:
In some configurations, Guest Reboot or Guest Shutdown commands issued against Windows VMs running on AHV may fail silently — no error is shown in Prism or in logs, and subsequent attempts may succeed. This behavior is more common in VDI environments than in generic server virtualization scenarios. For a full description of known causes and recommended workarounds, refer to the Nutanix KB article on this topic.
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