Nutanix + Hyper-V and Veeam Anyone using this?

[Line_Rider]

We are about the pull the trigger on ordering a Nutanix setup to replace our current Hyper-V cluster / SAN and cost wise for us, running Hyper-V DataCenter editions on the hosts is much more feasible than licensing each individual vm if we went with one of the other hypervisors.

And with Veeam currently as our backup / DR solution it is way too valuable and reliable to us to move away from.

So, anyone else doing a Nutanix block on Hyper-V and Veeam as the backup? If so any advice/pitfalls/good things to know? I'll be using Server 2016 DataCenter for the hosts.

Thanks!

[nmdange]

If you're running Server 2016 Datacenter why aren't you using Storage Spaces Direct instead of Nutanix?

[enoch]

If you a licensing all Hyper-V hosts with datacenter edition and will have min. 4 hosts, the I agree why not look at Storage Spaces Direct?

[Line_Rider]

Valid questions, I have been considering it actually and have built a couple virtual clusters with using S2D to get a little experience with it, haven't had a chance to do it with physical hosts yet but I certainly can build it if I end up going that way. Do you guys have some experience with it yet? If so what do you think?

We are looking closely at Nutanix because it's been out longer in the hyperconverged space, that's really the reason. Comes with a bigger price tag obviously because it's their software sitting on top.

But I would like to hear from anyone who's using Nutanix+Hyper-V with Veeam as the backup if there are any.

[Gostev]

Such deployments are extremely rare in my experience.

[chrisdearden]

I know of another community member running it. Will point him this threads direction. Running it on 2016 should mean you will get changed block tracking back, something that does not work with 2012

[Line_Rider]

Such deployments are extremely rare in my experience.

Before I posted I had been noticing already that Nutanix with Hyper-V is definitely the lesser choice being made. VMware = way too much $$$, using AHV means I loose snapshot based backup and basically every feature Veeam is good for if I do the end point route and I feel that's giving up too much so nope on that.

Everyone that I've spoken with who uses Nutanix is using AHV and they are all doing agent based backups. I started with Veeam back when 7 came out (on vmware @ different place) and similar to heated car seats...you can't go back.

[Line_Rider]

I know of another community member running it. Will point him this threads direction. Running it on 2016 should mean you will get changed block tracking back, something that does not work with 2012

Appreciated, thanks!

[Line_Rider]

Hey guys, update. I've decided I'm going with Storage Spaces Direct

Awaiting quotes on hardware now....

[Mike Resseler]

Jon,

Let us know what your experiences are. Also, pretty important at this point in time, make sure you have all the updates that are available today. Some of those will save you lots of troubles and hours of frustration

M/

[Line_Rider]

Let us know what your experiences are.

I definitely will!!

make sure you have all the updates that are available today. Some of those will save you lots of troubles and hours of frustration

Thanks for the heads up, I will be certain all drivers, updates, etc are current

I'm already on Veeam 9.5 as well for backup...and speaking of that, I do have a virtual storage spaces direct cluster running at the moment on a 2016 host so that I have nested virtualization enabled. For a test I added that virtual cluster to my Veeam console and ran a test backup on the VM in that cluster. Well...it just worked

[Mike Resseler]

Yep, we love it when it just works . To be honest, I knew about this as I have a set of nested Nano servers in a cluster running and all the VM's on that Nano cluster... Well, I just back them up

On another note... What is the performance loss you see on that nested cluster?

[Line_Rider]

Performance isn't bad. Honestly, much better than I was expecting when I first created it.

The physical host is Nano server and it's an HP Proliant with 6 10K hard drives in a RAID set which is where the virtual cluster lives, the virtual cluster is also Nano.

I've got the cluster deployment scripted now so I can deploy 4 fresh nano vm's, cluster them, create the S2D pool and volumes in probably 15 minutes. I haven't timed it specifically but that's what it seems it deploys in. Putting a single nano VM into that cluster takes 5 minutes compared to 2.5 at the physical level.

[Line_Rider]

On another note... What is the performance loss you see on that nested cluster?

I just realized you might have been referring to the backup speed when I tested Veeam on the nested vm. Backup speed was maybe 20% slower but a lot of that time spent was waiting for the snap and processing to happen, job ran in 6.5 minutes verses 4 when testing a nano vm on the physical host.