Lets an NCI compute cluster grow separately from its capacity by using an outside array: Dell PowerFlex or Everpure FlashArray (previously Pure Storage). Nodes set up this way give up near-sync replication and firmware updates through LCM.
Read more: Nutanix docs
In the Ultra Transcenders books
Each book explains External storage in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- NCI
Combined with NCM, this makes up Nutanix Cloud Platform. It is the company's infrastructure software, licensed in levels that include Starter, Pro and Ultimate.
- Compute cluster
Azure Machine Learning compute of several managed CPU or GPU nodes that scales from
min_instancestomax_instanceswith each job; set the minimum to 0 and an idle scale-down time so you pay only when jobs are running. - Capacity
A reserved block of compute for a tenant whose size is fixed by its SKU; Fabric F SKUs express it in capacity units (CUs). Workspaces assigned to it unlock features like Copilot, and from F64 upwards people with free licences can view Power BI content.
- General-purpose v1
The older storage account kind (
Storage), which lacks access tiers, Archive and premium file shares and retires on 13 October 2026. Converting to ZRS requires first upgrading to GPv2, a one-way change. - Set
Secret permission in Key Vault for writing secrets; some older material refers to it as Create.
- LCM
Lifecycle management in SDDC Manager covers prechecks, bundles and upgrades; its logs sit in /var/log/vmware/vcf/lcm. Since SDDC Manager 9.0, lcm-debug.log receives all of this, and lcm.log is left untouched.
Related terms
- CETAS
Writes the result of a query out to external storage as files (CSV or Parquet, say), in parallel, and creates an external table over them, all in one T-SQL statement.
- Foundation Central Appliance
Not to be confused with Foundation Central, the Prism Central app. This separate VM has a simple interface of its own and, on day 0, can image nodes with no cluster formed or build compute clusters backed by external storage.
- Nutanix Cloud Platform
Brings together Cloud Manager and Cloud Infrastructure from Nutanix. Its external storage option places compute clusters on a qualified array, Dell PowerFlex for example.