How LCM gets its updates with and without internet access.
From Ultra Transcenders NCP-MCI-7.5 by Tony Rough (coming November 2026)
How LCM gets its bundles decides how the rest of the upgrade is prepared. Internet access is the first question; which components are involved is the second.
A connected site retrieves bundles from the Nutanix portal, and inventory also updates the LCM framework. A dark site has no internet access, so bundles are downloaded separately and the framework is upgraded by direct upload or web server. If the bundled LCM version is not the latest, software and firmware updates cannot be performed.
| Item | Connected site | Direct Upload | Web server | Dark Site Upgrade Orchestrator (DUO) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bundle source | Portal, automatic | Uploaded in Prism | Placed on a local web server | Compatibility bundle, plan, then a download script |
| Use for | Sites with internet access, one-click components | Components on the direct upload list | Components on the web server list, including those without direct upload | Finding compatible versions and their dependencies |
| Requires | DNS and firewall access | pc.2024.1 or later for Prism Central uploads | Local web server setup | AOS 7.5 and pc.7.5 or later; an API key |
| Cisco UCS firmware | Supported | Not supported on the latest hardware | Not supported on the latest hardware | Not supported |
The CVMs and Prism Central must resolve download.nutanix.com and release-api.nutanix.com, and the firewall must allow all three of the following on port 80, or 443 for HTTPS:
download.nutanix.com, for modules, product metadata and most images.release-api.nutanix.com, for AOS, NCC and Prism Central versions.*.cloudfront.net.Allow the domain names rather than IP addresses, because endpoint addresses change dynamically and static entries cause failures. LCM uploads no cluster data to these endpoints; the only upload occurs with Pulse enabled and is limited to usage information.
For firmware on hardware reached through BMC or IPMI, open port 80 or 443 on the local hypervisor firewall. If IP access control is set on the IPMI, add a rule for 169.254.3.0/24 above the rule dropping other networks.
A component is updated through a connected site only if it is one-click download enabled, meaning LCM fetches it from download.nutanix.com. If it is not, use a dark-site method for that component even on a connected site. The Staged Release Model is related: new releases become visible in LCM in phases, and are generally made 1-click ready within 90 days, but are always available for manual download from the portal.
Common trap: A new AOS version missing from LCM’s connected-site list has not been released - releases appear in phases under the Staged Release Model. It might already be available for manual download from the portal.
For DUO, the sequence is: upload the compatibility bundle, create and export the upgrade plan, create an API key, download the bundles with the Nutanix downloader script, then upload them and resume the plan. All dependent bundles must be present; if one is missing, the upgrade action is disabled and a message names it.
For web server extraction problems, keep filenames in lower case and use WinZip 22 or above: 7zip and earlier WinZip versions truncate filenames at 39 characters, causing File not found errors.
This note is one section of Ultra Transcenders NCP-MCI-7.5: Nutanix Multicloud Infrastructure, an independent study guide that explains every topic the exam covers by technology, with comparison tables, diagrams and the common traps, plus a glossary linked to the Nutanix Support Portal.
Due on Amazon in November 2026, in Kindle and paperback editions.
About the book · NCP-MCI-7.5 terms in the glossary · All NCP-MCI-7.5 study notes
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