Lead Engineer at IBS Platformix
Real User
Convenient, excellent support, feature-rich and is free
Pros and Cons
  • "You don't need any other instruments for control, AHV. You only need to look at the prism to control all infrastructure."
  • "I would like to see more automation of Day One operations, such as DRS, and HA."

What is our primary use case?

Nutanix AHV is one control plane for the entire infrastructure we operate.

What is most valuable?

It is very convenient.

Our customers like that it is license-free.

You don't need any other instruments for control, AHV. You only need to look at the prism to control all infrastructure.

AHV is a very powerful solution that is on par with VMware.

Nutanix has all of the features that customers require.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more automation of Day One operations, such as DRS, and HA.

AHV has managing controls but could be better.

The disadvantage is that you must be familiar with Linux in order to delve deep into this solution if necessary.

I am aware of one disadvantage for AHV at this time, which is that Nutanix does not yet have a disaster recovery solution for AHV. We use another solution. Nutanix has metro clusters for VMware but no production solution for AHV. It would be an advantage if Nutanix would include this option.

For how long have I used the solution?

I am an integrator. We resell and implement solutions.

Buyer's Guide
Nutanix AHV Virtualization
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Nutanix AHV Virtualization. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,599 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I don't recall any major issues with AHV. Customers who are unfamiliar with Linux and KVM may encounter difficulties. It can be a problem. And I believe that the number of Linux specialists is significantly lower than the number of VMware specialists. It could be a problem. There is a steep learning curve.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales in the same way other solutions do. Scalability is good.

You only need to add nodes to the cluster, and it will automatically expand.

How are customer service and support?

Their support is very good, and they can assist you with AHV issues. You don't need to understand this solution thoroughly, Nutanix can help you.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We work mostly with Nutanix, VxRail, and vSAN.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not difficult for me. I'm very familiar with the solutions, and it's always the same for me when I implement them; I don't notice any significant differences.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Nutanix AHV is free.

In general, the most significant issue for our customers is that Nutanix is the most expensive solution, and not all can afford the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I am a partner and a hyper-converged system implementer. I sell for customers, and I need to understand the differences between various systems in order to explain and answer customer questions about what's best for their environment.

What other advice do I have?

The customer should learn Linux, but is not necessary, because we are the main stack of operations is done with prism. Its GUI is ideal for user experience, and they don't need to go to CLI to do anything.

I would rate Nutanix AHV a nine out of ten. Because every vendor is required to rate it a 10, but I believe that AHV has areas in which they can improve.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Data Center and Cloud Manager at MTDS
MSP
Beneficial hyper-converged infrastructure, scalable, and responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "For our markets here in Morocco, we are mainly working with server virtualization, and the most valuable feature is the software-defined storage and hyper-converged infrastructure."
  • "The management console needs to improve to make it easier for administrators. For example, to be able to reorganize our VMs, folders, and subfolders, similarly as it is provided in VMware. We can sort, manage, and organize VMs, folders, or subfolders in VMware."

What is our primary use case?

We are a hosting provider that uses Nutanix AHV for our own needs. We have our platform that is using Nutanix and we use it for the needs of our customers in their companies.

How has it helped my organization?

Nutanix has allowed us to offer our customers a solid, scalable, and efficient solution for their infrastructures in order to support them in their digital transformation projects.

What is most valuable?

For our markets here in Morocco, we are mainly working with server virtualization, and the most valuable feature is the software-defined storage and hyper-converged infrastructure.

What needs improvement?

The management console needs to improve to make it easier for administrators. For example, to be able to reorganize our VMs, folders, and subfolders, similarly as it is provided in VMware. We can sort, manage, and organize VMs, folders, or subfolders in VMware.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Nutanix AHV for approximately five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nutanix AHV is scalable.

We have approximately 6 people using the solution in my organization.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is very good and the time that it takes for them to respond is fast, we are very satisfied.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy, it takes approximately one hour to complete.

What about the implementation team?

In-house team

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the solution can always be lower. However, the price of the solution is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I encourage people to use this solution because we are a partner with them for about four to five years, and we are happy with them.

I rate Nutanix AHV a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Nutanix AHV Virtualization
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Nutanix AHV Virtualization. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,599 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior IT Consultant
Consultant
Open-source virtualization that works with Linux and the installation is easy
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a vs switch for the people who know Linux, in case it's easier for them to use AHV than it is to use VMware."
  • "There is no web interface with AHV."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is for virtualization.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that it is open-source. Also, the customization for Linux VMs is good. 

It has a vs switch for the people who know Linux, in case it's easier for them to use AHV than it is to use VMware.

What needs improvement?

VMware has a vSphere client GUI and currently, AHV is command line only.

AHV is easy for people who are administrators of Linux and Unix, but it's not easy for a normal user who connects using a web interface.

There is no web interface with AHV. It would be great if they could provide a web interface.

There is no dashboard, it works only with Nutanix Prism.

I come from the world of Unix and the only thing that customer is asking for is the web interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Nutanix AHV since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nutanix is very scalable, you can go to unlimited nodes.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and straightforward. You click and you install. 

With one click it installs all, including AHV and all of the Nutanix software.

There is an Excel spreadsheet where you put the IP addresses, then you go to the Nutanix installer GUI, click, wait an hour and everything is up.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

AHV is free, it's an open-source solution.

What other advice do I have?

We use many solutions with Nutanix. We use Nutanix AHV, Nutanix CVM, Nutanix Calm, and more.

For normal users, they need a web interface, but for users who are more experienced this solution is the best.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
Steffen Hornung - PeerSpot reviewer
Steffen HornungAdministrator at Neuberger Gebäudeautomation GmbH
Top 5LeaderboardReal User

Sorry, but AHV is just a free hypervisor choice with Nutanix. Otherwise show me how you would install AHV apart from AOS (AOS is the OS of the Controller VM Nutanix uses)!
I bet you meant one can omit ESXi licensing which is true.
But to be open source the source code would have to be published, which it is not. See https://www.nutanix.com/opensource/disclosure. You can clearly see that AHV uses open source components but itself it is not open source.

Senior IT Consultant
Consultant
Can go to unlimited nodes, is customizable, and open-source
Pros and Cons
  • "Nutanix AHV is very scalable. It can go to unlimited nodes."
  • "There is no web interface for AHV."

What is most valuable?

The features that I've found most valuable are that it is customized like Linux KVM and it is open-source for people who know Linux. It's easier for them to use AHV than MWeb. Plus, AHV is free. For Linux people it's easy and also it's free.

What needs improvement?

As for any improvements, the only thing the customer has been asking for is that it should be like VMware where they have the Vsphere Client, whereas in AHV there is only Command-line. It's like AHV Client Web. AHV is easy for people who are administrators of Linux Unix but it's not easy for normal users who like to connect using a web interface because there is no web interface for AHV. It would be great if they could provide an actual web interface. The dashboard works only in Prism.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Nutanix AHV since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Nutanix AHV is very scalable. It can go to unlimited nodes.

How was the initial setup?

In terms of initial setup, Nutanix is a one-click install and it installs all AHV and all Nutanix software, everything. There is an Excel sheet where you put the IP addresses, then you go to the GUI of the Nutanix installer, it's one click and everything is up.

What other advice do I have?

We have many customers using AHV.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate it a nine because it needs a web interface.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
it_user1083924 - PeerSpot reviewer
PaaS Engineer at JSE Limited
Real User
Performance is good, management of the systems is pretty easy, and upgrading is seamless
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable aspect of this solution is that you don't need to pay for it, it's free, as opposed to paying for a VMware license."
  • "They need to work on the deployment of virtual machines. They need to streamline the process of templates and deploying virtual machines."

What is our primary use case?

We use the on-prem deployment model and our primary use case for this solution is for virtualization. We also use it for Calm & Karbon. 

How has it helped my organization?

Save on VMware Licencing costs. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of this solution is that you don't need to pay for it. It's free, as opposed to paying for a VMware license. 

What needs improvement?

They need to work on the deployment of virtual machines. They need to streamline the process of templates and deploying virtual machines.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Nutanix AHV for over a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very easy to scale. In terms of our users, we are running active directory on there, we spool due to migrating our exchange servers onto that platform as well. At the moment it's just active directory and a couple of other systems. There are around 500 users on the active directory. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is outstanding. They are unbelievable, the best support I've received from any IT company, ever.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are a VMware shop but always keen on looking at new solutions which work well and save us money. AHV is great but we cant deploy it throughout as we rely heavily on VMware SRM for Disaster Recovery and BCP.   

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was very straightforward. We have partners that when we buy the kits, they come and do the installation for us. Our partners assist us with the installation. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

No, there is no other solution besides AHV that we would look at. 

What other advice do I have?

It's a great product. It's relatively easy to use and it works well. Everyone that's moved their machines onto that platform says they are amazed by the performance. It works very well. Performance is good, management of the systems is pretty easy, upgrading and all that stuff is seamless. It's a great platform and I would recommend it to anyone.

I would rate it a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Manager Business Development. at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 20
A tool useful for virtualization but needs to improve its stability and scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "The dashboard of the solution is one of its strongest points."
  • "It's not a very scalable product."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is used for virtualization.

What is most valuable?

The dashboard of the solution is one of its strongest points.

What needs improvement?

Pricing is an area that needs improvement. In future releases, I would like to see a better pricing policy. The solution's scalability needs to be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Nutanix AHV Virtualization for eight-plus years. I am using the solution's latest version. Also, I am not using it, but my team does use it. My company has a partnership with Nutanix.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a six out of ten. There are some issues with the availability of the services, which we are trying to sort out.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around 10 to 20 people, who are managers and developers, are currently using the solution in my organization.

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a six out of ten. It's not a very scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

The support team is helpful, and I rate the support a nine out of ten.


How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was easy. For maintenance, ten engineers are needed.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing depends upon the licenses, considering the number of devices.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the overall solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Lead Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Virtualization solution that operates using a unique package transfer process
Pros and Cons
  • "Using AHV, we have a built-in VR solution. It operates using a reduplication-based unique package transfer process."
  • "The software based controller has high consumption. This could be improved."

What is most valuable?

Using AHV, we have a built-in VR solution. It operates using a reduplication-based unique package transfer process. 

What needs improvement?

The software based controller has high consumption. This could be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used this solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable solution. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This is a scalable solution. 

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the support for this solution a four out of five. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Founder at Scaleup
Reseller
Highly secured, simple to set up, and easy and flexible to use
Pros and Cons
  • "Nutanix's customer support is good, one of its biggest selling points."
  • "Adding even more integrations would be an improvement."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are that AHV is highly secured, simple to set up, and easy and flexible to use.

What needs improvement?

Adding even more integrations would be an improvement.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I'm very satisfied with AHV's stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

AHV is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Nutanix's customer support is good, one of its biggest selling points.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate AHV as ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Nutanix AHV Virtualization Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Nutanix AHV Virtualization Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.