Nutanix Storage
Overview
Storage on Nutanix spans four namespaces, each with its own executor:
storage — storage containers and volume groups on clusters; the
primary surface for capacity questions.volumes — volume group lifecycle with iSCSI and NVMe-TCP client
attachment; the surface for "what is this LUN attached to".objects — Nutanix Objects, the S3-compatible object store service.files — Nutanix Files: virtual file servers, NFS/SMB shares,
share-level security and capacity.
objects and files executors only register when those services are
deployed on the connected Prism Central — their absence is expected on
clusters without the license.
Key Concepts
| Concept |
Namespace |
Notes |
| Storage container |
storage |
Cluster-scoped datastore backing VM disks; capacity and config per container |
| Volume group |
storage / volumes |
Block storage exposed over iSCSI/NVMe-TCP; attachment state lives in volumes |
| File server |
files |
A virtual file server instance hosting shares |
| Share |
files |
NFS export or SMB share with its own security and quota settings |
| Object store |
objects |
S3-compatible store instance with buckets and access policies |
Common Workflows
Storage capacity review
listOperations(namespace="storage", search="containers") →
list-storage-containers operation.storage_execute to list containers per cluster; read capacity,
usage, and replication/compression settings from each entity.- Rank by utilization; anything approaching full is the headline.
For growth trending and runway, cross to the
aiops namespace
(monitoring-aiops skill) rather than extrapolating one snapshot.
Volume group attachment audit
- Discover volume group list/get operations in
volumes.
volumes_execute to list volume groups, then read attachment state
(iSCSI/NVMe-TCP clients) per group.- Flag unattached groups (reclaimable capacity) and groups attached
to unexpected initiators (security review).
File services overview
files_execute list of file servers, then shares per server, with
quota and usage fields.- Report per-share protocol (NFS/SMB), capacity, and security
settings.
Read-only boundary
Creating, resizing, attaching, or deleting containers, volume groups,
shares, or stores is non-GET and blocked by read-only mode. Findings
from an audit become recommendations for a human, optionally with
getCodeSample output for the specific change operation.
Gotchas
- Container capacity is cluster-scoped, not global. Sum across
clusters explicitly when reporting an estate-wide number, and say
which clusters were counted.
- Thin provisioning skews raw numbers. Provisioned capacity can
legitimately exceed physical; report both logical usage and physical
capacity, not one figure.
storage vs volumes overlap. Both touch volume groups. Use
storage for existence/capacity, volumes for attachment and
client (initiator) detail.
Related Skills
1---2name: nutanix-storage3description: The Nutanix storage read surface across four namespaces: `storage_execute` for storage containers and volume groups, `volumes_execute` for iSCSI / NVMe-TCP volume group attachment state, `objects_execute` for the S3-compatible object store, and `files_execute` for virtual file servers and NFS/SMB shares — capacity, configuration, and attachment queries.4---56# Nutanix Storage78## Overview910Storage on Nutanix spans four namespaces, each with its own executor:1112- `storage` — storage containers and volume groups on clusters; the13 primary surface for capacity questions.14- `volumes` — volume group lifecycle with iSCSI and NVMe-TCP client15 attachment; the surface for "what is this LUN attached to".16- `objects` — Nutanix Objects, the S3-compatible object store service.17- `files` — Nutanix Files: virtual file servers, NFS/SMB shares,18 share-level security and capacity.1920`objects` and `files` executors only register when those services are21deployed on the connected Prism Central — their absence is expected on22clusters without the license.2324## Key Concepts2526| Concept | Namespace | Notes |27|---------|-----------|-------|28| Storage container | `storage` | Cluster-scoped datastore backing VM disks; capacity and config per container |29| Volume group | `storage` / `volumes` | Block storage exposed over iSCSI/NVMe-TCP; attachment state lives in `volumes` |30| File server | `files` | A virtual file server instance hosting shares |31| Share | `files` | NFS export or SMB share with its own security and quota settings |32| Object store | `objects` | S3-compatible store instance with buckets and access policies |3334## Common Workflows3536### Storage capacity review37381. `listOperations(namespace="storage", search="containers")` →39 list-storage-containers operation.402. `storage_execute` to list containers per cluster; read capacity,41 usage, and replication/compression settings from each entity.423. Rank by utilization; anything approaching full is the headline.43 For growth trending and runway, cross to the `aiops` namespace44 (monitoring-aiops skill) rather than extrapolating one snapshot.4546### Volume group attachment audit47481. Discover volume group list/get operations in `volumes`.492. `volumes_execute` to list volume groups, then read attachment state50 (iSCSI/NVMe-TCP clients) per group.513. Flag unattached groups (reclaimable capacity) and groups attached52 to unexpected initiators (security review).5354### File services overview55561. `files_execute` list of file servers, then shares per server, with57 quota and usage fields.582. Report per-share protocol (NFS/SMB), capacity, and security59 settings.6061## Read-only boundary6263Creating, resizing, attaching, or deleting containers, volume groups,64shares, or stores is non-GET and blocked by read-only mode. Findings65from an audit become recommendations for a human, optionally with66`getCodeSample` output for the specific change operation.6768## Gotchas6970- **Container capacity is cluster-scoped, not global.** Sum across71 clusters explicitly when reporting an estate-wide number, and say72 which clusters were counted.73- **Thin provisioning skews raw numbers.** Provisioned capacity can74 legitimately exceed physical; report both logical usage and physical75 capacity, not one figure.76- **`storage` vs `volumes` overlap.** Both touch volume groups. Use77 `storage` for existence/capacity, `volumes` for attachment and78 client (initiator) detail.7980## Related Skills8182- [api-patterns](../api-patterns/SKILL.md) — discovery workflow, OData, read-only mode83- [cluster-operations](../cluster-operations/SKILL.md) — the clusters containers live on84- [monitoring-aiops](../monitoring-aiops/SKILL.md) — capacity runway forecasting
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