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High-Level Design (HLD) and Low-Level Design (LLD) for Nutanix CE Lab Setup

1. High-Level Design (HLD)

Objective: Build and manage a learning environment using Nutanix Community Edition (CE) that supports IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, security, containerization, monitoring, and hybrid cloud integration, tailored for your specific hardware setup.

Hardware Overview:

  • Motherboard: MSI X99S MPOWER, Socket-2011-3
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K (6 cores, 12 threads)
  • RAM: 32GB DDR4 2666MHz (Upgrade potential to 64GB)
  • Storage:
    • Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD
    • Kingston NV2 NVMe SSD 1TB
    • 4TB SATA HDD (Spinning Disk)
  • GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 4GB
  • Power Supply: Corsair RM750, 750W PSU

Primary Software: Nutanix Community Edition (CE) with AHV as the hypervisor.

Key Features:

  • Virtualization: Nutanix AHV
  • Storage: Nutanix AOS
  • Management: Nutanix Prism
  • Networking: VLAN segmentation, IP subnetting
  • Security: Integrated with Nutanix CE security features, pfSense for firewall and VPN, Suricata for IDS/IPS.
  • Containerization: Kubernetes and Docker environments.
  • Monitoring: Zabbix and Grafana
  • Hybrid Cloud: Integration with AWS/Azure.

2. Low-Level Design (LLD)

2.1 Networking Configuration:

VLAN and Subnetting Plan:

VLAN ID VLAN Name Subnet Purpose
100 Management 10.0.10.0/24 Nutanix Prism, management VMs
110 Monitoring 10.0.20.0/24 Zabbix, Grafana, Suricata
120 Production 10.0.30.0/24 Web apps, CI/CD pipelines
130 Hybrid Cloud 10.0.40.0/24 Integration with AWS/Azure
140 Test 10.0.50.0/24 Isolated testing environment
150 Storage 10.0.60.0/24 TrueNAS, Backup services
160 Security 10.0.70.0/24 Security tools, VPN, IDS/IPS
200 DevOps 10.0.100.0/24 Docker/Kubernetes
210 Penetration Testing 10.0.110.0/24 Kali Linux, Metasploitable
220 Database 10.0.120.0/24 MySQL/SQL Server
230 IoT 10.0.130.0/24 IoT devices and simulations
300 Network Simulation 192.168.0.0/24 GNS3, Cisco IOS

2.2 IP Addressing Plan:

Each VLAN will have a dedicated subnet with static IP addresses assigned for critical infrastructure components. For example:

  • Prism Central: 10.0.10.10
  • PfSense Gateway: 10.0.10.1
  • Zabbix Server: 10.0.20.10
  • TrueNAS: 10.0.60.10
  • Kubernetes Master Node: 10.0.100.10

2.3 DNS and Domain Structure:

  • Primary Domain: lab.local
  • Subdomains:
    • admin.lab.local for management services.
    • prod.lab.local for production services.
    • devops.lab.local for CI/CD and container services.

2.4 Storage Configuration:

  • Hot-tier: NVMe SSD (1TB)
  • Cold-tier: 4TB SATA HDD for archive and backup storage.

2.5 Security Configuration:

  • Firewall: PfSense to manage inter-VLAN traffic.
  • IDS/IPS: Suricata running in the Monitoring VLAN.

3. Step-by-Step Setup and Automation Guide

3.1 Installing Nutanix CE:

  1. Prepare Installation Media:
    • Download the Nutanix CE ISO.
    • Use Rufus to create a bootable USB.
  2. Install on Bare Metal:
    • Insert the USB and boot from it.
    • Follow the installation steps, selecting the smallest SSD as the boot device and the NVMe for data.
    • Configure networking with static IPs according to the plan.

3.2 Setting up VLANs and IP Subnetting:

  1. Create VLANs:
    • Access Prism Element, navigate to the network section, and create VLANs based on the LLD.
  2. Assign IP Addresses:
    • Assign static IPs to critical VMs and services.

3.3 Automating Deployment with Terraform and Ansible:

  1. Terraform for Infrastructure Setup:
    • Write Terraform scripts to create and manage VMs, assign them to correct VLANs.
    • Integrate Terraform with Nutanix AHV for resource provisioning.
  2. Ansible for Configuration Management:
    • Create Ansible playbooks to configure services (e.g., Zabbix, Suricata, Docker).
    • Automate the deployment of containers and monitoring tools.

3.4 Deploying and Configuring Key Services:

  1. Deploy pfSense:
    • Install pfSense on a VM, assign it to the Management VLAN, and configure firewall rules.
  2. Set up Monitoring:
    • Deploy Zabbix and Grafana, link them to the Monitoring VLAN, and configure dashboards.
  3. Security and Penetration Testing:
    • Set up a Kali Linux VM in the Penetration Testing VLAN, configure Metasploit for security testing.

3.5 Advanced Configuration: Hybrid Cloud and CI/CD:

  1. Hybrid Cloud Integration:
    • Use Nutanix Calm or Terraform to connect your Nutanix CE environment to AWS or Azure.
    • Deploy VMs or containers across the hybrid environment.
  2. CI/CD Pipeline:
    • Deploy Jenkins in the DevOps VLAN, connect it with Kubernetes, and automate deployment pipelines.

3.6 Ongoing Management and Monitoring:

  1. Use Prism for Centralized Management.
  2. Monitor with Zabbix and Grafana for resource usage, system health, and alerts.
  3. Scale Resources as needed, adding storage or RAM for VMs based on performance metrics.

This guide provides a comprehensive approach to setting up a fully functional Nutanix CE environment, with a focus on automation, scalability, and practical use cases. If you need more detailed steps on any specific part, feel free to ask!