Overview #

RELIANOID Load Balancer can be successfully deployed in Nutanix environments. Since Nutanix AHV is based on the KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) hypervisor, RELIANOID provides full compatibility through its KVM virtual appliance.

In addition, high availability and clustering are supported both at the Nutanix (hypervisor) level and at the RELIANOID load balancer level, allowing flexible and resilient deployment architectures.

Compatibility Explanation #

Nutanix AHV leverages KVM as its underlying virtualization technology. RELIANOID supports KVM environments natively, enabling seamless deployment of its virtual load balancer appliance in AHV-based infrastructures.

This compatibility ensures that RELIANOID instances can fully benefit from Nutanix virtualization features while maintaining all load balancing capabilities.

Deployment Approach #

To deploy RELIANOID on Nutanix:

1. Obtain the RELIANOID KVM virtual template (QCOW2 or compatible format).
2. Upload the image into the Nutanix Image Service.
3. Create a new virtual machine using the uploaded image.
4. Assign required resources (CPU, RAM, network interfaces).
5. Boot the VM and complete the initial RELIANOID configuration.

The deployment process is equivalent to any standard KVM-based environment.

High Availability and Clustering #

RELIANOID deployments on Nutanix can achieve high availability using two complementary approaches:

Hypervisor-Level High Availability (Nutanix)

Nutanix provides built-in HA capabilities at the infrastructure level:

• Automatic VM restart in case of host failure
• Fault tolerance across cluster nodes
• Resource balancing and resilience

This ensures that a RELIANOID virtual machine remains available even in case of hardware failure.

Load Balancer-Level Clustering (RELIANOID) #

RELIANOID also provides its own native clustering mechanism, independent of the hypervisor:

• Active/Passive cluster with Virtual IP (VIP) failover
• Session persistence continuity
• Health checks and real-time synchronization
• Network-level failover without service interruption

This approach guarantees application-level high availability, which is critical for maintaining uninterrupted service delivery.

Recommended Architecture #

For maximum resilience, RELIANOID recommends combining both approaches:

• Use Nutanix HA to protect against infrastructure failures
• Use RELIANOID clustering to ensure service-level continuity and failover

This layered design avoids single points of failure and provides end-to-end high availability.

Reference Deployment Guide #

For detailed KVM deployment instructions, refer to:

https://www.relianoid.com/resources/knowledge-base/howtos/how-to-deploy-a-virtual-load-balancer-in-kvm/

Important Notes #

• No Nutanix-specific image is required; use the standard KVM template
• Multiple NICs are recommended (e.g., management + data + cluster sync)
• Ensure proper network configuration for VIP failover (same L2 domain when required)
• Time synchronization between cluster nodes is recommended

Troubleshooting Tips #

• Image import issues: Ensure QCOW2 format compatibility
• Cluster failover issues: Verify L2 adjacency and ARP propagation
• Network misconfiguration: Check VLANs and interface mappings in Nutanix
• Performance issues: Validate resource allocation and avoid CPU overcommitment

Summary #

RELIANOID can be deployed on Nutanix using its KVM virtual appliance, with full support for both:

• Hypervisor-level high availability (Nutanix AHV)
• Application-level clustering (RELIANOID)

This combination delivers a robust, scalable, and highly available load balancing solution for Nutanix environments.