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Nutanix NGT Tool Benefits, Advantages

Nutanix NGT Tool - Nutanix Guest Tool Advantages Benefits
Nutanix Tools January 28, 2020

There is lots of benefits and advantages to installing / using the Nutanix NGT Tool ( Nutanix Guest Tool ) in the Windows OS and Linux OS guest VMs. Nutanix NGT tool is very beneficial to enhance the guest VM ( Windows / Linux ) features to recovery / restore the guest VM and guest VM data on the fly.

Nutanix NGT Tool is very essential tool and recommended to install in each guest Windows , Linux VM to add the additional features and functionality to improve the guest VM security and safety.

Nutanix NGT Tool is helpful to restore the file level restore and VM level restore.

Read more: Nutanix Guest Tool NGT Installations in Windows and Linux VM

Nutanix NGT Tool Components

Nutanix NGT Tool ( Nutanix Guest Tool ) contains few components services to work properly to provide the add-on feature of guest Windows , Linux VM.

Nutanix NGT Tool Components services list is here:

  1. Nutanix Guest Agent (NGA) service
  2. Self Service Restore (SSR)
  3. Nutanix VM Mobility Drivers
  4. VSS Agent + H/W Provider for Windows VMs
  5. App consistent snapshot support for Linux VMs

Lets explore the each component services of Nutanix NGT Tool below:

  • Nutanix Guest Agent ( NGA ) Service – Nutanix Guest Agent ( NGA ) service is uses for for communicating with Nutanix CVM (Controller VM)
  • Self Service Restore (SSR) – Self Service Restore (SSR) aka File Level Restore (FLR) CLI, Self service file level recovery from Nutanix UVM snapshots.
  • Nutanix VM Mobility Drivers – Nutanix VM Mobility drivers uses for VM migration between ESX <-> AHV, and Cross Hypervisor DR (CH-DR) projects.
  • VSS Agent + H/W Provider for Windows VMs – To enable app consistent snapshots of Nutanix AHV / ESX Windows VMs
  • App consistent snapshot support for Linux VMs – Ability to run specific scripts on VM quiesce.

Read more: Nutanix AHV Supported Guest OS List

Nutanix NGT Tool Advantages | Benefits

Nutanix NGT Tool ( Nutanix Guest Tool ) has many advantages , benefits that’s make the guest VM more powerful and safe in case of file level data restore and/or restore the deleted VM.

Nutanix NGT Tool ( Nutanix Guest Tool ) Advantages – benefits are here:

  • Restore Deleted File – Nutanix NGT tool provide file level restore in case of accidentally deleted the user file, this feature is known as SSR ( Self Server Restore )
  • Restore Delete guest Windows , Linux VM – Restoring a VM on the remote site or retrieving the snapshot back to the local or source cluster
  • Application Aware Snapshot – Nutanix NGT tool provide application aware snapshot for special applications like Microsoft SQL Database, Oracle, MySQL any kind of Database applications.
  • Cross Hypervisor migration – Nutanix NGT tool offer to convert the virtual disk from qcow2 to vmdk or vmdk to qcow2. If you are using two different hypervisors like VMware vSphere ESXi at DC and Nutanix AHV at DR site. When you replicate the VMs from to or from DC to DR then virtual disk will be converted in hypervisor supported virtual disk format.
  • In-Place Hypervisor Conversion – Nutanix NGT tool provide in-place hypervisor conversion from VMware vSphere ESXi to Nutanix AHV and vise-versa after installing the Nutanix NGT tool in guest VM ( Windows / Linux )

Read more: Shutdown / Start Nutanix vSphere Cluster – Best Practice

Note1: Windows VMs, uninstalling the NGT software inside a VM does not uninstall the Nutanix virtIO package. This ensures that the VM always have the required drivers for mobility purpose.
For example, the VM might be migrated from one hypervisor to another ( Cross Hypervisor Migration To-from Nutanix AHV )and if drivers are uninstalled, the VM might not be able to start properly.

Note2: Uninstalling Nutanix VM Mobility drivers removes SCSI virtIO drivers leading to VM boot failures.

Nutanix NGT Tool Security Features

Nutanix NGT tool offer the three layer of security feature for VM communication. the communication will be considered successful only if all the three conditions are met as shown below.

Nutanix NGT tool offer the three layer of security feature:

Example, if a guest VM that has Nutanix NGT installed is cloned, then the new guest VM will not be able to communicate with the Controller VM.

Read more: Top 10 Nutanix Useful Commands

Conclusion

Nutanix NGT Tool ( Nutanix Guest Tool ) is very useful as VMware Tool in VMware vSphere. Nutanix NGT Tool offer the benefits, advantages and security feature to enhance the guest VM ( Windows, Linux ) power.

Read more: Google Nutanix Cloud Platform – GNCP Vs GCP ?

Dear Readers,

What do you think about Nutanix NGT Tool ( Nutanix Guest Tool ) ?
Share your thoughts and more knowledge ( like NGT uses, useful commands etc. ) on Nutanix NGT Tool through comment section, that can help to other users.

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