---
title: "Managing virtual machines"
description: "Discover virtual machine management in Prism Central"
url: https://docs.ovhcloud.com/en/guides/hosted-private-cloud/nutanix-on-ovhcloud/virtual-machine-management
lang: en
lastUpdated: 2022-05-10
---
# Managing virtual machines
## Objective
Find out how to manage virtual machines in a Nutanix cluster, and how to create and migrate a virtual machine.
:::warning
OVHcloud provides services for which you are responsible, with regard to their configuration and management. It is therefore your responsibility to ensure that they work properly.
This guide is designed to assist you as much as possible with common tasks. Nevertheless, we recommend contacting a specialist provider if you experience any difficulties or doubts when it comes to managing, using or setting up a service on a server.
Some software requires a licence such as Microsoft products, so make sure that all installed systems and software have these licences.
:::
## Requirements
- a Nutanix cluster in your OVHcloud account
- access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
- You must be connected to Prism Central on the cluster
## Overview of Virtual Machine Management in Prism Central
The Nutanix system uses the same interfaces to manage storage and virtualisation, it can be installed with multiple hypervisors (**Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, AHV**). **AHV** comes with Nutanix without the need to purchase additional licences for the hypervisor.
The OVHcloud solution is delivered with the **AHV hypervisor**.
**AHV** enables:
- Using virtual machines on Windows and Linux.
- Migrating virtual machines from one node to another in a cluster.
- Micro-segmentation and network security between virtual machines using **Flow** software.
The **Move** tool makes it easy to migrate existing virtual machines in other environments (**ESXi, Hyper-V & AWS**) to Nutanix and its **AHV** hypervisor.
For more information on **AHV**, see the [Go further](#gofurther) section of this guide.
## Instructions
The following instructions show the creation of a virtual machine in Windows Server 2022 and the migration of a virtual machine.
### Creating a Virtual Machine for a Windows 2022 Operating System
Installing a virtual machine on Windows Server 2022 requires a particular setup because Microsoft does not provide the driver for the **AHV** hypervisor disk controller.
#### Creating a Windows Server 2022 VM
In the left-hand menu of **Prism Central**
, expand `Compute & Storage
` and click `VMs
`
Click the `Create VM
` button.
Type a name in `Name
`, choose the options in `VM Properties
` and click `Next
`
##### **Adding a system disk**
Click the `Attach Disk
` button.
Enter **60**
in the `Capacity`
field and click `Save
` to create a 60 GB disk.
##### **Adding Windows Server 2022 Installation ISO Image**
The image must be imported before it can be used in a new virtual machine.
For more information on importing images, see the [Go further](#gofurther) section of this guide.
Click `Attach Disk
`.
Change the `Type
` settings to **CD-ROM**
, `Operation
` to **Clone from Image**
, `Image
` to **WS2022EN.ISO**
.
Click `Save
`.
##### **Adding an ISO image containing AHV-specific drivers**
This image contains the disk controller driver and should also be imported. It is available on the Nutanix website if you have a Nutanix customer account.
Click `Attach Disk
`.
Change the `Type
` settings to **CD-ROM**
, `Operation
` to **Clone from Image**
, `Image
` to **Nutanix-VirtIO-1.1.7.iso**
.
Click `Save
`.
##### **Network configuration**
Click `Attach Subnet
`.
Leave the default fields and click `Save
`.
Click `Next
`.
Select your timezone and click `Next
`.
Click `Create VM
`.
The newly created virtual machine will then appear in the dashboard.
.
#### Windows Server 2022 setup
Select the virtual machine on which you want to install Windows Server 2022, by ticking the box to the left of the VM.
##### **Powering on the virtual machine**
Click the `Actions
` menu then `Power ON
`.
##### **Launching the console**
Click the `Actions
` menu then `Launch Console
`.
##### **Starting the installation**
Choose your local settings and click `Next
`.
Click `Install now
`.
Select **Windows Server 2022 Standard (Desktop Experience)**
and click `Next
`.
Review the Microsoft software licence terms and conditions, accept them and click `Next
`.
Click `Custom: Install Microsoft Server Operating System only (advanced)
`.
Click on `Load driver
`.
Click `Browse
`.
Select the correct folder `e:\Windows Server 2022\amd64`
and click `OK
`.
Select these drivers:
-
Nutanix VirtIO Balloon Driver
-
Nutanix VirtIO Ethernet Adapter
-
Nutanix VirtIO SCSI pass-through controller
-
QEMU FWCfg Device
Click `Next
`.
The 60 GB disk will appear, click `Next
`.
Enter and confirm the password in both fields and click `Finish
`.
Windows Server 2022 and WS2022 specific drivers for the **AHV** hypervisor have been installed.
#### Installing NGT (Nutanix Guest Tools)
NGT are tools that enable better interaction with Nutanix, particularly in terms of backups and snapshots.
Start the virtual machine console, right-click a CDROM drive, and click `Eject
`.
Go back to Prism Central and select the virtual machine.
On the `Actions
` menu, click `Install NGT
`.
Click `Confirm & Enter Password
`.
Click `Skip and Mount
`.
Return to the virtual machine console and right-click the CDROM drive containing the NGT.
Click `Install Nutanix Guest Tools
`.
Review the terms and conditions, accept them, then click `Install
`.
The installation will then begin.
Once the installation is complete, close the installation wizard using the `Close
` button.
The installation of a virtual machine on Windows is then complete.
### Migrating a virtual machine
Migrating a virtual machine involves moving a hot VM from one node to another in a cluster.
If you have several clusters and the appropriate licences, you can also migrate a VM from one cluster to another.
This guide only shows you how to migrate a VM within the same cluster.
In Prism Central VM Management, click `WS2022N
`.
Check which node the VM is currently running on. It is displayed next to **Host**.
Click the `More
` button, then `Migrate
`.
Choose a destination node.
The name of the new node will appear in front of **Host** if the migration is complete.
## Go further [](#)
[Presentation of a Nutanix cluster](/en/guides/hosted-private-cloud/nutanix-on-ovhcloud/nutanix-hci.md)
[Importing images into Nutanix](/en/guides/hosted-private-cloud/nutanix-on-ovhcloud/image-import.md)
[Nutanix documentation on AHV](https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=AHV-Admin-Guide-v5_20:AHV-Admin-Guide-v5_20)
[Nutanix licences](https://www.nutanix.com/products/software-options)
If you need training or technical assistance to implement our solutions, contact your sales representative or click on [this link](https://www.ovhcloud.com/en-gb/professional-services/) to get a quote and ask our Professional Services experts for assisting you on your specific use case of your project.
Join our community of users on [https://community.ovh.com/en/](https://community.ovh.com/en/).