Lifecycle and Upgrade Management
The workflow
LCM (Lifecycle Manager) is the upgrade engine inside Prism. Its workflow is: run inventory (LCM discovers current software and firmware versions), review available updates and compatibility, then apply. LCM handles AOS, AHV, Prism Central, and - on supported hardware - firmware bundles. In environments without internet access, LCM uses a dark site bundle repository instead of Nutanix's online repository.
Upgrade characteristics worth memorising:
- AOS upgrades are rolling and non-disruptive: CVMs are upgraded one at a time while VMs keep running.
- AHV upgrades place hosts into maintenance one at a time, live-migrating VMs away first.
- NCC checks and free capacity are prerequisites; upgrades need room for snapshots and rebuild activity.
- Upgrade paths matter: some versions require an intermediate hop rather than a direct jump, so always check the compatibility and upgrade-path documentation.
- Foundation is the separate tool for imaging bare-metal nodes and initial cluster creation.
Traps
- Confusing LCM with NCC or with Foundation. LCM = updates, NCC = diagnostics, Foundation = imaging.
- Assuming a one-click upgrade works with no internet and no dark-site configured.
- Skipping prerequisites: critical alerts, insufficient free space, or failed NCC checks will block or jeopardise an upgrade.
- Believing you can jump arbitrarily between AOS versions.
Rule of thumb
Upgrade order: confirm compatibility → run NCC and clear critical alerts → verify free space → take a Prism Central backup/snapshot → upgrade Prism Central first, then the clusters it manages, then firmware as advised.