Nutanix Cluster Expansion Using Ansible

Introduction

Scaling a Nutanix cluster manually via Prism is fine for one-off events, but enterprise and edge environments demand repeatable, secure automation. This guide shows how to onboard new nodes to a Nutanix cluster using Ansible. With a single playbook, you can add multiple hosts, validate their state, and complete your cluster expansion.

My Personal Repository on GitHub

Nutanix Repository on GitHub

Diagram: Cluster Expansion with Ansible

Use Case

• Automate node addition at scale
• Repeatable node joins for edge rollouts
• Validate post-join status (optional)

YAML Input File: node_list.yml

nodes:
  - ip: 10.10.10.11
    hostname: node4
    rackable_unit_serial: NX-AAA111
  - ip: 10.10.10.12
    hostname: node5
    rackable_unit_serial: NX-BBB222

Playbook: add_nodes.yml

- name: Add Nutanix hosts to cluster
  hosts: localhost
  gather_facts: false
  collections:
    - nutanix.ncp
  vars_files:
    - nutanix_credentials.yml
    - node_list.yml
  tasks:

    - name: Add each node to the cluster
      loop: "{{ nodes }}"
      loop_control:
        loop_var: node
      nutanix.ncp.hosts:
        state: present
        ip_address: "{{ node.ip }}"
        hostname: "{{ node.hostname }}"
        rackable_unit_serial: "{{ node.rackable_unit_serial }}"
        cluster_name: "prod-cluster"

Execute It

ansible-playbook add_nodes.yml --ask-vault-pass -i inventory.yml

Optional: Validate Join

After addition, list hosts to confirm:

ncli host list

Or include a follow-up nutanix.ncp.hosts_info task in the playbook.

Summary

Cluster expansion with Ansible gives you structured, repeatable scaling across Nutanix environments. From edge deployments to production datacenters, this method improves reliability and auditability when growing infrastructure.

External Documentation:

• Nutanix Ansible Collection
• Nutanix Host Addition Guide