Nutanix Files Manual: Data Protection and Disaster Recovery

Data Protection & Replication Topologies

Nutanix Files integrates with Nutanix Disaster Recovery engine for flexible data protection.

Replication Modes

• Asynchronous Replication: Periodic RPO (from 1 hour to 24 hours) between local and remote Nutanix clusters.
• NearSync Replication: Low RPO (1 minute to 15 minutes) using lightweight continuous snapshot streaming.
• Synchronous Replication (Metro Availability): Zero RPO (RPO = 0) synchronous file server mirroring across sites within metro distance (< 5ms latency).

Disaster Recovery Failover and Failback

1. Failover Execution:
   • In Prism Central DR Console, trigger Failover for the target Protection Domain or Recovery Plan.
   • The remote file server instance activates Volume Groups, binds IP addresses, and resumes client access.
2. Failback:
   • Reverse replication resynchronizes delta changes back to the primary site before reversing roles.

Self-Service Restore (SSR)

Self-Service Restore enables end users to recover accidentally deleted or overwritten files directly from Windows Explorer using Previous Versions.

• Snapshot Schedules: Configure hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly snapshot retention schedules.
• Shadow Copy Integration: SSR exposes snapshots seamlessly via standard VSS / Previous Versions tabs on Windows clients.

Last updated Oct 08, 2026