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Nutanix Files Manual: Directory Services and User Management
Active Directory and LDAP Integration
Nutanix Files integrates natively with Active Directory (AD) and OpenLDAP for identity, authentication, and access control.
Active Directory Joining & Management
- Joining AD: Requires Domain Admin credentials or a pre-created Computer Account in an Organizational Unit (OU).
- Machine Account Password Expiry: Automated background password rotation between FSVMs and AD Domain Controllers.
- Disjoint Domains: Support for client access across non-trusting or disjoint AD forests using Kerberos / NTLM pass-through.
User Mapping (NFS to SMB Identity Alignment)
In multiprotocol environments where files are accessed via both SMB and NFS, Nutanix Files provides a User Mapping engine to align Windows SIDs with Unix UIDs/GIDs.
Mapping Rule Types
- Active Directory / LDAP Mapping: Maps Windows usernames to Unix UIDs via RFC 2307 attributes (
uidNumber,gidNumber) in AD. - Explicit Mapping Rules: Custom regex or explicit table rules mapping
DOMAIN\winuser->unixuser. - Default Mapping: Fallback mapping for unassigned accounts (e.g., mapping all unmapped users to guest account or predefined UID).
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Nutanix Files implements granular admin roles within Prism Central:
| Role Name | Description & Permissions |
|---|---|
| Files Admin | Full management rights across file servers, shares, quotas, networking, and security settings. |
| Files Backup Admin | Read-only rights for snapshot management, SSR configuration, and backup application service accounts. |
| Files Operator | Monitoring rights to view alerts, tasks, performance metrics, and capacity usage. |
| REST API Limited User | API key authenticated account restricted to specific REST endpoints (SMB share creation/querying). |
Last updated Oct 08, 2026