Manually Updating Nutanix Prism Credentials via the Druva Backup Proxy CLI (ProxyConf)

Problem Description

When a Druva Backup Proxy appliance loses contact with the Druva Cloud Console, administrative updates—such as updated hypervisor or Nutanix Prism access credentials—cannot be automatically synchronized down to the local proxy. As a result, scheduled backups and restores fail because the proxy appliance continues to authenticate using outdated, invalid credentials.

This scenario typically occurs after an administrator rotates the passwords for the Nutanix Prism Element or Prism Central service accounts within the environment, leaving the proxy unable to communicate with the cluster.

Cause

The Druva Backup Proxy relies on locally cached credentials to communicate with the Nutanix Prism API. When these credentials are changed on the Nutanix side while the proxy is disconnected from or unable to sync with the Druva Cloud Console, the proxy's internal configuration files become outdated. Manual intervention at the appliance level is required to realign the credentials.

Traceback

While specific log outputs vary based on the proxy version, the /var/log/Phoenix/ log files (specifically NutanixBackupProvider.log) will typically surface connection and authentication faults similar to the following:

Plaintext

[ERROR] Failed to connect to Nutanix Prism Central/Element. [ERROR] HTTP 401 Unauthorized: Invalid username or password provided. [CRITICAL] Backup Proxy is unable to authenticate with the Hypervisor. Local credentials do not match the target cluster.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must manually update the credentials locally from the appliance CLI terminal using the ProxyConf utility. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Access the Proxy Interface

Log in to your Nutanix Prism Element or Prism Central dashboard.
Locate the target Druva Backup Proxy VM and click Launch Console.
Alternative: Open an SSH terminal client (such as PuTTY) and connect via the command line:
```
ssh root@[Proxy_IP_Address]
```

Step 2: Authenticate to the Appliance

Enter the root access credentials when prompted:

Username: root
Default Password: druvaphoenix (Note: Characters will not display on screen while typing)

Step 3: Launch the Configuration Menu

Execute the following case-sensitive configuration utility command:

ProxyConf

Step 4: Select the Credential Option

From the interactive on-screen menu, select option 2 (Set up Prism) to reconfigure your connection settings.
Alternative Registration Option: If you prefer to force a completely fresh synchronization from the cloud, you can choose option 7 (Activate the Backup proxy) to apply a clean activation token. This forces the proxy to download the updated credential set directly from the cloud console.

Step 5: Input New Account Details

Follow the interactive prompts displayed on the screen:

Enter Prism address: Press Enter to accept the existing IP address/FQDN if it remains unchanged.
Enter Prism Port: Press Enter to accept the default port (9440) or provide your custom port.
Enter Prism username: Type the updated Nutanix administrative username and press Enter.
Enter Prism Password: Type the newly modified password string and press Enter.
Is Prism Central (y/n): Type y if you connected to Prism Central, or n if using Prism Element, and press Enter.

Step 6: Save and Restart Services

When prompted with Do you want to save these settings? (y/n), type y and press Enter.
The script will automatically validate connectivity to the cluster and restart internal backup services to process the changes.
Select the option to Exit and close out of the ProxyConf utility.

📝 Note: This manual utility update changes the root infrastructure connection parameters. It does not alter your configured backup policies, VM inclusion rules, or exclusion filters defined in the Druva Cloud Console. Once connectivity is restored, existing policies will resume execution automatically.

Verification

To verify that the configuration update has successfully resolved the authentication block:

Log back into the Druva Cloud Console.
Navigate to your Nutanix AHV management page and check the status of the Backup Proxy. It should show as Connected/Online.
Trigger a manual Backup Now action on a test virtual machine associated with this proxy to confirm that the snapshot and data transfer succeed without authentication failures.