In this post, I cover two common Nutanix Foundation imaging issues on HPE ProLiant Gen12 servers, including the HTTPS port 8001 requirement and an iLO 7 firmware-related login issue.

During recent Nutanix Foundation deployments on HPE ProLiant Gen12 servers, I ran into two issues that are worth documenting. Both errors are not uncommon in real-world environments and can save you significant troubleshooting time if you recognize them early.

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Issue 1 – Foundation HTTPS Required on Port 8001

Error message

ERROR Imaging requires Foundation HTTPS to be enabled on port 8001
Exception: Imaging requires Foundation HTTPS to be enabled on port 8001 for nodes that require HTTPS boot media.

Scope

• HPE ProLiant Gen12 hardware

Root cause

HPE ProLiant Gen12 platforms require HTTPS boot media during imaging. When Foundation is not configured to serve HTTPS on port 8001, imaging will fail with this error.

Solution

Enable HTTPS on Foundation using the REST API endpoint:

POST http://<foundation-ip>:8000/foundation/configure_https

Body:

{
  "use_self_signed_certs": true
}

Expected response:

{
  "message": "HTTPS configuration completed successfully",
  "https_enabled": true,
  "port": 8001
}

This can easily be done with Postman and the following steps:

• Make a new request
• Change the method to post
• Enter the foundation url followed with the API call /foundation/configure_https
• Goto the tab “body” select raw>json
• Paste the following json code:
  {
  “use_self_signed_certs”: true
  }
• Send this data to the foundation service

After enabling HTTPS, restart the foundation process.

For additional details, refer to the Nutanix KB:
https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/kbs/details?targetId=kA0VO000000Bfz70AC

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Issue 2 – App Account Login Failure (iLO 7 Firmware)

Error message

Error occurred while performing login using app account.
Check if application account exists using 'appaccount details' command.
Otherwise, try with --no_app_account option.

Observed context

• Platform: HPE ProLiant Gen12
• iLO version: 7
• Firmware: 1.17.0

Root cause

This issue is related to a firmware limitation/bug in iLO 7 (version < 1.17.0), affecting how Nutanix Foundation interacts with the application account.

Solution

Upgrade the iLO firmware:

• Target version: 1.18 or later

After upgrading the firmware, the login issue with the app account is resolved and imaging proceeds normally.

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Key Takeaways

• ✅ HTTPS must be enabled on port 8001 for Gen12 deployments
• ✅ Issue is specific to HPE ProLiant Gen12 hardware
• ✅ Upgrade iLO to 1.18+ to avoid app account issues
• ✅ Firmware dependencies can directly impact automation workflows

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Final Thoughts

These types of errors highlight the importance of aligning hardware generation, firmware, and deployment tooling. In Nutanix environments, especially when using Foundation on HPE ProLiant Gen12, small configuration mismatches can quickly block otherwise straightforward deployments.

Keeping a checklist for:

• Firmware levels (iLO)
• Network ports (8000/8001)
• Foundation configuration
• Hardware generation-specific requirements

can significantly speed up troubleshooting and avoid delays during implementation.

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Part of The Virtual Blueprint – practical field notes from day-to-day infrastructure challenges.