# Base Cluster Details

An HVM cluster using the hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) Layout consists of at least three hosts. Physical hosts are recommended to experience full performance of the solution. In smaller environments, it is possible to create an HVM cluster with three nested virtual machines, a single physical host (non-HCI only), or a single nested virtual machine (non-HCI only) though performance may be reduced. With just one host it won’t be possible to migrate workloads between hosts or take advantage of automatic failover. Currently, the default cluster layout requires hosts be a pre-existing Ubuntu 24.04 box with environment and host system requirements described in this section. An earlier cluster layout requiring Ubuntu 22.04 is also included. VM Essentials handles cluster configuration by providing the IP address(es) for your host(s) and a few other details. Details on adding the cluster to VM Essentials are contained in the next section.

**Subtopics**  

- **[Hardware Requirements](https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/api/document/sd00007620en_us/render?page=GUID-634760AA-7E46-42A7-AD08-85CCE4656873.html)**
- **[Example Cluster Deployment](https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/api/document/sd00007620en_us/render?page=GUID-CDB73B95-18B8-4A10-A09C-4176EE11497D.html)**
