A multi-node AHV cluster shows 50 TB of free usable capacity in Prism. Capacity reports show consumed capacity has grown by 5 TB per month for the last three months. If no nodes are added and no VMs are deleted or compressed differently, how long is the estimated runway before free capacity is exhausted?

Capacity runway forecasting compares remaining usable capacity with observed consumption growth. Prism's capacity dashboard can corroborate the trend, but the arithmetic remains the same. The calculation is free usable capacity divided by average monthly growth, so 50 TB of free capacity at a 5 TB monthly increase produces 10 months before exhaustion. This assumes the growth trend continues, no capacity is reclaimed, and no storage efficiency changes alter effective consumption. A twelve-month estimate would require either 60 TB free or growth closer to 4.17 TB per month, neither of which is present. A fifteen-month estimate implies a lower burn rate or substantially more free space than reported. A twenty-month estimate would only fit a much slower growth trend or a larger capacity reserve, not the stated 5 TB monthly consumption. Exam caveat: treat runway questions as simple linear estimates unless the stem adds reservations, snapshots, metadata, or compression changes. Operational check: confirm Prism capacity metrics for free and used capacity, record the last three months of growth, and re-run the calculation after any node expansion or VM deletion.