Nutanix NCA-6.10 Nutanix Certified Associate NCA v6.10 Exam Practice Test

Redundancy Factor 3 (RF3) requires a minimum of five nodes in the cluster to ensure that data can be distributed across enough nodes to tolerate the failure of two nodes. If the cluster has fewer than five nodes, RF3 cannot be enabled.

A. Check that the cluster has been properly licensed:Licensing is not directly related to enabling RF3.

B. Check that the cluster has five or more nodes:Correct, as RF3 requires at least five nodes.

C. Check hardware availability of the nodes:While hardware health is important, it does not determine RF3 eligibility.

D. Check AOS version and upgrade, if needed:RF3 requirements are not specific to an AOS version.

Nutanix Support case priority levels are defined as follows:

P1 (Critical):The system is down or severely impacted, requiring immediate attention.

P2 (High):The system is available but experiencing issues that directly impact productivity or operations.

P3 (Medium):The system is functioning, but there are non-critical issues or questions.

P4 (Low):General questions or requests that do not impact system performance.

The scenario described matchesP2, where the system is available but productivity is directly affected by the issue.

To enableSelf Service Restore (SSR)on a Nutanix-hosted VM, the VM must haveNutanix Guest Tools (NGT)installed. NGT provides integration between the VM and the Nutanix cluster, allowing features like file-level restore, application-consistent snapshots, and SSR. Administrators can use Prism Central or Element to manage SSR after enabling NGT on the VM.

A. A Storage Container:Incorrect, as a storage container is required for storing snapshots but is not specific to SSR.

B. Nutanix Guest Tools:Correct, as NGT is essential for enabling SSR functionality.

C. Prism Central:Incorrect, as Prism Central helps manage SSR but is not directly required to enable it.

D. VMWare Tools:Incorrect, as this is specific to VMware environments and not Nutanix AHV.

On a newly deployed AHV cluster, the default uplink bond type for the virtual switch (vs0) isBalance-SLB (Source Load Balancing). This configuration balances traffic across the uplink interfaces based on the source of the traffic, ensuring optimal usage of available network bandwidth without requiring LACP configuration on the physical switches.

The correct answer isB. 1

Nutanix Prism Central provides the ability to create and manage support casesdirectly from the UI, but this functionality requiresat least one clusterto be registered to Prism Central. The Support option becomes active onceone or more clustersare managed.

Important distinctions:

Zero clusters(Option A): With no clusters registered, Prism Central is effectively disconnected from any environment and thus cannot associate logs or telemetry with a support case.

One cluster(Option B): Enables access to support features, including log bundle generation and direct case submission.

Options C and D (2 or 3 clusters) are incorrect; they arenot a requirementfor enabling support case functionality.

Prism Central UI Navigation Path:

Settings (gear icon) > Support > Create Support Case

Official Reference:

Nutanix Prism Central Guide – Support Integration Section

Excerpt: "To open a support case through Prism Central, ensure at least one cluster is registered. Support features become available once a cluster is connected."

Conclusion:Only one cluster is required to activate the support case workflow in Prism Central.

Answer: B

For a cluster withRedundancy Factor 2 (RF2), at least4 nodesare required to configure Erasure Coding. Erasure Coding (EC) distributes data and parity across nodes to improve storage efficiency while maintaining data protection. RF2 requires a minimum of 4 nodes to ensure sufficient space for data and parity distribution.

Other options:

3 nodes: Insufficient for EC with RF2.

5 and 6 nodes: Can support EC, but the minimum requirement is 4.

When using the LCM (Life Cycle Manager) Dark Site procedure, theLCM Frameworkshould be checked and upgraded first. The LCM Framework is the core component responsible for orchestrating updates for other Nutanix software components. Ensuring the framework is up to date guarantees compatibility and reliability during subsequent upgrades.

A. MSP:Incorrect, as MSP (Managed Service Provider) is not directly related to the LCM Dark Site procedure.

B. Foundation:Incorrect, as Foundation is used for initial cluster deployment, not for lifecycle management.

C. NCC:While NCC is critical for health checks, it does not need to be updated first in the LCM process.

D. LCM Framework:Correct, as it manages the update process and must be updated first.

To create a VM template from an existing VM in Nutanix, the VM must be powered off. This ensures that the template is consistent and does not include any transient data or activity from the VM. Once the VM is powered off, the administrator can use the Prism UI to take a snapshot and designate it as a template.

A. Sysprep or Cloud-init script:These are optional for post-deployment configuration, not mandatory for creating a template.

B. The VM is powered on:This is incorrect, as the VM must be powered off.

C. Windows OS is installed:The OS type is irrelevant for creating a template.

D. The VM is powered off:Correct, as creating a template requires the VM to be in a powered-off state.

Deduplication is most effective withfull clone VMsbecause it reduces redundant data blocks stored on the cluster. Full clone VMs often contain identical OS and application files, making them ideal candidates for deduplication, which optimizes storage usage and improves efficiency.

Other options:

Server workloads: May benefit from deduplication but not as significantly as full clone VMs.

Linked Clone VMs: Already share base disk images, so deduplication offers limited benefits.

Cold data: Deduplication is less effective for data that isn’t accessed frequently.

To remove old VM snapshots, the task should be completed from theVM dashboardin Prism Element. This dashboard allows administrators to manage virtual machine-related operations, including snapshot creation, deletion, and restoration. Steps include:

Navigate toPrism Element > VM.

Select the VM for which snapshots need to be deleted.

Click onSnapshots, then delete the selected snapshots.

TheReserved Capacityoption in a storage container explicitly reserves a portion of cluster storage for that container. This reservation reduces the amount of storage available for other containers. Reserved Capacity ensures that specific workloads have guaranteed storage resources, preventing resource contention or overcommitment.

Other options:

Advertised Capacity: Defines the storage limit displayed to users but does not reserve storage.

Erasure Coding: Optimizes storage efficiency but does not reduce available capacity.

Capacity Deduplication: Reduces space consumption by eliminating duplicate data but does not affect other containers' storage.

To rerun only the health checks that previously failed or issued warnings, the administrator can select theOnly Failed and Warning Checksoption in Prism Element. This targeted approach helps verify that resolved issues have been addressed without rerunning all checks unnecessarily.

Steps:

Navigate toPrism Element > Health > NCC Checks.

Filter forOnly Failed and Warning Checksand rerun them.

Other options:

A. Run LCM Pre-Upgrade: Runs pre-upgrade checks, not related to health check validation.

B. Runncc health_checks run_all: Executes all checks, not just failed ones.

C. Select Run Check for each check worked: Requires manual execution for each check.

The correct answer isB. Active/Backup.

Foredge environmentswith limited uplink capacity, such as1GbE, the recommended bond mode isActive/Backupdue to the following reasons:

Providesredundancywithout requiring link aggregation support from the upstream switch.

Avoids complexity and performance imbalance that can occur with hashing algorithms in other modes (e.g., Balance-SLB).

Round RobinandBalance-SLBcan causepacket reordering, performance issues, and are not ideal for low-throughput links.

Prism Element Configuration Path:

Network Configuration > Host NIC Bonding Mode

Official Reference:

Nutanix Network Best Practices Guide – Edge Deployment Section

Excerpt: “For clusters using 1GbE uplinks, Active/Backup bond mode is recommended for high availability without complexity.”

Answer: B

The correct answer isC. Perform an inventory.

To ensure theLCM Frameworkand its associated component metadata are updated, the administrator must perform afresh LCM inventory. This process:

Retrieves the latest metadata and framework version from the Nutanix support portal (if the cluster is connected).

Detects current component versions and identifies available updates.

Clarifications:

A (Upgrade AOS):LCM is independent of AOS version updates.

B (Restart genesis):Unnecessary and not relevant to LCM framework versioning.

D (NCC):Useful for cluster health, but does not affect LCM updates.

Prism Central UI Navigation Path:

Operations > LCM > Perform Inventory

Official Reference:

Nutanix LCM Guide – Updating the LCM Framework

Excerpt: “To receive the latest framework version and component metadata, perform an LCM inventory on a connected cluster.”

APriority 1 (P1)case guarantees an8-hour response timefor customers with Production Support. P1 cases are designated for critical issues that severely impact business operations or cause a complete system outage, requiring immediate attention from Nutanix Support.

Other priorities:

P2: High-impact issues but not critical, response time varies.

P3: Medium impact, typically non-urgent issues.

P4: Low priority, general inquiries or minor issues.

In aRedundancy Factor 3 (RF3)cluster,5 copies of the metadataare maintained to ensure data durability and cluster resiliency. RF3 provides fault tolerance against up to two simultaneous failures (e.g., node or disk failures) and requires more metadata copies to achieve this level of protection.

Other redundancy factors:

RF2maintains 3 copies of metadata.

RF3 requires at least 5 metadata copies to protect against additional failures.

The correct answer isD. Flow Virtual Networking (FVN).

Flow Virtual Networking (FVN)is a Nutanix solution that enablesadvanced network virtualization, including:

VPCs (Virtual Private Clouds)

Overlapping IP address spaces

Self-service network provisioning

Multi-tenancy support

Microsegmentation

FVN abstracts physical networking and allows tenants to manageisolated logical networks, providing cloud-like networking capabilities directly integrated with AHV.

Clarifications:

A. Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP):Orchestrates containers; does not provide virtualized network infrastructure.

B. Flow Network Security:Focuses onmicrosegmentationandpolicy enforcement, not on VPC or L3 abstraction.

C. Nutanix Database Service (NDB):Manages DBaaS; not related to networking.

Official Reference:

Nutanix Flow Virtual Networking Tech Note

Nutanix Documentation Portal – Flow Virtual Networking

Excerpt: “Flow Virtual Networking provides VPCs, overlapping IPs, and self-service networking capabilities for secure multi-tenancy in Nutanix AHV clusters.”

Answer: D

To run a full health check in Prism Element, the administrator should first select theActionsmenu. From there, the administrator can choose to execute health checks for the entire cluster or specific components. This ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the cluster’s health.

Other options:

Scheduled: Refers to predefined or automated health checks.

Checks: Displays the list of checks but doesn’t initiate them.

Failed: Filters checks based on their status but doesn’t start a new check.

The correct answer isB. Internal NTP sources.

Nutanix strongly recommends configuringreliable internal NTP sources(e.g., enterprise-managed NTP servers or domain NTP servers) to ensure:

Time consistency across all nodes and CVMs

Accurate logging, monitoring, authentication (e.g., Kerberos), and cluster operations

Avoiding dependency onexternal/public NTPsources, which may berate-limited, unavailable, or blockedby firewalls

Clarifications:

A (Windows time sources):Generally discouraged unless they are configured to use a stratum 1/2 reliable upstream source.

C (Rate-limited sources):Not recommended; can result in dropped or inconsistent time updates.

D (External ISP NTP):Not preferred for production clusters due to reliability concerns.

Prism UI Navigation Path:

Settings > NTP Servers

Official Reference:

Nutanix Best Practices Guide – NTP Configuration

Excerpt: “Use reliable and consistent internal NTP servers for all Nutanix clusters to maintain time synchronization.”

Answer: B

The OpLog (Operational Log) in Nutanix serves as apersistent write bufferfor incoming I/O operations. It temporarily stores write requests to ensure fast acknowledgment to clients and better performance. The data is later coalesced and written to the Extent Store for long-term storage.

A. Persistent write buffer:Correct, as the OpLog optimizes write performance by buffering writes temporarily.

B. Persistent data storage:Incorrect, as this describes the Extent Store, not the OpLog.

C. Global metadata:Incorrect, as metadata operations are handled by the Metadata Store.

D. Dynamic read cache:Incorrect, as read caching is managed separately, often involving SSD-based caches.

TheRecycle Binin Nutanix clusters temporarily stores deleted VMs for 24 hours, allowing administrators to recover them if needed. This feature helps protect against accidental deletions by providing a grace period for recovery before permanent deletion occurs.

A. Stores the OpLog's most recent deleted data in case of a CVM failure:Incorrect, as the OpLog pertains to write operations, not VM deletion.

B. Keeps deleted VMs for 24 hours for recovery:Correct, as the Recycle Bin's purpose is temporary VM recovery.

C. Allows administrators to undo the last five actions:Incorrect, as there is no such feature for undoing multiple actions in Prism.

D. Centralizes the deleted data from the different VMs in the cluster:Incorrect, as the Recycle Bin is specifically for deleted VMs, not generalized data centralization.

Applying tags to licenses to streamline future renewals is a task that can be completed inPrism Central Licensing. Prism Central provides centralized license management for clusters, enabling administrators to apply and manage license tags, which simplifies tracking and renewal tasks across multiple clusters. Here's how it works:

Prism Central Licensing Overview:Prism Central includes a dedicated licensing interface that provides a consolidated view of all licenses associated with your clusters. From this interface, administrators can categorize licenses using tags such as "Renewal-2025" or "Production," making it easier to identify and manage renewals or assignments.

Steps to Apply Tags in Prism Central:

Navigate toPrism Central > Settings > Licensing.

Select the desired license(s) from the list.

Use the "Tags" option to create or apply predefined tags to categorize these licenses.

Why Not Other Options?:

A. Clusters in the Support Portal: The Support Portal is primarily used for support-related tasks, such as managing cases or accessing documentation, and does not include license tagging capabilities.

B. License Inventory in the Support Portal: While the Support Portal allows you to view license inventory, it does not support operational tasks like tagging.

D. Prism Element Licensing: Prism Element is focused on managing licensing for individual clusters and lacks the centralized management and tagging functionality available in Prism Central.