NCA-6.10 Nutanix Certified Associate NCA v6.10 Questions and Answers

When a Nutanix cluster alert occurs, indicating maintenance mode issues, the most likely cause is that another node in the cluster is already in maintenance mode. Nutanix clusters enforce restrictions to prevent more than one node from entering maintenance mode simultaneously. This ensures the cluster can maintain resiliency and availability, adhering to the redundancy factor (RF) policy.

If another node is already in maintenance mode, the cluster cannot afford to have additional nodes enter maintenance without compromising data and service availability.

Non-migratable VMs in a Nutanix cluster typically include those with attached Volume Groups. This is because such VMs leverage direct-attached storage via iSCSI, which ties them to a specific host, preventing live migration to another host. Volume Groups provide block storage to applications, and the iSCSI protocol does not support live migration of such connections.

Here's a breakdown of the options:

A. VMs without NGT:Nutanix Guest Tools (NGT) are used for guest-level integration but do not affect VM migratability.

B. VMs marked as an Agent:This setting does not inherently make VMs non-migratable. It primarily affects roles and tasks within certain configurations.

C. Memory Overcommitted:While memory overcommitment can affect performance, it does not make VMs non-migratable. Nutanix AHV handles memory allocation dynamically.

D. VMs with attached Volume Groups:Correct answer, as the iSCSI connections used by Volume Groups are host-specific and cannot migrate seamlessly.

Nutanix Metro Availability provides the best Recovery Time Objective (RTO) because it enables synchronous replication between two sites. In the event of a failure at one site, VMs can be instantly restarted on the other site with minimal disruption. This setup ensures zero data loss and near-instantaneous recovery.

A. Async:Provides high RPO (Recovery Point Objective) but has a longer RTO compared to synchronous replication methods.

B. Availability Zone:This term refers to a general site setup, not specific to recovery objectives.

C. Metro Availability:Correct, as it uses synchronous replication for near-zero RTO.

D. NearSync:Provides better RPO than Async but does not match the RTO of Metro Availability.

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.

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 correct answer isB. UTC.

When creating Linux VMs in a Nutanix environment (or in any enterprise-grade production environment), it isbest practice to use UTC(Coordinated Universal Time) as the system timezone. This ensures:

Consistencyacross distributed systems

Accurate log correlation

Avoidance of issues with daylight saving time (DST)

Simplifiedcentralized monitoring and troubleshooting

Clarifications:

A (Eastern)andD (Central)are region-specific and may introduce time skew across systems.

C (Local)is ambiguous and depends on the underlying hardware or hypervisor setting, which can lead to inconsistent behavior.

Official Reference:

Linux Admin Best Practices

Nutanix Best Practices Guide – VM Provisioning Section

Excerpt: “For consistency across environments, it is recommended to configure all Linux virtual machines to use UTC timezone, particularly in clustered and distributed applications.”

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

Nutanix licensing is available in three tiers:

Starter: Entry-level features for basic virtualization and storage requirements.

Pro: Advanced features such as data protection and disaster recovery.

Ultimate: Comprehensive feature set, including advanced analytics and automation.

This tiered approach enables administrators to choose the appropriate license level based on their business requirements.

TheTasksdashboard in Prism Element provides detailed visibility into the progress of all ongoing and completed tasks, including Life Cycle Manager (LCM) updates. Administrators can monitor the step-by-step status of LCM operations, track failures, and identify bottlenecks.

A. Analysis:Incorrect, as this is used for performance monitoring, not task progress.

B. Tasks:Correct, as it displays detailed progress for updates and other operations.

C. Hardware:Incorrect, as this focuses on the state and configuration of hardware components.

D. Alerts:Incorrect, as this shows system alerts and issues, not detailed task progress.

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.”

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

Fordark site clusters, theNutanix Compatibility Bundlemust be downloaded prior to running LCM Inventory or updates. This bundle contains the necessary metadata and software binaries to perform inventory collection and upgrades in environments without internet connectivity.

A. Nutanix Foundation:Incorrect, as Foundation is used for initial deployments, not for LCM updates.

B. Nutanix Compatibility Bundle:Correct, as it contains the necessary files for offline LCM operations.

C. Nutanix Prism Central:Incorrect, as this does not pertain to offline updates.

D. Nutanix Foundation Platform:Incorrect, as this is not required for LCM Inventory or updates.

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 Controller VM (CVM) uses thevs0bridge by default to communicate with the AHV host it runs on. Thevs0bridge is a virtual switch configured on the AHV host, providing connectivity between the CVM, virtual machines, and external networks. This setup ensures efficient network communication within the Nutanix cluster.

Other options:

virbro: Typically used in standalone KVM configurations, not in Nutanix AHV.

broandbridge0: Incorrect references to Nutanix networking structures.

Replication Factor (RF) defines the number of copies of data stored in a Nutanix cluster. RF2 ensures two copies of data, and RF3 ensures three copies. This redundancy allows the system to maintain data integrity and recoverability even in the event of hardware failures.

A. It limits the scope of hardware failures during recovery operations:Incorrect, as RF focuses on data replication, not limiting failure scopes.

B. It ensures that multiple copies of data are available for recovery:Correct, as RF directly relates to data redundancy and recovery capabilities.

C. It accelerates data transfer to remote backup sites:Incorrect, as RF does not affect remote backup speed.

D. It reduces the need for offsite backup solutions:Incorrect, as RF works within the cluster, not as a replacement for offsite backups.

When multiple alert policies are applied to an entity, Nutanix uses a hierarchical approach. Policies applied toan entity type within a categorytake precedence. For example:

If a category (e.g., "Production") has policies applied to entities like VMs, and the entity matches that category, the category-specific policy will override general policies.

This prioritization allows administrators to fine-tune alert policies for specific workloads or environments.

Nutanix Distributed Storage Fabric (DSF) provides storage access to an ESXi hypervisor using theNFS (Network File System)protocol. DSF abstracts the underlying storage hardware and exposes storage as an NFS datastore to ESXi hosts. This integration enables high performance, data protection, and scalability while simplifying storage management.

Other options:

LVM: Not used in Nutanix storage.

iSCSI: Used for specific use cases, not the default protocol for ESXi.

SMB: Not supported for ESXi environments.

Shared storage for Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) is a use case for NutanixVolumes. Nutanix Volumes provides block storage (via iSCSI) to external systems, such as WSFC nodes, allowing them to share storage for failover clustering. This configuration is essential for high availability in Windows environments.

Other options:

Files: Provides file-based storage (NFS/SMB), not suited for WSFC shared block storage.

FT1 and RF2: Refer to Fault Tolerance and Redundancy Factor, not storage solutions.