Mixed Deck — All NCP Topics Flashcards

What is required for node discovery during deployment?

Answer: Same subnet configuration

For Nutanix Foundation to successfully discover and image nodes during deployment, all nodes and the Foundation instance must reside on the same broadcast domain or subnet. This network configuration allows Foundation to communicate with the nodes via ARP and other discovery protocols, enabling the automated imaging and cluster creation process.

Which Nutanix protocol allows VMs to access block storage volumes directly, bypassing the hypervisor datastore?

Answer: iSCSI

Nutanix Volumes (formerly Acropolis Block Services) exposes iSCSI LUNs that can be attached directly to VMs or physical hosts, enabling block-level access to Nutanix storage.

What is the minimum number of nodes required to form a Nutanix cluster with Replication Factor 2 (RF2)?

Answer: 3

RF2 requires a minimum of 3 nodes to ensure that the cluster can survive a single node failure while maintaining a quorum for metadata.

How frequently should ongoing assessments be conducted in Certified Nutanix Professional practice?

Answer: At regular intervals and as conditions change

Ongoing assessments should follow established protocols and also respond to changing conditions.

Which hypervisors are supported by Nutanix?

Answer: AHV, ESXi, Hyper-V

Nutanix supports AHV, VMware ESXi, and Hyper-V.

What is AHV in Nutanix?

Answer: Acropolis Hypervisor

AHV stands for Acropolis Hypervisor, which is Nutanix's native, enterprise-grade hypervisor. It is based on KVM and is deeply integrated with the Nutanix software stack, providing a highly efficient and secure virtualization platform for running virtual machines directly on Nutanix nodes. AHV simplifies the infrastructure by eliminating the need for a separate hypervisor license.

When using Nutanix AHV, which command-line tool is used to manage VMs directly from the CVM?

Answer: acli

The acli (AHV CLI) tool is used to manage VMs, networks, and storage directly from the Controller VM command line.

How does the NCP body of knowledge relate to daily professional practice?

Answer: It provides the foundational framework guiding decision-making and standard practices

The body of knowledge provides the framework guiding daily decision-making and practices.

What configuration ensures time sync across cluster nodes?

Answer: NTP settings

Accurate time synchronization across all nodes in a Nutanix cluster is paramount for proper operation, data consistency, and reliable logging. Configuring NTP (Network Time Protocol) settings ensures that all CVMs and hypervisor hosts maintain synchronized time. This prevents issues with replication, snapshots, and distributed transactions, which rely heavily on consistent timestamps.

Which Nutanix tool detects configuration issues?

Answer: Health checks

Nutanix Health Checks, often performed using the Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) tool, are designed to detect configuration issues and potential problems within the cluster. These checks validate various aspects of the system against best practices and known issues, providing recommendations for remediation. Regularly running health checks helps maintain optimal cluster performance and stability.

What is Prism in Nutanix?

Answer: Nutanix management interface

Prism is the unified management interface for the Nutanix enterprise cloud platform. It provides a single pane of glass for managing all aspects of the Nutanix cluster, including virtual machines, storage, networking, and overall system health. Both Prism Element (per cluster) and Prism Central (multi-cluster) offer comprehensive monitoring and operational control.

What is the MOST effective way for new NCP professionals to build competency?

Answer: Combining formal education, mentored practice, and ongoing professional development

Building competency requires formal education, mentored practice, and ongoing development.

Which log type helps diagnose VM issues?

Answer: VM logs

When diagnosing issues specific to a virtual machine, VM logs are the most relevant type of log to consult. These logs contain information about the guest operating system's events, application errors, and other activities occurring within the VM itself. Analyzing VM logs helps pinpoint the root cause of problems affecting individual virtualized workloads.

What is the MOST important reason for maintaining equipment maintenance logs in NCP practice?

Answer: To track maintenance history, predict failures, and demonstrate compliance

Maintenance logs track history, predict failures, and demonstrate regulatory compliance.

What is the purpose of a CVM IP?

Answer: To manage cluster services

Each Controller VM (CVM) in a Nutanix cluster has its own IP address, which is crucial for internal cluster communication and for the CVM to manage its local resources. These CVM IPs enable individual CVMs to perform their roles, participate in the distributed storage fabric, and communicate with each other to maintain cluster integrity and data consistency.

In Nutanix, what is the minimum number of nodes required to enable Erasure Coding (EC-X)?

Answer: 4 nodes

EC-X requires a minimum of 4 nodes in the cluster because it needs to distribute data strips and parity blocks across enough nodes to achieve meaningful fault tolerance.

Which statement BEST describes the relationship between Certified Nutanix Professional certification and industry evolution?

Answer: Requirements evolve periodically to reflect advances in knowledge and practice

Certification requirements evolve to keep pace with professional and technological advances.

What is the MOST important factor when selecting assessment tools for NCP certification work?

Answer: Validity, reliability, and appropriateness for the specific context

Assessment tools must be valid, reliable, and appropriate for the specific context.

Which Nutanix configuration allows administrators to define the maximum storage capacity a single VM can consume from a container?

Answer: vDisk size limit

vDisk size limits can be set at the container level to restrict how much storage any individual virtual disk within that container can consume.

What is the purpose of 'Zookeeper' in a Nutanix cluster?

Answer: Provides distributed coordination and a consistent configuration store across all CVMs

Zookeeper provides distributed coordination services and maintains a consistent view of cluster configuration, leader election, and service discovery across all CVMs.