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.

References:

Nutanix Life Cycle Manager Guide: Dark Site Configuration.

Nutanix Support Knowledge Base Article on Compatibility Bundles.

To verify if the cluster is currently protected from potential data loss due to a component failure, the administrator should check theData Resiliency Status widgeton the Prism Element Home dashboard. This widget provides real-time information about the cluster's resiliency status, including warnings or errors about data redundancy or protection.

Other options:

A. Select the gear icon and then select Pulse:Pulse is used for telemetry data, not data resiliency status.

B. Click on Home and then Alerts:Alerts show specific issues but do not directly indicate the overall resiliency status.

D. Navigate to the Health dashboard:The Health dashboard provides detailed health checks but does not display the current resiliency status.

References:

Nutanix Administration Guide - Data Resiliency Status.

Nutanix Prism UI Documentation - Dashboard Overview.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)enables extending on-premises datacenters into public cloud environments, such as AWS or Azure. This solution allows administrators to seamlessly migrate workloads, scale operations, and manage resources across hybrid cloud environments using a unified control plane.

A. Nutanix Cloud Security:Incorrect, as this focuses on securing workloads in the cloud, not extending datacenters.

B. Nutanix Cloud Clusters:Correct, as NC2 enables hybrid cloud functionality by extending on-prem clusters into the public cloud.

C. Nutanix Kubernetes Engine:Incorrect, as this is used for container orchestration, not hybrid cloud extension.

D. Nutanix Data Services:Incorrect, as this refers to storage and data management capabilities.

References:

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2) Documentation.

Nutanix University: Hybrid Cloud Training.

To enable Windows Defender Credential Guard, the VM must be configured withUEFI(Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) instead of Legacy BIOS. UEFI provides the necessary support for Secure Boot and Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), both of which are prerequisites for Credential Guard.

Steps:

When creating or editing the VM, selectUEFIas the firmware type.

Ensure Secure Boot and VBS are enabled in the OS configuration.

References:

Microsoft Windows Defender Credential Guard Requirements.

Nutanix AHV VM Configuration Guide - UEFI Support.

To prevent password access to the CVM for both thenutanixandadminuser accounts,Cluster Lockdownshould be enabled. Cluster Lockdown restricts SSH access to the Controller VM (CVM), effectively disabling password-based logins for enhanced security. Access is then managed through more secure means, such as console access or specific tools like Nutanix Support.

A. Cluster Lockdown:Correct, as this prevents SSH-based access to the CVM.

B. STIG:Incorrect, as STIG (Security Technical Implementation Guide) focuses on broader compliance measures.

C. RBAC Policy on PC:Incorrect, as RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) controls Prism Central permissions, not CVM access.

D. Data-at-Rest Encryption:Incorrect, as this secures stored data, not access credentials.

References:

Nutanix Security Configuration Guide.

Nutanix Support KB Article on Cluster Lockdown.

The default admin session logout time in Nutanix is15 minutes. If no activity is detected within this time, the session is automatically logged out for security reasons. This timeout can be adjusted in the system settings if needed, depending on organizational requirements.

References:

Nutanix Security Best Practices Documentation.

Nutanix Administration Guide - Session Timeout Configuration.

To license a new AOS-based cluster with no add-on packages, the appropriate license type isNutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI). The NCI license provides the fundamental capabilities required for Nutanix clusters, including:

Storage and data management.

Core virtualization features.

Compute resources for workloads.

NCI is designed for organizations that need the essential features of the Nutanix platform without additional add-ons such as database services (NDB) or advanced storage options (NUS).

Other options:

A. Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM):Focuses on management capabilities for multi-cloud and operational tasks, not core infrastructure licensing.

C. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS):Specifically provides unified file and object storage capabilities, not relevant for a base AOS cluster.

D. Nutanix Database Service (NDB):A dedicated licensing tier for database management features.

References:

Nutanix Licensing Overview

Nutanix Support Documentation - Licensing Models.

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.

References:

Nutanix Cluster Best Practices Documentation - Maintenance Mode.

Nutanix Alerts and Events Guide, accessible via Prism UI.

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.

References:

Nutanix Administration Guide - Erasure Coding Configuration.

Nutanix Storage Concepts Documentation.

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.

References:

Nutanix Storage Concepts Guide - Redundancy Factors.

Nutanix Metadata Management Documentation.

When configuring a physical network switch in Prism Element,SNMP Configurationis required to enable monitoring and communication between the Nutanix cluster and the network switch. SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is used to gather metrics and detect issues such as link failures or performance bottlenecks, ensuring the cluster operates efficiently with the physical network infrastructure.

References:

Nutanix Network Management Guide - SNMP Configuration.

Nutanix Administration Guide - Configuring Switches for Monitoring

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.

References:

Nutanix Alerts Management Guide - Policy Precedence Overview.

Nutanix University Certification Training Material.