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

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.

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.

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.

By default, Nutanix Lifecycle Manager (LCM) auto-inventory runs at2:00 AMlocal cluster time. LCM performs a daily check to gather information about available updates for firmware, software, and other components to ensure the cluster remains up-to-date. This operation is non-disruptive and does not impact cluster performance.

When using ESXi as the hypervisor in a Nutanix cluster, the supported storage protocol for a datastore isNFS (Network File System). Nutanix exposes its distributed storage to ESXi hosts using NFS for VM storage. This protocol is simple to configure and provides high performance and reliability through Nutanix’s data services.

Other options:

iSCSI: Not typically used for ESXi datastores but can be utilized for specific use cases like external storage connectivity.

SMB: Not supported for ESXi datastores.

LVM: Logical Volume Management is not used in this context.

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.

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.

The correct answer isB. From the My Nutanix Licensing Summary page, click Manage Licenses and follow the specified process.

WithNutanix Cloud Platform (NCP) Package Licensing, licensing is centrally managed through theMy Nutanix Portal, where customers can:

View license entitlements.

Allocate or assign licenses to clusters.

Download license files for upload via Prism Central or Prism Element.

The entry point for license assignment begins at theLicensing Summary page on the My Nutanix Portal.

Clarification of Other Options:

A and D:Prism Central and Prism Element are used touploadlicenses, not assign or generate them.

C:“Nutanix Portal” is a vague reference; the correct term is “My Nutanix”.

Official Reference:

Nutanix Licensing Guide – Cloud Platform Licensing

Excerpt: “Log in to My Nutanix > Licensing Summary > Manage Licenses to assign and manage licenses for your clusters.”

Answer: B

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.

The correct answer isC. Mount and install the VirtIO drivers.

When installingWindows OSon aNutanix AHV VM, the default virtual disk controller uses theVirtIO interface, which isnot natively supported by Windows installation media. As a result, during the OS installation, the virtual disk will not appear unless theVirtIO drivers are manually provided.

Required Steps:

Attach theVirtIO ISOto the VM.

During the Windows installation, click“Load Driver”.

Browse to the mountedVirtIO ISOand select the appropriate storage driver.

Once loaded, the installer will detect the virtual disk.

Clarifications:

A (Add a second disk):Irrelevant; the issue is driver recognition, not disk quantity.

B (Enable Turbo Mode):Related to performance, not disk detection.

D (Install Nutanix Guest Tools):Doneafter OS installation, not before or during.

Prism UI Navigation Path:

VM > Edit > CD-ROM > Mount ISO → Select VirtIO ISO

Official Reference:

Nutanix AHV Administration Guide – Creating Windows VMs

Nutanix KB #5967 – AHV: Windows Installation on VirtIO

Excerpt: “If the disk is not detected during Windows installation, the VirtIO ISO must be mounted and the appropriate storage controller driver manually installed.”

Nutanix AHV (Acropolis Hypervisor) supports integrated IP address management (IPAM) as a built-in feature. IPAM allows administrators to dynamically allocate and manage IP addresses for VMs within a network segment. This functionality simplifies network management by automating the assignment of IPs without relying on external DHCP servers.

A. ESXi:Incorrect, as ESXi does not include built-in IPAM.

B. Hyper-V:Incorrect, as Hyper-V lacks integrated IPAM functionality.

C. AHV:Correct, as AHV has built-in IPAM for automated IP address allocation.

D. XenServer:Incorrect, as XenServer does not support integrated IPAM.

When command-line access is unavailable, Nutanix administrators can use the Prism UI to generate an NCC (Nutanix Cluster Check) output. The steps are:

Configure the email settings inAlert Settingsunder the Prism UI.

Navigate to theHealth Dashboard, where the "Run Health Checks" option can be used.

Provide the administrator's email address to send the health report, which includes NCC outputs.

This method enables the administrator to share diagnostic information with Nutanix Support directly via email.

A. Run Health Checks in the Alert Dashboard and enter an email to send it to:Incorrect. Health Checks are run from the Health Dashboard, not the Alert Dashboard.

B. Configure email in Alert Settings and Run Health Checks in the Health Dashboard:Correct. This provides the requested NCC output when the command-line is inaccessible.

C. Run Health Checks in the Event Dashboard:Incorrect. Health Checks are not run from the Event Dashboard.

D. Configure email in Alert Settings and Run Health Checks in the Alert Dashboard:Incorrect, as this is not the correct location for Health Checks.

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

The correct answer isA. NearSync Replication.

Key Concepts from Official Nutanix Documentation:

Nutanix supports various types of data replication methods depending on the Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Recovery Time Objective (RTO), and the latency between the sites.

Metro Availabilityrequires a maximum latency of<</b>5ms RTTand is used forzero RPO synchronous replication. Since the given latency is 10ms,Metro Availability is not supportedin this case.