Nutanix NCS-CORE Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

Nutanix NCS-CORE Online Questions & Answers

• Question 91:

  An administrator needs to make sure an RF2 cluster can survive a complete rack failure without negatively effecting workload performance. The current cluster configuration consists of the following:

  1.

  30 nodes: distributed 10 nodes per rack across three 42U rack

  2.

  Each nodes is configured with 40TB usable storage all flash (Cluster Total 1.2 PB Usable)

  3.

  Current cluster utilization is 900TB storage

  Which configuration changes should be made to make sure that the cluster meets the requirements?

  A. Expanse the cluster by adding 3 additional nodes per rack, 9 nodes total.
  B. Expanse the cluster by adding 2 additional nodes per rack, 6 nodes total.
  C. Expanse the cluster by adding 9 nodes to a new 42U rack
  D. Expanse the cluster by adding 8 nodes to a new 42U rack
  A. Expanse the cluster by adding 3 additional nodes per rack, 9 nodes total.

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  In Nutanix, a cluster with RF2 (Redundancy Factor 2) can tolerate the failure of a single node or drive1. However, to ensure that the cluster can survive a complete rack failure without negatively affecting workload performance, we need to consider rack awareness. When rack fault tolerance is enabled, the cluster has rack awareness and the guest VMs can continue to run with failure of one rack (RF2) or two racks (RF3). The redundant copies of guest VM data and metadata exist on other racks when one rack fails2.

  Given the current cluster configuration (30 nodes distributed 10 nodes per rack across three 42U racks), adding 3 additional nodes per rack (9 nodes total) would increase the redundancy of the cluster and improve its ability to withstand a complete rack failure. This is because the additional nodes would provide more storage capacity and compute resources, allowing the cluster to continue running workloads even if one rack fails.

  References: Understanding Fault Domains and Rack Awareness | Nutanix Community RF2 -> RF3 | Requirements | Nutanix Community

• Question 92:

  A new Nutanix cluster is ready for production on a remote site with no IT staff. Changes to the infrastructure will cost money and probably cause a cluster stop. The administrator needs to perform a health check on the environment that should include:

  1.

  Network connectivity checks

  2.

  Network performance status

  3.

  Storage performance status

  Which tool should be used to perform this test?

  A. X-Ray
  B. clurator_cli
  C. NCC
  D. diagnostic, py
  C. NCC

• Question 93:

  An administrator needs to expand a cluster based on AHV and running on Nutanix G5 hardware with a new Nutanix G7 system. The cluster is running AOS 5.10 but the operation fails when expanding the cluster. AOS is running on the new system. There are no issues discovering the node.

  Why is the operation failing?

  A. AOS version running on G7 is older than the version on the cluster.
  B. Foundation software has not been updated on the cluster.
  C. G7 hardware cannot be added to a G5 cluster.
  D. EVC needs to be configured before cluster expansion
  A. AOS version running on G7 is older than the version on the cluster.

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/installation-configuration-23/product-mixing-restrictions-37231

• Question 94:

  A customer has provided the following network requirements to their consultant during a discovery session for AHV cluster deployments:

  1.

  Maximum Uptime Guest Traffic is a Hard Requirement

  2.

  Maximum Throughput for Guest is a Hard Requirement

  3.

  Link Aggregation is established at the TORs

  Cluster nodes have the following network card configurations:

  1.

  2 x 40GbE Adapters

  2.

  2 x IGbE Adapters

  How should the consultant satisfy these requirements?

  A. Bonded 2 x 40GbE Adapters with LACP Disabled for Storage Traffic and Guest Traffic using balance-sib
  B. Bonded 2 x 1 GbE Adapters with LACP Enabled for Storage Traffic and Bonded 2 x 40 GbE Adapters for Guest VM Traffic using balance-tcp
  C. Bonded 2 x 40GbE Adapters with LACP Enabled for Storage Traffic and Guest Traffic using balance-tcp
  D. Bonded 2 x 40GbE Adapters with LACP Disabled for Storage Traffic and bonded 2x1 GbE Adapters for Guest VM Traffic using active-backup
  C. Bonded 2 x 40GbE Adapters with LACP Enabled for Storage Traffic and Guest Traffic using balance-tcp

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  To satisfy the customer's requirements for maximum uptime and throughput in an AHV cluster deployment with link aggregation at the Top-of-Rack (TOR) switches, the consultant should:

  Bonded 2 x 40GbE Adapters with LACP Enabled for Storage Traffic and Guest Traffic using balance-tcp: This configuration leverages Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) to combine the bandwidth of the two 40GbE adapters,

  enhancing both redundancy and throughput. The balance-tcp mode ensures effective load balancing of traffic based on TCP session ensuring optimal use of available bandwidth and improved fault tolerance.

  References:

  Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), particularly the sections discussing network configurations and LACP.

  Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), which covers advanced network settings for performance optimization.

• Question 95:

  A customer design calls for link aggregation. Despite the consultant verifying all hosts are correctly configured for fallback per Nutanix best practices, initial testing reveals the aggregate bond fails to pass traffic and shows a status of configured.

  What is the most likely cause for the bond disabling and reporting a "configured" status?

  A. The uplinks in the bond need to be turned on.
  B. The ports need to be flushed.
  C. Failed negotiation due to misconfiguration on ToR switches.
  D. The bond needs to be reconfigured for balance s_b mode.
  C. Failed negotiation due to misconfiguration on ToR switches.

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  If link aggregation is failing to pass traffic and is only showing a status of "configured," the most likely cause is a failed negotiation due to a misconfiguration on the Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches. This typically occurs when the aggregation protocols (like LACP) or the settings on the ToR switches do not match the configuration on the hosts. Ensuring that both ends of the aggregated links are configured identically and properly for the expected protocols is critical for successful link aggregation.References: Nutanix Network Configuration Guide, Best Practices for Network Aggregation.

• Question 96:

  A customer has requested help deploying a small single-VM instance of Prism Central in their environment that will be used for managing less than 100 guest VMs and registered to a single 5-node cluster. Due to business needs, the customer also plans to consume additional service features within the PC platform.

  The consultant discusses with the customer and ultimately decides to deploy a small 3-VM instance to better account for possible resource overhead required once the additional services are enabled on the cluster.

  The additional services the consultant must enable to meet the customer's requests are as follows:

  1.

  Nutanix Disaster Recovery

  2.

  MS-SQL Server Monitonng

  3.

  Flow Microsegmentation

  Why won't the plan to deploy a small PC instance work for this customer?

  A. The consultant must specify during the small PC deployment that all 3 PCVMs are configured to have 32GB of memory in order to ensure adequate overhead.
  B. The additional services the customer needs cannot be supported on a small sized PC. Consultant must deploy at a minimum a large size PC.
  C. Flow Microsegmentation requires an X-Large 5-VM scale-out instance of Prism Central be deployed in order to avoid constraints.
  D. MS-SQL Server Monitoring requires additional licensing and a separate appliance to be deployed when using a small sized PC.
  B. The additional services the customer needs cannot be supported on a small sized PC. Consultant must deploy at a minimum a large size PC.

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  The plan to deploy a small Prism Central (PC) instance will not work for the customer because the additional services required, especially Flow Microsegmentation and MS-SQL Server Monitoring, demand more substantial resources than a small PC instance can support. The correct approach: B. The additional services the customer needs, including Nutanix Disaster Recovery, MS-SQL Server Monitoring, and Flow Microsegmentation, require a larger resource pool for adequate performance and functionality, making a minimum of a large size PC deployment necessary. Options C and D point to specific requirements but are incorrect in stating the exact size or additional licensing for MS-SQL alone; rather, the overall resource demand across services necessitates a larger PC deployment.References: Nutanix Prism Central Deployment Guide, Nutanix Services Specifications.

• Question 97:

  Refer to the exhibit.

  

  An administrator receive the warning massages shown in the exhibit while validating cluster conversion from EXSi to AHV. What should the administrator do to address this warning in v Center Server?

  A. Keep active adapters od different speeds as active standby
  B. Remove adapters that are active but not homogeneous.
  C. Keep homogeneous adapter as active and standby
  D. Remove the standby adapters under Teaming and Failover.
  C. Keep homogeneous adapter as active and standby

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  When converting a cluster from ESXi to AHV and encountering warnings about network adapter configurations in VMware vCenter, it is crucial to ensure that the network adapters are homogeneous to avoid issues with network performance and reliability. Keeping homogeneous adapters as active and standby ensures that all active and standby adapters operate at the same speed and capabilities, which is essential for maintaining consistent network performance and failover capabilities. This setup helps in avoiding conflicts or performance penalties that can arise from using mixed adapter types under the same virtual switch environment.References: VMware vCenter documentation, Nutanix AHV Networking Guide.

• Question 98:

  An administrator knows that the disks in a cluster are out of date and a new firmware is available. For security reasons, these clusters do not have access to the Internet.

  Which two steps must be completed to update the firmware? (Choose two.)

  A. Configure LCM with a URL to access the firmware bundle.
  B. Download a dark site bundle and stage it on an internal webserver.
  C. Download the updated firmware .tgz file from the Nutanix portal.
  D. Select Upgrade Software, then select disks and upload the updated firmware.
  A. Configure LCM with a URL to access the firmware bundle.
  B. Download a dark site bundle and stage it on an internal webserver.

• Question 99:

  A consultant is working on an expansion project for a customer that has an existing 7-node RF2 cluster. The customer has purchased four more nodes to add to the cluster. All of the hardware is identical between the existing hardware and newly purchased hardware.

  Currently, the 7-node cluster has the following utilization:

  1.

  CPU: 48%

  2.

  Memory: 66%

  3.

  Storage: 91%

  During the kick-off call, the customer mentioned they'd like to reserve storage capacity on the cluster if a node were to fail in the future.

  What's the safest and best way to implement this on the cluster?

  A. Expand the cluster with the additional nodes and enable Reserve Rebuild Capacity.
  B. Enable Reserve Rebuild Capacity and expand the cluster with the additional nodes.
  C. Expand the cluster with the additional nodes and enable HA reservation.
  D. Enable HA reservation and expand the cluster with the additional nodes.
  A. Expand the cluster with the additional nodes and enable Reserve Rebuild Capacity.

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  The most efficient and safest way to implement the customer's desire to reserve storage capacity for future node failures after expanding their existing 7-node RF2 cluster with four additional nodes is to first expand the cluster with the additional nodes, and then enable the Reserve Rebuild Capacity setting. This approach allows the cluster to immediately benefit from increased storage and other resources provided by the additional nodes, which can then be partially reserved to handle potential future failures. This method ensures both an increase in total capacity and the preservation of operational integrity during node failures.References: Nutanix Prism User Guide, Nutanix Best Practices for Cluster Expansion.

• Question 100:

  Refer to Exhibit:

  

  A customer is preparing to expand a cluster with a consultant. The production cluster is comprised of one NX-3460-G7 and two NX-8235 G8 blocks. The running AOS version is 5.20.4.6 and Hypervisor version is ESXi 6.7 U3b. vCenter is also running a 6.7 version.

  One NX-3235-G9 block will be added to that cluster (ESXI-NUTA-09 and ESXI-NUTA-10).

  The consultant has verified Nutanix documentation and customer's As-Built guide:

  1.

  NX-3060-G7 and NX-8035-G8 are hybrid HCI nodes

  2.

  ESXi 6.7 U3b is unsupported for the new G9 hardware model

  3.

  AOS 5.20.X and ESXi 6 X are end of support

  4.

  NX-3060-G7 and NX-8035-G8 hypervisors can be upgraded to the latest ESXi supported version

  What actions should be taken before beginning the cluster expansion?

  A. Upgrade vCenter, AOS and ESXi to supported and recommended versions.
  B. Upgrade only AOS and ESXi to supported and recommended versions.
  C. Replace all HDDs with SSDs on the Production cluster.
  D. Prepare Foundation and the whitelist. json file to deploy ESXi 6.7 U3b on the new nodes.
  A. Upgrade vCenter, AOS and ESXi to supported and recommended versions.

  ---

  Explanation/Reference:

  Before expanding the cluster with the new NX-3235-G9 block, it is critical to ensure that all components are running supported and recommended versions due to compatibility and support issues. Therefore, the necessary actions include: A. Upgrade vCenter, AOS, and ESXi to supported and recommended versions. This step ensures compatibility across all components, particularly important as the new G9 hardware does not support the currently installed version of ESXi. Upgrading these components will also ensure continued vendor support and the stability of the environment. Options B, C, and D do not adequately address the need for vCenter upgrades or the fact that ESXi 6.7 U3b is unsupported for G9, highlighting the necessity for a comprehensive upgrade.References: Nutanix Hardware Compatibility List, Nutanix Support Portal.