FSVMs (File Server VMs)are essential for delivering file services (SMB/NFS) in Nutanix Files. Each FSVM is responsible for handling client connections and file access requests.Stopping an FSVMcan temporarily disrupt file share access if not properly coordinated.

TheHigh Availability (HA) stateis thecritical factorto check before stopping an FSVM because:

TheNUSA and NCP-US coursesemphasize:

“In a Nutanix Files deployment, High Availability (HA) for FSVMs ensures that client connections are redistributed to other FSVMs in the cluster when an FSVM is stopped or fails. Before stopping an FSVM, administrators must confirm that HA is enabled to avoid data access disruption.”

If HA is disabled or misconfigured:

Stopping an FSVM could lead toclient disconnectionsand potential data access issues.

Thefiles servicemay temporarily becomeunavailablefor the workloads handled by that FSVM.

The other options are not directly related tostopping FSVMs:

Data Protection status— more relevant to snapshots and replication, not FSVM runtime status.

VDI Sync— relates to desktop sync, not FSVM management.

SSR (Self-Service Restore)— depends on file share snapshots, not FSVM status.

Thus, the best practice is tocheck HA stateto ensure a seamless failover and minimal service impact before stopping the FSVM.