Nutanix Files allows users to restore their files from the snapshots taken by the protection policy. A protection policy is a set of rules that defines how often snapshots are taken, how long they are retained, and where they are replicated. A protection policy can be applied to one or more file shares. To enable users to restore their files without administrator intervention, the administrator must enable the Self Service Restore option for each share in the Files Console. This option adds a hidden folder named .snapshot in each share, which contains all the snapshots taken by the protection policy. Users can access this folder and browse the snapshots to find and restore their files. The administrator can also configure the permissions and quota for the .snapshot folder. References: Nutanix Files Administration Guide, page 75; Nutanix Files Self-Service Restore Guide

Nutanix Files, part of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), provides a Self-Service Restore (SSR) feature that allows end users to recover their files without administrator intervention. This feature is particularly useful for SMB shares, enabling users to access previous versions of files or folders directly from their Windows clients (e.g., via the "Previous Versions" tab in File Explorer).

The most efficient way to enable Self-Service Restore for multiple Files shares is to configure it at the share level within the Files Console. According to the Nutanix Files Administration Guide, the Self-Service Restore option can be enabled for each share individually through the Shares tab in the Files Console. While this requires enabling the setting for each share, it is the most direct and supported method for enabling SSR across multiple shares, as it does not involve external tools like Data Lens or complex configurations like Protection Policies or Consistency Groups.

Option A: Correct. Enabling Self-Service Restore in the Edit wizard for each share via the Shares tab in the Files Console is the standard method. It allows users to restore files directly without administrator intervention. While it requires configuring each share individually, it is efficient for a small to moderate number of shares and aligns with Nutanix’s recommended approach.

Option B: Incorrect. Nutanix Data Lens is a service for data governance, analytics, and ransomware protection, not for managing Self-Service Restore settings. Data Lens focuses on scanning shares for anomalies and providing recovery points, but it does not have a direct option to enable SSR for shares.

Option C: Incorrect. Assigning Categories to FSVMs and linking them to a Protection Policy in Prism Central is related to VM or resource protection (e.g., snapshots or replication), not to enabling user-driven file restoration for Files shares.

Option D: Incorrect. Consistency Groups and Protection Domains in Prism Element are used for data protection and disaster recovery (e.g., asynchronous replication), not for enabling Self-Service Restore for end users.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Files Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“Self-Service Restore allows end users to recover files and folders from SMB shares without administrator intervention. To enable Self-Service Restore, navigate to the Shares tab in the Files Console, select a share, and click Edit. In the Edit wizard, check the ‘Enable Self Service Restore’ option. This must be configured for each share individually.”

Additional Notes:

While enabling SSR for each share individually (option A) may seem less efficient for a very large number of shares, Nutanix does not currently provide a bulk configuration option for SSR in the Files Console. Automation via APIs could be an alternative for large-scale deployments, but this is not mentioned in the question’s options.

The question emphasizes “most efficient,” and option A is the most straightforward and officially supported method per the documentation.