The company is using Nutanix Objects 3.2, a component of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), which provides S3-compatible object storage. Due to an S3 protocol compatibility issue with their backup application, they need to switch to an NFS repository. The solution must be the fastest and consume the least compute capacity (CPU and memory) on their Nutanix infrastructure.

Analysis of Options:

Option A (Delete the existing bucket, create a new bucket, and enable NFS v3 access): Incorrect. Nutanix Objects does support NFS access for buckets starting with version 3.5 (as per Nutanix documentation), but Objects 3.2 does not have this capability. Since the company is using Objects 3.2, this option is not feasible without upgrading or redeploying Objects, which is not mentioned in this option. Even if NFS were supported, deleting and recreating buckets does not address the compatibility issue directly and may still consume compute resources for bucket operations.

Option B (Deploy Files and create a new Share with multi-protocol access enabled): Correct. Nutanix Files, another component of NUS, supports NFS natively and can be deployed to create an NFS share quickly. Multi-protocol access (e.g., NFS and SMB) can be enabled on a Files share, allowing the backup application to use NFS as a repository. Deploying a Files instance with a minimal configuration (e.g., 3 FSVMs) consumes relatively low compute resources compared to redeploying or upgrading Objects, and it is the fastest way to provide an NFS repository without modifying the existing Objects deployment.

Option C (Redeploy Objects using the latest version, create a new bucket, and enable NFS v3 access): Incorrect. Redeploying Objects with the latest version (e.g., 4.0 or later) would allow NFS v3 access, as this feature was introduced in Objects 3.5. However, redeployment is a time-consuming process that involves uninstalling the existing Object Store, redeploying a new instance, and reconfiguring buckets. This also consumes significant compute resources during the redeployment process, making it neither the fastest nor the least resource-intensive solution.

Option D (Upgrade Objects to the latest version, create a new bucket, and enable NFS v3 access): Incorrect. Upgrading Objects from 3.2 to a version that supports NFS (e.g., 3.5 or later) is a viable solution, as it would allow enabling NFS v3 access on a new bucket. However, upgrading Objects involves downtime, validation, and potential resource overhead during the upgrade process, which does not align with the requirement for the fastest solution with minimal compute capacity usage.

Why Option B is the Fastest and Least Resource-Intensive:

Nutanix Files Deployment: Deploying a new Nutanix Files instance is a straightforward process that can be completed in minutes via Prism Central or the Files Console. A minimal Files deployment (e.g., 3 FSVMs) requires 4 vCPUs and 12 GiB of RAM per FSVM (as noted in Question 2), totaling 12 vCPUs and 36 GiB of RAM. This is a relatively low resource footprint compared to redeploying or upgrading an Objects instance, which may require more compute resources during the process.

NFS Support: Nutanix Files natively supports NFS, and enabling multi-protocol access (NFS and SMB) on a share is a simple configuration step that does not require modifying the existing Objects deployment.

Speed: Deploying Files and creating a share can be done without downtime to the existing Objects setup, making it faster than upgrading or redeploying Objects.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

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

“Nutanix Files supports multi-protocol access, allowing shares to be accessed via both NFS and SMB protocols. To enable NFS access, deploy a Files instance and create a share with multi-protocol access enabled. A minimal Files deployment requires 3 FSVMs, each with 4 vCPUs and 12 GiB of RAM, ensuring efficient resource usage.”

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

“Starting with Objects 3.5, NFS v3 access is supported for buckets, allowing them to be mounted as NFS file systems. This feature is not available in earlier versions, such as Objects 3.2.”