Pass the Nutanix Nutanix Certified Associate (NCA) NCA-6.10 Questions and answers with CertsForce

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. Run Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC).

Before performingany upgrade procedure(AOS, Foundation, LCM, etc.), it is strongly recommended torun the Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC). This tool performs acomprehensive health assessmentof the cluster and validates its readiness for the upgrade, including:

Disk integrity

Network configuration

CVM health

Cluster services status

Prism UI Navigation Path:

Health > Run NCC Check (via Actions menu)

Command Line Alternative:

bash

CopyEdit

ncc health_checks run_all

Clarifications:

A (Put hosts into maintenance mode): Not required before upgrades; LCM handles host management automatically.

C (Put CVMs into maintenance mode): Not correct. CVMs must be operational during upgrades.

D (Clear all alerts): Irrelevant unless the alerts indicate upgrade-blocking issues, which NCC identifies.

Official Reference:

Nutanix Upgrade Guide – Pre-upgrade Checklist Section

Excerpt: “It is strongly recommended to run NCC prior to starting the upgrade process to detect any cluster issues.”

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.

To allow Nutanix Support to gather logs automatically without requiring manual intervention, the administrator should enablePulse. Pulse is a telemetry service that collects and sends system health, log, and usage data to Nutanix Support securely.

Steps:

Navigate toPrism Central > Settings > Pulse.

Enable the service and configure as required for your environment.

Other options:

Self-Service: Refers to role-based access for users, unrelated to log collection.

Proxy Server: Used for network communication, not log gathering.

NKP: Refers to Nutanix Cluster Protocol, unrelated to telemetry.

In a cluster configured with Redundancy Factor 3 (RF3), the system ensures that data is replicated across at least three nodes to tolerate the failure of two nodes. During an AHV upgrade, Nutanix only placesone node at a timeinto maintenance mode, even in an RF3 configuration, to minimize the impact on data redundancy and cluster operations.

A. 1:Correct, as AHV upgrades proceed node by node in RF3.

B. 2, C. 3, D. 4:These options are incorrect, as only one node is upgraded at a time regardless of RF3.

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 create a VM template from an existing VM in Nutanix, the VM must be powered off. This ensures that the template is consistent and does not include any transient data or activity from the VM. Once the VM is powered off, the administrator can use the Prism UI to take a snapshot and designate it as a template.

A. Sysprep or Cloud-init script:These are optional for post-deployment configuration, not mandatory for creating a template.

B. The VM is powered on:This is incorrect, as the VM must be powered off.

C. Windows OS is installed:The OS type is irrelevant for creating a template.

D. The VM is powered off:Correct, as creating a template requires the VM to be in a powered-off state.

TheData Protectionfeature in Prism Element provides built-in disaster recovery capabilities by enabling asynchronous replication between Nutanix clusters. With a latency of 30ms between the two sites, asynchronous replication can ensure that data is replicated efficiently while adhering to recovery point objectives (RPO). The administrator can configure Protection Domains and Replication Targets to set up DR between the clusters.

A. Recovery Plan:Incorrect, as Recovery Plans are part of Prism Central for orchestrated failover, not Prism Element.

B. Protection Policies:Incorrect, as these are defined under Prism Central.

C. Data Protection:Correct, as it enables disaster recovery via replication configurations in Prism Element.

D. Metro Cluster:Incorrect, as Metro Cluster requires low latency (<5ms) and is not suitable for a 30ms latency scenario.

The correct answer isB. Create an RF1 storage container.

In Nutanix architecture,Replication Factor (RF)is set at thestorage container levelto optimize redundancy and performance for specific workloads. When an application hasits own internal redundancy, such as database clustering or distributed file systems, the administrator may choose toreduce Nutanix’s redundancy to RF1, which stores onlyone copy of datain the cluster. This reduces overhead and maximizes usable capacity, but isnot fault-tolerantat the Nutanix level.

Key clarifications:

RF1 is not enabled by default.Nutanix clusters default toRF2 or RF3depending on the configuration and number of nodes.

RF1 must beexplicitly setwhen creating a storage container.

There isno separate "enable RF1"setting outside of selecting RF1 at container creation; once selected, it applies directly.

Prism UI Navigation Path:

Storage > Storage Containers > Create Storage Container > Data Redundancy Level → Select "RF1"

Official Reference:

Nutanix Bible – Storage Layer and RF Explanation

Nutanix Storage Administration Guide – "Creating Containers with Specific Replication Factor"

Excerpt: "RF1 is typically used for workloads with native redundancy. It must be selected explicitly during container creation."

Conclusion:Onlyoption Baccurately reflects this process.

Answer: B

Replication Factor (RF) defines the number of copies of data stored in a Nutanix cluster. RF2 ensures two copies of data, and RF3 ensures three copies. This redundancy allows the system to maintain data integrity and recoverability even in the event of hardware failures.

A. It limits the scope of hardware failures during recovery operations:Incorrect, as RF focuses on data replication, not limiting failure scopes.

B. It ensures that multiple copies of data are available for recovery:Correct, as RF directly relates to data redundancy and recovery capabilities.

C. It accelerates data transfer to remote backup sites:Incorrect, as RF does not affect remote backup speed.

D. It reduces the need for offsite backup solutions:Incorrect, as RF works within the cluster, not as a replacement for offsite backups.