Pass the NVIDIA NVIDIA-Certified Professional NCP-AIN Questions and answers with CertsForce

Modern AI training (especially with LLMs) requires extremely high-speed, parallel access to large datasets. Adedicated storage fabricseparates data I/O traffic from the training compute path and avoids contention.

FromNVIDIA DGX Infrastructure Reference Architectures:

"Dedicated storage networks eliminate I/O bottlenecks by providing low-latency, high-bandwidth access to distributed storage for large-scale training jobs."

"Parallel access to datasets is key for performance, especially in multi-node, multi-GPU AI clusters."

Security (B)is important, but not the core reason for a storage fabric.

Cost (D)is typicallyincreased, not reduced, with dedicated fabrics.

NVIDIA NetQ is a comprehensive network operations tool designed to provide real-time visibility into the health and performance of NVIDIA networking environments, including Spectrum-X. It offers detailed telemetry and analytics, allowing administrators to monitor adaptive routing behaviors, detect congestion, and analyze traffic patterns. By leveraging NetQ, you can ensure that adaptive routing is functioning as intended and that the network is optimized for AI workloads.​

Reference Extracts from NVIDIA Documentation:

"The NVIDIA NetQ network validation and ASIC monitoring tool set provide visibility into the network health and behavior. The NetQ flow telemetry analysis shows the paths that data flows take as they traverse the network, providing network latency and performance insights."​

"By leveraging telemetry from Spectrum Ethernet switches and BlueField-3 SuperNICs, NVIDIA NetQ can detect network issues proactively and troubleshoot network issues faster for optimal use of network capacity."​

TheNVIDIA Network Operatoris designed to simplify and automate the deployment and management of networking components in Kubernetes clusters, particularly those utilizing NVIDIA Spectrum-X switches. It manages the installation and configuration of necessary drivers, plugins, and other networking resources to enable features like RDMA and GPUDirect RDMA, which are essential for high-performance AI workloads.​

By leveraging Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) and the Operator Framework, the Network Operator ensures that networking components are consistently and correctly configured across the cluster, reducing manual intervention and potential configuration errors.​

Before upgrading Cumulus Linux, it's essential to back up configuration files to a different server. The /etc directory is the primary location for all configuration data in Cumulus Linux. Specifically, the following files and directories should be backed up:​

/etc/frr/ - Routing application (responsible for BGP and OSPF)

/etc/hostname - Configuration file for the hostname of the switch

/etc/network/ - Network configuration files, most notably /etc/network/interfaces and /etc/network/interfaces.d/

/etc/cumulus/acl - Access control list configurations​

Cumulus Linux is a network operating system used on NVIDIA Spectrum switches, including those in the Spectrum-X platform, to provide a Linux-based environment forEthernet networking in AI and HPC data centers. When upgrading Cumulus Linux to a new version, it’s critical to migrate specific configuration files to preserve network settings and ensure continuity. The question asks for the two configuration file locations that should be migrated from the old installation during an upgrade.

According to NVIDIA’s official Cumulus Linux documentation, the key directories containing configuration files that should be migrated during an upgrade are /etc/cumulus/acl (for access control list configurations) and /etc/network (for network interface configurations). These directories store critical network settings that define the switch’s behavior, such as ACL rules and interface settings, which must be preserved to maintain network functionality after the upgrade.

Exact Extract from NVIDIA Documentation:

“When upgrading Cumulus Linux, you must back up and migrate specific configuration files to ensure continuity of network settings. The following directories should be included in the backup:

/etc/cumulus/acl: Contains access control list (ACL) configuration files that define packet filtering and security policies.

/etc/network: Contains network interface configuration files, such as interfaces and ifupdown2 settings, which define the network interfaces and their properties.Back up these directories before upgrading and restore them after the new version is installed to maintain consistent network behavior.”—NVIDIA Cumulus Linux Upgrade Guide

This extract confirms that options A and B are the correct answers, as /etc/cumulus/acl and /etc/network contain essential configuration files that must be migrated during a Cumulus Linux upgrade. These files ensure that ACL policies and network interface settings are preserved, which are critical for Spectrum-X configurations in AI networking environments.

The mlxlink tool is used to check and debug link status and issues related to them. The tool can be used on different links and cables (passive, active, transceiver, and backplane). It is intended for advanced users with appropriate technical background.​

The NVIDIA Spectrum-X networking platform is an Ethernet-based solution optimized for AI workloads, combining Spectrum-4 switches, BlueField-3 SuperNICs, and advanced software to deliver high performance and low latency. Gathering telemetry data is critical for optimizing Spectrum-X networks, as it provides visibility into network performance, congestion, and potential issues. The question asks for the tool used to collect telemetry data in a Spectrum-X network.

According to NVIDIA’s official documentation, NVIDIA NetQ is the primary tool for gathering telemetry data in Ethernet-based networks, including those running on Spectrum-X platforms with Cumulus Linux or SONiC. NetQ is a network operations toolset that provides real-time monitoring, telemetry collection, and analytics for network health, enabling administrators to optimize performance, troubleshoot issues, and validate configurations. It collects detailed telemetry data such as link status, packet drops, latency, and congestion metrics, which are essential for Spectrum-X optimization.

Exact Extract from NVIDIA Documentation:

“NVIDIA NetQ is a highly scalable network operations tool that provides telemetry-based monitoring and analytics for Ethernet networks, including NVIDIA Spectrum-X platforms. NetQ collects real-time telemetry data from switches and hosts, offering insights into network performance, congestion, and connectivity. It supports Cumulus Linux and SONiC environments, making it ideal for optimizing Spectrum-X networks by providing visibility into key metrics like latency, throughput, and packet loss.”

—NVIDIA NetQ User Guide

This extract confirms that option C, NetQ, is the correct tool for gathering telemetry data in a Spectrum-X network. NetQ’s integration with Spectrum-X switches and its ability to collect and analyze telemetry data make it the go-to solution for network optimization tasks.

MLNX-OS, the operating system for NVIDIA's networking devices, defines two primary user account types:adminandmonitor. Theadminaccount has full administrative privileges, allowing for complete configuration and management of the system. Themonitoraccount, on the other hand, is designed for users who need to view system configurations and statuses without making any changes. This separation ensures a clear distinction between users who manage the system and those who monitor its operations.​

Reference Extracts from NVIDIA Documentation:

"There are two user roles or account types: admin and monitor. As 'admin', the user is privileged to run all the available commands. As 'monitor', the user can run commands that show system configuration and status, or set terminal settings."​

MLNX-OS is the network operating system used on NVIDIA’s Mellanox Ethernet switches, including the Spectrum family (e.g., Spectrum-4 switches in the Spectrum-X platform), designed for high-performance Ethernet networking in AI and HPC data centers. MLNX-OS provides a command-line interface (CLI) for configuring and managing switch operations, with user accounts controlling access to various commands and functions. The question asks for the two general user account types in MLNX-OS, which define the primary privilege levels for user access.

According to NVIDIA’s official MLNX-OS documentation, the two general user account types in MLNX-OS are:

monitor: This account type has read-only access, allowing users to view configurations, status, and logs but not modify settings. It is used for monitoring and troubleshooting without risking unintended changes.

admin: This account type has full read-write access, enabling users to view and modify all configurations, execute commands, and manage the switch’s operations. It is intended for administrators with complete control over the system.

These two account types represent the primary privilege levels in MLNX-OS, providing a clear distinction between read-only monitoring and full administrative access.

Exact Extract from NVIDIA Documentation:

“MLNX-OS supports two primary user account types for managing switch operations:

monitor: Users with monitor privileges have read-only access to the system. They can view configuration details, system status, and logs but cannot make changes to the configuration.

admin: Users with admin privileges have full read-write access, allowing them to configure, manage, and troubleshoot all aspects of the switch, including executing privileged commands.These account types ensure secure and controlled access to the switch’s management functions.”—NVIDIA MLNX-OS User Manual

This extract confirms that options B (monitor) and C (admin) are the correct answers. These account types are the standard privilege levels in MLNX-OS, used to manage access for monitoring and administrative tasks on Spectrum switches, including those in Spectrum-X deployments.

The Network Traffic Map in NVIDIA's Unified Fabric Manager (UFM) provides a visual representation of the network topology and traffic flows, which is particularly useful for identifying congestion points, verifying network configurations, and optimizing workload distribution.

However, when troubleshooting a single node's hardware failure, the Network Traffic Map is less effective, as it focuses on network-level issues rather than individual hardware components.​

To check the status and link layer of InfiniBand interfaces, the ibstat command is used. For example:​

ibstat -d mlx5_0

This command provides detailed information about the InfiniBand device, including its state (e.g., Active), physical state (e.g., LinkUp), and link layer (e.g., InfiniBand).​

The ib_write_bw tool is part of the Perftest package and is specifically designed to measure the bandwidth of RDMA write operations between two InfiniBand endpoints. It provides accurate assessments of RDMA throughput, which is crucial for verifying the performance of InfiniBand networks in high-performance computing and AI training environments.​