Nutanix NCA-6.10 Nutanix Certified Associate NCA v6.10 Exam Practice Test

The correct answer isA. br0.

InAHV (Acropolis Hypervisor),br0is thedefault native Linux bridgecreated on each hypervisor host. It is used for VM traffic and external communication. AHV leveragesOpen vSwitch (OVS)to manage virtual networking, but the bridge is exposed as br0 in the host's network configuration.

Key points:

br0connects VM virtual NICs (vNICs) to the physical network via the host's uplinks.

It is pre-configured during Foundation or cluster deployment.

virbr0is typical in KVM environments but isnot usedin AHV.

Official Reference:

Nutanix AHV Networking Guide

Nutanix KB #2027 – AHV Host Networking

Excerpt: “AHV uses br0 as the default bridge on the host, configured by Open vSwitch for guest VM networking.”

Answer: A

Nutanix Distributed Storage Fabric (DSF) provides storage access to an ESXi hypervisor using theNFS (Network File System)protocol. DSF abstracts the underlying storage hardware and exposes storage as an NFS datastore to ESXi hosts. This integration enables high performance, data protection, and scalability while simplifying storage management.

Other options:

LVM: Not used in Nutanix storage.

iSCSI: Used for specific use cases, not the default protocol for ESXi.

SMB: Not supported for ESXi environments.

The correct answer isD. Software-only Encryption.

Nutanix supportsData-at-Rest Encryption (DARE)through bothhardware-basedandsoftware-basedmethods. Among the supported solutions,software-only encryptionis a widely used and officially supported method, especially whenSelf-Encrypting Drives (SEDs)are not in use.

Key facts about Nutanix DARE:

Enables encryption of data written to physical media.

Works at theCVM and controller layer, ensuring all I/O is encrypted before being persisted.

Software-based encryptioncan be enabled via Prism Central or command-line usingNative Key Management (NKM)orexternal KMIP-compliant key managers.

Hardware encryption (SED)is optional and not required for DARE.

Clarifications:

A. Storage Pool-only Encryption: Not valid; encryption applies at thecluster level, not only to storage pools.

B. Data-only Encryption: Ambiguous and not a Nutanix-supported term.

C. Cluster-only Encryption: Misleading; encryption is applied to data at rest, not to the "cluster" object.

Prism UI Navigation Path:

Settings > Security > Encryption

Official Reference:

Nutanix Security Guide – Data-at-Rest Encryption

Nutanix Bible – Encryption Section

Excerpt: “Nutanix supports software-only data-at-rest encryption using Native Key Management or external KMIP key managers, without requiring self-encrypting drives.”

Answer: D

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.

The correct answer isC. Perform an inventory.

To ensure theLCM Frameworkand its associated component metadata are updated, the administrator must perform afresh LCM inventory. This process:

Retrieves the latest metadata and framework version from the Nutanix support portal (if the cluster is connected).

Detects current component versions and identifies available updates.

Clarifications:

A (Upgrade AOS):LCM is independent of AOS version updates.

B (Restart genesis):Unnecessary and not relevant to LCM framework versioning.

D (NCC):Useful for cluster health, but does not affect LCM updates.

Prism Central UI Navigation Path:

Operations > LCM > Perform Inventory

Official Reference:

Nutanix LCM Guide – Updating the LCM Framework

Excerpt: “To receive the latest framework version and component metadata, perform an LCM inventory on a connected cluster.”

The default admin session logout time in Nutanix is15 minutes. If no activity is detected within this time, the session is automatically logged out for security reasons. This timeout can be adjusted in the system settings if needed, depending on organizational requirements.

To rerun only the health checks that previously failed or issued warnings, the administrator can select theOnly Failed and Warning Checksoption in Prism Element. This targeted approach helps verify that resolved issues have been addressed without rerunning all checks unnecessarily.

Steps:

Navigate toPrism Element > Health > NCC Checks.

Filter forOnly Failed and Warning Checksand rerun them.

Other options:

A. Run LCM Pre-Upgrade: Runs pre-upgrade checks, not related to health check validation.

B. Runncc health_checks run_all: Executes all checks, not just failed ones.

C. Select Run Check for each check worked: Requires manual execution for each check.

The correct answer isA. Select the Auto resolve alerts checkbox and click Save.

When an alert policy is configured based on astatic threshold, it will generate an alert each time the condition is met unless it has beenauto-resolvedor manually acknowledged. By enablingAuto resolve alerts, the system willautomatically clear the alertonce the metric falls back within the acceptable range. This preventsduplicate alertswhen the threshold is exceeded repeatedly within a short timeframe (e.g., multiple times over 48 hours).

Explanation of Incorrect Options:

B (Disable policy):Not scalable or operationally sound.

C (Ignore anomalies):Applies only to behavioral anomalies, not static thresholds.

D (Trigger duration):Increases delay before alerting but does not suppress repeated alerts.

UI Location in Image:

✔“Auto resolve alerts” is visible just below "Impact Type."

Official Reference:

Nutanix Prism Central Guide – Alert Policies

Excerpt: “Enable ‘Auto resolve alerts’ to ensure alerts are cleared automatically once conditions normalize, avoiding duplicate alerts.”

TheReserved Capacityoption in a storage container explicitly reserves a portion of cluster storage for that container. This reservation reduces the amount of storage available for other containers. Reserved Capacity ensures that specific workloads have guaranteed storage resources, preventing resource contention or overcommitment.

Other options:

Advertised Capacity: Defines the storage limit displayed to users but does not reserve storage.

Erasure Coding: Optimizes storage efficiency but does not reduce available capacity.

Capacity Deduplication: Reduces space consumption by eliminating duplicate data but does not affect other containers' storage.

Non-migratable VMs in a Nutanix cluster typically include those with attached Volume Groups. This is because such VMs leverage direct-attached storage via iSCSI, which ties them to a specific host, preventing live migration to another host. Volume Groups provide block storage to applications, and the iSCSI protocol does not support live migration of such connections.

Here's a breakdown of the options:

A. VMs without NGT:Nutanix Guest Tools (NGT) are used for guest-level integration but do not affect VM migratability.

B. VMs marked as an Agent:This setting does not inherently make VMs non-migratable. It primarily affects roles and tasks within certain configurations.

C. Memory Overcommitted:While memory overcommitment can affect performance, it does not make VMs non-migratable. Nutanix AHV handles memory allocation dynamically.

D. VMs with attached Volume Groups:Correct answer, as the iSCSI connections used by Volume Groups are host-specific and cannot migrate seamlessly.

To enable Windows Defender Credential Guard, the VM must be configured withUEFI(Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) instead of Legacy BIOS. UEFI provides the necessary support for Secure Boot and Virtualization-Based Security (VBS), both of which are prerequisites for Credential Guard.

Steps:

When creating or editing the VM, selectUEFIas the firmware type.

Ensure Secure Boot and VBS are enabled in the OS configuration.

The correct answer isB. Internal NTP sources.

Nutanix strongly recommends configuringreliable internal NTP sources(e.g., enterprise-managed NTP servers or domain NTP servers) to ensure:

Time consistency across all nodes and CVMs

Accurate logging, monitoring, authentication (e.g., Kerberos), and cluster operations

Avoiding dependency onexternal/public NTPsources, which may berate-limited, unavailable, or blockedby firewalls

Clarifications:

A (Windows time sources):Generally discouraged unless they are configured to use a stratum 1/2 reliable upstream source.

C (Rate-limited sources):Not recommended; can result in dropped or inconsistent time updates.

D (External ISP NTP):Not preferred for production clusters due to reliability concerns.

Prism UI Navigation Path:

Settings > NTP Servers

Official Reference:

Nutanix Best Practices Guide – NTP Configuration

Excerpt: “Use reliable and consistent internal NTP servers for all Nutanix clusters to maintain time synchronization.”

Answer: B

To create a VM-VM Anti-Affinity Policy ensuring VMs are not placed on the same hypervisor,Prism Centralis required. Anti-affinity policies are cluster-wide configurations managed through Prism Central’s policy-based interface, enabling placement rules to distribute workloads effectively.

Steps:

Navigate toPrism Central > Policies.

Create a new Anti-Affinity Policy.

Select the VMs and configure the policy to ensure separation.

Log files requested by Nutanix Support can be collected from theSettingsdashboard in Prism Element. Within Settings, administrators can access the "Export Logs" or "Support" section to collect and upload diagnostic data directly to Nutanix Support.

A. Settings:Correct, as logs are collected and uploaded via the Settings dashboard.

B. Alerts:Incorrect, as Alerts display system issues but do not provide log collection options.

C. Health:Incorrect, as the Health dashboard focuses on system checks and cluster status.

D. Analysis:Incorrect, as the Analysis dashboard provides performance monitoring, not log collection.

The correct answer isB. From the My Nutanix Licensing Summary page, click Manage Licenses and follow the specified process.

WithNutanix Cloud Platform (NCP) Package Licensing, licensing is centrally managed through theMy Nutanix Portal, where customers can:

View license entitlements.

Allocate or assign licenses to clusters.

Download license files for upload via Prism Central or Prism Element.

The entry point for license assignment begins at theLicensing Summary page on the My Nutanix Portal.

Clarification of Other Options:

A and D:Prism Central and Prism Element are used touploadlicenses, not assign or generate them.

C:“Nutanix Portal” is a vague reference; the correct term is “My Nutanix”.

Official Reference:

Nutanix Licensing Guide – Cloud Platform Licensing

Excerpt: “Log in to My Nutanix > Licensing Summary > Manage Licenses to assign and manage licenses for your clusters.”

Answer: B

Nutanix AHV (Acropolis Hypervisor) supports integrated IP address management (IPAM) as a built-in feature. IPAM allows administrators to dynamically allocate and manage IP addresses for VMs within a network segment. This functionality simplifies network management by automating the assignment of IPs without relying on external DHCP servers.

A. ESXi:Incorrect, as ESXi does not include built-in IPAM.

B. Hyper-V:Incorrect, as Hyper-V lacks integrated IPAM functionality.

C. AHV:Correct, as AHV has built-in IPAM for automated IP address allocation.

D. XenServer:Incorrect, as XenServer does not support integrated IPAM.

The correct answer isB. UTC.

When creating Linux VMs in a Nutanix environment (or in any enterprise-grade production environment), it isbest practice to use UTC(Coordinated Universal Time) as the system timezone. This ensures:

Consistencyacross distributed systems

Accurate log correlation

Avoidance of issues with daylight saving time (DST)

Simplifiedcentralized monitoring and troubleshooting

Clarifications:

A (Eastern)andD (Central)are region-specific and may introduce time skew across systems.

C (Local)is ambiguous and depends on the underlying hardware or hypervisor setting, which can lead to inconsistent behavior.

Official Reference:

Linux Admin Best Practices

Nutanix Best Practices Guide – VM Provisioning Section

Excerpt: “For consistency across environments, it is recommended to configure all Linux virtual machines to use UTC timezone, particularly in clustered and distributed applications.”

The correct answer isB. 1

Nutanix Prism Central provides the ability to create and manage support casesdirectly from the UI, but this functionality requiresat least one clusterto be registered to Prism Central. The Support option becomes active onceone or more clustersare managed.

Important distinctions:

Zero clusters(Option A): With no clusters registered, Prism Central is effectively disconnected from any environment and thus cannot associate logs or telemetry with a support case.

One cluster(Option B): Enables access to support features, including log bundle generation and direct case submission.

Options C and D (2 or 3 clusters) are incorrect; they arenot a requirementfor enabling support case functionality.

Prism Central UI Navigation Path:

Settings (gear icon) > Support > Create Support Case

Official Reference:

Nutanix Prism Central Guide – Support Integration Section

Excerpt: "To open a support case through Prism Central, ensure at least one cluster is registered. Support features become available once a cluster is connected."

Conclusion:Only one cluster is required to activate the support case workflow in Prism Central.

Answer: B

Redundancy Factor 3 (RF3) requires a minimum of five nodes in the cluster to ensure that data can be distributed across enough nodes to tolerate the failure of two nodes. If the cluster has fewer than five nodes, RF3 cannot be enabled.

A. Check that the cluster has been properly licensed:Licensing is not directly related to enabling RF3.

B. Check that the cluster has five or more nodes:Correct, as RF3 requires at least five nodes.

C. Check hardware availability of the nodes:While hardware health is important, it does not determine RF3 eligibility.

D. Check AOS version and upgrade, if needed:RF3 requirements are not specific to an AOS version.

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.

To remove old VM snapshots, the task should be completed from theVM dashboardin Prism Element. This dashboard allows administrators to manage virtual machine-related operations, including snapshot creation, deletion, and restoration. Steps include:

Navigate toPrism Element > VM.

Select the VM for which snapshots need to be deleted.

Click onSnapshots, then delete the selected snapshots.

When a Nutanix cluster alert occurs, indicating maintenance mode issues, the most likely cause is that another node in the cluster is already in maintenance mode. Nutanix clusters enforce restrictions to prevent more than one node from entering maintenance mode simultaneously. This ensures the cluster can maintain resiliency and availability, adhering to the redundancy factor (RF) policy.

If another node is already in maintenance mode, the cluster cannot afford to have additional nodes enter maintenance without compromising data and service availability.