NCA-6.10 Questions and Answers

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.”

In aRedundancy Factor 3 (RF3)cluster,5 copies of the metadataare maintained to ensure data durability and cluster resiliency. RF3 provides fault tolerance against up to two simultaneous failures (e.g., node or disk failures) and requires more metadata copies to achieve this level of protection.

Other redundancy factors:

RF2maintains 3 copies of metadata.

RF3 requires at least 5 metadata copies to protect against additional failures.

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.

The OpLog (Operational Log) in Nutanix serves as apersistent write bufferfor incoming I/O operations. It temporarily stores write requests to ensure fast acknowledgment to clients and better performance. The data is later coalesced and written to the Extent Store for long-term storage.

A. Persistent write buffer:Correct, as the OpLog optimizes write performance by buffering writes temporarily.

B. Persistent data storage:Incorrect, as this describes the Extent Store, not the OpLog.

C. Global metadata:Incorrect, as metadata operations are handled by the Metadata Store.

D. Dynamic read cache:Incorrect, as read caching is managed separately, often involving SSD-based caches.

Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2)enables extending on-premises datacenters into public cloud environments, such as AWS or Azure. This solution allows administrators to seamlessly migrate workloads, scale operations, and manage resources across hybrid cloud environments using a unified control plane.

A. Nutanix Cloud Security:Incorrect, as this focuses on securing workloads in the cloud, not extending datacenters.

B. Nutanix Cloud Clusters:Correct, as NC2 enables hybrid cloud functionality by extending on-prem clusters into the public cloud.

C. Nutanix Kubernetes Engine:Incorrect, as this is used for container orchestration, not hybrid cloud extension.

D. Nutanix Data Services:Incorrect, as this refers to storage and data management capabilities.

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.

The correct answer isD. Select Escalate within the existing ticket.

When working with Nutanix Support, the mosteffective and structuredway to request a callback or faster response is touse the "Escalate" functionavailable in the Support Portal for the specific support case. This formally flags the case forpriority handling, prompting action such as:

A direct call back from support.

Assignment of a higher-tier engineer.

Accelerated SLA response.

Clarifications:

A. Emailing the technicianmay go unnoticed or be delayed.

B. Opening a new ticketintroduces duplication and delays.

C. Replying within the casedoes not prompt immediate re-evaluation unless escalation is used.

Official Reference:

My Nutanix Support Portal Guide – Case Management

Excerpt: “Use the ‘Escalate’ option within an open case to notify Nutanix Support that a higher level of engagement is required.”

The correct answer isC. Pulse.

Pulseis Nutanix's integrated telemetry and support communication service. WhenPulse is enabled, it provides automatic delivery and updates of Nutanix software tools, including theNutanix Cluster Check (NCC)utility. This allows the system toautomatically download and apply newer versions of NCCwithout requiring manual intervention.

Clarifications:

A (LCM HTTPS):Refers to LCM transport protocol, unrelated to NCC updates.

B (Daily Digest):A reporting feature, not an update mechanism.

D (LCM Auto Inventory):Related to firmware/software inventory, not to NCC or system utilities.

Prism UI Navigation Path:

Settings > Pulse > Enable Pulse

Official Reference:

Nutanix NCC Administration Guide

Nutanix Support FAQ

Excerpt: “NCC auto-update is available when Pulse is enabled, allowing Nutanix to deliver updated NCC versions directly to the cluster.”

Answer: C

The correct answer isA. It customizes alert thresholds.

User-defined Alert PoliciesinPrism Centralallow administrators to definecustom alert conditionsandthresholdstailored to specific workload behaviors and operational requirements. This helps fine-tune monitoring by settingalert criteria for metrics such as CPU usage, memory utilization, IOPS, latency, etc., beyond the default system-generated alerts.

Key Capabilities Include:

Define conditions usingpredefined metrics.

Set thresholds andseverity levels.

Associate alerts withspecific entitieslike VMs, hosts, or clusters.

Integrate withemail, SNMP, or third-party tools.

Prism Central UI Navigation Path:

Alerts & Monitoring > Alert Policies > Create Alert Policy

Official Reference:

Nutanix Administration Guide – Alerts and Monitoring

Excerpt: “User-defined alert policies in Prism Central allow administrators to define custom thresholds for system metrics, enabling more granular and proactive monitoring.”

Nutanix Prism Central Guide – Alert Policies Section

Conclusion:Custom alert policies donotautomate VM migrations (C), limit access (B), or control update frequency (D). Only optionAreflects the actual function.

Answer: A

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.

For a cluster withRedundancy Factor 2 (RF2), at least4 nodesare required to configure Erasure Coding. Erasure Coding (EC) distributes data and parity across nodes to improve storage efficiency while maintaining data protection. RF2 requires a minimum of 4 nodes to ensure sufficient space for data and parity distribution.

Other options:

3 nodes: Insufficient for EC with RF2.

5 and 6 nodes: Can support EC, but the minimum requirement is 4.

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

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 run a full health check in Prism Element, the administrator should first select theActionsmenu. From there, the administrator can choose to execute health checks for the entire cluster or specific components. This ensures a comprehensive evaluation of the cluster’s health.

Other options:

Scheduled: Refers to predefined or automated health checks.

Checks: Displays the list of checks but doesn’t initiate them.

Failed: Filters checks based on their status but doesn’t start a new check.

Applying tags to licenses to streamline future renewals is a task that can be completed inPrism Central Licensing. Prism Central provides centralized license management for clusters, enabling administrators to apply and manage license tags, which simplifies tracking and renewal tasks across multiple clusters. Here's how it works:

Prism Central Licensing Overview:Prism Central includes a dedicated licensing interface that provides a consolidated view of all licenses associated with your clusters. From this interface, administrators can categorize licenses using tags such as "Renewal-2025" or "Production," making it easier to identify and manage renewals or assignments.

Steps to Apply Tags in Prism Central:

Navigate toPrism Central > Settings > Licensing.

Select the desired license(s) from the list.

Use the "Tags" option to create or apply predefined tags to categorize these licenses.

Why Not Other Options?:

A. Clusters in the Support Portal: The Support Portal is primarily used for support-related tasks, such as managing cases or accessing documentation, and does not include license tagging capabilities.

B. License Inventory in the Support Portal: While the Support Portal allows you to view license inventory, it does not support operational tasks like tagging.

D. Prism Element Licensing: Prism Element is focused on managing licensing for individual clusters and lacks the centralized management and tagging functionality available in Prism Central.

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

APriority 1 (P1)case guarantees an8-hour response timefor customers with Production Support. P1 cases are designated for critical issues that severely impact business operations or cause a complete system outage, requiring immediate attention from Nutanix Support.

Other priorities:

P2: High-impact issues but not critical, response time varies.

P3: Medium impact, typically non-urgent issues.

P4: Low priority, general inquiries or minor issues.