NCS-Core Nutanix Certified Services Core Infrastructure Professional (NCS-Core 6.8) Questions and Answers

When migrating an ESXi host to a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS), it's crucial to correctly configure network adapters, including those for the Controller Virtual Machine (CVM). If the consultant migrated both the CVM backplane and the VM network adapter to the vDS, this could disrupt host-to-CVM connectivity if not configured correctly on the vDS. Such a setup requires precise configuration of network settings and VLAN tags to maintain seamless connectivity and avoid communication alerts in Prism Element.

When forecasting infrastructure requirements for a new program in a Nutanix environment where all existing applications will be decommissioned, the most straightforward method is to disregard any workload calculations that include existing applications. This ensures that the analysis focuses solely on the needs of the new program.

Option A, "Check the Disregard Existing Workloads radio button in the Runway scenario," is the correct choice. Nutanix Runway is a tool designed to help administrators forecast and plan infrastructure requirements based on upcoming needs without being skewed by current utilizations that are scheduled to be decommissioned.

This method allows for a cleaner, more accurate projection of resources needed for the new applications, disregarding any resources currently in use that will no longer be relevant.

References:This approach is detailed in Nutanix planning and forecasting documentation, ensuring administrators can plan accurately for infrastructure changes and needs without the interference of outgoing workloads.

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-Prism-v55:mul-security-ssl-certifi cate-pc-t.html

Ref:

Based on the subnet assignments from the exhibit provided, the Hypervisor Management IP addresses fall within the 10.170.0.5, 10.170.0.6, 10.170.0.7 range with a subnet mask of 255.255.240.0, indicating a /20 subnet. However, the Foundation VM (FVM) and the Consultant Laptop should ideally be on the same subnet as the Controller Virtual Machine (CVM) to facilitate easy access and management. The CVM IP addresses indicated are 10.170.0.4, 10.170.0.9, and 10.170.0.10 with subnet 255.255.240.0 (/20). Thus, the appropriate choice for the FVM and Laptop that matches the subnet without overlapping with existing IPs and allows network configuration without conflicts would be in the same /24 range as suggested in option D, i.e., FVM: 10.170.25.2/24, Laptop: 10.170.25.12/24.

References:

• Nutanix Networking and Foundation Setup Guidelines

The error during LCM pre-checks in an ESXi-based Nutanix cluster with HA enabled is most likely due to the ESXi cluster admission control being enabled. Admission control is a feature in VMware ESXi that reserves resources for HA purposes to ensure that sufficient resources are available in the event of host failures. When admission control is enabled, it can interfere with Nutanix LCM operations, which may require resource reallocation or reconfiguration that conflicts with the reserved capacities set by admission control. Disabling admission control during LCM updates would typically resolve this issue.References: VMware documentation on HA and Admission Control, Nutanix LCM documentation.

If the Foundation VM fails to boot and other methods need to be considered, the best alternative is the Foundation Applet. This lightweight tool runs on a laptop or other device and doesn't require booting a VM, providing a straightforward method to image Nutanix hardware, particularly useful in situations where hardware constraints or other issues prevent the use of a full Foundation VM.

References:

• Nutanix Foundation Installation Guide: Nutanix Documentation
• Nutanix Field Installation Guide and Tools Overview

For enabling node discovery when using the Foundation VM, the network adapter of the Foundation VM must be set to a Bridged Adapter. This configuration allows the VM to appear as a separate device on the same physical network as the host machine, making it possible for the Foundation VM to communicate directly with the nodes that are also connected to the same network. This is essential for node discovery and subsequent imaging operations performed by the Foundation tool.References: Nutanix Foundation Guide, Nutanix Networking Best Practices.

Given the symptoms where two nodes correctly failover but lose communication with the third node after an SFP+ is removed, the first action should be to:

• Validate the SFP+ is fully plugged into the node and switch: This is critical because a loose or partially connected SFP+ can cause intermittent network issues, which seems to be the problem based on the scenario described.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), particularly the network troubleshooting sections.
• Nutanix Field Installation Guide, which provides detailed steps on how to ensure hardware components like SFPs are correctly installed.

Given the reported RX errors on eth2 and the intermittent ping loss as observed from the CVM logs, the best initial troubleshooting step that avoids VM disruption is to inspect the switch port for errors. Option C, "Check the port on the switch side for any errors," is the most direct and non-invasive approach to determining if the issue lies with the network infrastructure rather than the server hardware itself or the configuration.

This action helps identify whether the problem is related to the physical connection (e.g., port issues, switch configuration errors) without altering the current active network setup on the Nutanix node. If errors are found on the switch port, adjustments or repairs can be made accordingly, potentially resolving the RX errors without impacting the running VMs.

References:This recommendation follows Nutanix's best practices for network troubleshooting, focusing first on external network components before altering host configurations.

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/#page/kbs/ details?targetId=kA00e000000Cr7GCAS

1 allow vms 2 sd CVM 3 sd node

Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/prism- infrastructure-management-26/disk-space-usage-high-alert-in-prism-38199

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/kbs/details?targetId=kA 032000000bmjeCAA#Review_ntpq

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Files-v3_6:fil-file-server-manage-c.html

Ref https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/kbs/details?targetId=kA00e000000LIelCAG

The error encountered during the LCM operation suggests a failure in reading a file, which might be linked to the foundational services of the cluster. The genesis.out log file is essential for troubleshooting issues related to cluster initialization and fundamental operations. This file logs the activities of the Genesis service, which is responsible for managing and monitoring the lifecycle of cluster services, including LCM tasks. In case of errors during LCM operations, the genesis.out log provides detailed insight into what might have gone wrong during the process, making it the appropriate log to check in this scenario.

References:

• Nutanix Bible: https://www.nutanixbible.com/
• Nutanix University Videos on LCM and Genesis service: Nutanix Official YouTube Playlist

The alert for Protection Policy PP-BCA-1HR indicating critical availability issues is most likely due to the workloads included in the policy no longer meeting their intended Recovery Point Objective (RPO). A 1-hour snapshot frequency implies a stringent RPO, which if not maintained, could result in data loss beyond acceptable business limits. This scenario typically generates a critical alert in Prism Central, especially when the snapshots required to meet the RPO are not completed as scheduled due to any number of issues such as resource constraints or network issues.References: Nutanix Prism User Guide, Nutanix Data Protection Best Practices.

Ref: https://portal.nu tanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Files-v3_6:fil-files-high-availability-c.html

Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/installation-configuration-23/physical-relocation-of-nutanix-clusters-38403

To deploy the Foundation VM on VMware ESXi or AHV Hypervisors, the two necessary files are:

• foundation_VM-version.tar which contains the complete Foundation VM package.
• foundation_VM-version.vmdk, which is the virtual disk file for VMware environments.

These files are required to create and boot the Foundation VM in these hypervisor environments, facilitating the deployment and configuration of the Nutanix nodes within the cluster.References: Nutanix Bible, Nutanix University NCS-Core 6.8 learning materials

For a customer using an ESXi cluster with two 10GbE NICs on each node and a vSphere Distributed Switch, the recommended load balancing configuration, following Nutanix Best Practices for redundancy and efficiency, is "Route based on IP hash." This setting allows for optimal utilization of network bandwidth and redundancy by distributing the traffic based on the IP address pairings, ensuring a balanced load across the physical NICs.References: Nutanix Bible, Nutanix University NCS-Core 6.8 learning materials

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Element-Data-Protection-Gu ide-v5_18:wc-dr-application-consistent-snapshots-wc-r.html

In a situation where traffic is not being balanced across the physical NICs and the Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches have been configured with LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol), the appropriate AHV network configuration to resolve this issue within Prism Element is "Active-Active." This setting enables both NICs to actively handle traffic, which, combined with LACP, allows for load balancing and redundancy, effectively utilizing all available network paths. This setup ensures that traffic is spread evenly across the physical NICs, maximizing network throughput and resilience.

References:

• Nutanix Prism User Guide
• Nutanix AHV Administration Guide

In a scenario where a new AHV cluster is installed and the traffic is not being balanced across the physical NICs despite the ToR switches being configured with LACP, the appropriate network option to set within Prism Element is Active-Active. This configuration allows for a traffic-hashing algorithm, such as balance-TCP, to split traffic between multiple links in an active-active fashion. Since the uplinks appear as a single L2 link, the algorithm can balance the traffic among bond members without any regard for switch MAC address tables1.

References:

• Nutanix Community: AHV Networking | Enable, Disable and Verify LACP1
• Nutanix Support & Insights: Layer 2 Network Management2
• Nutanix Support & Insights: Enabling LAG and LACP on the ToR Switch (AHV Only)

When a customer needs to add storage to an ESXi cluster without incurring additional hypervisor licensing costs, converting the cluster to Nutanix AHV presents a viable solution. AHV allows the incorporation of storage-only nodes, which can extend the cluster's storage capacity without necessitating additional licenses for hypervisor usage.

References:

• Nutanix Solutions for ESXi to AHV Migration: Nutanix Documentation
• Nutanix AHV Licensing and Features Guide: Nutanix Licensing Information

Considering the network configuration requirements—where all trunk traffic is tagged and a native VLAN is not used—the consultant must set up the CVM and bridge to operate with a specific VLAN tag. The command change_cvm_vlan 10 configures the Controller VM (CVM) to communicate over VLAN 10. The command ovs-vsctl set port br0 tag=10 applies VLAN 10 tagging to the bridge interface br0, ensuring all traffic through it is appropriately tagged. The command ovs-vsctl set port br0-up bond_mode=balance-tcp sets the bonding mode to balance-tcp, which is suitable for environments using LACP to optimize traffic distribution and redundancy across multiple physical links.References: Nutanix Community Documentation, Nutanix University Networking Best Practices.

The Test Plan is the most appropriate resource for detailed information on network validation testing. This document typically outlines the specific tests to be conducted to ensure the network meets the required specifications and performance standards necessary for a stable and efficient Nutanix environment. The Test Plan provides a structured approach to validate each network component and interaction, ensuring all aspects are tested and meet design and operational requirements. References: Nutanix Installation and validation procedures as described in Nutanix official documentation and training modules from Nutanix University.

When deploying a multi-node Nutanix cluster, if one node fails to image and the Nutanix Foundation tool cannot configure the cluster automatically, the consultant can manually create the cluster with the nodes that were successfully imaged. The correct command to initiate this process is cluster create. This command starts the cluster services and allows for further expansion once the cluster is operational, which would include adding the node that initially failed to image.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), specifically the section on manual cluster creation.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), videos on manual cluster operations.

When encountering timeout issues during Foundation using a customer-provided network switch, one common cause can be mismatched or unsupported network configurations, particularly concerning MTU sizes:

• A. Check jumbo frames support of the network switch: Ensuring that the switch supports jumbo frames (MTU of 9000) and is properly configured for it can prevent timeout issues that might arise due to packet fragmentation or dropped packets.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), which discusses network prerequisites for successful Foundation.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), covering the technical setup and network requirements for cluster deployments.

The plan to deploy a small Prism Central (PC) instance will not work for the customer because the additional services required, especially Flow Microsegmentation and MS-SQL Server Monitoring, demand more substantial resources than a small PC instance can support. The correct approach: B. The additional services the customer needs, including Nutanix Disaster Recovery, MS-SQL Server Monitoring, and Flow Microsegmentation, require a larger resource pool for adequate performance and functionality, making a minimum of a large size PC deployment necessary. Options C and D point to specific requirements but are incorrect in stating the exact size or additional licensing for MS-SQL alone; rather, the overall resource demand across services necessitates a larger PC deployment.References: Nutanix Prism Central Deployment Guide, Nutanix Services Specifications.

To foundation a cluster using ESXi as the hypervisor, the necessary components include:

• ISO image for ESXi: This is required to install ESXi on the nodes within the cluster.
• iso_whitelist.json: This file is crucial for the Foundation process as it lists the supported ISO images and their checksums to ensure the integrity and compatibility of the hypervisor ISO being used.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), specifically sections discussing hypervisor installation and compatibility.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), covering Foundation processes and required files.

https://next.nutanix.com/move-application-migration-19/ nutanix-xtract-validation-failed-user-must-belong-in-a-group-with-restore-files-and-directories-security-policy-31303

When Foundation VM and a laptop can ping each other but nodes are not being discovered, it suggests a network protocol issue. The consultant should enable IPv6 and multicast on the switch. Multicast is required for node discovery in many environments, especially when using Nutanix Foundation, as it helps in the detection and communication between nodes and the Foundation VM.References:

• Nutanix University - NCS-Core 6.8 Learning Path
• The Nutanix Bible, Foundation chapter (https://www.nutanixbible.com/)

To determine if a version of Acropolis Operating System (AOS) is supported on a specific hardware platform, the "Compatibility and Interoperability Matrix" section of the Nutanix Support Portal should be consulted. This resource provides detailed information on supported hardware for different AOS versions, ensuring that all components are compatible and supported for optimal operation.References: Nutanix Bible, Nutanix University NCS-Core 6.8 learning materials

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/solutions/details?targetId=BP-2005_Data_Protection:BP-2005_Data_Protection

As the consultant concludes the project, to assist the customer with repeating the deployment process at a dark site, the best items to deliver would be:

• A trial license activation code for Prism Starter, which will allow the customer to begin using the Nutanix cluster immediately without initial extra costs.
• Creating an account for access to the Nutanix Support Portal, ensuring the customer can access support and documentation as needed for troubleshooting and learning.
• A guide for dark site deployments using Nutanix standards, which will provide step-by-step instructions tailored to the specific challenges of deploying in a location with no direct internet connectivity.These resources are critical for enabling the customer to independently deploy and manage Nutanix clusters under the unique constraints of a dark site.References: Nutanix Deployment Guide, Nutanix Support Portal Documentation.

https://hyperhci.com/2020/07/29/nutanix-cluster-services-down-troubleshooting/

For ensuring that Nutanix storage containers can be mounted on non-Nutanix hosts for data migration workflows, the consultant should validate the configuration under: A. Prism Element - Settings - Filesystem Whitelist. This setting allows specific non-Nutanix hosts to access the Nutanix storage containers, which is essential for environments where data must be accessible to systems outside the Nutanix cluster. By whitelisting the IP addresses or hostnames of these external systems, they are granted the necessary permissions to mount and interact with the Nutanix file systems.References: Nutanix Prism Element User Guide, Nutanix Storage and Filesystem Configuration Best Practices.

In the As-Built Guide for an AHV cluster deployment with each node configured with four NICs, the consultant should manually update:

• A. Node Port Layout Diagram: To reflect the physical connectivity and usage of each NIC on the nodes.
• B. Network Cabling Diagram: To accurately document how each node is connected to the network infrastructure, ensuring clarity on physical network setup.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), where documentation standards and diagrams are emphasized.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), covering the importance of accurate network and port documentation in deployment guides.

When encountering an error related to unsupported ISO media during the imaging process, and the ISO version is not listed in the whitelist file, the consultant should take several steps to resolve the issue. Replacing and saving the whitelist file in Foundation ensures that the latest compatibility data is used. Downloading the iso_whitelist.json from the Support portal provides the most recent and comprehensive list of supported ISO versions. Editing the whitelist file in Foundation allows the consultant to manually add or update entries to include the ISO in question, ensuring the imaging process can proceed.

References:

• Nutanix Bible: Foundation Imaging and Compatibility
• Nutanix University: Handling Foundation Errors

For managing a multi-cluster environment with a total of 2550 VMs, deploying a large 3-VM Prism Central instance is advisable. This setup provides the necessary scalability, redundancy, and performance to efficiently manage such a large number of VMs across multiple clusters. A 3-VM configuration ensures high availability and fault tolerance, crucial for maintaining consistent operations and management across the clusters.

References:

• Nutanix Bible: Prism Central Deployment
• Nutanix University: Scaling and Managing Large Environments

Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/server-virtualization-27/iops-latency-issue-1 168

Noticing a potential typo or error in the DNS server IP address notation:

• D. New IPs provided should be verified to not conflict with the customer's network: It's crucial to verify the accuracy and validity of the IP addresses provided, ensuring there are no typos and that the IPs do not conflict with existing network configurations. The noted IP '192.1685.20' appears to be incorrectly formatted and should be corrected and validated.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), where network preparation and IP address configuration are covered.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), which discusses network planning and verification in cluster deployments.

When facing an error during the installation process that the IPMI IP address is unreachable:

• C. Check the service.log and the individual node log files for more detailed information: Reviewing these log files will provide insights into what might be causing the IPMI connectivity issue, offering specific error messages or network configuration problems that need resolution.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), where troubleshooting and log analysis are discussed.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), focusing on Foundation troubleshooting and the use of log files to diagnose installation issues.

The issue where users can mount all three storage containers despite the intention to restrict access to just container-1 typically stems from a Global whitelist entry. A global whitelist allows all entities to access all containers unless more specific restrictions are applied at the container level. To correct this, specific whitelist entries need to be configured for each container to define and restrict access appropriately.References: Nutanix NCS-Core 6.8 training resources, the Nutanix Bible, and Nutanix technical documentation on storage container management.

Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/how-it-works-22/rf2-rf3-requirements-37206#:~:text=Controller%20VMs%20must%20be%20configured,for%20the%20feature)%20of%20memory .

In a Nutanix environment, if the login process using an Active Directory (AD) user account takes more than a minute to complete, it could be due to the configuration of the AD lookups.

Active Directory lookups can be configured to use either Recursive or Non-Recursive mode. In Recursive mode, the system will look up each group that a user is a member of, then each group that those groups are members of, and so on. This can lead to a large number of lookups and potentially slow down the login process1.

On the other hand, in Non-Recursive mode, the system only looks up the direct groups that a user is a member of. This can significantly reduce the number of lookups and speed up the login process1.

Therefore, the administrator should confirm that Active Directory lookups are configured to use Non-Recursive mode to resolve this issue.

References:

• Active Directory Authentication is slow - Takes minutes to Logon | Nutanix Community
• Configuring Authentication | Nutanix Community
• Solving Slow Logon Issues in Active Directory Environments

In a typical Nutanix deployment using a flat switch, the Foundation VM, the CVM, and the Hypervisor should all be on the same subnet to facilitate seamless communication and management operations during the initial setup and operation. The IPMI, being a management interface, can be on a different subnet as it serves a different purpose primarily for remote management at the hardware level and does not need to be on the same subnet as the other components for cluster functionality.References:

• Nutanix University - NCS-Core 6.8 Learning Path
• The Nutanix Bible, Network Configuration chapter (https://www.nutanixbible.com/)

Given that the customer is using a Cisco Nexus 9k switch and wants to deploy ESXi with a vSphere Distributed Switch while using LACP, the consultant should ensure that the customer configures:

• D. no lacp suspend-individual: This command ensures that LACP doesn't suspend the individual port if it does not receive LACP PDUs from the other side, which is crucial in environments where continuous connectivity is required for all member links of the port-channel to maintain uninterrupted network services.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), where it discusses ESXi configurations and switch settings.
• Cisco Nexus configuration guides, referred through Nutanix’s training materials, which recommend settings for optimal integration with Nutanix environments.

The customer is experiencing VM performance issues characterized by excessive read/write I/Os on CVMs and excessive motion of VMs due to the Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) in an ESXi-based Nutanix cluster. This is likely caused by the DRS migration threshold being set to Aggressive, which leads to frequent rebalancing of workloads across the cluster, causing high I/O and VM motion. Adjusting this setting to a less aggressive level can help reduce unnecessary VM motions and stabilize performance.References: Nutanix Bible, Nutanix University NCS-Core 6.8 learning materials

To ensure that the Foundation Applet is up-to-date across all nodes, the best approach is to use the Foundation VM. The Foundation VM allows consultants to manage and upgrade Foundation on all nodes centrally. This method avoids the necessity of manual upgrades on each node individually, thus ensuring a more efficient and error-free process, aligning with Nutanix's best practices for scalability and management of infrastructure.References: The Nutanix Bible, the Nutanix University's NCS-Core 6.8 materials, and official Nutanix documentation on the Foundation VM.

To ensure the latest version of Foundation is used for imaging to support the latest hardware and software hypervisor configurations, the consultant should utilize the Foundation VM. This tool allows for upgrading the Foundation on all nodes simultaneously, ensuring consistency across the cluster. It streamlines the process by leveraging the existing Foundation infrastructure rather than requiring manual updates via a crash cart or the limited capabilities of the Foundation Applet for single node upgrades.

References:

• Nutanix Foundation Documentation: https://portal.nutanix.com
• Nutanix Upgrade Guide: Nutanix Foundation Upgrade Process

Ref: https://www.vvlsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/1 1/BP-2009_Metro_Availability.pdf

For the scenario with memory usage warnings and VDI performance issues, the best approach is to analyze and understand the memory usage patterns and demands on the system. Option D focuses on reviewing the Analysis page to monitor memory use trends and patterns, which is crucial for identifying peak usage times or processes consuming excessive memory. The mention of alerting with VDI workload demand implies the need to monitor and possibly adjust the VDI workload to better fit within available resources. Finally, analyzing current and future workload in the Capacity Runaway tab helps in understanding if the cluster resources are sufficient for the demand, which is critical in planning for capacity management and ensuring that such issues are mitigated moving forward.References: Nutanix Prism User Guide, Nutanix Community resources, VDI performance troubleshooting practices.

ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Web-Console-Guide-Prism-v55:wc-network-visualization-intro-c.html

In the scenario where the Foundation VM on a laptop is used for a cluster deployment, and an error indicating a failure to connect to the IPMIs is shown, the first troubleshooting step should be to disable the local machine's firewall to ensure it is not blocking traffic necessary for the Foundation VM to communicate with the IPMIs. Firewalls can often block essential ports or IP addresses needed for deployment operations, hindering the Foundation process.References: Nutanix Foundation Tool Troubleshooting Guide, Nutanix Deployment Common Issues.

When Foundation reports an error indicating the ISO is not supported:

• Option B: Checking the MD5 checksum of the ISO file ensures that it matches the expected value listed by Nutanix, confirming the file's integrity and compatibility.
• Option D: Downloading and updating the iso whitelist.json from the Nutanix Support Portal ensures that Foundation has the latest information on supported ISO files, potentially resolving compatibility issues.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), especially sections on Foundation and ISO troubleshooting.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), which covers the setup and troubleshooting of Foundation.

For a configuration where a single VM should not exceed the bandwidth of a single 10G uplink and both uplinks need to be utilized, the correct bonding mode is balance-slb (Source Load Balancing). This mode allows both uplinks to be utilized while ensuring that a single VM will not exceed the capacity of one uplink, as traffic from each VM or "source" is assigned to one of the links in the bond. The other_config: bond-rebalance-interval=30000 command is used to set the interval at which the bonding driver will rebalance the assignment of sources to links in the bond. This helps in maintaining optimal distribution of load across the links as network conditions change.

References:

• Nutanix Bible: Network Configuration
• Nutanix University: Advanced Network Configuration

During the Knowledge Transfer phase, customers typically learn about Nutanix basics and their specific environment at a high level through "Technical Handoff Slides." This part of the training and handover process provides a broad overview of the installed solution, how it operates, and how it interacts with the existing infrastructure, making it essential for foundational understanding.References: Nutanix Bible, Nutanix University NCS-Core 6.8 learning materials

Ref: https://support-portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Web-Console-Guide-Prism-v5_10:wc-prote ction-domain-wc-c.html

When using the Foundation VM in a desktop virtualization environment and nodes are not being discovered, the first setting that the consultant should verify is the network adapter configuration, specifically ensuring it is set to a Bridged Adapter. This setting allows the virtual machine hosting the Foundation VM to connect directly to the physical network, making other network nodes visible and reachable during the discovery process. This direct network connection is critical for the Foundation tool to function correctly and discover other nodes.References: Nutanix Bible, Nutanix University

The CVM IP address is a hard requirement for deploying a Nutanix cluster. Each CVM must have a unique IP address assigned to it as this IP address is critical for cluster operations, including data replication, management activities, and communication between CVMs and hypervisors. The other options, while important for various functionalities, do not represent a hard requirement for initial deployment.References:

• Nutanix University - NCS-Core 6.8 Learning Path
• The Nutanix Bible, Cluster Configuration chapter (https://www.nutanixbible.com/)

To validate the installed version of an NVIDIA driver in a Nutanix environment with AHV or within the CVM, use the command:

This command checks for all RPM packages related to NVIDIA installed on the Controller Virtual Machine, providing details about the driver version.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), especially sections on AHV and CVM maintenance commands.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), which covers command-line tools and driver management.

Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/installation-configuration-23/convert-existing-nutanix-vmware-cluster-to-nutanix- only-37600

To ensure that the Foundation VM can communicate externally, the virtual network interface card (vNIC) should be set to a bridged adapter. This setting allows the VM to appear as a unique entity on the network, receiving its own IP address accessible from outside the host machine. Additionally, running the 'set_foundation_ip_address' application on the VM desktop enables the consultant to configure a specific, reachable IP address for the Foundation VM, ensuring it can communicate effectively with external network resources and devices.

References:

• Nutanix Bible: Networking Setup for Foundation
• Nutanix University: Foundation VM Configuration

https://next.nutanix.com/how-it-works-22/recommended-maximum-storage-utilization-3723 4

To safely and successfully unregister the customer's former cluster from Prism Central (PC), the consultant should take the following steps as outlined in option D:

• Login to the Prism Central Web UI, which provides a user-friendly interface for managing multiple clusters.
• Navigate to the "Cluster Registrations" section found under the "Settings" in the "Admin Center" of the Prism Central interface.
• Check the box next to the desired Prism Element (PE) cluster that needs to be unregistered.
• Click the "Remove" button to unregister the cluster.

This method allows the consultant to cleanly and directly manage the cluster registration without needing to interact with command-line tools or scripts, making it a straightforward process that minimizes the risk of errors and ensures that the operation can be tracked and audited through the UI.

References: Nutanix Prism Central Guide, Nutanix Administration Documentation.

To ensure that alerts are automatically sent to Nutanix support, the Nutanix feature called Pulse must be enabled. Nutanix Pulse is an automated system intelligence service that collects health information and system alerts from Nutanix clusters and sends them to Nutanix support for proactive monitoring and troubleshooting. Enabling this feature is crucial for maintaining high availability and performance of the Nutanix environment, as it allows Nutanix support to quickly respond to and manage potential issues.References: Nutanix Pulse Documentation, Nutanix Support Services Information.

In the scenario where a consultant observes ping timeouts after shutting down one of the links during a port failover test, the issue is likely due to a Native VLAN mismatch on the switchport. The configuration settings shown in the second exhibit indicate different native VLANs for the switch ports connected to the Nutanix node. This mismatch can cause connectivity issues when one of the links is down, as VLAN tagging inconsistencies prevent proper fallback and routing of traffic.References: Cisco Networking Troubleshooting Guide, Nutanix Network Configuration Best Practices.

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/details?targetId=Prism-Central-Guide-Prism-v5_10:mul-security-role-p ermissions-pc-t.html

The log file output indicating a failure in downloading livefs files and problems finding the livecd files during node imaging suggests there is a problem connecting to the Foundation VM. The specific error "tar: short read livecd files not found" typically points to an interrupted or failed download process, which can be caused by connectivity issues between the nodes and the Foundation VM. Ensuring robust network connectivity or verifying network settings in the Foundation VM could resolve this issue.References: Nutanix Foundation Tool Error Messages, Nutanix Troubleshooting Documentation.

Ref: https://next.nutanix.com/community-blog-40/scaling-up-vm-sto rage-performance-on-ahv-volume-group-load-balancer-28063

Before expanding the cluster with the new NX-3235-G9 block, it is critical to ensure that all components are running supported and recommended versions due to compatibility and support issues. Therefore, the necessary actions include: A. Upgrade vCenter, AOS, and ESXi to supported and recommended versions. This step ensures compatibility across all components, particularly important as the new G9 hardware does not support the currently installed version of ESXi. Upgrading these components will also ensure continued vendor support and the stability of the environment. Options B, C, and D do not adequately address the need for vCenter upgrades or the fact that ESXi 6.7 U3b is unsupported for G9, highlighting the necessity for a comprehensive upgrade.References: Nutanix Hardware Compatibility List, Nutanix Support Portal.

For the Exchange VM experiencing I/O performance issues, the recommended storage optimization change is Option A, "No data reduction." Exchange, as an application, is highly sensitive to latency and typically does not benefit significantly from data reduction technologies like deduplication or compression, which can introduce additional processing overhead and potentially worsen performance issues.

By configuring the container for Exchange with no data reduction, the system maximizes I/O performance by eliminating any additional processing that could delay data access. This setup ensures that Exchange has the fastest possible access to its data, which is crucial for its performance.

References:This recommendation aligns with best practices for Exchange storage on Nutanix, as detailed in the Nutanix best practices guide for deploying Microsoft Exchange, where it advises against using data reduction features for databases requiring high I/O throughput.

If the administrator observes that the snapshot intervals have changed from the initially configured 5-minute intervals to 15-minute intervals, it indicates a potential issue with the setup. Option C, "Fix a connectivity issue because the protection domain reverted to Async," addresses the likely cause—a connectivity problem that caused the system to revert to longer, asynchronous DR snapshot intervals.

NearSync typically allows for very frequent snapshots, but if there is a connectivity or configuration issue, it might fall back to less frequent asynchronous DR settings. Identifying and resolving any connectivity issues would allow the NearSync configuration to operate as initially intended.

References:The mechanics of NearSync and its behavior under connectivity issues are discussed in detail in Nutanix's documentation and troubleshooting guides, which describe how the system handles fallback scenarios and how to rectify them.

For adding a new cluster to an existing set of production clusters using AHV and wanting to manage the setup remotely via Prism Central, the most appropriate and efficient method is to use Foundation Central. Foundation Central allows for the remote deployment and configuration of Nutanix clusters through Prism Central, facilitating the foundation process without needing physical access or separate foundational utilities like the Foundation VM or Applet. It uses the factory image on the nodes and is designed to streamline cluster expansions and deployments in enterprise environments.References: Nutanix Foundation Central User Guide, Nutanix Prism Central documentation.

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If new GPU nodes cannot be found during an attempt to expand an existing cluster:

• A. IPMI is not plugged into the network: IPMI must be connected and functional for node discovery and management during expansion processes. If IPMI ports are not connected to the network, the nodes will not be discoverable in Prism Element.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), particularly the sections discussing network requirements for cluster expansion.
• Nutanix University: NCS-Core 6.8 Training (https://university.nutanix.com), focusing on troubleshooting and resolving issues during hardware expansions.

When configuring network settings for a hypervisor or accessing local services hosted on it, the IP address must be reachable from the network configuration you are currently using. Given the generic nature of the options, the correct choice typically depends on the subnet used for management purposes, which often uses a standard private address. "192.168.5.254" is a common choice for local network configurations and is likely set up as the gateway or a primary network interface on the hypervisor.References:

• Nutanix University - NCS-Core 6.8 Learning Path
• The Nutanix Bible, Network Configuration chapter (https://www.nutanixbible.com/)

Ref: https://portal.nutanix.com/page/documents/kbs/details?targetId=kA00e000000CuaDCAS

To meet the requirements of maximizing storage space savings while optimizing I/O performance for business-critical applications and general server workloads, enabling both compression and erasure coding on the storage containers is recommended. Compression reduces the data footprint on storage disks, while erasure coding provides data redundancy in an efficient manner, which not only saves space but also enhances data durability and I/O performance for read-intensive applications.References:

• Nutanix University - NCS-Core 6.8 Learning Path
• The Nutanix Bible, Storage Efficiency chapter (https://www.nutanixbible.com/)

To verify that all in-scope tasks for a new cluster deployment have been completed, the consultant should refer to the:

• Deployment Checklist: This document typically lists all tasks required for a successful deployment, making it a suitable tool for ensuring that nothing has been overlooked.

References:

• Nutanix Bible (https://www.nutanixbible.com), where the importance of deployment documentation is discussed.
• Nutanix Deployment Guide, which includes detailed checklists for ensuring thorough project completion.

Ref:

Ref: http://myvirtualcloud .net/nutanix-scma-the-security-feature-that-could-save-your-organization/

If link aggregation is failing to pass traffic and is only showing a status of "configured," the most likely cause is a failed negotiation due to a misconfiguration on the Top-of-Rack (ToR) switches. This typically occurs when the aggregation protocols (like LACP) or the settings on the ToR switches do not match the configuration on the hosts. Ensuring that both ends of the aggregated links are configured identically and properly for the expected protocols is critical for successful link aggregation.References: Nutanix Network Configuration Guide, Best Practices for Network Aggregation.