Free Nutanix NCP-US-6.5 Practice Exam with Questions & Answers

Nutanix Files, part of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), can be installed or upgraded using Life Cycle Manager (LCM), a tool in Prism Central or Prism Element for managing software updates. Before installing or upgrading Files, LCM must ensure that the underlying components are compatible to avoid issues during the process.

Analysis of Options:

Option A (Nutanix Cluster Check): Correct. Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) is a health and compatibility checking tool integrated with LCM. LCM requires a compatible version of NCC to perform pre-upgrade checks and validate the cluster’s readiness for a Files installation or upgrade. NCC ensures that the cluster environment (e.g., hardware, firmware, software) is compatible with the Files version being installed or upgraded.

Option B (Active Directory Services): Incorrect. Active Directory (AD) Services are used by Nutanix Files for user authentication (e.g., for SMB shares or multiprotocol access, as in Question 60), but AD is not a component managed by LCM, nor is it a prerequisite for LCM compatibility. AD configuration is a separate requirement for Files functionality, not LCM operations.

Option C (File Server Module): Incorrect. There is no “File Server Module” component in Nutanix terminology. Nutanix Files itself consists of File Server Virtual Machines (FSVMs), but this is the component being upgraded, not a prerequisite for LCM. LCM manages the Files upgrade directly and does not require a separate “module” compatibility.

Option D (Acropolis Operating System): Correct. The Acropolis Operating System (AOS) is the core operating system of the Nutanix cluster, managing storage, compute, and virtualization. LCM requires a compatible AOS version to install or upgrade Files, as Files relies on AOS features (e.g., storage, networking) and APIs. LCM checks the AOS version to ensure it meets the minimum requirements for the target Files version.

Selected Components:

A: NCC ensures cluster compatibility and readiness, which LCM relies on for Files installation or upgrades.

D: AOS provides the underlying platform for Files, and LCM must ensure its version is compatible with the Files version being deployed.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Files Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“Before installing or upgrading Nutanix Files using Life Cycle Manager (LCM), ensure that LCM has compatible versions of Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) and Acropolis Operating System (AOS). NCC performs pre-upgrade checks to validate cluster readiness, while AOS must meet the minimum version requirements for the target Files version.”

Nutanix Files, part of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), provides a management interface called the Files Console, accessible via Prism Central. The administrator needs to review graphs related to resource usage on a file server, including Storage Used, Open Connections, Number of Files, Top Shares by Current Capacity, and Top Shares by Current Connections. These graphs provide insights into the file server’s performance and resource utilization, helping diagnose reported resource issues.

Analysis of Options:

Option A (Files Console Shares View): Incorrect. The Shares View in the Files Console displays details about individual shares (e.g., capacity, permissions, quotas), but it does not provide high-level graphs like Storage Used, Open Connections, or Top Shares by Current Capacity/Connections. It focuses on share-specific settings, not overall file server metrics.

Option B (Files Console Monitoring View): Incorrect. While “Monitoring View” sounds plausible, there is no specific “Monitoring View” tab in the Files Console. Monitoring-related data (e.g., graphs, metrics) is typically presented in the Dashboard View, not a separate Monitoring View.

Option C (Files Console Data Management View): Incorrect. There is no “Data Management View” in the Files Console. Data management tasks (e.g., Smart Tiering, as in Question 58) are handled in other sections, but graphs like Storage Used and Top Shares are not part of a dedicated Data Management View.

Option D (Files Console Dashboard View): Correct. The Dashboard View in the Files Console provides an overview of the file server’s performance and resource usage through various graphs and metrics. It includes graphs such as Storage Used (total storage consumption), Open Connections (active client connections), Number of Files (total files across shares), Top Shares by Current Capacity (shares consuming the most storage), and Top Shares by Current Connections (shares with the most active connections). This view is designed to help administrators monitor and troubleshoot resource issues, making it the correct location for reviewing these graphs.

Why Option D?

The Files Console Dashboard View is the central location for monitoring file server metrics through graphs like Storage Used, Open Connections, Number of Files, and Top Shares by Capacity/Connections. These graphs provide a high-level overview of resource utilization, allowing the administrator to diagnose reported resource issues effectively.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Files Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“The Files Console Dashboard View provides an overview of file server performance and resource usage through graphs, including Storage Used, Open Connections, Number of Files, Top Shares by Current Capacity, and Top Shares by Current Connections. Use the Dashboard View to monitor and troubleshoot resource issues on the file server.”

Nutanix Data Lens, a service integrated with Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), provides data governance, analytics, and ransomware protection for Nutanix Files. Enabling Data Lens for a file server involves configuring the service to monitor the file server’s shares. If the administrator is unable to enable Data Lens, there may be a configuration or compatibility issue with the file server.

Analysis of Options:

Option A (The file server has been cloned): Correct. Cloning a file server (e.g., creating a duplicate file server instance via cloning in Nutanix) is not a supported configuration for Data Lens. Data Lens relies on a unique file server identity to manage its metadata and analytics. If the file server has been cloned, Data Lens may fail to enable due to conflicts in identity or metadata, as the cloned file server may not be properly registered or recognized by Data Lens.

Option B (SSR is enabled on the file server): Incorrect. Self-Service Restore (SSR) is a feature in Nutanix Files that allows users to recover previous versions of files in SMB shares. Enabling SSR does not affect the ability to enable Data Lens, as the two features are independent and can coexist on a file server.

Option C (The file server is in a Protection Domain): Incorrect. A Protection Domain in Nutanix is used for disaster recovery (DR) of VMs or Volume Groups, not file servers directly. Nutanix Files uses replication policies (e.g., NearSync) for DR, not Protection Domains. Even if the file server is part of a replication setup, this does not prevent Data Lens from being enabled.

Option D (The file server has blacklisted file types): Incorrect. Blacklisting file types in Nutanix Files prevents certain file extensions from being stored on shares (e.g., for security reasons). However, this feature does not affect the ability to enable Data Lens, which operates at a higher level to analyze file metadata and user activity, regardless of file types.

Why Option A?

Cloning a file server creates a duplicate instance that may not be properly registered with Data Lens, leading to conflicts in identity, metadata, or configuration. Nutanix documentation specifies that Data Lens requires a uniquely deployed file server, and cloning can cause issues when enabling the service, making this the most likely cause of the administrator’s difficulty.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Data Lens Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“Data Lens requires a uniquely deployed file server to enable its services. Cloning a file server is not supported, as it may result in conflicts with Data Lens metadata and configuration. If a file server has been cloned, Data Lens may fail to enable, and the file server must be redeployed or re-registered to resolve the issue.”

Nutanix Volumes allows administrators to provision a volume group with one or more volumes that can be attached to multiple VMs or physical servers via iSCSI. This enables the creation of a Microsoft Server Failover Cluster that uses shared storage for a critical application. 

Microsoft Server Failover Cluster typically uses shared block storage for its quorum disk and application data. Nutanix Volumes provides this via iSCSI by provisioning a Volume Group, which can be accessed by both the AHV-hosted VMs and bare metal servers. This setup ensures maximum resiliency, as the shared storage is accessible to all nodes in the cluster, allowing failover between VMs and bare metal servers as needed.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Volumes Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“Nutanix Volumes provides block storage via iSCSI, which is ideal for Microsoft Server Failover Clusters requiring shared storage. To deploy an MSFC with VMs and bare metal servers, provision a Volume Group in Nutanix Volumes and expose it via iSCSI to all cluster nodes, ensuring shared access to the storage for high availability and failover.”

Nutanix Files allows users to restore their files from the snapshots taken by the protection policy. A protection policy is a set of rules that defines how often snapshots are taken, how long they are retained, and where they are replicated. A protection policy can be applied to one or more file shares. To enable users to restore their files without administrator intervention, the administrator must enable the Self Service Restore option for each share in the Files Console. This option adds a hidden folder named .snapshot in each share, which contains all the snapshots taken by the protection policy. Users can access this folder and browse the snapshots to find and restore their files. The administrator can also configure the permissions and quota for the .snapshot folder. References: Nutanix Files Administration Guide, page 75; Nutanix Files Self-Service Restore Guide

Nutanix Files, part of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), provides a Self-Service Restore (SSR) feature that allows end users to recover their files without administrator intervention. This feature is particularly useful for SMB shares, enabling users to access previous versions of files or folders directly from their Windows clients (e.g., via the "Previous Versions" tab in File Explorer).

The most efficient way to enable Self-Service Restore for multiple Files shares is to configure it at the share level within the Files Console. According to the Nutanix Files Administration Guide, the Self-Service Restore option can be enabled for each share individually through the Shares tab in the Files Console. While this requires enabling the setting for each share, it is the most direct and supported method for enabling SSR across multiple shares, as it does not involve external tools like Data Lens or complex configurations like Protection Policies or Consistency Groups.

Option A: Correct. Enabling Self-Service Restore in the Edit wizard for each share via the Shares tab in the Files Console is the standard method. It allows users to restore files directly without administrator intervention. While it requires configuring each share individually, it is efficient for a small to moderate number of shares and aligns with Nutanix’s recommended approach.

Option B: Incorrect. Nutanix Data Lens is a service for data governance, analytics, and ransomware protection, not for managing Self-Service Restore settings. Data Lens focuses on scanning shares for anomalies and providing recovery points, but it does not have a direct option to enable SSR for shares.

Option C: Incorrect. Assigning Categories to FSVMs and linking them to a Protection Policy in Prism Central is related to VM or resource protection (e.g., snapshots or replication), not to enabling user-driven file restoration for Files shares.

Option D: Incorrect. Consistency Groups and Protection Domains in Prism Element are used for data protection and disaster recovery (e.g., asynchronous replication), not for enabling Self-Service Restore for end users.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Files Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“Self-Service Restore allows end users to recover files and folders from SMB shares without administrator intervention. To enable Self-Service Restore, navigate to the Shares tab in the Files Console, select a share, and click Edit. In the Edit wizard, check the ‘Enable Self Service Restore’ option. This must be configured for each share individually.”

Additional Notes:

While enabling SSR for each share individually (option A) may seem less efficient for a very large number of shares, Nutanix does not currently provide a bulk configuration option for SSR in the Files Console. Automation via APIs could be an alternative for large-scale deployments, but this is not mentioned in the question’s options.

The question emphasizes “most efficient,” and option A is the most straightforward and officially supported method per the documentation.

The two platforms that are currently supported for Smart Tiering are AWS Standard and Azure Blob. Smart Tiering is a feature that allows administrators to tier data from Files to cloud storage based on file age, file size, and file type. Smart Tiering can help reduce the storage cost and optimize the performance of Files. Smart Tiering currently supports AWS Standard and Azure Blob as the cloud storage platforms, and more platforms will be added in the future. References: Nutanix Files Administration Guide, page 99; Nutanix Files Solution Guide, page 11

The component that must first be upgraded to a compatible version before upgrading Files or creating a file server is Prism Central. Prism Central is a web-based user interface that allows administrators to manage multiple Nutanix clusters and services, including Files. Prism Central must be upgraded to a compatible version with Files before upgrading an existing file server or creating a new file server. Otherwise, the upgrade or creation process may fail or cause unexpected errors. References: Nutanix Files Administration Guide, page 21; Nutanix Files Upgrade Guide

Data Lens can provide a centralized management solution for Files deployments in multiple sites, including different geographical locations. Data Lens can also automate archiving tier policies for compliance purposes, by allowing administrators to create policies based on file attributes, such as age, size, type, or owner, and move files to a lower-cost tier or delete them after a specified period. Data Lens can also protect the data against ransomware, by allowing administrators to block malicious file signatures from being written to the file system. References: Nutanix Data Lens Administration Guide

Nutanix Files, part of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS), integrates with Active Directory (AD) for user authentication and synchronization in a Windows environment. A key requirement for AD integration is that the time between the Files environment (specifically, the File Server Virtual Machines or FSVMs) and the AD server must be synchronized, as a time difference greater than 5 minutes can cause Kerberos authentication failures, leading to synchronization issues.

Analysis of Options:

Option A (Connect to every FSVM and edit the time manually): Incorrect. Manually editing the time on each FSVM is a temporary fix and not a sustainable solution. It does not prevent future time drift, as the FSVMs’ clocks will continue to drift without proper synchronization.

Option B (Use the same NTP Servers for the Files environment and the AD Server): Correct. The best way to prevent time differences is to ensure that both the Files environment (FSVMs) and the AD server use the same Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers for time synchronization. This ensures consistent timekeeping across both systems, avoiding authentication issues due to time skew.

Option C (Use 0.pool.ntp.org as the NTP Server for the AD Server): Incorrect. While using 0.pool.ntp.org as the NTP server for the AD server is a valid approach, it does not ensure synchronization unless the Files environment also uses the same NTP server. If the Files environment uses a different NTP server, time drift can still occur.

Option D (Use 0.pool.ntp.org as the NTP Server for the Files environment): Incorrect. Similar to option C, using 0.pool.ntp.org for the Files environment alone does not guarantee synchronization with the AD server unless the AD server also uses the same NTP server.

Why Option B?

Time synchronization between Nutanix Files and AD is critical for Kerberos authentication, which has a default tolerance of 5 minutes. Using the same NTP servers for both the Files environment (configured at the cluster level via Prism Element) and the AD server ensures that both systems maintain the same time, preventing future synchronization issues.

Exact Extract from Nutanix Documentation:

From the Nutanix Files Administration Guide (available on the Nutanix Portal):

“For successful Active Directory integration, the time between the Nutanix Files environment and the AD server must be synchronized within a 5-minute window. To prevent time drift, configure both the Nutanix cluster (which manages FSVM time) and the AD server to use the same NTP servers. This ensures consistent timekeeping and avoids Kerberos authentication failures.”

Before upgrading Objects Manager, the administrator must upgrade AOS to the latest version. AOS is the core operating system that runs on each node in a Nutanix cluster and provides the foundation for Objects Manager and Objects service. Upgrading AOS will ensure compatibility and stability for Objects components. References: Nutanix Objects Administration Guide, Acropolis Operating System Upgrade Guide