Nutanix NCP-CN - Nutanix Certified Professional - Cloud Native (NCP-CN-6.10)

When mirroring the NKP bundle to a private registry, the recommended method is to use the nkp bundle push or similar commands with the--to-registryoption, specifying the target registry along with the credentials (--to-registry-username and --to-registry-password).

Key reference from documentation:

“Use the --to-registry flag along with --to-registry-username and --to-registry-password to push the NKP bundle to a private registry.”

As stated in theNKPA 6.10 documentation, when using external storage (such as AWS S3) withLokifor log storage, AWS credentials must be provided securely. This typically involves creating a KubernetesSecretcontaining the static AWS credentials (access key ID and secret access key), which are referenced in the override ConfigMap to authenticate Loki’s S3 storage backend.

Key reference from documentation:

“For Loki to store logs in an S3 bucket, AWS credentials must be created as a Kubernetes secret and referenced in the storage configuration.”

The NKPA course explains that to access a Kubernetes cluster managed by NKP, such as iot-1 in the workspace iot-plant-3, a kubeconfig file is required to authenticate and interact with the cluster’s API server. If the kubeconfig file is missing, the engineer can generate it using the NKP CLI. The correct command isnkp get kubeconfig -c iot-1 -w iot-plant-3 > iot-1.conf(Option B).

This command retrieves the kubeconfig for the specified cluster (-c iot-1) in the specified workspace (-w iot-plant-3) and redirects the output to a file named iot-1.conf. The engineer can then use this kubeconfig file with kubectl (e.g., kubectl --kubeconfig=iot-1.conf get pods) to review the deployment. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To generate a kubeconfig file for an NKP-managed cluster, use nkp get kubeconfig -c -w , which retrieves the necessary credentials for cluster access.”

Incorrect Options:

A. kubectl get kubeconfig: kubectl does not have a get kubeconfig subcommand, and it cannot generate kubeconfig files for NKP clusters.

C. kubectl get secret iot-1 -n kommander: While secrets in the kommander namespace may store credentials, this command does not format them as a kubeconfig file.

D. nkp get configmaps: This is not a valid command for retrieving kubeconfig files; ConfigMaps do not store kubeconfig data in this context.

The NKPA course details that backup and restore functionality in NKP is provided through integration with Velero, which supports backing up persistent volumes, cluster resources, and application data to S3-compatible storage. This functionality is considered an advanced feature and is included in higher-tier NKP licenses:NKP UltimateandNKP Pro.

NKP Ultimate: This top-tier license includes all NKP features, such as air-gapped deployments, fleet management, and backup/restore capabilities. It is designed for enterprise-grade environments requiring comprehensive disaster recovery.

NKP Pro: This mid-tier license also includes backup and restore functionality, catering to organizations needing robust data protection but not necessarily all the features of the Ultimate tier (e.g., air-gapped support).

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “Backup and restore functionality, powered by Velero, is available in NKP Pro and NKP Ultimate license tiers, enabling protection of persistent volumes and cluster resources.” These licenses provide the necessary tools and support for configuring Velero with S3-compatible storage, scheduling backups, and performing restores in production environments.

Incorrect Options:

A. NKP Starter: The Starter tier is entry-level and does not include advanced features like backup and restore. It focuses on basic cluster management.

B. NKP Essential: This tier, if it exists in NKP’s licensing model, would be a lower tier and unlikely to include backup/restore functionality, as it is not mentioned in the NKPA course.

In an air-gapped NKP environment with no Internet access, a bastion host is a critical component for secure management. The NKPA course defines the primary purpose of a bastion host asproviding a secure point for creating and operating NKP clusters. The bastion host acts as a jump server, allowing administrators to securely access the isolated environment, manage cluster deployments, and perform operations like cluster creation, scaling, and upgrades without exposing the environment to external threats.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “In a dark site NKP deployment, a bastion host serves as a secure entry point for administrators to create, manage, and operate NKP clusters, ensuring isolation from external networks.” The bastion host is configured with SSH keys and tools like the NKP CLI to facilitate secure interactions with the cluster infrastructure.

Incorrect Options:

A. To store and manage sensitive data: The bastion host is not a storage system; its role is access and management, not data storage.

C. To serve as a load balancer: A bastion host does not perform load balancing; that role is handled by Kubernetes components like MetalLB or cloud-native load balancers.

D. To act as a firewall: While a bastion host enhances security, it is not a firewall. Firewalls are separate components in the network architecture.

The error states:

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error upgrading CAPI components: unable to upgrade CAPI components: deployment "capp-controller-manager" is not ready after 10m0s: failed to connect to the management cluster: context deadline exceeded

This clearly points to connectivity issues between the VM (or nodes) and themanagement cluster, typically caused byregistry communication issuesin air-gapped or private environments. When the VM cannot connect to the registry to pull required images or configuration, the CAPI (Cluster API) components cannot be initialized, causing a timeout.

Key Reference:

Nutanix Kubernetes Platform Administration (NKPA) 6.10 – “Air-Gapped and Registry Communication Issues”

NCP-CN 6.10 Study Guide – “Cluster API Upgrade Process and Network Prerequisites”

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The NKPA course outlines the process for deploying an NKP cluster on Nutanix AHV infrastructure using the NKP CLI. For a prompt-based deployment, where the administrator is guided through configuration options interactively, the correct command isnkp create cluster ahv. This command initiates the deployment of an NKP cluster on the AHV hypervisor, prompting the administrator to input details like cluster name, node counts, and networking settings.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To deploy an NKP cluster on AHV using the prompt-based CLI method, use nkp create cluster ahv, which guides the administrator through the configuration process.” The command is specific to the AHV hypervisor (part of AOS 6.10) and is suitable for the specified hardware (NX-8170-G9 nodes).

Incorrect Options:

A. nkp create cluster nutanix: The provider is specified as ahv, not nutanix, in the NKP CLI syntax.

C. nkp create nodepool nutanix: This creates a node pool, not a cluster, and is not prompt-based.

D. nkp install kommander: Kommander is a management component, not used for cluster creation on AHV.

The scenario describes an isolated environment in Antarctica, implying an air-gapped NKP deployment where the bastion host serves as the primary management point for deploying and managing NKP clusters without Internet access. The NKPA course outlines the essential tools that must be installed on a bastion host to facilitate NKP deployment and management in such environments.

The required programs arekubectlandnkp:

kubectl: This is the Kubernetes command-line tool used to interact with Kubernetes clusters, essential for managing cluster resources, debugging, and applying configurations during and after deployment.

nkp: The NKP CLI (nkp) is the primary tool for deploying, managing, and scaling NKP clusters, including creating bootstrap clusters, deploying clusters, and managing platform applications. In an air-gapped setup, the nkp CLI is critical for executing deployment commands using the Air-Gapped Bundle.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “For an air-gapped NKP deployment, ensure the bastion host has kubectl and the nkp CLI installed to manage the deployment process and interact with the resulting Kubernetes clusters.” These tools are sufficient for the engineer to deploy and operate NKP in an isolated environment.

Incorrect Options:

A. awscli and nkp: The awscli is specific to AWS environments, but the question does not specify AWS infrastructure. Additionally, in an isolated environment, awscli is less relevant without Internet access.

B. oc and kubectl: oc is the OpenShift CLI, not used for NKP deployments. NKP uses nkp CLI instead.

C. oc and az: az is the Azure CLI, and oc is for OpenShift—neither is relevant to NKP deployment.

The NKPA course outlines the default behaviors of NKP when deploying workload clusters within a workspace, regardless of the provisioning environment (e.g., AWS, Nutanix, Azure). When a workload cluster is deployed in AWS, NKP ensures consistency across the workspace by applying the following default behaviors:

The NKP workload cluster will receive all of the GitOps sources that have been assigned to the NKP workspace (Option A): NKP uses GitOps with Flux to manage cluster configurations and applications. The course explains that GitOps sources (e.g., Git repositories) assigned to a workspace are automatically applied to all clusters in that workspace, ensuring consistent configuration and application deployment. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “New workload clusters inherit all GitOps sources configured for the workspace, enabling Flux to synchronize configurations from the specified repositories.”

The NKP workload cluster will be deployed all of the applications that have been enabled on this NKP workspace (Option D): NKP Platform Applications (e.g., Prometheus, Rook Ceph) enabled in the workspace are automatically deployed to new workload clusters. The NKPA course notes: “When a workload cluster is created, NKP deploys all platform applications enabled in the workspace to ensure consistent functionality across clusters.”

Incorrect Options:

B. The NKP workload cluster will receive all of the NKP RBAC policy: RBAC policies are defined at the workspace or project level and applied to users or groups, not automatically to clusters. Clusters inherit RBAC through user access, not as a default deployment behavior.

C. The NKP workload cluster will also be assigned to all of the NKP projects: Clusters are assigned to specific projects manually, not automatically to all projects in a workspace.

The NKPA course details the process of creating an NKP cluster on vSphere using the NKP CLI, including the configuration of multiple node pools with specific worker node counts and CPU settings. The correct approach involves creating the cluster with the initial node pool and then adding additional node pools separately.

The steps inOption Aalign with this process:

nkp create cluster vsphere --worker-replicas 6 --worker-cpus 10: This command creates the NKP cluster on vSphere with the first node pool, consisting of 6 worker nodes, each with 10 CPUs.

nkp create nodepool vsphere --worker-replicas 3 --worker-cpus 8: This adds the second node pool to the cluster with 3 worker nodes, each with 8 CPUs.

nkp create nodepool vsphere --worker-replicas 3 --worker-cpus 6: This adds the third node pool with 3 worker nodes, each with 6 CPUs.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To create an NKP cluster with multiple node pools on vSphere, use nkp create cluster vsphere to define the first node pool, then add additional node pools with nkp create nodepool vsphere, specifying --worker-replicas and --worker-cpus for each pool.” This method ensures precise control over each node pool’s configuration.

Incorrect Options:

B: The second nkp create nodepool command uses --replicas and --cpus, which are not the correct flags. The NKPA course specifies --worker-replicas and --worker-cpus.

C: The --node-pools, --worker-replicas 6,3,3, and --worker-cpus 10,8,6 flags are not supported in a single nkp create cluster command. Node pools must be created separately.

D: There is no nkp create nodepools command; the correct command is nkp create nodepool. Additionally, --replicas and --cpus are incorrect flags.