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

The NKPA course details that NKP Platform Applications, such asGrafana Logging,Grafana Loki, andProject Logging, are deployed to Kubernetes clusters to provide monitoring and logging capabilities. To ensure these components are automatically deployed to new workload clusters in a workspace, the administrator must enable them in theApplication sectionunder the workspace configuration in the NKP UI.

The course explains that the Application section allows administrators to select and configure platform applications that should be applied to all clusters within a workspace. By enabling Grafana Logging, Grafana Loki (for log aggregation), and Project Logging (for project-specific log management), these components are automatically deployed as part of the cluster provisioning process. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To deploy platform applications like Grafana Loki and logging components to new clusters, configure them in the Application section of the workspace settings in the NKP UI.”

Incorrect Options:

A. Enable them in the Insights section under workspace: The Insights section is for analytics and monitoring dashboards, not for deploying logging components.

B. Enable them in the Projects section under workspace: Projects are sub-divisions within workspaces for resource allocation, not for configuring platform applications.

C. Enable them in the Clusters section under workspace: The Clusters section is for managing cluster settings, not for enabling platform applications.

NKP uses Helm and Flux for application deployment, where applications are managed asHelmReleases, a custom resource that defines Helm chart deployments. The NKPA course explains that to validate the status of HelmReleases, administrators can use the kubectl command to query these resources. The correct command iskubectl get helmreleases -n ${PROJECT_NAMESPACE}, which lists all HelmReleases in the specified project namespace, showing their status (e.g., Ready, Failed) and other details like chart version and reconciliation status.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To check the status of HelmReleases in NKP, use kubectl get helmreleases -n to view the current state of application deployments managed by Flux.” This command helps the operations team verify that applications are running correctly and identify any issues in production.

Incorrect Options:

A. kubectl get namespaces: This lists namespaces, not HelmReleases or their status.

C. kubectl edit helmreleases -n ${PROJECT_NAMESPACE}: This edits HelmRelease resources, not displays their status.

D. kubectl apply -f fluent-bit-overrides.yaml: This applies a configuration for Fluent Bit, unrelated to HelmRelease status.

The NKPA course outlines the specifics of integrating Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with NKP, focusing on fleet management and the deployment architecture. The correct statements are:

Existing AKS clusters must be attached to the Management cluster (Option A):NKP does not provision AKS clusters directly because AKS is a managed Kubernetes service. Instead, NKP attaches existing AKS clusters to its management plane for centralized management. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “For AKS integration, existing AKS clusters must be attached to the NKP Management cluster using the Attach Cluster functionality, as NKP does not provision AKS clusters.” This involves creating a service account with cluster-admin permissions in the AKS cluster and providing its kubeconfig to NKP.

NKP Management cluster with the Kommander component must be installed before installing NKP on AKS cluster (Option C):The Kommander component is part of the NKP Management cluster and provides the centralized management plane for fleet management, including AKS clusters. The NKPA course specifies that an NKP Management cluster with Kommander must be deployed before attaching or managing external clusters like AKS. The NCP-CN 6.10 Study Guide notes: “An NKP Management cluster with Kommander must be installed prior to integrating AKS clusters, as Kommander enables the fleet management capabilities for external clusters.”

Incorrect Options:

B. AKS best practices encourage building customized images: AKS best practices recommend using the default node images provided by Azure, which are optimized for AKS features like autoscaling and security. Custom images can lead to loss of functionality, as noted in previous questions (e.g., Q91).

D. AKS clusters can be deployed as Management or Pro NKP clusters: AKS clusters are attached, not deployed, by NKP. Additionally, AKS clusters cannot serve as NKP Management clusters; the Management cluster must be deployed on supported infrastructure like Nutanix AHV, AWS, or vSphere. “Pro NKP clusters” is not a valid term in NKP documentation—Pro refers to a license tier, not a cluster type.

Attaching an existing Amazon EKS cluster to NKP for fleet management involves integrating the cluster into NKP’s management plane, which requires specific preparatory steps. The NKPA course outlines that the first step is tocreate a service account with cluster-admin permissionsin the EKS cluster. This service account is used by NKP to authenticate and manage the cluster, enabling operations like monitoring, scaling, and application deployment.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide explains: “To attach an external Kubernetes cluster, such as Amazon EKS, to NKP, a service account with cluster-admin role bindings must be created to allow NKP to interact with the cluster’s API server.” The service account is configured with a token that NKP uses to authenticate requests. The NKPA course provides detailed steps, including creating the service account, assigning the cluster-admin ClusterRole, and generating a token for NKP integration. This step is critical to ensure NKP has the necessary permissions to manage the EKS cluster.

Incorrect Options:

A. Configure a ConfigMap according to EKS configuration: While ConfigMaps may be used for specific configurations, they are not the first step for attaching an EKS cluster. The NKPA course prioritizes service account creation.

C. Configure HAProxy to get connected to EKS clusters: HAProxy is a load balancer, not required for attaching EKS clusters to NKP. EKS uses AWS-native load balancers, and NKP connects via the Kubernetes API.

D. Deploy cert-manager in the EKS clusters: Cert-manager is used for certificate management, not a prerequisite for attaching EKS clusters. The NKPA course does not list it as a required step.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The correct procedure for deleting an NKP cluster involves using the nkp delete cluster command with the appropriate cluster name and namespace. This ensures that not only the Kubernetes resources but also the corresponding NKP resources (e.g., nodepools, Kommander integration) are deleted cleanly and consistently. Simply deleting the VMs does not clean up the associated NKP management objects. This approach is detailed in the NKP documentation for cluster lifecycle management, emphasizing the need to use the provided CLI commands for full removal.

The NKPA course details the process for upgrading an NKP-managed Kubernetes cluster, such as one running on AWS from version 1.28.1 to 1.29.9. Upgrading a Kubernetes cluster involves two distinct steps: upgrading the control plane nodes and upgrading the worker nodes, ensuring minimal disruption and maintaining compatibility. The NKP CLI provides specific commands to handle these upgrades separately for AWS clusters.

Upgrade Control Planes with nkp update controlplane aws --cluster-name=${CLUSTER_NAME} --ami AMI_ID --kubernetes-version=v1.29.9 (Option B):The control plane must be upgraded first to the target Kubernetes version (1.29.9). The nkp update controlplane aws command updates the control plane nodes, specifying the cluster name, the new Kubernetes version, and an updated AMI (Amazon Machine Image) that supports the target version. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To upgrade an NKP cluster on AWS, first update the control plane using nkp update controlplane aws --cluster-name --ami --kubernetes-version to ensure the control plane runs the desired Kubernetes version.” The --ami flag is required to specify a compatible image for the upgraded control plane nodes.

Upgrade Workers with nkp upgrade nodepool aws ${NODEPOOL_NAME} --cluster-name=${CLUSTER_NAME} --kubernetes-version=v1.29.9 (Option C):After the control plane is upgraded, the worker nodes in each node pool must be upgraded to match the control plane version. The nkp upgrade nodepool aws command updates the specified node pool to the target Kubernetes version (1.29.9). The NKPA course notes: “Upgrade worker nodes using nkp upgrade nodepool aws --cluster-name --kubernetes-version , which performs a rolling update to ensure minimal downtime.” This command automatically handles the rolling update of worker nodes, replacing them with new nodes running the updated version. Note that the --ami flag is not required here, as NKP typically uses the same AMI as the control plane or retrieves a compatible one based on the version.

Incorrect Options:

A. nkp update nodepool aws: The correct command is nkp upgrade nodepool, not nkp update nodepool. The NKPA course uses upgrade for version changes to node pools.

D. nkp update cluster aws: This command is not the standard approach for upgrading Kubernetes versions in NKP. The course specifies separate commands for control plane and node pool upgrades to ensure a controlled process.

The exhibit shows the NKP UI with the "Create Cluster" option grayed out in a new workspace, indicating that a prerequisite for cluster creation is missing. The NKPA course explains that to create a new Kubernetes cluster in a workspace, anInfrastructure Providermust be configured for that workspace. An Infrastructure Provider defines the underlying infrastructure (e.g., Nutanix AHV, AWS, vSphere) where the cluster will be provisioned, and without it, the Create Cluster option remains disabled in the UI.

The NKP Ultimate license supports creating clusters across various infrastructures, but the workspace must be associated with an Infrastructure Provider to enable cluster creation. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “Before creating a cluster in a new workspace, ensure an Infrastructure Provider is configured for the workspace in the NKP UI; otherwise, the Create Cluster option will be grayed out.” The engineer should navigate to the Infrastructure Providers section in the NKP UI (typically under the Global or Administration view), create a provider (e.g., for Nutanix AHV, AWS, or vSphere), and associate it with the workspace. Once this is done, the Create Cluster option will become available.

Incorrect Options:

A. Create the cluster only using YAML and not the GUI: The issue is not with the GUI itself but with the missing Infrastructure Provider, which affects both GUI and CLI cluster creation. YAML alone does not resolve this.

B. Attach existing clusters instead of creating a new cluster: Attaching existing clusters is an alternative but does not address the requirement to create a new cluster.

D. Ensure NKP is upgraded to a minimum version of 2.12: The NKP Ultimate license implies a recent version, and the course does not indicate that version 2.12 is specifically required for this functionality. The issue is configuration-related, not version-related.

The Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) uses workspaces to provide isolated environments for different teams or projects, allowing each team to manage its own clusters, applications, and resources independently. According to the NKPA course, creating a new workspace is a key Day 2 operation to support multi-tenancy and isolated development environments, such as those required for the microservices in this scenario.

The course specifies that to create a new workspace, users must navigate to the workspace selection dropdown list in the top menu bar of the NKP user interface (UI) and selectCreate Workspace. This action opens a form where administrators can define the workspace name, description, and associated resources (e.g., clusters, users, and policies). The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To create a new workspace in NKP, go to the workspace selection dropdown in the UI and select ‘Create Workspace’ to configure an isolated environment for a team or project.” This process ensures that each microservice team has its own isolated environment for development and testing, with access restricted to their specific workspace.

Incorrect Options:

A. From the Cluster selection, select Add Cluster: Adding a cluster creates a new Kubernetes cluster within an existing workspace, not a new workspace. The NKPA course distinguishes between cluster and workspace creation.

C. From the workspace selection dropdown list in the top menu bar, select Add Workspace: The NKPA course and UI use “Create Workspace” as the standard terminology, not “Add Workspace.”

D. From the Administration selection dropdown list in Infrastructure Providers, select Add Infrastructure Provider: This option is for configuring infrastructure providers (e.g., AWS, vSphere) for NKP, not for creating workspaces.

The Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) leverages Cluster API (CAPI) to manage the lifecycle of Kubernetes clusters. When preparing machine images for NKP deployment, the Nutanix Image Builder (NIB) or Kubernetes Image Builder (KIB) process is used to create custom machine images that are compatible with NKP’s infrastructure requirements. According to the NKPA course, the primary purpose of this process is to createCAPI-compliant imagesthat can be used as the base for NKP cluster nodes.

The NKPA course explains that NKP uses CAPI to provision and manage Kubernetes clusters, and CAPI requires machine images that meet specific criteria, such as including the necessary Kubernetes components, container runtimes, and operating system configurations. The NIB/KIB process ensures that the images are pre-configured with these components, making them suitable for use as NKP worker and control plane nodes. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “The Nutanix Image Builder (NIB) or Kubernetes Image Builder (KIB) is used to create CAPI-compliant machine images that include the required OS, Kubernetes binaries, and dependencies for NKP cluster nodes.”

These images are typically based on supported operating systems like Rocky Linux or Ubuntu, as provided by Nutanix, and are customized to include the container runtime (e.g., containerd), kubeadm, and other dependencies required for CAPI-based cluster provisioning. The resulting images are stored in a location accessible to the NKP deployment process, such as a local registry or Nutanix Prism Central.

Incorrect Options:

A. Hardening an OS image with client-supplied hardening scripts: While hardening the OS is a good practice, it is not the primary purpose of the NIB/KIB process. The NKPA course notes that hardening can be applied as part of image customization, but the core goal is to ensure CAPI compliance, not just hardening.

B. Creating a custom user account for NKP admins to ensure access to NKP nodes: The NIB/KIB process does not focus on creating user accounts. User access is managed through Kubernetes RBAC or external identity providers, as covered in the NKPA course’s authentication section.

C. Tagging the image to be used specifically for NKP: Tagging may occur as part of image management, but it is not the primary purpose. The NKPA course emphasizes CAPI compliance over tagging.

When deploying NKP to AWS, the bootstrap process requires AWS credentials to interact with AWS APIs for provisioning resources like EC2 instances. The NKPA course specifies that the nkp CLI supports the --aws-profile flag to specify a custom AWS profile for authentication. This profile, defined in the AWS credentials file (~/.aws/credentials), contains the access key and secret key for the desired AWS account.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To deploy NKP on AWS with custom credentials, use the --aws-profile= flag during the nkp create bootstrap command to reference a specific AWS profile.” This approach leverages the AWS CLI’s profile management, ensuring secure and flexible credential handling. For example, the command would be nkp create bootstrap --aws-profile=my-profile --kubeconfig bootstrap-cluster.conf.

Incorrect Options:

B. --cloud-credentials=<my-profile></my-profile>: This flag is not used by the nkp CLI. The NKPA course specifies --aws-profile for AWS.

C. --with-aws-bootstrap-credentials=true: This flag does not exist in the NKPA documentation for NKP bootstrap.

D. --aws-access-key=<aws access="" key=""> --aws-secret-key=<aws secret="" key=""></aws></aws>: While these flags may be used in some tools, the NKPA course recommends using --aws-profile to avoid hardcoding sensitive credentials.