Nutanix NCP-DB - Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB v6.10)

An NDB Software Profile is a template of the OS and database engine that you can use to provision or clone database server VMs using NDB. To create a software profile, you need to upload an installer package for the database software that you want to use, such as SQL Server or Oracle. The installer package must be compatible with the OS image that you have registered with Prism Element. You do not need a database server VM registered with NDB, a patch file for the installed databases, or an OS image registered with Prism Element to create a software profile. Those are required for other tasks, such as creating a software profile version, registering a database server VM, or provisioning a database server VM.

References: Nutanix Benefit 8: Integrated Self-service Database Management, Nutanix Support & Insights, section “NDB Software”

The exhibit shows an error during the provisioning of NDB from the Prism Central Marketplace, with a failure reason stating "IP not found" in the "EraService - Substrate Create" step. This indicates that the provisioning process could not assign or detect an IP address for the NDB instance, likely due to an unconfigured or missing IP address during deployment. To prevent this issue, the administrator should configure an IP address when deploying the application. This involves specifying a static IP or ensuring IP Address Management (IPAM) is properly set up to allocate an IP during the Prism Central Marketplace deployment wizard.

Other options are less directly relevant:

B. Import the proper image in the Prism Central: This ensures the correct NDB image is available but does not address the IP assignment issue.

C. Provide a subnet with IP Address Management: While useful, this is a broader configuration step and not the specific action needed during deployment.

D. Register NDB using the correct IP address: Registration occurs after deployment and does not prevent the initial IP assignment failure.

Thus, the verified answer is A, as configuring the IP address during deployment directly addresses the "IP not found" error.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Lesson 2.2: Deploying NDB from Prism Central.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 2: Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution, Objective 2.2: Deploy NDB (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Installation Guide: "Deploying NDB via Prism Central Marketplace" section, emphasizing IP configuration.

 Nutanix Era provides a unified database operating model that delivers simplicity, performance, availability, and security across private and public clouds1. It standardizes your Oracle database ecosystem by mass patching the databases with one-click simplicity2. This includes the following features:

Automated Patching: Era patching can be automated using REST API/CLI for scheduled patching many Oracle servers in a fleet patching scenario1. This allows for the standardization of your Oracle database ecosystem by mass patching the databases with one-click simplicity2.

Automatic Rollback: Era patching for Oracle databases has automatic rollback if any of the steps in the patching workflow fails1. This ensures that your databases remain secure and functional even if an issue arises during the patching process1.

In NDB, publishing a software profile update for Microsoft SQL Server makes it available for broader use within the NDB environment. When an administrator creates and publishes an updated software profile (e.g., with a new SQL Server patch or version), this action allows all authorized NDB users to leverage that profile to patch or update the database software on their managed VMs. This is a key feature of NDB’s software profile management, enabling centralized control and distribution of standardized database configurations.

Option A is correct because publishing a profile democratizes access, allowing all users to apply the update to their database VMs, aligning with NDB’s collaborative administration model.

Option B is incorrect because it suggests the profile patches itself, which is not the intent; publishing enables usage, not self-application.

Option C is incorrect because publishing does not automatically deprecate older profiles; deprecation is a separate administrative decision.

Option D is incorrect because publishing facilitates patching, not stalls it.

This process enhances efficiency and consistency in managing SQL Server updates across an organization.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 4: Managing Software Profiles, Section: Creating and Publishing Software Profiles

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 4: Manage Database Software Profiles

According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) learning documents, to configure Era to send alert notifications to email recipients, you need to go to the Administration section, select Era Service, then go to the configure notification widget. From there, you can update the SMTP server configuration1. This allows Era to use the SMTP server to send alert notifications to the specified email recipients1.

According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) learning documents, metadata tags can be applied to various entities in Nutanix Era for better database inventory management1. Among the options provided, Databases and Clones are two entities that support metadata tags1. These tags can be used to categorize, search, and manage these entities more effectively1. Please note that the information might be available in the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) course materials or in the Nutanix Era documentation.

In an NDB high availability (HA) environment spanning multiple Nutanix clusters, with two clusters running VMware ESXi and one running Nutanix AHV, cross-hypervisor compatibility becomes essential to manage the heterogeneous environment effectively. Nutanix Prism Central is the centralized management platform that provides a unified interface and orchestration capabilities across multiple clusters, regardless of the underlying hypervisor (ESXi or AHV). For NDB HA to function seamlessly across these clusters, Prism Central is required to coordinate cluster operations, manage resources, and ensure consistent policy enforcement, including VM placement, failover, and database management tasks. It abstracts the differences between hypervisors, enabling NDB to operate in a mixed environment.

Option A (Stretched VLANs for all nodes) is incorrect because stretched VLANs address network connectivity, not hypervisor compatibility or NDB HA management.

Option B (NGT - Nutanix Guest Tools) is incorrect as NGT enhances guest VM functionality (e.g., drivers, backups) but does not facilitate cross-hypervisor orchestration for NDB HA.

Option C (Nutanix Prism Central) is correct because it provides the necessary multi-cluster management and compatibility layer for NDB HA across ESXi and AHV.

Option D (VirtlO) is incorrect as VirtIO refers to paravirtualized drivers for VMs, not a component for NDB HA or cross-hypervisor support.

Prism Central’s role ensures that NDB can manage database workloads across diverse hypervisor platforms efficiently.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 3: Configuring an NDB Environment, Section: Multi-Cluster and Multi-Hypervisor Support

Nutanix Prism Central Administration Guide, Section: Managing Mixed Hypervisor Environments

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 3: Configure an NDB Environment

The error message in the exhibit indicates that the operation failed during the “Create and Register Database Server VMs” step because “Provisioning of all the observers simultaneously took more than two hours.” This type of error is associated with MySQL, as it involves observers which are a part of MySQL Group Replication, used for ensuring high availability1. The other options are not related to the error message, as they do not use observers or Group Replication for clustering. References:

1: Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) course, Module 5: Database High Availability, Lesson 5.2: MySQL Group Replication, slide 7

In this scenario, a PostgreSQL instance managed by NDB on a Linux VM is malfunctioning after a manual OS update, and a new Linux DB server VM has been prepared to host the data. To migrate the data to the new VM, the administrator must integrate the new VM into NDB’s management framework. The correct action is to register the new DB Server VM in NDB, which allows NDB to recognize and manage the VM as a database server. Once registered, the administrator can use NDB’s features (e.g., cloning, restoring, or reprovisioning) to migrate the data from the broken instance to the new VM.

Here’s why the other options are incorrect:

A. Provision a new PostgreSQL instance from the Databases page: This creates a fresh instance without migrating existing data, losing the broken instance’s data unless separately restored.

B. From The Machine policy, Authorize Database Server VMs: Machine policies in NDB define rules for VM management, but authorizing VMs is not a direct migration action and assumes prior registration.

C. Follow the Provision a PostgreSQL Instance wizard: Similar to A, this provisions a new instance rather than migrating data to an existing prepared VM.

Registering the new VM in NDB (via the "Database Server VMs" section) enables the administrator to associate it with the existing PostgreSQL instance’s configuration and perform a data migration (e.g., using a snapshot or backup). This aligns with NDB’s workflow for replacing a broken server. Thus, the verified answer is D.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 3: Managing Database Instances, Lesson 3.3: Registering and Managing Database Server VMs.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 3: Manage NDB Solutions, Objective 3.2: Register and Manage DB Server VMs (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Registering a Database Server VM" section.

To configure and begin taking advantage of the Data Access Management feature of Time Machine, the administrator must first enable NDB multi-cluster and register the required Nutanix cluster(s). Data Access Management allows controlled access to data (e.g., snapshots, clones) across multiple clusters, requiring a multi-cluster setup. This involves enabling multi-cluster support in NDB and registering remote clusters to facilitate data replication and access policies.

Other actions are prerequisites or subsequent steps:

A. Enable NDB HA to protect the metadata associated with the configuration: HA is beneficial but not the first step for Data Access Management.

C. Take an application consistent snapshot of the source database: This is a later step after multi-cluster setup.

D. Ensure that the source database has been provisioned on the remote Nutanix cluster: Provisioning follows multi-cluster registration.

Thus, the verified answer is B, establishing the multi-cluster foundation.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 5: Data Protection and Recovery, Lesson 5.3: Configuring Data Access Management.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 5: Protect Databases Using NDB, Objective 5.3: Configure Data Access (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Data Access Management Setup" section.