Nutanix NCP-US-6.10 - Nutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US) v6.10

When deploying Nutanix File servers, the correct minimum configurations include:

The minimum number of FSVMs is three(Option C).

A minimum of 12 GiB of memory per FSVM(Option D).

Nutanix Files is a scale-out file storage solution that uses File Server Virtual Machines (FSVMs) to provide file services via SMB and NFS protocols. The minimum configuration ensures high availability, performance, and scalability.

According to theNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course, “Nutanix Files requires a minimum of three FSVMs to ensure high availability and load balancing across the file server.” This minimum of three FSVMs allows Nutanix Files to distribute file share operations and provide failover capabilities in case of FSVM or node failures.

The course also specifies that “each FSVM requires a minimum of 12 GiB of memory to handle file server operations effectively.” This memory allocation supports the processing needs of file services, including protocol handling, caching, and management tasks.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide elaborates that “Nutanix Files deployment requires at least three FSVMs, each configured with a minimum of 12 GiB of memory and four vCPUs, to meet the baseline requirements for production environments.” While the guide mentions four vCPUs as the minimum, the options provided in the question include eight vCPUs, which is not the minimum but a possible configuration for higher workloads.

The other options are incorrect:

The number of CVMs must be equal to or greater than the number of FSVMs: There is no strict requirement that the number of Controller VMs (CVMs) must match or exceed the number of FSVMs. CVMs manage the Nutanix cluster’s storage and services, and their count depends on the cluster size, not the number of FSVMs.

A minimum of eight vCPUs per FSVM: The minimum requirement is four vCPUs per FSVM, as specified in Nutanix documentation. Eight vCPUs may be used for larger deployments but is not the minimum.

The NUSA course documentation confirms that “a Nutanix Files deployment must include at least three FSVMs with 12 GiB of memory each to ensure a robust and highly available file storage solution.”

TheNutanix Files deployment processrequirestwo logical networksfor operational separation and performance:

Client Network:

“This is the network through which client devices (Windows, Linux) connect to the file shares hosted by the FSVMs. It ensures that user data access is isolated from management traffic.”

Management Network:

“This network is used for communication between FSVMs and Prism Central/Prism Element for administrative tasks, health monitoring, and management APIs.”

TheStorage Networkis not a separate network for Nutanix Files—it uses the cluster’s existing storage network (backed by the Nutanix DSF). TheOverlay Networkconcept is specific to container environments, not Nutanix Files deployments.

In the Nutanix Unified Storage architecture, Nutanix Objects is a service that leverages container-based deployment for its microservices architecture. When deploying Objects inonline mode, Prism Central (which orchestrates the deployment) needs todownloadthe container images and additional software artifacts directly from Nutanix and trusted external registries.

download.nutanix.com:This is Nutanix’s primary repository for all official Nutanix software artifacts, including Objects installation packages and associated dependencies. In the official NUSA deployment module, it states:

“Prism Central must be able to reach download.nutanix.com to retrieve Objects binary packages and installation files. This ensures that Objects components are properly deployed and integrated into the cluster environment.”

docker.io:Nutanix Objects uses containerized microservices (e.g., object metadata, S3 gateway) that are packaged as Docker images. The deployment processpulls these images directly from docker.io, which is the default container registry for Docker images. The NUSA course explicitly mentions:

“During the Objects deployment, container images are pulled from docker.io. Prism Central must have connectivity to docker.io to ensure all components of Objects are downloaded and deployed successfully.”

portal.nutanix.com and kubernetes.io:

portal.nutanix.comis used for documentation and support but is not needed for direct deployment of Objects.

kubernetes.iois also not required since Nutanix Objects uses its own container orchestration within the Nutanix platform, not Kubernetes from the internet.

Thus, for an online Objects deployment, themandatory external dependenciesare:

download.nutanix.com

docker.io

Directory services integration (e.g., Active Directory) is mandatory for SMB shares to:

Authenticate users.

Apply access controls (ACLs).

Enable Kerberos-based security.Without this, SMB shares cannot be accessed by domain-joined clients.

Option B: Prism Central registration enables central management but isn't a share prerequisite.

Option C: afs infra.start is an invalid command.

Option D: Password policies are enforced via directory services but not a standalone prerequisite.

Nutanix File Analytics sends anomaly alerts and data to email recipientsas defined in the Anomaly Rules. File Analytics uses anomaly detection to identify unusual activities on the file server, such as permission changes, excessive file access, or potential ransomware behavior. Administrators can configure anomaly rules to specify which activities to monitor and how to handle notifications, including sending emails to designated recipients based on the defined rules.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course explains that “File Analytics allows administrators to define anomaly rules to detect suspicious activities, with email notifications configured as part of the rule settings to alert recipients when specific conditions are met.” This ensures that emails are sent only when the criteria in the anomaly rules are triggered, allowing for targeted and timely alerts.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further states that “anomaly rules in File Analytics are customizable, enabling administrators to set thresholds, conditions, and notification preferences, including email alerts, to ensure timely responses to detected anomalies.” The timing and frequency of email notifications depend on the configuration of the anomaly rules, not a fixed schedule or automatic detection.

The other options are incorrect:

Whenever an anomaly is detected: While anomalies trigger alerts, emails are sent only if the anomaly rules are configured to do so. Not every detected anomaly automatically results in an email unless specified in the rules.

Every 15 minutes: File Analytics does not send emails on a fixed 15-minute schedule; notifications are event-driven based on anomaly rule triggers.

When a minimum of anomalies are detected: There is no concept of a “minimum number of anomalies” in File Analytics; alerts are sent based on the specific conditions defined in the anomaly rules.

The NUSA course documentation emphasizes that “File Analytics anomaly rules provide granular control over alert notifications, with email alerts sent to recipients as specified in the rule configuration, ensuring timely communication of critical events.”

Changing thename of a Nutanix Files clusterinvolves updating theDNS name resolutionfor its FSVMs and VIPs. When the cluster’s name changes:

The underlying IP addresses (CVMs, FSVMs, VIPs)do not change.

However,DNS entriesassociated with the old cluster namebecome outdated, causing clients (including management interfaces and file share connections) to fail to resolve the new name to the correct IP addresses.

From the NUSA course troubleshooting section:

“After renaming a Files cluster, update the DNS entries to reflect the new name. Otherwise, clients and administrators will be unable to reach the cluster resources.”

Restarting CVMs or FSVMs does not update DNS entries.

Deleting active user sessions won’t fix the DNS resolution problem.

Therefore, to resolve theunreachabilityissue, the administrator must:

🔹Delete old DNS entriesfor the previous cluster name.

🔹Add new DNS entriesmapping the new cluster name to the same IPs of the FSVMs and VIP.

This ensures that all systems can properly resolve the new cluster name and reach the Nutanix Files services.

The log message indicates a failure to download the file fraser-6.10-stable_build_release.tar.xz from a web server, resulting in anHTTP 404 Not Founderror when attempting to connect to the server overport 80. The error suggests that the Microservices Platform (MSP) is attempting to access a resource via HTTP (port 80), but the connection fails, either because the server is not reachable, the resource is not available, or the port is blocked.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course discusses the Microservices Platform (MSP) as a component that supports containerized services in Nutanix environments, often requiring access to external repositories for downloading build artifacts, such as those hosted on AWS ECR (Elastic Container Registry). The course notes that “MSP services may require outbound network access to download container images or configuration files, typically over HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443), depending on the repository configuration.”

In this case, the log explicitly shows the attempt to useHTTP (port 80)to access the URL http://x.x.x.x/..., indicating that MSP is configured to use HTTP for this operation. The HTTP 404 Not Founderror suggests that either the file does not exist at the specified URL, the server is not responding, or network connectivity issues (e.g., firewall rules blocking port 80) are preventing MSP from reaching the web server. Since the error occurs during the connection attempt over port 80, the most likely cause is thatMSP needs to reach the web server over port 80, and this connectivity is not properly configured or is blocked.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide emphasizes troubleshooting network connectivity for Nutanix services, stating, “Administrators must ensure that required ports, such as 80 for HTTP or 443 for HTTPS, are open for services like MSP to access external resources.” The guide also recommends checking firewall rules, proxy settings, and network routes when encountering connectivity errors like HTTP 404.

The provided search results further support this analysis. For example, troubleshooting connectivity issues in Nutanix environments often involves verifying port access, as seen in discussions about Pulse and other services requiring HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443) connectivity to external servers (e.g., nsc01.nutanix.net or insights.nutanix.com). While the specific issue in the log is related to MSP, the principle of ensuring proper port access applies.

The other options are incorrect:

Prism Central needs to reach the web server over port 443: The log indicates that MSP, not Prism Central, is attempting the connection, and it uses HTTP (port 80), not HTTPS (port 443).

MSP needs to reach the web server over port 443: The log clearly shows the connection attempt over HTTP (port 80), not HTTPS (port 443).

Prism Central needs to reach the web server over port 80: The log references MSP, not Prism Central, as the component attempting the download.

To resolve this issue, the administrator should:

Verify that the web server at x.x.x.x is reachable and the file exists at the specified URL.

Ensure that outbound traffic from the MSP service to the web server over port 80 is allowed by checking firewall rules, proxy settings, and network configurations.

If the server requires HTTPS, update the MSP configuration to use port 443 instead of port 80, but the log suggests port 80 is expected.

Legal Holdin Nutanix Objects is a feature designed for compliance and regulatory use cases, ensuring thatspecific objects (files)cannot be deleted or modified for an indefinite period, even if WORM (Write Once Read Many) policies exist.

Here’s how it matches the scenario:

Indefinite Lock:

Legal Hold ensures that once applied, the object islocked indefinitely.

Unlike WORM retention, which is based ona fixed duration (like days/months), Legal Hold hasno expirationuntil an authorized administrator explicitly removes it.

Authorized Removal Only:

Only users withspecific Legal Hold management permissionscan remove the lock, maintaining compliance and governance integrity.

The NUSA course materials emphasize:

“Legal Hold is a compliance feature that prevents deletion or modification of specific objects. It can only be lifted by authorized administrators, ensuring that the data remains immutable as long as required by legal or regulatory processes.”

The other options:

WORM versioning— locks data for afixed retention period; it does not provide indefinite locking.

Data Lens Ransomware Protection— focuses on monitoring for anomalies, not explicit file locking.

Blocked File Types for Files— prevents certain files from being uploaded but does not lock already uploaded files.

Thus, toindefinitely lock a filein Nutanix Objects, the administrator should useLegal Hold.

A single AOS cluster supports a maximum of 4 Nutanix Object Stores. Each object store is an independent instance with dedicated resources.

When setting up a Windows client to access aVolume Group (VG)via iSCSI, the administrator must configure the client’s iSCSI initiator to connect to the correcttarget.

1️⃣Data Services IP (DSIP):

TheDSIPis used by external clients (like Windows servers) to connect to Nutanix services, including iSCSI for Volume Groups. It’s a highly available IP that floats across the cluster CVMs.

2️⃣Volume Group Name (VG Name):

This is thetarget namethat the Windows iSCSI initiator will log on to. It’s needed to identify which Volume Group to access.

The cluster’s FQDN or all CVM IPs aren’t used for direct iSCSI target connections. TheDSIPensures proper load balancing and failover for the connection, while theVG nameis essential to identify the specific storage being requested.