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

When accessing Nutanix Files FSVMs (File Server VMs), Nutanix enforcespassword complexity policiesto meet common security standards. According to the NCP-US and NUSA materials, the defaultminimum requirementfor password complexity is:

“Passwords must be at least 8 characters long, supporting uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. However, the absolute minimum is an 8-character length.”

This ensures that even if the environment does not enforce uppercase/lowercase mixes or special character usage, theabsolute minimum lengthof8 charactersmust be met. This requirement ensures protection against basic dictionary attacks.

The other options (specific numbers of uppercase or lowercase letters, or a difference of 8 characters from previous passwords) arenot specifically requiredby Nutanix Files out-of-the-box.

Themost likely causein this scenario is that theWindows VM’s iSCSI Initiator IQN(iSCSI Qualified Name) wasnot added to the client allowlistfor the newly created Volume Group (VG) on the Nutanix cluster.

How this works in Nutanix Unified Storage:

When creating a VG, Nutanix requires you to definewhich iSCSI initiators (by IQN)are allowed to connect to it.

If the Windows VM’s IQN isnot on the allowlist, Nutanix willnot present the LUN(Volume Group) to that initiator, even though the target portal (DSIP) itself is reachable.

This is acommon stepemphasized in the NUSA and NCP-US materials:

“After creating a Volume Group, administrators must add the iSCSI initiator IQNs of client VMs to the client allowlist. Without this, the initiator can discover the target portal (via DSIP) but will not see the actual LUN (Volume Group).”

The other options:

B. Volume Group size too large: Windows Server 2022 fully supports 1TiB+ volumes if properly configured.

C. Rebooting the VM: This does not resolve missing allowlist entries.

D. iSCSI initiator service not started: If this were the case, the discovery portal itself would not be visible.

Thus, the administrator must:

🔹Retrieve the IQN of the Windows VM (from the iSCSI Initiator Properties > Configuration tab).

🔹Add that IQN to the Nutanix Volume Group’s client allowlist in Prism.

This willresolvethe missing LUN (Volume Group) discovery.

Smart DR(Disaster Recovery) for Nutanix Files ensures that the file server VMs (FSVMs) at therecovery sitemirror the configuration of the primary site. Specifically, it requires that:

“The number of FSVMs deployed at the recovery site mustmatchthe number of FSVMs at the primary site.”

The primary site has3 FSVMs.

Therefore, the recovery site must also have3 FSVMsdeployed to ensure consistency and proper operation of Smart DR for file services.

According to the Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course, theSelf-Service Restore (SSR)feature empowers end-users to recover individual files and shares from file server snapshots without administrative intervention. It also allows users to configure snapshot schedules (snapshot frequency) as required.

This feature is explicitly described in the module “Configuring and Utilizing Self-Service Restore (SSR)” of the NUSA course, stating:

“Self-Service Restore enables end-users to browse available snapshots of their shares and folders, allowing them to recover individual files or entire folders independently. Snapshot frequency and retention can be configured to meet data protection requirements.”

In contrast:

Protection Domainsare used for DR (Disaster Recovery) and not for per-file restore by end-users.

Smart DRis also a DR-focused feature, not for user-level file recovery.

Access Based Enumeration (ABE)pertains to share visibility control, not file recovery.

Data Lens requires domain-authenticated access to discover and display data sources (Files/Objects). Users logging in with local credentials (non-domain) cannot see resources tied to Active Directory.

Option B: Certificate issues cause connectivity errors, not dashboard invisibility.

Option C: Pulse enables telemetry to Nutanix but doesn’t affect Data Lens visibility.

Option D: Files Analytics quarantine blocks malware, not dashboard resources.

When deploying Nutanix Objects, internal communication and data flow between Object services are isolated usinginternal overlay IP rangesto avoid collisions with existing customer networks.

The NCP-US and NUSA course materials state:

“Nutanix Objects requires two separate internal IP address ranges: 10.100.0.0/16 and 10.200.0.0/16. These ranges are used exclusively for internal communication within the Nutanix Objects deployment, such as for object metadata, S3 gateway, and load balancing services.”

These10.x.x.x rangesmust not overlap with existing client or management networks.

They provide fully isolated internal object service communication.

The Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course, in the module “Configuring Volume Groups for External Clients,” highlights that when configuring iSCSI boot for external (bare-metal) clients, the“Use DHCP for iSCSI Target Information”option must be enabled. This allows the iSCSI boot firmware (iBFT) to automatically discover the iSCSI target (Volume Group) using DHCP-provided parameters.

The course documentation states:

“Enabling ‘Use DHCP for iSCSI Target Information’ is essential for booting external clients from Nutanix Volumes using iSCSI. DHCP provides the iSCSI target IP and other relevant data for a successful boot.”

The error message indicates that an upgrade of a Nutanix Files instance (referred to as "file server NUTANIX") on an ESXi-based Nutanix cluster failed due to connectivity issues with the ESX hosts. The exhibit likely shows the network configuration details of the cluster, including the IP ranges used for various components such as ESXi hosts, Controller Virtual Machines (CVMs), File Server Virtual Machines (FSVMs), and management interfaces. The task requires identifying the network that needs to be added to the vSphere Web Client firewall to allow connectivity for the Nutanix Files upgrade process.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course explains that “Nutanix Files upgrades require communication between the ESXi hosts, CVMs, and FSVMs, typically over the management network and the storage network where FSVMs reside.” In an ESXi-based Nutanix cluster, the FSVMs (which power Nutanix Files) communicate with the ESXi hosts for operations like upgrades, using the network configured for the FSVMs. The error suggests that the ESXi hosts’ firewall is blocking this communication, likely because the FSVM network is not allowed in the vSphere firewall rules.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further details that “Nutanix Files FSVMs typically use a dedicated network for client and internal communication, often in the 192.168.5.0/24 range by default in Nutanix environments, unless reconfigured.” This network, known as the internal FSVM network, is used for communication between FSVMs, CVMs, and ESXi hosts during operations like upgrades. The default range of 192.168.5.0/24 is commonly assigned to FSVMs in Nutanix AHV and ESXi environments to isolate file server traffic from other network traffic, such as management or VM traffic.

Since the error indicates a connectivity failure between the ESXi hosts and the Nutanix Files instance during the upgrade, the most likely cause is that the ESXi hosts’ firewall is blocking traffic from the FSVM network (192.168.5.0/24). The administrator needs to add this network to the vSphere Web Client firewall rules to allow inbound and outbound traffic, ensuring that the ESXi hosts can communicate with the FSVMs during the upgrade process.

The other options are incorrect based on typical Nutanix network configurations:

192.168.2.0/24: This range is often used for management traffic (e.g., Prism Element or ESXi management IPs) but is not typically the network for FSVMs.

192.168.3.0/24: This range may be used for VM traffic or other purposes, but it is not the default for FSVM communication.

192.168.4.0/24: This range is not commonly associated with FSVMs or Nutanix Files in standard configurations.

The NUSA course documentation emphasizes that “during Nutanix Files upgrades, ESXi hosts must have network connectivity to the FSVMs, typically on the 192.168.5.0/24 network, and firewall rules must be updated to allow this traffic to prevent connectivity failures.” The administrator should add the 192.168.5.0/24 network to the vSphere Web Client firewall to allow communication on the necessary ports (e.g., TCP 2049 for NFS, TCP 445 for SMB, and others used for FSVM-CVM communication).

Lifecycle Policiesin Nutanix Objects allow administrators toautomate data tiering and archivalbased on specific criteria, including object tagging. According to the NUSA training:

“A Lifecycle Policy, combined with a Cloud Bucket Endpoint, enables automatic movement of objects (based on tags) to a remote Nutanix Objects instance or compatible S3 storage.”

Here’s the detailed process:

The administrator first configures aCloud Bucket Endpointto establish connectivity to theremote Nutanix Objects instance.

Then, they create aLifecycle Policythat targets objects with specific tags for tiering.

This policy ensures that onlytagged objectsmeeting the policy’s criteria are moved to the remote storage location.

Enabling WORM on the bucket is not required for tiering; WORM is forimmutability. Thekey mechanismfor tiering tagged objects is:

🔹Cloud Bucket Endpoint + Lifecycle Policy for tagged objects.

The workload type that describes I/O sizes for read and write operations that areless than or equal to 16 KBwhile file sizes are10 MB or moreisRandom. In Nutanix Files, workload types are used to optimize share performance based on I/O patterns. Small I/O sizes (≤16 KB) indicate a random access pattern, as opposed to sequential, even if the files themselves are large (≥10 MB). This is common in workloads like databases or virtual desktops, where small, non-contiguous I/O operations are performed on larger files.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course states, “A Random workload type in Nutanix Files is characterized by small I/O sizes, typically 16 KB or less, regardless of file size, as it reflects random access patterns rather than sequential ones.” The Random workload type optimizes the share for such patterns by adjusting caching, prefetching, and data placement to handle frequent small I/O operations efficiently, even when the files are large.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further elaborates that “workloads with I/O sizes of 16 KB or less, even on large files (e.g., 10 MB or more), are classified as Random, as the small I/O size indicates non-sequential access patterns.” Large file sizes do not necessarily imply sequential I/O; the I/O size itself determines the workload type, and 16 KB or less is typical of random access.

The other options are incorrect:

Sequential: Sequential workloads involve larger I/O sizes (typically >64 KB) and contiguous access patterns, such as those seen in media streaming or backups, not small I/O sizes like 16 KB or less.

Asynchronous: Asynchronous is not a workload type in Nutanix Files; it may refer to replication or I/O handling methods but is not relevant here.

Default: The Default workload type applies a balanced configuration but does not specifically optimize for small I/O sizes like the Random type does.

The NUSA course documentation emphasizes that “I/O sizes of 16 KB or less, even with large file sizes, indicate a Random workload type in Nutanix Files, ensuring optimal performance for random access patterns.”