Nutanix  NCP-MCI v6.5 Exam Dumps & Practice Test Questions

Question 1:

What happens immediately when an administrator presses the "A" key after logging into Nutanix Prism Element?

A. The system navigates to the Analysis page.
B. The Alerts page is displayed.
C. The About Nutanix page appears.
D. The API Explorer is launched.

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Nutanix Prism Element is a web-based management interface designed to simplify the administration of Nutanix clusters. It provides real-time monitoring, resource management, and system oversight through an intuitive dashboard. To enhance user efficiency, Prism Element includes keyboard shortcuts that enable quick navigation without relying solely on mouse-driven menu selections.

When an administrator presses the “A” key on the keyboard after logging in, Prism Element immediately opens the Alerts page. This shortcut is a part of Prism’s user-friendly design to ensure rapid access to critical information. The Alerts page plays a vital role in the management of a Nutanix cluster because it aggregates and displays system-generated alerts and warnings in one place. These notifications inform administrators of current or potential issues within the cluster—ranging from hardware failures and configuration errors to storage or network-related concerns.

By offering immediate visibility into alerts, this shortcut allows administrators to react swiftly, investigate root causes, and take corrective actions before issues escalate into more serious problems such as performance degradation or system downtime. This proactive monitoring mechanism helps maintain cluster health and operational stability.

Let’s consider why the other options are incorrect:

• Option A: The Analysis Page
  Although the Analysis page is important for reviewing performance data, trends, and historical usage metrics, it is not associated with the "A" key shortcut. Users must access it through standard navigation in the interface.

• Option C: About Nutanix Page
  This page provides general information about the cluster, including software versions, cluster ID, and license details. It is useful for auditing and support, but it does not have a direct keyboard shortcut and is typically accessed through menu options.

• Option D: API Explorer Page
  The API Explorer is a powerful tool for developers and system administrators who need to interact with the Nutanix REST API for automation or integration purposes. However, it is not launched using the "A" key.

In summary, the "A" key in Nutanix Prism Element is specifically mapped to open the Alerts page, providing administrators with a quick way to monitor system health and respond to issues. This shortcut reflects Nutanix's focus on simplifying and accelerating system management tasks for IT teams.

Question 2:

Within your Nutanix cluster, the Lifecycle Management (LCM) update source has been configured (as shown in an exhibit). However, inventory updates consistently fail. What is the most probable reason for this problem?

A. Port 80 is blocked by a firewall.
B. The administrator lacks a valid portal account.
C. The cluster’s license has expired.
D. Port 443 is blocked by a firewall.

Answer: D

Explanation:

Lifecycle Management (LCM) is a vital Nutanix feature designed to automate the process of updating and patching cluster components such as software, firmware, and drivers. It helps maintain cluster security and stability by ensuring the environment stays current with the latest fixes and enhancements. For LCM to perform updates effectively, it must communicate with Nutanix's external update repositories over secure network channels.

When inventory updates fail consistently, it is frequently due to network connectivity issues between the Nutanix cluster and these external repositories. One critical communication requirement is the use of port 443, the standard port for HTTPS traffic. HTTPS provides encrypted communication essential for securely downloading updates.

If port 443 is blocked by a firewall—either on the cluster’s network or at the perimeter—this prevents the Nutanix cluster from establishing HTTPS connections to the update servers. As a result, the LCM cannot fetch update inventory information or download patches, leading to persistent failures in update operations.

It's important to confirm that outbound traffic on port 443 is allowed through firewalls and proxy devices. Opening this port ensures the cluster can access the secure update endpoints necessary for LCM to function properly.

Reviewing the incorrect options:

• Port 80 (option A) is the standard for unencrypted HTTP traffic. Nutanix LCM primarily uses HTTPS (port 443) for secure communications. Blocking port 80 usually does not affect LCM updates.

• The administrator’s portal account validity (option B) is important for cluster management access but does not typically impact LCM’s ability to retrieve updates from external servers.

• An expired license (option C) can restrict feature availability but does not generally cause failure in the update inventory process itself.

In conclusion, the most probable cause for failing inventory updates in Nutanix LCM is that port 443 is blocked by a firewall, disrupting HTTPS communication with Nutanix update repositories. Verifying and adjusting firewall rules to allow outbound traffic on port 443 is the necessary corrective step. This ensures that the cluster can securely access update data, maintaining the health and security of the Nutanix environment through timely software and firmware updates.

Question 3:

An administrator has configured a Nutanix managed network with VLAN ID 512 and assigned several virtual machines (VMs) to this VLAN. While VMs on the same host can communicate without issues, those on different hosts within the cluster cannot exchange traffic. 

What is the most probable reason for this communication failure between VMs on different hosts?

A. There is a firewall rule blocking traffic on VLAN 512.
B. The VLAN 512 is not configured on the upstream physical switches.
C. VLAN 512 was not created on every host in the cluster.
D. VLAN 512 is reserved and cannot be used for guest VMs.

Answer: B

Explanation:

In Nutanix environments, virtual machines that belong to the same VLAN must be able to communicate seamlessly, whether they reside on the same physical host or different hosts across the cluster. The scenario here describes a situation where communication succeeds only between VMs on the same host but fails between VMs on separate hosts. This suggests that the virtual network configuration on each host is correct, but the physical network infrastructure might be the cause.

The most common cause of inter-host VLAN communication failure is that the VLAN has not been properly configured or allowed on the upstream physical switches connecting the Nutanix hosts. The physical network needs to recognize VLAN 512 and permit the tagged traffic to pass between switches and hosts. If VLAN 512 is missing or not allowed on these switches, the traffic will not be routed or forwarded beyond the host where it originated, resulting in failed communication between VMs on different hosts.

Why option B is correct:
Upstream switches are responsible for passing VLAN-tagged traffic between physical servers in a cluster. If these switches do not have VLAN 512 created or allowed on the trunk ports, then packets tagged with VLAN 512 will be dropped or blocked, preventing inter-host communication. This is a classic misconfiguration often encountered during VLAN setup in virtualized environments.

Why the other options are less likely:

• A: If a firewall rule were blocking VLAN 512, it would typically affect traffic regardless of whether VMs are on the same or different hosts. Since intra-host communication works fine, firewall blockage is unlikely the root cause.

• C: If the VLAN had not been created on all hosts, local communication on the host would also be impacted. The fact that VMs on the same host can communicate suggests that VLAN 512 is correctly configured on those hosts.

• D: VLAN 512 is a valid VLAN ID within the standard VLAN range (1–4094) and is not reserved. There are no inherent restrictions on using VLAN 512 for guest VMs.

The failure of VMs on different hosts to communicate over VLAN 512 typically indicates that the VLAN has not been configured or allowed on the physical upstream switches. To fix this, the administrator should verify the VLAN configuration on all physical switches interconnecting the Nutanix cluster hosts and ensure that VLAN 512 is permitted and properly routed. This will enable successful network traffic flow between VMs across the cluster.

Question 4:

An administrator notices a new version of the Lifecycle Management (LCM) Framework is available on the Nutanix Support Portal and wants to update the LCM Framework to access the latest features. 

What is the correct procedure to upgrade the LCM Framework?

A. Upload the newest LCM Framework bundle using the Upgrade Software option in Prism.
B. Upload the latest LCM Framework image through Image Configuration in Prism.
C. Perform an upgrade of the Acropolis Operating System (AOS).
D. Run an LCM inventory scan.

Answer: A

Explanation:

Lifecycle Management (LCM) is a key Nutanix feature designed to simplify and automate the process of upgrading and patching the software, firmware, and drivers across the cluster. Keeping the LCM Framework updated is important because it ensures access to new features, bug fixes, and enhancements that improve cluster stability and management.

When a new version of the LCM Framework becomes available, it must be manually uploaded and installed through the Nutanix Prism management interface. The appropriate method to update LCM is via the Upgrade Software section in Prism, where administrators can upload the official LCM update bundle downloaded from the Nutanix Support Portal.

Why option A is correct:
Uploading the LCM Framework update bundle using the Upgrade Software tool in Prism is the official and supported method. This section is specifically designed to handle software bundle uploads and cluster-wide upgrades, including LCM Framework updates. Once uploaded, the cluster can be upgraded seamlessly to the latest LCM version, ensuring that all management components are current.

Why the other options are incorrect:

• B: The Image Configuration section in Prism is meant for managing OS images or VM guest images and is not used for LCM Framework upgrades. LCM is a management framework that is upgraded independently from image configurations.

• C: While upgrading the Acropolis Operating System (AOS) is important for maintaining cluster software health, it is a separate process from upgrading LCM. Updating AOS does not automatically upgrade the LCM Framework, and vice versa.

• D: Running an LCM inventory is useful for collecting information about the current software and hardware state but does not perform any upgrade. It is a diagnostic or auditing step, not an upgrade method.

To upgrade the Nutanix LCM Framework, the administrator should download the latest LCM update bundle from the Nutanix Support Portal and upload it through the Upgrade Software feature in Prism. This process ensures that the cluster’s lifecycle management capabilities are enhanced with the latest improvements. Performing this upgrade helps maintain a stable and feature-rich cluster environment by leveraging the newest enhancements and fixes provided by Nutanix.

Question 5:

In a Nutanix cluster setup, what is the meaning of Network Segmentation?

A. Separating management traffic from storage replication traffic.
B. Physically dividing management traffic from guest virtual machine (VM) traffic.
C. Separating intra-cluster communication traffic from guest VM traffic.
D. Implementing a distributed firewall to protect VM-to-VM traffic.

Answer: C

Explanation:

Network segmentation in the context of a Nutanix cluster refers to the practice of logically separating different types of network traffic to enhance security, optimize performance, and improve manageability. Specifically, for Nutanix environments, this concept centers on isolating intra-cluster traffic—which is the communication happening between Nutanix nodes—from the traffic generated by guest virtual machines (VMs).

Why is option C the correct choice? Nutanix clusters rely heavily on efficient communication between their nodes to maintain data replication, cluster synchronization, and overall health. This intra-cluster traffic is vital and must remain uninterrupted and performant to ensure cluster stability. At the same time, guest VMs generate their own traffic for application data, user communications, and other external interactions.

Isolating these two traffic types means that network congestion or security risks arising from VM traffic do not interfere with the critical backend cluster operations. This separation is typically accomplished through virtual LANs (VLANs) or dedicated network interfaces configured for each traffic type. By isolating intra-cluster communication, the cluster can maintain high availability and consistent performance.

The other options do not accurately describe network segmentation in this context:

• A suggests isolating management traffic from storage replication traffic, which, although important, is not the primary focus of network segmentation in Nutanix clusters.

• B refers to physical separation of management and guest VM traffic. While physical separation can enhance security, Nutanix generally employs logical, rather than purely physical, segmentation to make better use of resources.

• D describes a distributed firewall used to control VM-to-VM communication, which is more of a security measure than a network segmentation strategy.

In summary, network segmentation within Nutanix clusters is about logically separating intra-cluster node communication from guest VM traffic to optimize network resource use, enhance security boundaries, and ensure cluster stability. This isolation is fundamental to preventing interference and maintaining efficient cluster operations.

Question 6:

Within a Nutanix infrastructure, which object is typically linked to a storage policy?

A. Catalog
B. Virtual Machine (VM)
C. Category
D. Subnet

Answer: B

Explanation:

In Nutanix environments, storage policies define how storage resources are allocated, managed, and optimized for workloads. These policies are essential for tailoring storage performance, availability, and redundancy to meet specific application or business needs. The core entity associated with these storage policies is the Virtual Machine (VM).

Option B is the correct answer because storage policies directly apply to VMs in Nutanix clusters. Each VM can have an assigned storage policy that determines various storage characteristics such as replica factor (how many copies of the data exist), quality of service (QoS) settings, compression, and erasure coding options. These policies ensure that the VM’s storage aligns with requirements for performance, fault tolerance, and efficiency.

For example, a VM running a mission-critical database might require a storage policy with a higher replica factor and strict QoS guarantees, while a less critical workload might use a more cost-efficient policy with fewer replicas. The storage policy governs how the underlying Nutanix distributed storage system handles data for that VM.

Why the other choices are incorrect:

• A (Catalog): A catalog in Nutanix is a repository of VM templates or images used for provisioning new VMs. Catalogs themselves do not have storage policies assigned; policies apply to the VMs created from those templates.

• C (Category): Categories are metadata tags used to group or organize resources within Nutanix for management or reporting purposes. They are not linked directly to storage behavior or policies.

• D (Subnet): Subnets relate to network addressing and segmentation and have no direct relation to how storage policies are applied.

In conclusion, storage policies in Nutanix are designed to control and optimize storage characteristics for workloads, and VMs are the primary components these policies target. This linkage allows administrators to fine-tune storage configurations for different workloads, ensuring efficient use of resources while meeting specific performance and availability needs.

Question 7:

An administrator wants to increase the scope of the Failure Domain within a Nutanix cluster. Which two of the following options can be used to expand this Failure Domain? (Select two.)

A. Data Center
B. Node
C. Block
D. Rack

Correct Answers: B and D

Explanation:

In Nutanix environments, the concept of a Failure Domain plays a critical role in ensuring data availability and fault tolerance. A Failure Domain defines the boundary within which a failure might impact resources or data, and by strategically configuring these domains, administrators can limit the blast radius of hardware or infrastructure failures.

To expand the Failure Domain means to broaden the level at which data replication and failure isolation occur, thereby enhancing the cluster's resilience. Among the options provided, Node and Rack are the appropriate levels to consider.

Node (B):
A Node in Nutanix terminology refers to an individual physical server within the cluster. When the Failure Domain is set at the node level, it ensures that data replication spans across multiple nodes. This setup guarantees that if a single node experiences hardware or software failure, only the workloads and data associated with that node are affected. The rest of the cluster remains operational and the data stays safe due to replication. Expanding the Failure Domain to this level ensures a granular fault tolerance mechanism and isolates failures effectively, preventing cascading issues.

Rack (D):
A Rack typically consists of multiple nodes grouped together physically in the same rack unit or location. Defining the Failure Domain at the rack level means that data is replicated across different racks. This provides a higher tier of fault tolerance. For instance, if a power outage or network failure hits an entire rack, the cluster still preserves data integrity by relying on replicas in other racks. Expanding Failure Domains to racks is especially crucial in large-scale deployments where racks might be serviced or maintained independently, or where different racks might be connected to different power supplies or network paths.

Why the other options are not suitable:

• Data Center (A):
  While a data center is a broad physical location containing multiple racks and clusters, Nutanix's Failure Domains are designed to work at a more granular level like nodes or racks. The data center level is too broad and is generally not configured within Nutanix as a Failure Domain boundary.

• Block (C):
  A block in Nutanix refers to a storage abstraction or grouping of nodes and storage resources but is not a level where Failure Domains are defined. This term relates more to storage management than to failure isolation in cluster topology.

In conclusion, expanding the Failure Domain to the Node and Rack levels provides administrators with precise control over failure isolation and replication strategies, enhancing the cluster’s availability and robustness against failures at these hardware levels.

Question 8:

An administrator is setting up networking for a Nutanix AHV cluster and needs to configure bonding to achieve the highest possible throughput for a single virtual machine (VM). Which bond mode should be selected?

A. Active-Active
B. Active-Active with MAC Pinning
C. Active-Backup
D. No Uplink Bond

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

In Nutanix AHV clusters, network bonding (also known as link aggregation) is a method of combining multiple physical network interfaces into a single logical interface. This approach improves bandwidth, provides redundancy, and increases fault tolerance. However, different bonding modes affect throughput and redundancy differently, especially when optimizing for a single VM's network performance.

To maximize the throughput of a single VM, the bond mode must allow the VM to fully utilize the bandwidth of one physical NIC without splitting or limiting its traffic across multiple NICs. This is where Active-Active with MAC Pinning excels.

Active-Active with MAC Pinning (B):
This mode allows all NICs to be active simultaneously, providing aggregate bandwidth for the host overall. However, with MAC Pinning, each VM’s traffic is "pinned" to a specific physical NIC based on its MAC address. This means that the VM's network traffic is consistently routed through one NIC, avoiding traffic fragmentation or load balancing across multiple NICs. By pinning the VM’s traffic, the VM can leverage the full bandwidth of a single physical interface, maximizing throughput for that VM specifically.

Moreover, because it’s active-active, if one NIC fails, the other NIC continues to operate, providing redundancy without impacting the VM’s network availability.

Why the other options are less appropriate:

• Active-Active (A) without MAC Pinning:
  Both NICs are active and traffic is balanced between them, but individual VM traffic might be split between NICs. This load balancing is beneficial for overall bandwidth but does not guarantee maximum throughput for any single VM, since traffic might be distributed, reducing peak throughput for that VM.

• Active-Backup (C):
  This mode activates only one NIC at a time while keeping the other as a standby backup. While this provides redundancy, throughput is limited to a single NIC, so it does not maximize bandwidth for the VM.

• No Uplink Bond (D):
  No bonding means the VM uses just one NIC without redundancy or combined bandwidth benefits. This setup lacks fault tolerance and does not exploit the advantages of link aggregation.

In summary, when the goal is to maximize throughput for a single VM while maintaining redundancy, Active-Active with MAC Pinning is the best choice. It ensures that the VM’s traffic is consistently routed over a single NIC to utilize its full bandwidth, while keeping all NICs active to maintain high availability.

Question 9: 

A Nutanix administrator is analyzing the performance of a virtual machine experiencing high latency. The admin observes that most I/O operations are being served from the capacity tier instead of the performance tier. 

What could be the most likely reason for this behavior?

A. Insufficient memory allocated to the CVMs
B. The VM is pinned to a cold storage tier
C. The SSD tier is full, and data is being served from HDDs
D. The VM is using a storage container with deduplication disabled

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

Nutanix uses a tiered storage system combining SSD (Performance Tier) and HDD (Capacity Tier) to ensure high-speed data access and efficient storage utilization. When a virtual machine’s I/O is being served primarily from the capacity tier (typically HDDs), it results in higher latency compared to when I/O is served from SSDs.

Option C is correct because if the SSD tier (hot tier) is full, the system starts serving data from HDDs, which have lower read/write speeds. Nutanix software attempts to prioritize frequently accessed ("hot") data to remain on the SSDs, but if the hot tier is exhausted due to limited capacity or insufficient tiering operations, performance drops.

Option A (insufficient CVM memory) might impact cluster management or data services but isn’t directly linked to tier placement.
Option B is inaccurate—Nutanix doesn’t allow pinning VMs directly to a cold tier.
Option D (deduplication disabled) affects storage savings but not directly latency or tier placement.

This question checks your understanding of storage architecture, performance troubleshooting, and how Nutanix’s Intelligent Tiering manages data placement. Admins should routinely monitor the performance tier utilization and consider expanding SSD capacity or managing workloads better to reduce such latency issues.

Question 10:

Before upgrading an AOS version on a Nutanix cluster, which step should be performed to ensure a smooth upgrade process?

A. Reboot all CVMs to start fresh
B. Run NCC (Nutanix Cluster Check) to detect any issues
C. Manually remove any older metadata from the cluster
D. Upgrade all hypervisors before checking Prism Central

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

Before performing any upgrade—especially for AOS (Acropolis Operating System)—it is essential to assess cluster health using the Nutanix Cluster Check (NCC) utility. NCC performs pre-upgrade validations and identifies potential configuration issues, hardware failures, or misconfigurations that might disrupt the upgrade process.

Option B is correct because running NCC is a standard Nutanix best practice before any critical operation, including software upgrades. It checks for issues like CVM disk space, services status, cluster health, and more.

Option A (rebooting all CVMs) is risky and unnecessary. CVMs should not be rebooted without cause, especially prior to an upgrade.
Option C (manual metadata removal) is incorrect—Nutanix manages metadata internally, and such actions can corrupt the cluster.
Option D reverses the recommended process; typically, Prism Central should be upgraded first, then hypervisors and AOS follow in a controlled sequence using LCM (Life Cycle Manager).

This question evaluates your understanding of upgrade readiness, pre-check tools, and proper sequencing of cluster upgrades—key competencies in the NCP-MCI v6.5 exam.