NCP-US-6.10 Sample Questions Answers

According to the Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course, specifically in the module “Configuring Access and Permissions for Nutanix Objects,” theView Only Administratorrole is the designated RBAC role that grants read-only access to the Objects instances’ configuration, without the ability to modify or create new buckets.

The documentation states:

“The View Only Administrator role allows users to monitor and review existing Objects instances and buckets, but it restricts any configuration changes or write actions.”

This role precisely meets the administrator’s stated requirement: to allow management of Objects instances without granting write access to buckets.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation from Nutanix Unified Storage (NCP-US) and Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course documents:

In Nutanix Files,File Analyticsis a powerful tool designed to provide visibility and insights into file system usage, security, and trends. Within File Analytics, different components are designed for distinct tasks:

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control):This controlswhocan accesswhich featureswithin File Analytics but does not directly provide activity search capabilities.

Audit Trails:TheAudit Trailsfeature is specifically designed tosearch for user or file activityacross the file system. It records detailed events such as file access, modifications, deletions, and other interactions. In the NUSA course, it’s emphasized that Audit Trails is theprimary toolfor tracking activity of specific users or files.

The administrator can enter the name of a user or file in the search bar within Audit Trails to instantly pull up all related activities. This enables precise analysis and helps with troubleshooting or security investigations.

Analysis Session:Analysis Sessions are used to group and run specific data analysis tasks. They do not directly provide searching for user/file activities.

Anomalies Widget:The Anomalies Widget highlights unusual activity patterns but does not provide targeted search capabilities.

The NCP-US course also highlightsAudit Trailsas the go-to tool for forensic analysis and activity review, reinforcing thatAudit Trailsis the correct and most direct answer.

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.

Mutual CHAP(Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol) is used in Nutanix Unified Storage for secure two-way authentication between an iSCSI initiator (client) and the target (VG in Nutanix).

For successful mutual authentication,both the client and the target must use the same CHAP secret:

The initiator uses this secret to authenticate the target.

The target uses the same secret to authenticate the initiator.

The NCP-US and NUSA course materials clearly state:

“Mutual CHAP requires the same CHAP secret to be configured on both the iSCSI initiator (client) and target. Mismatched secrets will result in authentication failures.”

In this scenario, the error is because the secrets do not match. Setting thesame password on bothresolves the issue.

In Nutanix Files, there is a built-in feature calledFile Quarantine. When certain suspicious or malicious activity is detected—often through integrations with file scanning tools or security alerts—the file isquarantined. In a quarantined state, access to the file isblockeduntil an administrator manually reviews and decides to eitherunquarantineordeletethe file.

The NCP-US and NUSA courses highlight this term as follows:

“Files that are detected to have potential issues or threats are placed in a quarantined state by Nutanix Files. This quarantined state restricts user access to ensure security and requires manual administrative action to restore access.”

Thus, the correct term isQuarantined.

Smart DR requires port 7515 (TCP) for communication between source/target clusters and Prism Central. If blocked:

Policies fail to synchronize with PC.

Policies become "invisible" in the UI.

Other options are unrelated:

A: Share permissions don’t affect policy visibility.

B: Initial replication progress appears in UI even if incomplete.

C: AD/local login affects permissions, not policy discovery.

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.

To ensure that users are automatically redirected to the recovery site during an unplanned loss of service when usingSmart DRfor Nutanix Files, the administrator mustconfigure Active Directory (AD) and DNS access for seamless client failover. Smart DR enables disaster recovery by replicating file shares between primary and recovery sites, and automatic client redirection requires proper configuration of AD and DNS to update client access to the recovery site’s file server.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course states, “For Smart DR to support seamless failover in Nutanix Files, AD and DNS must be configured to redirect clients to the recovery site’s file server VIP automatically during a failover event.” This involves ensuring that the file server’s DNS name resolves to the recovery site’s VIP and that AD authentication is available at the recovery site to maintain user access to file shares.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide elaborates that “Smart DR failover requires AD and DNS integration to update the file server’s DNS records to point to the recovery site’s VIP, ensuring clients are redirected without manual intervention.” This configuration allows clients to continue accessing file shares using the same DNS name, with the underlying IP address switching to the recovery site’s VIP during failover.

The other options are incorrect or insufficient:

Configure Protection Policy replication schedule: While configuring a replication schedule is necessary for Smart DR to replicate data, it does not address the requirement for automatic client redirection, which depends on AD and DNS.

Register PE clusters to PC before enabling the Files Manager: Registering Prism Element (PE) clusters to Prism Central (PC) is a prerequisite for managing Nutanix Files, but it does not directly enable automatic client redirection for Smart DR.

Register Nutanix Files with the same PC: While Nutanix Files instances may be managed by the same Prism Central, this does not ensure automatic client redirection, which requires AD and DNS configuration.

The NUSA course documentation highlights that “Smart DR leverages AD and DNS to provide seamless failover, ensuring clients are automatically redirected to the recovery site’s file server without service interruption.”

To migrate physical SQL workloads from a legacy SAN platform where hosts boot from SAN to a Nutanix environment, the administrator can useNutanix Volumesto enable booting overiSCSI. Nutanix Volumes is a block storage solution that provides iSCSI-based storage, allowing external hosts (such as physical servers) to access Nutanix storage as block devices. This is ideal for replacing SAN-based boot volumes, as it supports the same iSCSI protocol used in traditional SAN environments.

According to theNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course, Nutanix Volumes enables external hosts to connect to Nutanix storage via iSCSI, which can be used for boot volumes or data volumes. The course emphasizes that “Nutanix Volumes supports iSCSI boot for physical servers, making it a suitable solution for migrating workloads from legacy SAN environments to Nutanix.” This allows the administrator to configure the physical SQL servers to boot from iSCSI targets provisioned on Nutanix Volumes, leveraging the Nutanix cluster’s storage resources.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further details that Nutanix Volumes can be configured to present iSCSI LUNs to physical hosts, which can be used for both operating system boot and application data storage. For the SQL workloads, the administrator can create iSCSI targets on Nutanix Volumes, configure the physical hosts’ iSCSI initiators to connect to these targets, and migrate the boot and data volumes from the legacy SAN to Nutanix.

The other options are not suitable for this task:

Boot using PXE protocol with Nutanix Files: Nutanix Files is a file storage solution that supports SMB and NFS protocols, not PXE (Preboot Execution Environment) booting. PXE is typically used for network-based OS installation, not for booting SQL workloads or replacing SAN-based boot volumes.

Boot using the NFS protocol with Nutanix Files: Nutanix Files supports NFS for file sharing, but NFS is not designed for booting physical servers. It is used for file-level access, not block-level access required for boot volumes.

Boot using Nutanix Object stores: Nutanix Objects is an object storage solution designed for S3-compatible APIs, not for block or file-based booting. It is unsuitable for hosting bootable volumes or SQL workloads.

The NUSA course documentation highlights that “Nutanix Volumes provides a seamless migration path for SAN-based workloads, including boot-from-SAN configurations, by leveraging iSCSI to present storage to physical hosts.” This makes it the only viable option for the described migration task.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation from Nutanix Unified Storage (NCP-US) and Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course documents:

In the exhibit, the iSCSI target connection string is shown. It includes:

Thetarget IP address and port(10.1.216.192 3260)

TheiSCSI Qualified Name (IQN)for the target (iqn.2010-06.com.nutanix:vg1-...)

TheVolume Group identifier(vg1-5ff34411...)

And finally, "AIXforyou@123"

In Nutanix Unified Storage, when configuring iSCSI connections for Volume Groups,CHAP (Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol)is used for secure authentication between the iSCSI initiator (host) and the target (Volume Group). TheCHAP Secretis a shared secret (password-like string) configured on both sides to authenticate the connection.

In the NCP-US and NUSA course materials, it’s explained:

“The CHAP secret is a string that is entered by the administrator to authenticate iSCSI initiator and target communication. It must match exactly on both sides (initiator and target) to successfully establish the connection.”

In this exhibit,“AIXforyou@123”is clearly acting as theCHAP Secretconfigured for the iSCSI target. It is not a Volume Group name (that’s specified earlier in the IQN), nor is it the name of a Volume or an iSCSI host.

Therefore, the correct identification is:

CHAP Secret– the shared password used for iSCSI target authentication.

This conclusion is directly supported in the Unified Storage Administration course where iSCSI target setup with CHAP authentication is demonstrated step by step, showing that theCHAP Secretis always specified as a final text string in the connection configuration.

In Nutanix Files,quotascan be configured as eithersoft limitsorhard limits:

Soft Limit:Users receive notifications (e.g., emails) when they exceed their quota, but they arestill able to write new data.

Hard Limit:Strict enforcement—userscannot write new databeyond the quota.

In this scenario, the HR user is getting email notifications, meaning a soft limit is currently in place. However, they can still write new data because thehard limit enforcementhas not been enabled.

The NUSA course explicitly states:

“For a quota to prevent further writes, you must enable hard limit enforcement. Otherwise, users will only receive notifications but will not be blocked from writing.”

Therefore, torestrict HR users from writing new data, the administrator should enablehard limit enforcementon the quota policy.

In Nutanix Files,File Analyticsprovides insights into how files are used over time to help with capacity planning and data lifecycle management. TheData Age widgetspecifically identifiescold data, which typically includes older, less frequently accessed files.

Thedefault cold data thresholdis:

“Files that have not been accessed forlonger than four weeksare considered cold data.”

This is aligned with best practices for identifying data that can be tiered to cheaper storage or archived to maintain performance and reduce costs.

The NUSA course materials emphasize:

“The default threshold for cold data classification in File Analytics isfour weeks. Administrators can customize this threshold to meet business or regulatory requirements.”

Thus,files not accessed for over four weeksare flagged ascoldby default in the Data Age widget.

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.

The performance issue for the database VM is related to large block-size I/O operations over iSCSI, which connects to a Nutanix volume group. The VM has a dedicated NIC for iSCSI traffic, but a single NIC can become a bottleneck for large I/O operations, especially for a high-performance workload like a database. To improve performance, the administrator shouldadd an additional NIC for iSCSI connectivity and enable MPIO (Multipath I/O). This approach allows the VM to use multiple network paths for iSCSI traffic, increasing throughput and reducing latency for large block-size I/O operations.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course states, “For high-performance workloads using Nutanix Volumes over iSCSI, enabling MPIO with multiple NICs on the VM can significantly improve I/O performance, especially for large block-size operations.” MPIO allows the VM to establish multiple iSCSI sessions to the Nutanix volume group, distributing I/O traffic across the available NICs and Controller Virtual Machines (CVMs) in the cluster. This is particularly effective for database workloads, which often involve large sequential I/O operations.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further elaborates that “adding a second NIC for iSCSI traffic and configuring MPIO ensures load balancing and failover for iSCSI sessions, optimizing performance for VMs with high I/O demands, such as databases.” By adding another NIC, the VM can establish additional iSCSI paths to the volume group’s iSCSI Data Services IP (DSIP), leveraging the cluster’s distributed architecture to handle large block-size I/O more efficiently.

The other options are incorrect:

Add additional virtual disks to the volume group: Adding more virtual disks does not address the network bottleneck caused by a single iSCSI NIC and may not improve performance for large block-size I/O operations.

Increase the iSCSI adapter maximum transfer length: Adjusting the maximum transfer length (MTU) might help with network efficiency, but it does not address the fundamental issue of a single NIC being a bottleneck for large I/O operations. MPIO with multiple NICs is a more effective solution.

Locate the iSCSI NIC on the same VLAN as the cluster DSIP: While placing the iSCSI NIC on the same VLAN as the DSIP can reduce latency by avoiding inter-VLAN routing, the primary issue here is the single NIC bottleneck, not VLAN configuration. MPIO with multiple NICs provides a better performance improvement.

The NUSA course documentation emphasizes that “for VMs with large block-size I/O requirements, such as databases, using MPIO with multiple iSCSI NICs ensures optimal performance by distributing traffic across multiple paths to the Nutanix volume group.”

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.

File Analyticsin Nutanix Files collects and analyzes data on file access, usage patterns, and security anomalies. The analysis period is based ondaily granularity, allowing for long-term tracking of file activities.

From the NUSA and NCP-US materials:

“File Analytics provides daily insights and can retain data for up to 5 years. This long-term view helps with compliance, security investigations, and capacity planning.”

Thus, the feature can:

Analyze daily usage and security data

Retain this daily analysis for up to 5 years

This matches optionD: Daily up to 5 years.

Nutanix Files includes several features for managing data availability and mobility across sites. Here’s the detailed breakdown:

Data Sync— This feature is designed toreplicate user data between file servers at different locations. It enablesbi-directional or one-way file-level replicationfor use cases such as:

Branch office file sharing

Geo-dispersed data access

Centralized backups of branch data

From the NUSA course materials:

“Data Sync provides file-level replication across geographically distributed Nutanix Files deployments, ensuring consistent data access and synchronization across multiple sites.”

This feature is purpose-built forcross-location file data replication, meeting the administrator’s need.

Data Protection— Refers to snapshot-based local or remote protection of theentire file server or shares, not file-level sync across different locations.

Smart Sync— Specific to Object data within Nutanix Objects, not for Files.

VDI Sync— Designed for syncing user profiles in VDI environments, not general file share replication.

Thus, the administrator should useData Syncfor replicating user data across file servers in different locations.

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.

The Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course module “Configuring and Securing Volume Groups” specifies that to secure access to volume groups (VGs) containing sensitive data:

CHAP Authentication(Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol) provides an additional layer of security by requiring authentication before iSCSI connections are established. This satisfies the second requirement: “The access needs to be secured with an additional security login.”

IQN-based Access Controlensures that only the intended initiator (the client OS) can access the VG by explicitly specifying the IQN of the client in the VG configuration. This meets the first requirement: “The VG must be accessible only by the OS where the data is going to be used by the application.”

WhileOn-the-wire encryptionis beneficial for data confidentiality, the course emphasizes that CHAP and IQN-based controls are the specific mechanisms for access security.RDMA-capable NICsare not relevant to restricting access or security in this context.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation from Nutanix Unified Storage (NCP-US) and the Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course documents:

In the Nutanix environment,Volume Groups (VGs)are used to present block storage to guest operating systems via iSCSI targets. These VGs are managed through Prism and can be configured with security features such asCHAP (Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol)to ensure secure connections.

Here’s the detailed breakdown:

Authentication Failure Context:The error message shown in the exhibit—“Authentication Failure”—occurs during the iSCSI target logon phase when the initiator (in this case, the Windows VM) attempts to authenticate to the Nutanix VG target. Nutanix Volume Groups can be configured to require CHAP authentication. If the iSCSI initiator’s CHAP username and secret do not match the target’s configuration, authentication will fail, and the target will reject the login attempt.

Why CHAP is the likely cause:The exhibit clearly shows the authentication failure occurring at theLog On to Targetstep of the iSCSI Initiator Properties. In the NCP-US and NUSA course materials, CHAP authentication is specifically covered as a method to secure iSCSI sessions, and it is the most common cause for anauthentication errorat this stage:

“If CHAP authentication is enabled on the target, the initiator must provide the correct CHAP username and secret. Failure to do so results in an authentication error during the login phase.”

Eliminating other options:

Windows login authentication:This is not related to iSCSI target login. Windows login credentials are separate from iSCSI CHAP authentication.

IP address whitelisting:While Nutanix allows whitelisting of initiator IPs for security, a misconfigured whitelist would typically result in aconnection refusalerror, not anauthentication failureerror.

Already connected VG:Having a VG already connected would result in aresource in useorconnection refusedmessage, not an authentication failure.

Additional Course Details:The NUSA course materials emphasize that CHAP can be configured for Nutanix Volume Groups either at creation or by modifying the VG’s settings. It’s important to ensure that the Windows iSCSI initiator has matching CHAP credentials configured under theAdvancedbutton in the iSCSI Initiator Properties.

Best Practice Reminder:When configuring Volume Groups, the recommended approach is to document the CHAP credentials and validate them in the iSCSI initiator settings to prevent this type of error.

In conclusion, theauthentication failureseen in the exhibit is directly related toCHAP authentication misconfigurationon either the Nutanix VG target or the Windows iSCSI initiator. Verifying and synchronizing the CHAP username and secret will resolve the issue.

Nutanix Files Smart Tiering offers two modes:

Standard Tiering: Tiers data to internal Nutanix Objects (on the same cluster).

Advanced Tiering: Tiers data to external S3-compatible storage (on-premises or public cloud).

The requirement specifies an *on-premise S3 bucket* with no cloud services, making Advanced Tiering the solution.

Option A (Standard): Requires internal Nutanix Objects, not external S3.

Option C (Files Analytics): Provides usage insights but doesn’t tier data.

Option D (Data Lens): A cloud-based governance tool (requires cloud connectivity).

During a Nutanix Files installation, the two protocols that can be enabled areNFS (Network File System)andSMB (Server Message Block). Nutanix Files is a scale-out file storage solution designed to provide file-sharing services, supporting both NFS for Linux/Unix environments and SMB for Windows environments.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course states, “Nutanix Files supports NFS and SMB protocols, which can be enabled during the installation and configuration of a file server to provide file-sharing services for diverse workloads.” NFS is typically used for Unix/Linux clients, while SMB is used for Windows clients, allowing Nutanix Files to serve a wide range of applications and users.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further clarifies that “during Nutanix Files deployment, administrators can enable NFS and SMB protocols based on the needs of the environment, ensuring compatibility with both Linux and Windows clients.” These protocols are configured at the file server level, and shares can be created with either or both protocols enabled.

The other options are incorrect:

S3: The S3 protocol is specific to Nutanix Objects, an object storage solution, and is not supported by Nutanix Files, which focuses on file-level storage.

iSCSI: The iSCSI protocol is used for block storage and is supported by Nutanix Volumes, not Nutanix Files, which is designed for file-sharing protocols like NFS and SMB.

The NUSA course documentation emphasizes that “Nutanix Files installation allows the administrator to select NFS and SMB protocols to meet the file-sharing requirements of the organization, ensuring broad compatibility across client environments.”

When deploying Nutanix Files, the storage network requires **one additional IP address than the number of File Server Virtual Machines (FSVMs)**. Nutanix Files is a scale-out file storage solution that uses a distributed architecture, where each FSVM handles file services and communicates with clients and the Nutanix cluster. The IP address requirements include one IP address for each FSVM plus an additional virtual IP address (VIP) that serves as the client-facing endpoint for the file server.

The **Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)** course explains that Nutanix Files deployment involves configuring a file server with a minimum of three FSVMs for high availability and scalability. Each FSVM requires a unique IP address on the storage network to handle internal communication and data operations. Additionally, a single VIP is configured for the file server to provide a unified access point for clients using protocols like SMB or NFS. This VIP is load-balanced across the FSVMs, ensuring seamless failover and scalability.

The **Nutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)** study guide specifies that “the storage network for Nutanix Files requires one IP address per FSVM plus one additional IP address for the file server VIP.” For example, a Nutanix Files deployment with three FSVMs would require four IP addresses: three for the FSVMs and one for the VIP. This configuration ensures that clients can access the file server through a single IP address, while the FSVMs handle the backend storage operations.

The other options are incorrect:

- **Same number of IP addresses as the number of FSVMs**: This does not account for the additional VIP required for client access, which is a critical component of the Nutanix Files architecture.

- **One less IP address than the number of FSVMs**: This is not feasible, as each FSVM requires its own IP address, and the VIP adds an additional requirement.

- **Twice as many IP addresses as the number of FSVMs**: This overestimates the IP address needs, as only one additional VIP is needed, not double the number of FSVMs.

The NUSA course documentation further clarifies that “the VIP is used to abstract the file server from the individual FSVMs, providing a single point of access for clients and enabling features like load balancing and failover.” The storage network must be configured with sufficient IP addresses to accommodate both the FSVMs and the VIP during deployment.

Self-Service Restore (SSR)in Nutanix Files is a feature that allows end users or administrators torestore previous file versionsdirectly from share snapshots without requiring direct administrator intervention.

Key details from the NUSA training:

Does not require Nutanix Guest Tools (NGT):

“SSR operates entirely at the file server share level, leveraging share snapshots created by the Nutanix Files service. It does not depend on NGT or VM-level backups, which simplifies deployment and reduces dependencies.”

15-minute snapshots:

“While Nutanix supports snapshot intervals down to 1 hour, the minimum interval is not typically 15 minutes for standard file share snapshots.”

Windows and Linux:

“SSR is primarily supported for Windows SMB shares. NFS/Linux-based shares do not integrate with SSR in the same manner.”

Starter license support:

“SSR is part of advanced Nutanix Files functionality not included in the Starter license tier.”

Thus, the definitive statement:Does not require NGT on the VM.

The question refers to a “delay time” in the context of Nutanix Unified Storage, but without specific context, I will assume it relates to a common scenario in Nutanix Files or Objects, such as ransomware protection or anomaly detection in File Analytics, where a delay time is often used to manage alerts or actions. The most applicable term in this context isCool Off interval, which is used in Nutanix File Analytics to define the delay time between successive alerts for the same anomaly to prevent alert flooding.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course states, “In File Analytics, the Cool Off interval is a configurable delay time that specifies the minimum period between consecutive alerts for the same anomaly, preventing excessive notifications for recurring issues.” For example, if File Analytics detects a potential ransomware attack (e.g., mass file renaming), the Cool Off interval ensures that the system does not send repeated alerts for the same issue within a short timeframe, allowing administrators to focus on resolving the problem without being overwhelmed by notifications.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further elaborates that “the Cool Off interval in File Analytics is a delay time used to manage anomaly alerts, ensuring that notifications are sent at reasonable intervals to avoid alert fatigue.” This feature is critical for monitoring scenarios like ransomware detection, where rapid file operations might otherwise trigger excessive alerts.

The other options are incorrect in this context:

Quarantine: Quarantine refers to isolating files or clients (e.g., in ransomware protection), not a delay time.

Locked State: Locked State is not a term used in Nutanix Files or Objects for a delay time; it might refer to a WORM-locked object but does not fit a delay context.

Retention Period: Retention Period refers to the duration data is kept (e.g., in WORM or snapshots), not a delay between actions like alerts.

If the “delay time” refers to a different context (e.g., WORM retention in Nutanix Objects), the answer might be Retention Period, but the Cool Off interval in File Analytics is the most fitting based on typical usage in monitoring scenarios.

The NUSA course documentation emphasizes that “the Cool Off interval is the delay time used in File Analytics to manage the frequency of anomaly alerts, ensuring effective monitoring without overwhelming administrators.”

To meet the requirements of a15-minute RPO (Recovery Point Objective) or less, aguided DR (Disaster Recovery) process, andminimal operations at failover timefor Nutanix Files across two Nutanix clusters (on-prem and in the public cloud via NC2), the company should considerSmart DR. Smart DR is a disaster recovery feature specifically designed for Nutanix Files, enabling replication of file shares between primary and recovery sites with low RPOs, guided failover processes, and automated recovery workflows.

TheNutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA)course states, “Smart DR for Nutanix Files supports replication with an RPO as low as 15 minutes, provides a guided disaster recovery process through Prism Central, and minimizes operations at failover by automating client redirection and share activation.” Smart DR uses asynchronous replication to copy file share data to the recovery site, allowing for a 15-minute RPO by scheduling replication at 15-minute intervals. The guided DR process is facilitated through Prism Central’s UI, which provides step-by-step workflows for failover and failback. Additionally, Smart DR automates client redirection by leveraging AD and DNS updates, minimizing manual operations during failover.

TheNutanix Certified Professional - Unified Storage (NCP-US)study guide further elaborates that “Smart DR is ideal for Nutanix Files deployments across availability zones, such as on-prem and NC2, supporting RPOs as low as 15 minutes, guided recovery workflows, and automated failover with minimal operational overhead.” This makes Smart DR the best match for the company’s requirements, as it addresses all three criteria effectively.

The other options are incorrect:

Protection Domain: Protection Domains are used for VM-level replication and disaster recovery in Nutanix, not for Nutanix Files. They also typically have higher RPOs (e.g., 1 hour) and are not designed for file share recovery.

Smart Sync: Smart Sync is not a Nutanix feature; it may refer to third-party tools or unrelated functionalities and is not applicable here.

Cloud Connect: Cloud Connect is a feature for backing up or replicating data to public cloud providers, but it is not specific to Nutanix Files and does not support a 15-minute RPO or guided DR processes for file shares.

The NUSA course documentation highlights that “Smart DR is the recommended data protection strategy for Nutanix Files in multi-site environments, offering low RPOs, guided DR workflows, and automated failover to minimize downtime and operational complexity.”

According to the official Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) course documentation, NFS-enabled buckets in Nutanix Objects support access via standard NFS clients, including the Windows NFS client. This compatibility allows Windows systems to interact with Objects buckets using the NFS protocol for read/write operations.

However, the following capabilities are not supported with NFS-enabled buckets due to inherent limitations in object storage semantics and NFS protocol constraints:

Rename directories (Option A): Renaming directories is unsupported because it requires atomic renaming of all objects under the directory prefix, which object storage does not allow.

Hard links (Option B): Hard links violate object storage immutability and are disallowed.

Symbolic links (Option D): Symbolic links are not supported, as they conflict with object storage's flat namespace design.

During Nutanix Objects deployment,Object Store instance namingis governed by specific conventions to ensure system consistency and compatibility with DNS and object storage standards.

The NUSA course describes thesestrict naming rules:

Length Rule:

“Object store names must be between 3 and 32 characters in length. This ensures that the names are concise yet descriptive enough for operational clarity.”

Start/End Rule:

“Object store names must begin with a letter and end with a letter or a number. Names cannot start with a number or symbol to maintain naming consistency across DNS and storage services.”

Uniqueness Across All Clusters:

“While object store names must be unique within the same Nutanix cluster, global uniqueness across multiple clusters is not enforced or required.”

Starting with a number:

“Names starting with numbers are not supported, as per best practices to align with DNS naming standards.”

Thus, the enforced rules:

????Minimum 3, maximum 32 characters

????Begin with a letter and end with a letter/number