NCP-MCI-6.10 Nutanix Certified Professional - Multicloud Infrastructure (NCP-MCI v6.10) Question and Answers

The requirement states:

• Custom apps use Volume Groups

• VM + VG must remain consistent together

• Lowest possible RPO is required (RPO → 0)

• Must survive cluster failure

Nutanix data protection documentation clearly states:

“Synchronous replication provides an RPO of zero by ensuring every write is committed on both sites before acknowledgement.”

Additionally:

“When protecting application VMs using Volume Groups, both the VM and the Volume Group must be placed in the same Consistency Group to ensure write-order fidelity and to preserve database or application integrity during failover.”

This is critical because Volume Groups operate at the block layer, and placing them in separate groups breaks atomic write-order correctness.

Option analysis:

A. Metro AHV provides HA-style zero RPO but is not the required mechanism here because the question specifically references protection policies and VGs, which Metro does not orchestrate in the same way.

B. Synchronous replication alone is not sufficient unless VMs and VGs are inside the same consistency group.

C. This is the correct and complete solution: synchronous replication + consistency grouping ensures RPO0 and atomic updates.

D. NearSync has RPO 1–15 minutes, not the lowest possible RPO.

Therefore, placing both VMs and VGs in the same consistency group under Synchronous Replication is the correct method.

Protection Domains (PDs) in Nutanix ensure that entire applications and their associated data are protected during failover.However,Volume Groups (VGs) are not automatically includedunless explicitly configured.

Option A (Select "Auto protect related entities") is correct:

This setting ensures thatassociated Volume Groups, networks, and other dependencies are included in the Protection Domainautomatically.

Without enabling this, only the VM itself would be protected, leading tomissing application data upon failover.

Option B (Manually add Volume Groups to Protected Entities) is correct:

If"Auto protect related entities" is not enabled, the administrator mustmanually add Volume Groups to the Protection Domain.

This ensures that bothVMs and their attached Volume Groupsare replicated and recovered together.

Option C (Place Volume Groups in a separate Protection Domain) is incorrect:

Separating Volume Groups into a different PDdoes not guarantee they failover together with VMs.

It is best practice tokeep related VMs and Volume Groups in the same PD.

Option D (Use application-consistent snapshots) is incorrect:

Whileapplication-consistent snapshots improve data integrity, theydo not fix missing Volume Groups in failover scenarios.

A cluster runway below 365 days does not necessarily indicate an issue if Intelligent Operations determines that workloads are sustainable.

Option B (Because new workloads are sustainable) is correct:

Nutanixanalyzes resource trendsand marks clusters as healthyif new workloads are within projected capacity.

Option A (Storage Runway is still good) is incorrect:

Storage isone component, butCPU and memoryalso affect runway calculations.

Option C (Recommended resources) is incorrect:

Recommendations help optimize capacity, butdo not define cluster health.

Option D (Target is 1 month) is incorrect:

The scenario’s target window does not impact the actual runway calculation.

A single vCPU is likely causing a bottleneck, limiting the VM’s ability to process I/O requests efficiently.

Option D (Increase the VM’s number of vCPUs) is correct:

Windowsrequires sufficient CPU resourcesto handle disk and network operations.

Adding more vCPUs allows the VM to process more I/O operations simultaneously, improving performance.

Option A is incorrect:

AdditionalvSCSI controllers are only useful for very high disk I/O workloads.

Option B is incorrect:

Balance-TCP applies to network traffic, not storage performance.

Option C is incorrect:

CVM resources do not directly affect individual VM performance.

After a Prism Central upgrade, IAM authentication settings may require reconfiguration.

Option D (Log in with a local admin account) is correct:

If IAM authentication fails, thelocal admin account must be usedto check domain settings.

Option A (Ping the Domain Controller) is incorrect:

Network connectivity is important, but theissue is likely related to IAM settings, not network reachability.

Option B (Check firewall port 9441) is incorrect:

Port 9441 is used forSSO authentication, butport issues usually result in login delays, not complete failures.

Option C (Validate signing certificate) is incorrect:

While certificates can cause issues,local admin login should always work.

In a Nutanix cluster, Replication Factor 2 (RF2) means that each piece of data has two copies: a primary and a replica. To safely remove a node while ensuring data redundancy and cluster health, the system must have enough nodes to maintain the RF2 protection and complete the removal.

From the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Administration (ECA) documentation:

“The minimum number of nodes required for a safe host removal in an RF2 cluster is four. This ensures that even after removing a node, there are enough remaining nodes to continue hosting the primary and replica data copies, meeting the RF2 requirement.”

The logic is:

In a 3-node RF2 cluster, there isn’t enough redundancy to safely remove a node without impacting data availability.

A 4-node RF2 cluster allows safe removal of one node while still ensuring two copies of all data remain.

Thus, the minimum number of nodes required for a safe host removal in an RF2 cluster is 4

Dead VMs and Zombie VMs are different classifications of inactive VMs in Nutanix, and their deletion timelines depend on Playbook configuration.

Dead VMs→ Consideredinactive after 30 days, then must wait99 more daysbefore deletion.

Total time: 30 + 99 = 129 days.

(Option C is correct).

Zombie VMs→ Consideredinactive after 30 days, then must wait99 more daysbefore deletion.

Total time: 30 + 99 = 129 days.

(Option B is correct).

Within Nutanix Recovery Plans, IP address transformations are handled through an automated mechanism known asIP Address Mapping. The documentation describes two methods: fixed mappings and offset-based mappings.

Offset-based mapping allows administrators to maintain consistent host identity attributes such as the last octet while shifting only the subnet portion during DR failover. The internal guidance states, “Offset-based mapping enables automatic recalculation of target IP addresses using offsets applied to source subnets, allowing preservation of host-specific octets across networks.”

Custom scripts are possible but not recommended because Nutanix already provides a built-in, automated IP transformation system. Editing IPs inside VMs after failover is operationally expensive and defeats the purpose of an orchestrated DR workflow. IPAM is useful for dynamic IP assignment but does not preserve the last octet mapping requirement.

Thus, Offset-based IP mapping is the correct mechanism for this requirement.

Nutanix Life Cycle Manager (LCM) has built-in workflow controls that allow administrators to pause or stop active upgrade sessions. The documentation states:

“Administrators can use the Stop Update option in the LCM UI to halt further job progression. This safely stops the upgrade pipeline without disrupting already-applied updates.”

More internal behavior details:

Stop Update immediately prevents LCM from starting additional node or component upgrades.

It safely terminates queue execution while maintaining cluster consistency.

It does not require command-line interaction or service restarts.

Using .py scripts is not recommended and is reserved for engineering workflows. Restarting Genesis or canceling tasks via ecli may interrupt LCM activities but do not cleanly stop the scheduled upgrade workflow.

The supported and correct control method is the built-in Stop Update button.

BMC (Baseboard Management Controller) updates can be applied per-node in Nutanix LCM, unlike AOS or AHV, which require cluster-wide upgrades.

Option B (BMC) is correct:

BMC firmwarecontrols remote management and power cycling of individual nodes.

Updating BMCdoes not impact the entire clusterand can be done per node.

Option A (AOS) is incorrect:

AOS upgrades affect the entire clusterand require cluster-wide consistency.

Option C (NCC) is incorrect:

NCC updatesapply across all nodes simultaneously, ensuring uniformity in checks.

Option D (AHV) is incorrect:

AHV updates require coordinated upgrades across hoststo maintain VM availability.

Nutanix storage containers allow administrators to configure capacity reservations and advertised limits for better resource management.

Option D (Set Reserved Capacity to 10 GiB and Advertised Capacity to 500 GiB) is correct:

Reserved Capacityensures that10 GiB is always available for this container and not consumed by other containers.

Advertised Capacitydefines alogical limit of 500 GiBto prevent over-allocation.

Option A is incorrect:

Advertised Capacity of 10 GiB is too lowand does not match the requirement of a500 GiB storage container.

Option B is incorrect:

Only setting Advertised Capacity does not guarantee Reserved Capacity, meaning other containers could consume the reserved space.

Option C is incorrect:

Setting only Reserved Capacity does not enforce an upper limit, which could lead to overprovisioning.

When usingFQDN instead of a Virtual IP in a scale-out Prism Central deployment, Nutanixenables load balancing across multiple Prism Central instances.

Option A (Load balancing) is correctbecause it ensures that requests are distributed among multiple Prism Central nodes, improving performance and redundancy.

Option B (Resiliency) is incorrectbecause resiliency is achieved through HA and replication, not through FQDN configuration.

Option C (Segmentation) is incorrectbecause network segmentation is handled at the VLAN or security policy level.

Option D (SSL Certificate) is incorrectbecause SSL certificates can be applied regardless of whether FQDN or Virtual IP is used.

Nutanix Multicloud Infrastructure documentation explains that Recovery Plans and Protection Policies are designed to scale using Categories rather than per-VM assignments. Categories provide metadata that allows grouping of VMs by purpose, business unit, application tiers, boot order, and network requirements. The documentation states that Recovery Plans "consume categories so that VMs matching those categories are automatically included in the DR workflow." Categories also allow automatic updates so that when a VM is added, removed, or changed, the DR plan does not require modification. This method is specifically recommended for environments with numerous workloads and variable application tiers. Scripts, naming conventions, and static ratios do not provide the dynamic grouping and automation that categories provide.

When performing aLife Cycle Manager (LCM) upgrade, therecommended way to stop the process is to use the “Stop Update” feature in LCM (Option D).

Option A (Cancel via Ergon ecli)is not a recommended approach since manually interfering with running tasks can cause inconsistencies.

Option B (lcm_task_cleanup.py script)is used for post-upgrade cleanup but does not stop ongoing updates.

Option C (Restarting Genesis)does not stop an LCM upgrade and can cause instability.

The Nutanix AHV virtualization guide explains that vGPU-enabled VMs can be live migrated only when the destination host contains compatible GPU hardware and has available vGPU capacity matching the profile assigned to the VM. The documentation states that the VM must have "adequate and equivalent GPU resources on the target host" for migration to proceed. Host affinity is a limiting factor and not a requirement. Agent VMs are not designed to be migrated. Changing the vGPU profile is not necessary as long as the target host supports the currently assigned profile. Therefore, ensuring the destination host has sufficient compatible resources is the required condition.

Offset-based IP mapping in Nutanix Recovery Plans allows automatic subnet changes during DR failover.

Option D (Utilize Recovery Plan Offset-based IP mapping) is correct:

This methodautomatically adjusts the IP rangewhile keeping the same last octet.

It eliminates the need formanual interventionafter failover.

Option A (Custom script) is incorrect:

Scripting is an option, butRecovery Plan IP mapping is simpler and native to Nutanix.

Option B (Use IPAM) is incorrect:

IP Address Management (IPAM) is useful, butoffset-based mapping provides more control.

Option C (Manually update IPs) is incorrect:

This would betime-consuming and error-prone.

To automate the deployment of a large number of Linux VMs (such as 100), each with similar base configurations but unique hostnames, local configurations, and additional package installations,Cloud-Initis the most appropriate approach. Cloud-Init is a widely supported industry-standard tool for automating the initialization and configuration of Linux instances at first boot.

From theNutanix Enterprise Cloud Administration (ECA)course materials:

“Cloud-Init is the recommended method for configuring Linux virtual machines during deployment in Prism Central. It allows administrators to inject configuration scripts and user data that customize the VM at boot time, including hostname, network settings, user creation, and package installations.”

Specifically:

“Using Cloud-Init, you can create a template or base image for the Linux VMs and then customize each VM deployment by passing individualized configuration parameters, ensuring that while the base configuration remains consistent, each VM has unique settings such as hostname or installed software.”

This method is far superior to manual configuration, which is impractical for 100 VMs, and it’s not suitable to use SysPrep (which is for Windows-based customization). VM templates alone would provide only the base image; they do not address unique per-VM settings.

Therefore,Cloud-Initensures a repeatable, scalable, and fully automated deployment process that aligns with the Nutanix best practices for deploying large numbers of Linux VMs with unique configurations.

High SSD utilization in a hybrid cluster can lead to increased I/O latency as new writes may spill over to HDDs, reducing overall performance.

Option D (Average I/O latency in the cluster may increase) is correct:

If SSD usage isabove 75%,data tiering shifts to slower HDDs,increasing latency.

Option A is incorrect:

SSD failures are managed via redundancy policies (RF2/RF3), and high utilizationdoes not impact failure handling.

Option B is incorrect:

Metadata is stored separately, and high SSD usage does not mean metadata is at risk.

Option C is incorrect:

Clusters do not go into read-only mode due to high SSD utilization—they simply experienceperformance degradation.

LCM (Life Cycle Manager) fetches software updates from Nutanix’s repositories, requiring access to specific URLs.

Option A (download.nutanix.com) is correct:

This domainhosts all software update filesfor AOS, AHV, and other Nutanix components.

Option C (release-api.nutanix.com) is correct:

This domain is used forLCM to fetch update metadataand check for new versions.

Option B (mynutanix.com) is incorrect:

This domain is used foraccount management, not LCM updates.

Option D (portal.nutanix.com) is incorrect:

TheNutanix support portal is not used for automated LCM updates.

In a dark site deployment, LCM does not automatically fetch updates from the internet. The administrator must manually upload compatibility bundles.

Option B (The latest compatibility bundle has not been uploaded) is correct:

Thecompatibility bundlecontainsfirmware mappings, allowing LCM to detect the correct BIOS version.

Option A is incorrect:

AOSdoes not need to be upgraded firstfor a BIOS update.

Option C is incorrect:

TheBMC firmware does not always need updatingbefore BIOS updates.

Option D is incorrect:

In a dark site deployment,LCM does not rely on an internet connection, so webserver access is not required.

Nutanix performance troubleshooting guidelines highlight CPU Ready Time as a key indicator of CPU contention. The documentation explains:

“High CPU Ready Time indicates that vCPUs are waiting to be scheduled on physical cores due to host CPU saturation or CPU overcommitment.”

CPU Ready Time doesnotrelate to storage issues or CVM sizing. Instead, it indicates that the hypervisor cannot schedule VM CPU operations promptly.

Internal extracts clearly describe the next diagnostic step:

“When CPU ready metrics rise, the first step is to check physical host CPU utilization to confirm whether the host is oversubscribed or running at high CPU usage.”

If the host is overloaded, remediation includes distributing VMs across hosts, reducing vCPU count on oversized VMs, or adding compute resources.

Other options are irrelevant:

Memory oversubscription is unrelated to CPU Ready Time.

SSD capacity affects storage latency, not CPU scheduling.

CVM CPU counts do not cause VM CPU Ready Time; CVM resource misconfiguration affects cluster services, not guest VM scheduling.

Thus, reviewing host CPU utilization is the correct next step.

vGPU-enabled VMs can only be migrated if the destination host has a compatible GPU and sufficient resources.

Option A (Target host must have sufficient resources) is correct:

The target hostmust have the same GPU model and enough available resourcesto support the VM.

vGPUcannot be live-migrated across incompatible hardware.

Option B (vGPU profile change) is incorrect:

The profiledoes not need to be changedas long as the target host has the same configuration.

Option C (Agent VM required) is incorrect:

Agent VMs are not necessaryfor vGPU migration.

Option D (Host affinity) is incorrect:

Host affinitylimits movement, butis not a prerequisite for migration.

For optimal Disaster Recovery performance, new nodes must match or exceed the storage performance of existing nodes.

Option A (New node must have at least 2 SSDs) is correct:

Since the G7 nodes havetwo SSDs, replacing G5 nodes withat least 2 SSDsensuresconsistent SSD cache and performance.

Option B is incorrect:

G7 or G8 nodes may help, but storage performance is more critical for DR.

Option C is incorrect:

CPU core count does not impact DR storage performance as much as SSD capacity.

Option D is incorrect:

Hybrid nodes are already in use, but SSDs must match for performance balance.

Port mirroring requires the source and target VMs to be on the same host to efficiently copy network traffic without additional routing overhead.

Option B (Source VM and Target VM are on the same host) is correct:

AHV’s port mirroringonly works within a single hostbecause network packets are intercepted before leaving the hypervisor.

If the VMs are on different hosts,mirroring cannot be configured without additional network tools.

Option A (Same VLAN) is incorrect:

VLAN membership isnot a requirementfor port mirroring.

Option C (Same subnet) is incorrect:

Port mirroring happens atthe virtual switch level, which does not require VMs to be in the same subnet.

Option D (Same VPC) is incorrect:

While VPCs provide network isolation,they do not control port mirroring availability.

Nutanix documentation explains that Reserved Capacity for a storage container allocates a guaranteed amount of physical space exclusively for that container. The internal description is:

“Reserved Capacity is space carved out from the storage pool for guaranteed use by a container. When a container’s reserved allocation approaches exhaustion, alerts are raised even if the overall cluster has ample free space.”

This means that although the physical cluster capacity may be sufficient, the container itself may hit its reserved limit, triggering an out-of-space forecast. Advertised Capacity determines an upper usage limit but does not produce this behavior. Replication Factor affects total usage but cannot explain container-only exhaustion when the cluster is fine. Compression levels influence data reduction but not capacity alerting mechanisms.

Thus, an oversized Reserved Capacity value is responsible for the alert.

Snapshots that are part of an active recovery operation cannot be deleted until the process is completed or manually canceled.

Option A (Active recovery in progress) is correct:

Nutanix does not allow deletion of snapshots ifthey are being used in an ongoing recovery process.

The administrator shouldverify whether the snapshot is currently part of a Protection Domain or Disaster Recovery (DR) plan.

Option B (Ransomware encryption) is incorrect:

Nutanix snapshots are immutable by defaultandcannot be encrypted by external threats.

Option C (Approval policy denial) is incorrect:

Snapshot deletionsdo not require manual approval, unless controlled by an external workflow system.

Option D (Snapshot corruption) is incorrect:

Nutanixuses checksums to prevent corruption, so snapshots cannot besilently damaged.

When Life Cycle Manager (LCM) reports thata newer framework version is available, thecorrect actionis toperform an inventory scan (Option C).

Performing an inventory scan updates the available firmware/software versionsand allows LCM to download required updates.

Option A (Run an AOS upgrade)is unrelated to the LCM framework update process.

Option B (Run an AHV upgrade)is a separate component update and does not affect the LCM framework.

Option D (Download manually from a CVM)is not necessary because LCM updates are automatically pulled after an inventory scan.

In Nutanix AHV-based clusters, when you want to ensure that a specific VM (e.g., a critical VM like a domain controller) is powered on before other VMs during a host startup or failover scenario, you use the Agent VM configuration setting.

Here’s the exact explanation from the Nutanix ECA course:

“Agent VMs are special VMs that are automatically powered on before other user VMs during host startup or recovery. This ensures that critical VMs, such as those that provide essential services, are always available first.”

In contrast:

✅Recovery Plan (A) — This is used in the context of DR and failover, typically with Nutanix Leap.

✅Host Affinity (B) — Host affinity rules control placement policies of VMs but not startup priority.

✅High Availability (C) — HA ensures VMs are restarted on surviving hosts but does not control startup order.

Therefore, setting the VM as an Agent VM guarantees that it is powered on before the other VMs during host start-up. Let me know if you’d like steps on how to configure an Agent VM within Prism Central or Prism Element!

Receive Side Scaling (RSS) VirtIO-Net Multi-Queue improves network performance by distributing network processing across multiple CPU cores.

Option C (Enable RSS VirtIO-Net Multi-Queue) is correct:

This settingreduces CPU bottlenecksby allowing multiple queues to handle network packets.

It isessential for high-throughput network applications.

Option A (Add more vCPUs) is incorrect:

CPU resources are important, butwithout enabling RSS, additional vCPUs will not optimize network traffic distribution.

Option B (Enable AHV Turbo Technology) is incorrect:

AHV Turbo improvesdisk I/O, notnetwork I/O.

Option D (Add more RAM) is incorrect:

RAM does not directly impact network performance.

Metro Availability in Nutanix requires that the primary and secondary storage containers be configured identicallyto ensuredata replication consistency.

Option C (The destination storage container is not empty) is correct:

Theremote storage container must be emptybefore Metro Availability can be enabled.

Existing data can cause conflictsand prevent it from appearing in the "Compatible Remote Sites" list.

Option D (Both storage containers must have the same name) is correct:

Metro Availability requires thatstorage containers have identical names across clusters.

If namesdo not match, thestorage container will not be listed as compatible.

Option A is incorrect: Metro Availability works regardless of hardware vendor differences.

Option B is incorrect:Compression does not affect compatibilitybut may impact performance.

Storage Policies in Nutanix allow administrators to configuredata protection and performance settingsat thestorage container level.

Replication Factor (RF)definesthe number of copies of datastored across nodes for fault tolerance.

Encryptionensures thatdata at rest is protectedvia Nutanix-native encryption methods.

Option A (Storage Containers and Volume Groups)refers tostorage organization, not policies.

Option C (Shares and Object Stores)applies tofile and object storage services, not VM storage policies.

Option D (Data Protection and Security)is a broad term but does not definespecific policy attributes.

When configuring application-consistent snapshots in a Nutanix protection domain for applications such as SQL, Oracle, and Exchange, it is critical to group all related VMs in the same consistency group within the protection domain. This ensures that the snapshot captures a consistent state of the entire application stack.

From theNutanix Enterprise Cloud Administration (ECA)course materials:

“A consistency group ensures that snapshots across multiple VMs are taken at the same time, maintaining application consistency for distributed applications. This is especially important for multi-tiered applications like SQL, Oracle, and Exchange, where data integrity depends on coordinated snapshot creation.”

Additionally:

“For application-consistent snapshots, leverage guest tools or volume shadow copy services (VSS) in Windows to quiesce applications, and configure the consistency group to include all relevant VMs.”

By creating one consistency group for all VMs comprising an application, the administrator ensures that snapshots represent a consistent state across the application components.

When a node is placed intoMaintenance Mode, Nutanix follows a structured process to ensureservice continuity and data integrity.

Option B (All eligible VMs on the host are migrated to other hosts) is correct:

Live Migration automatically moves VMs to other hoststo avoid downtime.

This ensures workloads remain operational during maintenance.

Option D (Non-migratable VMs are powered off) is correct:

Some VMs, such as those usingGPU pass-through or local storage dependencies,cannot be live-migrated.

These VMsmust be powered offbefore placing the host into Maintenance Mode.

Option A is incorrect:

Non-migratable VMs are not automatically restarted on other hosts—they remain powered off until manually restarted.

Option C is incorrect:

Eligible VMs are live-migrated, not powered off.

Multicast traffic can generate unnecessary overhead if it is not properly managed.IGMP Snooping (Option C)ensures thatmulticast packets are only sent to VMs that have requested them, rather than broadcasting to all VMs.

Option C (IGMP Snooping) is correct:

Itreduces unnecessary multicast trafficby ensuring that only subscribed VMs receive the packets.

It is supportednatively in AHV networking.

Option A (LACP) is incorrect:

Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP)improves bandwidth and redundancy but doesnot control multicast traffic.

Option B (UDP) is incorrect:

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a transport protocol, not a network optimization feature.

Option D (Network Segmentation) is incorrect:

Segmentation (VLANs, VPCs) isolates networksbut does not optimizemulticast traffic specifically.

The test_esx_entering_mm_pinned_vms check in an AOS upgrade validates whether there are any pinned VMs on ESXi hosts, which could prevent host maintenance mode transitions.

From theNutanix Enterprise Cloud Administration (ECA)course materials:

“Affinity or anti-affinity rules that pin VMs to specific hosts prevent those VMs from migrating during host maintenance mode entry. This directly triggers a failure in the LCM precheck test_esx_entering_mm_pinned_vms check.”

For cross-hypervisor DR failover (e.g., ESXi to AHV), Nutanix Guest Tools (NGT) must be installed on VMs to ensure proper configuration and recovery.

Option D (NGT must be installed on source guest VMs) is correct:

NGTensures correct reconfiguration of VM devices and networking settingsduring failover.

Ithandles disk and driver reassignmentsbetween ESXi and AHV.

Option A (Utilize delta disks) is incorrect:

Delta disks are used insnapshot optimization, not DR failover.

Option B (Deploy Legacy BIOS boot) is incorrect:

AHV prefers UEFI boot mode, and Legacy BIOS is not a requirement.

Option C (Use raw device mappings) is incorrect:

RDMs areVMware-specificand arenot used in AHV failover scenarios.