NCP-CI-Azure Nutanix Certified Professional - Cloud Integration - Azure (NCP-CI-Azure v6.7) Questions and Answers

Azure Private Endpoint:A Private Endpoint provides secure connectivity to Azure resources by enabling private access through the Azure backbone network. This ensures that the traffic does not traverse the internet, providing enhanced security and performance.

Delegated Subnet:By creating an Azure Private Endpoint for VMs in a delegated subnet, the administrator ensures that the VMs can access Azure resources directly and securely without using the public internet.

References:

Azure Private Endpoint Documentation

Nutanix NC2 Networking Configuration Guide

Local Key Manager (LKM):The native local key manager in Nutanix requires a minimum number of nodes to function correctly and provide key management services.

Minimum Node Requirement for LKM:To support the Nutanix native LKM, at least three nodes are needed. This configuration ensures that the key management service can achieve the necessary quorum and redundancy for secure operations.

References:

Nutanix Data Encryption Documentation

Nutanix Cluster Configuration Guide

Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC):To ensure that the Nutanix licensing costs apply to the MACC, the company needs to make purchases that are recognized by Azure's billing system.

Azure Marketplace Purchases:By purchasing Nutanix licenses through the Azure Marketplace, the costs will be included in the Azure billing and count towards the MACC, thereby leveraging the committed spend.

References:

Azure Marketplace Documentation

Nutanix Licensing Guide

To allow access from the native Azure VMs to the workloads running in the Nutanix User VPC, the administrator needs to:

Adjust the Inbound Network Security Group (NSG) on the Flow Gateway VM's Internal NIC.

Specifically, allow traffic from the subnet range of the native Azure VMs (10.20.80.0/20) in the Inbound rules of the NSG associated with the Internal NIC of the Flow Gateway VM.

This configuration change permits the desired network traffic, ensuring that the native Azure VMs can communicate with the workloads in the Nutanix User VPC.References

Azure Network Security Groups Overview

Nutanix Networking and Security Best Practices

To verify that the NC2 specialist has access to the necessary organizations for troubleshooting the issue, the administrator should:

Confirm that theSupport Authorizationon the organization is set toFull Access. This ensures that the NC2 specialist has the required permissions to access the necessary resources and perform the necessary actions to resolve the issue.

Providing login credentials or adding the specialist as an admin user is not recommended due to security and privacy concerns. Ensuring the specialist is assigned the correct RBAC role is another valid approach but confirming the support authorization directly ensures they have the needed access.

References

Nutanix Support and Services

Replication Factor (RF3):RF3 requires that data is replicated across three different nodes to ensure data durability and fault tolerance. This replication scheme allows the system to tolerate the failure of two nodes simultaneously.

Minimum Node Requirement for RF3:To meet the RF3 requirements while maintaining operational capability, a minimum of five nodes is necessary. This configuration ensures that there are enough nodes to distribute the data and provide the necessary redundancy.

References:

Nutanix Replication Factor Documentation

Nutanix NC2 on Azure Deployment Guide

Payment Method Options:When using a Pay As You Go subscription plan and opting to pay directly to Nutanix, wire transfer is a valid and secure payment method.

Direct Payment:Wire transfers allow for the direct transfer of funds from the organization's bank account to Nutanix, ensuring a straightforward and efficient payment process.

References:

Nutanix Billing and Payment Documentation

Pay As You Go Subscription Payment Methods Guide

Azure AD App Registration: When setting up an application registration in Azure AD, specific permissions are required to delegate access.

User Access Administrator Role: This role has the necessary permissions to manage user access to Azure resources, including delegating permissions for app registrations.

Comparison of Roles:

Azure Reader Role: Grants read-only access, insufficient for managing app registrations.

Azure Contributor Role: Allows creation and management of resources but does not include permissions to manage access.

Azure Custom Role: While it can be defined to meet specific needs, the User Access Administrator role is predefined to handle access delegation.

Conclusion: The Azure User Access Administrator role is required to delegate minimum permissions for Azure AD App registration.

References:

Azure Role-Based Access Control Documentation

Azure AD App Registration Guide

Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) Routing:ECMP allows multiple gateways to be used simultaneously for load balancing traffic across multiple paths. In this scenario, ECMP is configured to point to the external subnets in the Nutanix Transit VPC.

Traffic Distribution:All four Flow Gateway instances will be used to distribute the outgoing traffic from the application server based on the ECMP default route configuration. This ensures efficient load balancing and utilization of all available gateway resources.

Bidirectional Traffic:Both sending and receiving traffic will utilize all four Flow Gateway instances, ensuring high availability and performance for network-intensive applications.

References:

Nutanix NC2 Networking Guide

Azure Networking Documentation on ECMP

IP Forwarding in Azure:Enabling IP forwarding allows the VM to forward network traffic that is not specifically addressed to itself. This is necessary for network devices like the Flow Gateway VM to route traffic correctly.

Network Interface Configuration:Both the Azure portal settings and the VM's operating system must have IP forwarding enabled to ensure proper traffic handling and routing capabilities.

References:

Azure Virtual Machine Networking Documentation

Nutanix Flow Gateway Configuration Guide

Cloud Hardware Support: For issues related to cloud hardware, such as EC2 instances or VPC configurations, the responsible entity is typically the public cloud vendor.

Nutanix Responsibility: Nutanix manages the software layer and integration aspects of the NC2 service, but the underlying hardware support is managed by the cloud provider (e.g., AWS, Azure).

Support Process:

Public Cloud Vendor: Contact the public cloud vendor for issues directly related to the hardware, as they own and manage the physical infrastructure.

Nutanix: For software and configuration issues specific to the NC2 service, contact Nutanix support.

Conclusion: For cloud hardware-related support, the appropriate contact is the public cloud vendor.

References:

Nutanix Support Guide

Azure Support Documentation

SMTP Server Configuration:To send alert emails from Prism Central, it is essential to configure an SMTP server in the Prism Central settings. This server handles the email sending process, ensuring that alerts generated by Prism Central are properly delivered to the specified email addresses.

Email Notification Setup:The SMTP server settings include the server address, port, and authentication details. Once these settings are correctly configured, Prism Central can use the SMTP server to send out alert emails reliably.

References:

Nutanix Prism Central Administration Guide

SMTP Configuration for Email Alerts in Prism Central

my.nutanix.com Portal:This portal provides access to various Nutanix services and features, including the NC2 deployment interface.

NC2 Tile:The NC2 tile within the portal is specifically designed for deploying and managing Nutanix Cloud Clusters. It provides the necessary tools and settings to initiate and configure NC2 clusters on Azure or other cloud environments.

References:

Nutanix NC2 Deployment Guide

my.nutanix.com Portal Documentation

Jump Host VM in External VNet with VNet Peering:

Deploy Jump Host VM:Deploy a VM in an external VNet that is not within the same network as Prism Central.

VNet Peering:Establish VNet peering between the external VNet and the Prism Central VNet. This allows the Jump Host to communicate with Prism Central securely.

Jump Host VM in Prism Central VNet Inside a Delegated Subnet:

Deploy Jump Host VM:Deploy the Jump Host VM directly in the Prism Central VNet within a delegated subnet. This places the Jump Host in the same network environment as Prism Central, allowing direct access.

References:

Azure VNet Peering Documentation

Nutanix NC2 Networking and Access Configuration Guide

ICMP Traffic:ICMP is essential for network diagnostics and troubleshooting, such as ping and traceroute, which help in monitoring the connectivity and health of the network.

Bi-Directional Traffic:Allowing bi-directional ICMP traffic ensures that all nodes (CVMs, Prism Element, and Prism Central) can both send and receive diagnostic messages, which is crucial for maintaining proper communication and network stability.

References:

Nutanix Networking and Connectivity Requirements

Corporate Firewall Configuration Guidelines

Flow Virtual Networking: Nutanix Flow Virtual Networking allows for the creation of overlay networks to segment and manage network traffic.

Network Types:

Underlay: Refers to the physical network infrastructure.

Overlay: Logical network built on top of the physical infrastructure, providing flexibility for creating isolated subnets and accommodating different workloads.

VPC: Virtual Private Cloud, a network within a public cloud provider.

VNET: Azure-specific virtual network.

Requirement: Creating a subnet for new workloads within Flow Virtual Networking suggests using an overlay network for logical separation and management.

Conclusion: An overlay network within Flow Virtual Networking will satisfy the task of accommodating a new type of workload in the NC2 Azure instance.

References:

Nutanix Flow Networking Guide

Azure Virtual Network Documentation

Scenario Analysis:

A. Connectivity between sites already provides encryption: Using VTEP in this scenario is advantageous because VTEP does not inherently provide encryption. If encryption is already provided, VTEP can be effectively used without additional security concerns.

D. Multiple remote Availability Zones exist to add to the same VTEP-based extended Layer 2 subnet: VTEP is well-suited for scenarios where multiple remote Availability Zones need to be connected to the same extended Layer 2 subnet. This allows for efficient management and seamless connectivity across different zones.

Scenarios B and C:

B. Only one remote Availability Zone exists that needs the subnet extended: This scenario does not leverage the strengths of VTEP, as it is better suited for multiple zones.

C. Connectivity between sites already does not provide encryption: Using VTEP without existing encryption is not ideal as VTEP itself does not encrypt the traffic.

Conclusion: VTEP is advantageous when encryption is already in place and when multiple remote zones need to be connected to the same extended subnet.

References:

Nutanix NC2 Networking Guide

Azure Networking Documentation

When selecting the NC2 subscription plan from the Nutanix billing portal, the available options are:

Pay-as-you-Go (PayG):Allows you to pay for the services as you use them, providing flexibility and avoiding upfront costs.

Bring your own License (BYOL):Enables you to use your existing Nutanix licenses within the cloud environment, offering cost savings if you already have licenses.

These options provide flexibility in how you can manage and pay for your Nutanix cloud clusters.References

Nutanix Cloud Clusters Pricing and Plans

Outbound Rule Necessity: For successful cluster deployment, certain outbound connections must be allowed to ensure proper download and configuration of resources.

Critical Destination: "Https://downloads.cloud.nutanix.com/*" is a critical endpoint from which the Nutanix software and updates are downloaded during the cluster deployment process.

Functionality: Ensuring an outbound rule for this destination allows the deployment to fetch necessary files and updates, enabling smooth cluster setup and operation.

Other Destinations:

Https://portal.nutanix.com/: Used for accessing the Nutanix portal, not directly related to deployment downloads.

Https://support.nutanix.com/: Used for support-related tasks, not for deployment-specific downloads.

https://nutanix.dev/ : Related to development and API documentation, not necessary for initial deployment.

Conclusion: Outbound connectivity to "Https://downloads.cloud.nutanix.com/*" is essential for downloading deployment resources.

References:

Nutanix NC2 on Azure Network Configuration Guide

Azure Network Security Documentation