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

Instance Termination Detection:When an instance in Azure is reported as being in a terminated state but NC2 expects it to be running, the system will automatically take corrective actions.

Host Condemnation and Replacement:NC2 will condemn the host, marking it as unusable, and will then trigger the replacement process to ensure that the cluster maintains its required capacity and performance levels. This automatic handling ensures minimal disruption to the workloads running on the cluster.

References:

Nutanix NC2 Automated Management Features

Azure Instance State Documentation

Azure Directory Service Role: Azure Directory Service must be able to resolve specific Nutanix URLs to ensure proper communication and functionality during the deployment of an NC2 cluster.

Critical Endpoint: The address "Gateway-external-api.cloud.nutanix.com" is critical for establishing external API communications required for the deployment and management of the NC2 cluster.

DNS Resolution: Proper DNS resolution of this address ensures that the Azure Directory Service can interact with Nutanix services and APIs necessary for cluster operations.

Verification Process:

Ensure that DNS settings allow resolution of "Gateway-external-api.cloud.nutanix.com".

Test connectivity and resolution prior to deployment to avoid issues.

Importance: Without resolving this address, the deployment process might face connectivity issues, leading to potential deployment failures.

References:

Nutanix NC2 on Azure Setup Guide

Azure Active Directory Integration

User VM:The initial source of the traffic within the Azure environment.

Delegated Subnet:Traffic from the User VM flows through the delegated subnet, which is configured to handle specific network traffic.

Flow Gateway:The Flow Gateway manages and routes the traffic from the delegated subnet, providing network services and connectivity.

Floating IP Address:The Flow Gateway assigns a floating IP address for the outbound traffic, facilitating NAT operations.

Azure NAT Gateway:The traffic is then routed through the Azure NAT Gateway, which provides outbound internet connectivity for the User VMs, ensuring secure and efficient routing.

References:

Azure Virtual Network NAT Documentation

Nutanix NC2 Configuration Guide

Requirement Analysis: The NC2 VMs need to access Azure and on-premises resources without traversing the internet, ensuring secure and direct connectivity.

Solution Options:

SSH Connection: Suitable for individual remote access, not for full VM connectivity to Azure and on-premises resources.

Interface Endpoint: Facilitates private connectivity to specific Azure services, but not comprehensive for all resources.

ExpressRoute: Provides private, dedicated connectivity between Azure and on-premises environments. This ensures that traffic does not traverse the public internet, meeting the security and performance requirements.

Site-to-Site VPN: Provides secure connectivity but can involve traversing the internet, which is against the requirements.

Conclusion: ExpressRoute is the optimal solution as it offers a private connection that does not involve internet traversal, ensuring secure and efficient access to both Azure and on-premises resources.

References:

Azure ExpressRoute Documentation

Nutanix Clusters on Azure Networking Guide

Allowlisting the Azure Subscription:This step ensures that the Azure subscription is recognized and permitted by Nutanix Cloud Clusters (NC2). Without allowlisting, the necessary resources and permissions within the Azure subscription may not be available for NC2, potentially blocking the creation and management of clusters.

Creating an App Registration:This involves setting up an application within Azure Active Directory (AAD) to enable secure communication between NC2 andAzure. The app registration process includes assigning permissions and obtaining necessary authentication credentials, facilitating the interaction and management of Azure resources by NC2.

References:

Nutanix Documentation on NC2 Setup

Azure Active Directory Application Registration Guide

Network Security Groups (NSGs):NSGs control the inbound and outbound traffic to and from Azure resources. For traffic between on-premises CVMs and NC2 CVMs in Azure, the NSGs associated with the Flow Gateway VM's Internal NICs must be configured to allow the required traffic.

Editing NSGs:To enable traffic flow, specific rules must be added to the NSGs to permit traffic from the on-premises network to the NC2 environment. Thisincludes specifying the appropriate source and destination IP ranges and the necessary ports and protocols.

References:

Azure Network Security Groups Documentation

Nutanix NC2 Networking Configuration Guide

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

Azure Resource Providers: To prepare an Azure subscription for NC2, specific resource providers must be registered to enable necessary services and resources.

Required Providers:

Microsoft.Network: This provider is essential for networking functionalities, including virtual networks, subnets, and other network resources necessary for NC2 deployment.

Microsoft.Nutanix: This provider is specifically required for integrating and managing Nutanix resources within the Azure environment.

Other Providers:

Microsoft.HybridNetworkandMicrosoft.HybridCompute: These are not specifically required for NC2 but might be relevant for other hybrid or extended network configurations.

Conclusion: Registering both "Microsoft.Network" and "Microsoft.Nutanix" ensures that all necessary network and Nutanix-specific resources are available for NC2 deployment.

References:

Azure Resource Providers Documentation

Nutanix on Azure Setup Guide

For configuring connectivity between an on-premises datacenter and Azure, the two supported options are:

VPN (Virtual Private Network):Site-to-Site VPN allows you to create a secure connection from your on-premises network to Azure over the public internet using IPsec/IKE protocols.

ExpressRoute:Provides a private connection between your on-premises infrastructure and Azure, ensuring traffic does not traverse the public internet.

Both options provide secure and reliable connectivity, with ExpressRoute offering enhanced performance and security due to its private connection.References

Azure VPN Gateway

Azure ExpressRoute Overview

VPN for Connectivity:A VPN (Virtual Private Network) allows secure connectivity between the on-premises datacenter and Azure over the public internet without requiring dedicated infrastructure.

Ease of Setup:VPNs are typically easier and quicker to set up compared to dedicated connections like ExpressRoute, making them suitable for organizations without existing dedicated connection infrastructure.

References:

Azure VPN Gateway Documentation

Nutanix NC2 Connectivity Guide

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

NC2 Cluster Node Limit: NC2 on Azure has specific limitations regarding the maximum number of nodes supported in a single cluster.

Maximum Nodes: According to the current NC2 on Azure guidelines, a single cluster can support up to 18 nodes.

Workload Support: This limitation ensures optimal performance and management of resources within the Azure environment.

Comparison of Options:

14 nodes: Less than the maximum supported.

24 nodes and 28 nodes: Exceed the maximum supported, potentially leading to performance and management issues.

Conclusion: For supporting new workloads, the maximum number of nodes in an NC2 on Azure environment is 18.

References:

Nutanix Clusters on Azure Technical Specifications

Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets 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

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

Account Administrator Role:This role grants the necessary permissions for managing the Azure account, including the ability to open, close, or extend a support tunnel. These capabilities are crucial for the Nutanix Support team to perform diagnostics and troubleshooting efficiently.

Permissions Included:The Account Administrator role encompasses broader account management rights, ensuring that the user can interact with various support and operational aspects of the NC2 environment within Azure.

References:

Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) Documentation

Nutanix NC2 Support Tunnel Requirements

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

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

ERP Configuration: ERP (External Route Prefix) settings determine how traffic is routed between subnets and VPCs.

Objective: The goal is to isolate Darren-Tier3 while ensuring proper routing for Tier1 and Tier2.

Transit VPC ERP: Setting it to 10.0.0.0/16 ensures that it covers the entire VPC range, allowing traffic within Tier1 and Tier2.

Servers ERP: Setting it to 10.0.4.0/24 ensures isolation for Darren-Tier3 by limiting traffic to that specific subnet and preventing external traffic from reaching it.

Conclusion: This configuration achieves the isolation of Darren-Tier3 while allowing proper routing for Tier1 and Tier2.

References:

Nutanix Networking Documentation

Azure Virtual Network Documentation

Role Requirements: The task involves creating and managing multiple organizations and clusters, along with managing user access across the company.

Role Capabilities: The "Customer Administrator" role is designed to provide extensive administrative capabilities, including:

Creating and managing organizations.

Managing clusters.

Handling user access and permissions.

Comparison of Roles:

Cluster Administrator: Primarily focuses on managing individual clusters but does not encompass organization-wide administrative tasks.

Customer Security Administrator: Focuses on security-related tasks and does not have broad administrative capabilities across organizations and clusters.

Organization Administrator: Manages organizational settings but might not cover all aspects needed for multiple clusters and user access management.

Conclusion: The "Customer Administrator" role meets all the requirements for managing organizations, clusters, and user access comprehensively.

References:

Nutanix Role-Based Access Control Documentation

NC2 on Azure User Roles Guide