Nutanix NCP-MCA Dumps

InIntelligent Operations (X-Play) Playbooks, the syntax for string interpolation (using parameters) differs from Self-Service (Calm).

Playbook Syntax:X-Play uses thedouble curly bracesyntax {{ ... }} to reference parameters.

Example:To reference the name of the entity that triggered the playbook, the correct parameter string is {{trigger[0].source_entity_info.name}} or {{trigger[0].alert_entity_info.name}} depending on the trigger type.

Contrast:@@{...}@@ (Option B) is the syntax used inSelf-Service (Calm)macros, not X-Play Playbooks.

To make a specific task available for reuse across other blueprints and runbooks, an administrator can publish the task to the Task Library.

While working within the Blueprint or Runbook editor, an administrator can select a specific task they have configured. In the configuration pane for that task, there is an option to"Publish to Library". Selecting this saves the task (including its script and settings) to the central Task Library. Once published, the task appears in the Library list and can be imported into other blueprints or runbooks, ensuring consistency and reducing duplicated effort.

The "Environment" construct in Nutanix Self-Service is designed specifically to abstract infrastructure details from the end user while ensuring correct placement.

Within a single Project, an administrator can define multipleEnvironments(e.g., "Development" and "Production").

TheDevelopment Environmentis configured to map to theDevelopment Clusterand its associated networks.

TheProduction Environmentis configured to map to theProduction Clusterand its associated networks.

When a blueprint is launched, the user (or the application profile) simply selects the target Environment. The Self-Service engine then automatically directs the provisioning to the specific cluster defined in that Environment's settings, ensuring correct placement without requiring the user to know cluster details or manual intervention.

When configuring a Playbook in Intelligent Operations (X-Play), the "User Execution" settings allow the administrator to define a specific user context (impersonation) under which the playbook actions run.

However, for alocal user accountcreated in Prism Central to be available and valid for this impersonation, that usermust have logged into the Prism Central interface at least once. This login event creates the necessary user profile and mapping within the Prism Central database that X-Play requires to authenticate and execute actions on their behalf. If the user has been created but never logged in, they cannot be successfully used for playbook execution.

In Nutanix Self-Service (Calm), the Marketplace Manager is the specific administrative view used to govern the publication of blueprints.

When a developer submits a blueprint for publication, it enters a "Pending Approval" state. An administrator must access theMarketplace Manager, navigate to theApproval Pendingtab, and explicitly approve the blueprint. Only after this approval does the blueprint become visible to end-users in the standard Marketplace.

"Approval Policies" (Option C) refer to runtime restrictions (e.g., requiring approval toprovisiona VM), not the pre-publication governance of the blueprint design itself.

To automate a remediation action (like restarting a VM) based on a specific performance threshold (like CPU usage > 90%), the administrator must useIntelligent Operations (X-Play)with an event-driven trigger.

Alert-Based Trigger:The administrator first ensures there is an Alert Policy in Prism Central for "VM High CPU" configured with a threshold of 90%.

Playbook Configuration:The administrator then creates a Playbook and selects theAlerttrigger (orAlerts Matching Criteriatrigger). They link this trigger to the specific CPU alert policy.

Action:The administrator adds theVM Reboot(or Power Cycle) action to the Playbook.

Result:As soon as the system detects the CPU exceeding 90%, the Alert fires, which immediately triggers the Playbook to reboot the VM without human intervention.

Options A (Scheduled) and C (Manual) do not meet the requirement of "whenever it exceeds," which implies real-time reaction. Option B is incorrect because Project Quotas manage resource allocation limits, not runtime performance monitoring or remediation.

According to theSelf-Service Administration and Operations Guide(specifically the section on System Limits and Maintenance), the retention policy for soft-deleted entities is explicitly defined:

Retention Period:"Data related to deleted apps and blueprints is cleaned up after3 months."

This mechanism is part of the internal database maintenance ("garbage collection") to manage resource usage on the Prism Central/Self-Service VM while allowing for audit trails or recovery within a reasonable window.

To utilize aVM-Host Affinity Policy(which pins VMs to specific Hosts) in the context of a Self-Service Blueprint, the administrator must leverageCategories.

The Mechanism:

Infrastructure Level:The administrator creates a Category (e.g., License:Oracle) and assigns it to the specific Hosts in Prism Central. They then create an Affinity Policy that enforces "VMs with Category App:Oracle must run on Hosts with Category License:Oracle."

Blueprint Level (The Answer):In the Blueprint editor, the administrator cannot "select hosts" directly. Instead, theyassign the specific Prism Central Category(e.g., App:Oracle) to the Service (VM) definition.

Execution:When the blueprint is deployed, the VM is provisioned with that Category tag. The AHV scheduler immediately recognizes the tag and enforces the pre-existing Affinity Policy, ensuring the VM lands on the correct hosts.

Option A describes a non-existent workflow (Policies are typically global or environment-mapped, not "associated to a policy within a project" in this context). Options C and D refer to "Tags," but Nutanix uses the term "Categories" for policy enforcement.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

Self-Service platform sync allows Prism Central to periodically collect updates from external providers.

Nutanix documentation states that the providers supportingplatform sync with a 20-minute update windoware:

Nutanix (AHV)

VMware (vSphere)

AWS

These environments support the metadata collection necessary for tracking:

IP changes

Disk resizing

VM availability

Thus, the valid set isNutanix, VMware, and AWS, makingOption Ccorrect.

To scale out a Self-Service (formerly Calm) deployment from a single Self-Service VM (SSVM) to a multi-node cluster, the administrator must follow a migration-style procedure rather than an in-place expansion. According to the Self-Service Administration and Operations Guide section onSetting up Scale-Out Self-Service VM:

Backup:The process involves destructive cluster commands, so the administrator must first take a backup of the existing Self-Service data.

Deploy New VMs:The administrator must deploythree new Self-Service VMsusing the provided OVA/template. This ensures a clean, uniform environment for the new cluster. (Adding nodes to an existing, potentially drifted single node is not the standard procedure).

Restore and Cluster:The administrator must then run the specific cluster creation commands (such as cluster create with the IPs of the three new nodes) andrestorethe Self-Service data and configuration from the backup to the new cluster to retain all projects, blueprints, and users.

While the exact order of "Restore" and "Cluster Create" involves technical nuance (creating the service capabilities then populating the data), the key differentiator is that the administrator must deploythree new SSVMs(Migrate) rather than just adding two to the existing one, and must explicit perform arestoreoperation to migrate the data.

In the context of Nutanix Self-Service (Calm) Blueprints, anApplication Profileacts as a configuration wrapper that defines a specific variation of the application deployment.1

Combinations:It allows the blueprint developer to define multiple "sizes" or "flavors" of the same application (e.g., "Small," "Medium," "Large") within a single blueprint.

Variables:Each Application Profile maps specific values to the variables defined in the underlying Services and Packages. For example, the "Small" profile might set the vCPU variable to 2 and the Memory variable to 4GB, while the "Large" profile sets them to 8 and 32GB respectively.

User Experience:When a user launches a blueprint from the Marketplace, they select the desired Application Profile, which then determines the specific infrastructure resources (VM specs) and software packages that get deployed.2

Nutanix Self-Service governance supportsApproval Policiesthat enforce control over resource consumption and automation actions. Nutanix documentation states that approval policies:

Apply toblueprint deployments,runbook executions,day-2 actions, orresource scale-up requests.

Requireexplicit authorizationfrom a designated approver before the action proceeds.

Provide governance to ensure resource usage aligns with organizational policies.

Thus, Approval Policies existspecifically to require authorization before a user-triggered task is executed, makingOption C correct.

Options A, B, and D are unrelated to approval workflows.

To configure a Playbook to run with the permissions of a specific user rather than the default system context, the creator uses theExecute on behalf offeature.

Context:By default, Playbooks in Intelligent Operations (X-Play) may run with system-level privileges. However, for audit compliance or specific access control requirements (e.g., when an action involves an API call that requires specific user credentials or a ticket creation that needs a specific "Requester"), the administrator can configure the execution context.

Configuration:In the Playbook settings menu, the"Execute on behalf of"option allows the administrator to select a specific Prism Central user. When the Playbook is triggered, all actions within it are executed and logged as if that specific user had performed them manually.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation

Nutanix Self-Service requires aTunnel VMto establish communication between Prism Central and VPC-isolated workloads.

Documentation states that:

TheTunnel VM must be able to reach Prism Centralover a routable external network.

Anexternal subnetmust exist so the Tunnel VM can initiate outbound connectivity to PC.

Thus, the correct configuration is:

Create an external subnet to allow the Tunnel VM to reach Prism Central.

Therefore,Option Bis correct.

In Nutanix Self-Service (Calm) Projects, the "Allow Collaboration" setting controls the visibility and management of entities shared among project members.

Allow Collaboration Enabled:This allows any group member to see the VMs, applications, scheduler jobs, and other objects created by other members of the group. With the appropriate role permissions, they can also modify these shared entities.

Allow Collaboration Disabled:Project users can manageonlythe objects that they strictly created themselves. They cannot view or edit objects created by other users, even if they are in the same project.

To modify a Scheduler Job created by another user, "Allow Collaboration" must be enabled for that Project.

Creating and managingPlaybookswithin the Intelligent Operations (X-Play) feature of Prism Central requires an administrative role with sufficient privileges to define system-wide automation rules.

Prism Admin:ThePrism Admin(or Super Admin) role is explicitly required to create, edit, enable, and manage Playbooks. This role grants full control over the Intelligent Operations module.

Prism Viewer (A):This role has read-only access and can view Playbooks but cannot create or modify them.

Self-Service Admin (D):This role is specific to the Self-Service (Calm) application and its blueprints/projects, not the X-Play automation engine in Prism Central.

The scenario describes a "Zero Trust" style Security Policy (Flow Network Security) where all traffic is blocked unless explicitly allowed by a rule matching a Category.

The Rule:The policy specifically states that SSH (port 22) traffic is allowedonlyfor VMs tagged with the category AppType: Admin-VM.

The Issue:The deployed VM cannot be accessed via SSH. This indicates that the VM does not match the allow rule.

The Fix:The Blueprint used to deploy these Administrator VMs must be updated toassign the AppType: Admin-VM categoryto the VM service definition.

Once the VM is deployed with this tag, the Flow Security Policy will recognize it and permit the inbound SSH traffic. Assigning Web-Servers (Option B) would open port 443, not 22.

In the Nutanix Self-Service (Calm) Blueprint lifecycle, tasks are executed in a specific order relative to the provisioning of the infrastructure (Substrate).

Pre-Create Task:This is the specific phase designed to run scripts or set variablesbeforethe VM provision call is sent to the provider (AHV).

Workflow:

The developer creates a pre-create task (e.g., a Python script) to generate the custom hostname string based on logic (e.g., date, user input, or sequence).

The script outputs this string to a variable (e.g., @@{vm_hostname}@@).

The VM Service configuration (Substrate) references this variable in the "VM Name" or "Hostname" field.

Execution:When the blueprint launches, the pre-create task runs first, populates the variable, and then the VM creation occurs using that calculated name.

Tasks in post-create or package-install (Options B and C) runafterthe VM has already been provisioned and named, making them too late for this requirement.

To use (leverage) a Dynamic Credential (provided by an external IPAM or Secrets solution like CyberArk or Vault) within a project, the administrator must configure theProject Environment.

Workflow:

Navigate to theProjectsettings and select theEnvironmenttab.

In theCredentialssection of the Environment configuration, clickAdd Credential.

Select theCredential Provider(Dynamic) rather than a Static credential.

Result:This action effectively "adds" the dynamic credential configuration to that specific environment, making it available for blueprints launched within that context.

Option A ("Allow credential provider") usually refers to theInfrastructuretab where accounts are whitelisted, but the specific configuration of the credential itself happens via the "Add" action in the Environment.

In Nutanix Cloud Manager (NCM) Intelligent Operations (formerly Prism Pro/X-Play), the primary method for troubleshooting and validating Playbook behavior is through the Plays view in Prism Central.

When a Playbook is reported as not executing as expected, the administrator must examine thePlaystab (Execution History). This view provides a detailed log of all playbook activity, including:

Status:Whether the playbook succeeded, failed, or is in progress.

Trigger Details:Information regarding what specific event or alert triggered the playbook. If the playbook is not running at all, the administrator needs to verify if the "Idle VM" trigger conditions (e.g., CPU usage threshold, duration) are actually being met by the VMs in question.

Step-by-Step Execution:If the playbook triggered but failed during execution, the history details exactly which step failed and provides error messages (e.g., permission issues or API failures).

Options such as rebooting Prism Central or increasing quotas do not address the need to diagnose why specific automation logic failed to fire or complete. Modifying the execution context is a potential fix onlyafterthe execution history reveals a permission error, but checking the history is the mandatory first step to validate the configuration.

In Nutanix Self-Service (Calm), to share a Runbook across multiple projects, it must be published to the Marketplace.

When an administrator selects an existing Runbook and chooses the "Publish" option:

Secret Handling:The system strictly enforces thatsecrets (passwords/keys) are not published. The administrator is required to verify that no secret values are hardcoded. Any sensitive variables are stripped or must be set to runtime input during the publication process.

Project Selection:During the publication or approval workflow via theMarketplace Manager, the administrator configures theProject Sharingsettings. This determines which projects have access to view and execute the Runbook from the Marketplace.

It is not necessary to clone the Runbook first; the publication process itself creates the Marketplace entry derived from the source Runbook.

According to the Self-Service Administration Guide regardingError Handling in Runbook and Blueprint Tasks, there is a specific documented limitation regarding VM Power actions.

General Behavior:The error handling mechanism is designed to allow workflows to continue or alert when tasks (including VM Power On/Off) fail for reasons such as the Prism Central being unreachable or the VM being deleted.

The Exception (Option D):The documentation explicitly states:"Error handling, however, does not take into account the power on, power off, or restart task failures because of authentication errors."

If the "VM Power On" task fails specifically due to an authentication issue (e.g., token expiry or connectivity preventing authentication with the host), the standard error handling flow may not trigger as expected, matching the scenario described.

Option A is incorrect because Self-Servicecanhandle infrastructure task failures (like Power On), with specific exceptions like the one noted in D.

AProjectin Nutanix Self-Service (formerly Calm) acts as a logical container that defines the scope of operations for a group of users.

Primary Capability:The core purpose of a Project, once Self-Service is enabled, is to allow the users assigned to that project (Consumers, Developers, Operators) todeploy Blueprints(launch applications) andmanage the lifecyclesof the resulting workloads (VMs/Applications).

Scope:The Project restricts these users to specific Infrastructure (Clusters/VPCs), Environments, and Quotas defined by the administrator.

Exclusions:

Changing cluster-wide networking (A) and modifying global user roles (D) arePrism Admintasks, not capabilities granted to a Self-Service Project.

Managing global image repositories (B) is a Prism Central infrastructure task; Projectsconsumeimages but do not manage the global repository itself.

To automate a notification based on a specific change in the environment (such as a VM powering off), the administrator should leverageIntelligent Operations (X-Play)by creating an event-driven Playbook.

Event Trigger:The "VM Power Off" or "Power State Change" is a system-generatedEvent. X-Play allows administrators to select this specific event as aTrigger. This ensures the automation runs in real-time immediately when the state change occurs, rather than waiting for a schedule (as in Option A).

Action (Slack):X-Play includes a nativeSlackaction (or "Send to Slack"). The administrator configures this action with the Slack Webhook URL and the desired message content.

Why not others?

Option Ais reactive and delayed (polling every 6 hours).

Option Bonly runs once during the initial deployment of the blueprint, not continuously during the VM's lifecycle.

Option Csuggests a Webhook trigger, which requires anexternalsystem to invoke the Playbook. Here, the event originatesinternallywithin Nutanix, so an Event Trigger is the correct choice.

To configure and enforce resource limits within a Nutanix Self-Service (formerly Calm) project, the specific governance component known as thePolicy Enginemust be active.2

According to the Self-Service Administration and Operations Guide regarding thePolicy Engine and Quotas Overview:

Enabling the Policy Engine:You enable and use the policy engine to enforce resource quota policies for infrastructure resources (compute, memory, and storage) on Nutanix and VMware accounts.3

Prerequisite status:Until the policy engine is enabled in the Admin Center Settings, Prism Central cannot perform any quota checks or validation on resource consumption.4

Availability:The options to define resource quota limits (such as vCPU, Memory, and Disk fields in the Project configuration)appear only when you enable the policy enginein your Prism Central instance.5If the policy engine is not enabled, the Quota section in the Projects pages remains unavailable.6

Nutanix Prism Central includesPredefined Playbooks(System Playbooks) that cover common use cases (e.g., "Email on Alert"). These system playbooks are protected templates.

Immutability:You cannot directly edit or modify a Predefined Playbook (making Option D incorrect).

Cloning Workflow:To customize a Predefined Playbook—such as adding an additional action step like "Slack Notification" or "VM Snapshot" at the end—the administrator mustClonethe playbook.

Process:Select the Predefined Playbook -> Click "Clone" -> Save as a new User Playbook. The administrator can then fully edit triggers and actions in this new copy.

While this effectively creates a "new" playbook (Option B), the specific mechanism provided in the interface and documentation to leverage the existing definition isCloning.

The requirement to restrict VMs to specific physical hosts for licensing purposes is addressed usingVM-Host Affinity Policiesin Nutanix AHV, which relies onCategories. The complete configuration workflow is:

Categorization (Step 1):The administrator must create specific categories to tag the entities. One category (e.g., License:Oracle) is assigned to the specificHosts(the licensed ones). Another category (e.g., App:Database) is created for theVMs.

Affinity Policy (Step 2):An Affinity Policy is created in Prism Central that strictly enforces that any VM with the App:Database category must run on hosts with the License:Oracle category.

Blueprint Assignment (Step 3):In the Self-Service Blueprint, the administrator configures the VM service to automatically apply the App:Database category upon creation.

When the blueprint is deployed, the VM is created with the category, and the AHV scheduler immediately respects the Affinity Policy, ensuring the VM only starts on the licensed hosts.

Options A and C are incomplete (Categories alone do not enforce placement), and Option B (Playbook migration) is a reactive "fix" rather than a proactive placement constraint, which risks non-compliance at startup.

To configure access to a new cloud target (such as Oracle Cloud, AWS, Azure, or GCP) within Nutanix Self-Service (formerly Calm), the administrator must define the connection in theProviderssection.

Providers (Settings):This is the foundational configuration area where connection details, API endpoints, and authentication credentials for external infrastructure are defined. Before any Project, Environment, or Blueprint can utilize a new cloud, the "Account" or "Provider" definition must be created here.

Workflow:The administrator navigates to theProviders(or "Cloud Providers") tab, selects the provider type (using a plugin or generic provider if Oracle Cloud is not natively listed in the version), and inputs the necessary region and credential information.

Differentiation:

Environments (B)are subsets of a provider assigned to a specific Project.

Marketplace (A)is for publishing applications, not configuring infrastructure connections.

Nutanix Self-Service (Calm) is designed to model complex applications using Multi-VM Blueprints.

To support a multi-tier stack (Web, App, DB) deployable in a single action:

Multiple Services:The administrator defines three distinct Services within the blueprint editor, one for each tier.

Dependencies:The administrator defines boot dependencies (e.g., Database must be up before App Server; App Server must be up before Web Server).

Single Action:Once published to the Project, the end-user sees a single catalog item. Clicking "Launch" triggers the orchestration engine to provision all VMs and configure them in the correct order automatically.

In Nutanix Self-Service (formerly Calm), the Infrastructure tab within a Project is the designated location for configuring and assigning provider accounts.

When an administrator navigates toProjects>[Project Name]>Infrastructure, they can click"Add Infrastructure". This workflow presents the option to select:

Account:Cloud provider accounts (e.g., Nutanix AHV, AWS, Azure, VMware) that the project is allowed to use.

Credential Provider:External credential stores (if configured) or specific credential provider accounts that the project users can access for authenticating workloads.

The other tabs serve different purposes: "Users & Groups" handles RBAC, "Policies" handles Quotas and Approvals, and "Tunnels" handles VPC network connectivity.