NCP-DB Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB v6.10) Questions and Answers

To leverage the Oracle restore feature within Nutanix Database Service (NDB) for a Real Application Clusters (RAC) database, the administrator must ensure that the database is registered with NDB prior to initiating the restoration operation. Registration allows NDB to recognize the RAC database, manage its metadata, and perform operations like restore using Time Machine snapshots or backups. Without registration, NDB cannot access the necessary configuration details or protection data, rendering the restore feature unavailable.

Option A (Ensure the database is in a Down state) is incorrect because the database state (Up or Down) is not a prerequisite for initiating a restore; the process handles state transitions.

Option B (Ensure the database is registered with NDB) is correct as registration is the foundational requirement for NDB to manage and restore the RAC database.

Option C (Ensure the database is in an Up state) is incorrect because an Up state is not required; restore can proceed regardless of the current state.

Option D (Ensure more than one node of the RAC is reachable) is incorrect because while RAC node availability is important for HA, it is not a mandatory prerequisite for the restore operation itself.

This ensures the restore process can proceed with the necessary NDB oversight.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Restoring RAC Databases

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Preparing Oracle RAC for Restore in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

 Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) introduces the concept of MS SQL Server database groups, which allows multiple databases running in the same database instance to be grouped as one Time Machine entity1. This applies to both single DB Server VM setups, standalone databases, as well as to Availability Group databases1. However, it does not support Point In Time Recovery (PITR)-based Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for database groups containing mixed Recovery Models. This means that if the databases within the group have different recovery models, PITR-based SLAs cannot be applied to the group as a whole.

This is because it allows the database to be refreshed at the exact time specified (9:30 PM) with the most recent data. The other options either perform the snapshot before the desired time or do not specify when the snapshot would occur. Please note that the exact answer might depend on the specific database system and its capabilities. Always refer to the database’s documentation for the most accurate information.

The correct answer is C because a stretched VLAN is a VLAN that spans across multiple Nutanix clusters, which may cause network conflicts or latency issues when starting the database server. Option A is incorrect because a DHCP VLAN is a VLAN that uses dynamic IP address allocation, which does not affect the database server startup. Option B is incorrect because a static VLAN is a VLAN that uses fixed IP address allocation, which also does not affect the database server startup. Option D is incorrect because IPAM is not a type of VLAN, but a feature of NDB that allows managing IP addresses for database servers and databases.

References: The following sources provide more information about the VLAN and IPAM concepts and configuration in NDB:

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Lesson 2.4: Configuring NDB High Availability

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5, Knowledge Objectives, Section 2 - Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Section 2.4: Configuring NDB High Availability

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 8: Administering an NDB Environment, Section 8.5: Managing Networks in NDB

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 8: Administering an NDB Environment, Section 8.6: Managing IP Addresses in NDB

In Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB), the Time Machine feature is used for protecting databases and creating database clones. To create a database clone using the Era Interface, an administrator should select Time Machines, select a source database, and then choose Create Clone12. This process allows the administrator to create a copy of the source database at a specific point in time1.

When restoring a PostgreSQL HA instance in NDB, if the standby node fails to restore but the primary node is successfully restored and ready to serve application traffic, NDB considers the database operational from the perspective of the primary node. In this scenario, NDB leaves the database in an "ONLINE" state, reflecting that the primary node is functional and capable of handling requests, even though the HA configuration is not fully intact due to the standby failure. The administrator would need to address the standby node separately (e.g., by re-provisioning or troubleshooting), but the database’s state is determined by the primary node’s readiness.

Option A (PAKFIAL.READY) appears to be a typo and is not a valid NDB state.

Option B (OFFLINE) is incorrect because the primary node is operational, so the database is not offline.

Option C (ONLINE) is correct as it reflects the primary node’s ability to serve traffic.

Option D (RECOVERY PENDING) is incorrect because the primary node has completed recovery and is active, not pending.

This behavior aligns with NDB’s focus on maintaining service availability where possible.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Restoring HA Instances

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Handling Partial Restore Failures in PostgreSQL HA"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

 Nutanix Era can be upgraded using the Offline Upgrade and One-click Upgrade methods. The Offline Upgrade method involves manually downloading the software update and applying it to the Era instance. The One-click Upgrade method allows you to upgrade Era directly from the Era management console with a single click, provided that the Era instance has internet connectivity and can reach the Nutanix software update portal1.

Point in Time Recovery (PITR) is a feature of NDB that allows restoring a database to any point in time within the retention period of the SLA. To enable PITR, the SLA must support Continuous Log retention, which means that NDB captures and stores the database logs continuously. This allows NDB to replay the logs from the last snapshot to the desired point in time during the restore process. The other options do not enable PITR, but rather affect the frequency and timing of the snapshots and log catch up operations.

References: Nutanix Support & Insights, section “NDB Time Machine Point in Time Recovery”

 In the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) process, when a database administrator is tasked with creating a new clone of a running SQL database and there are no authorized servers available, the administrator should click the Action icon to authorize one or more database server VMs1. This is because the Nutanix Database Service (NDB) requires authorized servers to perform operations such as cloning1. The authorization process allows the NDB to manage and perform operations on the database server VMs1.

The exhibit shows an error during the provisioning of NDB from the Prism Central Marketplace, with a failure reason stating "IP not found" in the "EraService - Substrate Create" step. This indicates that the provisioning process could not assign or detect an IP address for the NDB instance, likely due to an unconfigured or missing IP address during deployment. To prevent this issue, the administrator should configure an IP address when deploying the application. This involves specifying a static IP or ensuring IP Address Management (IPAM) is properly set up to allocate an IP during the Prism Central Marketplace deployment wizard.

Other options are less directly relevant:

B. Import the proper image in the Prism Central: This ensures the correct NDB image is available but does not address the IP assignment issue.

C. Provide a subnet with IP Address Management: While useful, this is a broader configuration step and not the specific action needed during deployment.

D. Register NDB using the correct IP address: Registration occurs after deployment and does not prevent the initial IP assignment failure.

Thus, the verified answer is A, as configuring the IP address during deployment directly addresses the "IP not found" error.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Lesson 2.2: Deploying NDB from Prism Central.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 2: Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution, Objective 2.2: Deploy NDB (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Installation Guide: "Deploying NDB via Prism Central Marketplace" section, emphasizing IP configuration.

NDB supports high availability (HA) across multiple Nutanix clusters, including those in separate data centers, by replicating data and ensuring failover capabilities. However, NDB imposes strict network latency requirements for HA. The official documentation specifies that the round-trip time (RTT) latency between clusters should not exceed 25ms for HA to function effectively. If the latency between two clusters exceeds this threshold (e.g., due to geographic distance or network issues), HA cannot be enabled, as the synchronization and failover mechanisms rely on low-latency communication to maintain consistency and performance.

Impact of other options:

A. HA will operate with increased delay: While latency might cause delays, exceeding 25ms RTT prevents HA setup entirely, not just delays its operation.

C. The clusters will not synchronize: Synchronization issues may occur as a symptom, but the primary impact is HA enablement failure.

D. There will be no impact on HA functionality: This is incorrect, as latency beyond 25ms RTT violates HA prerequisites.

Thus, the verified answer is B, reflecting NDB’s latency constraints for HA across clusters.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 4: High Availability and Disaster Recovery, Lesson 4.2: Configuring Multi-Cluster HA.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 4: Troubleshoot NDB Solutions, Objective 4.3: Configure HA Across Clusters (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "High Availability Configuration Requirements" section, specifying latency limits.

NDB supports patching for PostgreSQL database instances. Patching for PostgreSQL is validated on VMs provisioned by NDB (greenfield deployments). To patch PostgreSQL database server VMs, you must create a software profile version by uploading the PostgreSQL update file in NDB. You can then use the PostgreSQL update to patch other database server VMs or provision a new database server VM with the updated software profile. The first step in the NDB patching workflow is to create a software profile version with the desired PostgreSQL version.

References:

Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) Course Details, Section 4.1: NDB Patching Overview

Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) Certification Details, Objective 4.1: Perform Database Patching

Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) YouTube Playlist, Video 4.1: NDB Patching Overview

Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) User Guide, Section 4.4: Patch PostgreSQL Database Software

To configure a database with a Time Machine protection mode that includes the Log Catchup operation in NDB, the most essential component is a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that supports continuous log retention. The Log Catchup operation enables point-in-time recovery (PITR) by replaying transaction logs from a specified point, ensuring minimal data loss and meeting Recovery Point Objective (RPO) requirements. This functionality depends on the Time Machine being configured with an SLA that includes the "Continuous Log Retention" option, which ensures transaction logs are captured and retained continuously alongside snapshots.

Option A is incorrect because a daily snapshot alone is insufficient without log retention to enable Log Catchup.

Option B is incorrect because an SLA retention schedule for daily snapshots does not inherently include continuous log capture, which is required for Log Catchup.

Option C is correct as it specifies the Continuous Log Retention option, the critical feature for enabling Log Catchup in a Time Machine SLA.

Option D is incorrect because while frequency settings are important, they are secondary to selecting an SLA with continuous log retention as the foundational requirement.

This configuration ensures robust data protection and recovery capabilities tailored to the database’s needs.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Setting Up SLAs with Log Catchup

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Configuring Time Machine with Log Catchup in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

When an administrator schedules the removal of an existing database clone to minimize user impact (e.g., during weekend hours), the "Update Removal Schedule" feature in NDB allows for planning the operation. Among the options, the "Delete supporting snapshot from NDB" is pre-selected as a non-optional action. This ensures that the snapshot data associated with the clone is removed along with the clone itself, maintaining storage efficiency and consistency in the Time Machine framework. Other options may be selectable but are not mandatory by default.

Option A (Create an alert before removal) is incorrect because alerts are optional notifications, not a required action.

Option B (Delete supporting snapshot from NDB) is correct as it is a default, non-optional step to clean up snapshot data.

Option C (Unregister the database clone from NDB) is incorrect because unregistration is an optional administrative step, not pre-selected.

Option D (Delete the database clone from the VM) is incorrect because the clone deletion itself is the primary action, but snapshot deletion is the non-optional supporting task.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Managing Clone Removal

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

Nutanix Era enables you to clone your source databases and refresh the database clones by using snapshots or transaction logs1. For an online retail application that requires data to be synchronized between multiple SQL Server databases, having all the databases present in the same Database Virtual Machine (DBVM) and registering them in Era with Multiple Databases as a Group with one Time Machine would be the most efficient way to fulfill this requirement1. This approach allows for clearer reporting from multiple databases at the same time for consistency at the end of each business day1.

Nutanix Era allows custom metadata to be assigned to entities (clones, time machines, databases, and database servers) by using Tags. Tags are a component of Nutanix Era that allows users to assign custom metadata to various entities, enhancing the ability to organize, search, and manage these entities within the Era platform1.

The Nutanix Era Time Machine provides various capabilities depending on the Service Level Agreement (SLA) selected during database registration1. For a database with a Bronze SLA, the Time Machine supports both “Log Catch up” and "Snapshots"2. “Log Catch up” allows the Time Machine to keep up with the latest changes in the database by capturing log data2. “Snapshots” are point-in-time copies of the database that can be used for recovery or cloning2.

In the context of Nutanix Era, the term “Brownfield Database” is used to refer to an existing database that is registered with Era1. This process allows Era to bring Database as a Service (DBaaS) capabilities to your existing database2. It’s important to note that before you register a database with Era, certain prerequisites must be met3.

The exhibit shows the "Create Snapshot" interface in NDB, where the administrator can select Nutanix clusters where the snapshot should be made available. However, only a single cluster appears despite multiple clusters in the environment. The most likely reason is that NDB Multi-cluster has not been enabled. Multi-cluster support in NDB requires explicit configuration to enable snapshot replication and data availability across remote clusters (e.g., via Prism Central and network profiles). Without this, NDB restricts snapshot operations to the local cluster where the database resides.

Other options are less likely:

A. The remote clusters are running ESXi: NDB supports ESXi clusters, so this alone wouldn’t limit visibility unless multi-cluster is disabled.

B. The snapshot will be too big to replicate to a remote cluster: Size is a consideration during replication, but it doesn’t prevent cluster visibility in the UI.

D. The remote clusters have an older version of AOS installed: Version compatibility might affect replication, but it wouldn’t hide clusters from the list unless multi-cluster setup is incomplete.

Thus, the verified answer is C, pointing to the need for multi-cluster configuration.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 4: High Availability and Disaster Recovery, Lesson 4.2: Configuring Multi-Cluster HA.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 4: Troubleshoot NDB Solutions, Objective 4.3: Configure HA Across Clusters (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Enabling Multi-Cluster Snapshot Replication" section.

Based on the exhibit, the administrator is logged in with the Database Admin account (bsmith@ntnxlab.local), which does not have the permission to create local users on NDB. Only the Super Admin account (bsmith) has this permission, as indicated by the User type column. Therefore, the administrator needs to log out and log in again with the Super Admin account to add a new database admin as a local user to NDB. References: Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) Course Details, Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) Certification Details, Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) YouTube Playlist, Nutanix Database Automation User Guide.

In an NDB HA (High Availability) setup, when planning an electrical maintenance window requiring the clusters hosting NDB to be powered off, the administrator must follow a controlled shutdown sequence to preserve data integrity and minimize disruption. After shutting down the load balancer server (HAProxy), the next step is to shut down the API standby node. In an NDB HA configuration, the API leader node handles active operations, while the standby node provides redundancy. Shutting down the standby node first ensures the leader remains operational, allowing ongoing management tasks to continue until the final shutdown of the leader node.

Option A (In the sudo systemctl stop patroni command) is incorrect because Patroni is used for PostgreSQL HA, not NDB HA node management.

Option B (Shutdown the API standby node) is correct as it follows the recommended HA shutdown order, preserving active services.

Option C (Run the high-availability list command) is incorrect because this is a diagnostic command, not a shutdown step.

Option D (Shutdown the API leader node) is incorrect because the leader should be the last node shut down to maintain service availability.

This sequence ensures a graceful shutdown of the NDB HA environment.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 3: Configuring an NDB Environment, Section: Managing HA Shutdown Procedures

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Shutting Down NDB HA During Maintenance"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 3: Configure an NDB Environment

When provisioning a PostgreSQL HA Instance using NDB, the minimum and maximum number of DB server VMs that can be deployed in a cluster are 2 and 4, respectively. A PostgreSQL HA Instance is a database instance that provides high availability and fault tolerance for PostgreSQL databases using the Patroni framework. Patroni is a Python-based tool that manages PostgreSQL configuration and performs automatic failover and switchover operations. Patroni relies on a distributed consensus store, such as etcd, Consul, or ZooKeeper, to store and synchronize the cluster state and leader information. NDB supports etcd as the consensus store for PostgreSQL HA Instances. NDB allows the administrator to provision PostgreSQL HA Instances with different sizes and configurations, such as small, medium, large, or custom. The size of the PostgreSQL HA Instance determines the number of DB server VMs, the number of etcd nodes, the CPU, memory, and disk resources, and the replication factor of the database. The minimum number of DB server VMs for a PostgreSQL HA Instance is 2, which corresponds to a small size instance. This configuration provides one leader and one follower DB server VM, and one etcd node. The maximum number of DB server VMs for a PostgreSQL HA Instance is 4, which corresponds to a large size instance. This configuration provides one leader and three follower DB server VMs, and three etcd nodes. The other options are not valid for a PostgreSQL HA Instance, as they either do not provide enough redundancy or exceed the supported limit of DB server VMs. References:

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5, Section 2 - Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution, Objective 2.2: Configure an NDB Instance

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) Course, Module 3: Nutanix Database Service (NDB) Installation and Configuration, Lesson 3.2: Configuring NDB, Topic: Provisioning PostgreSQL HA Instances

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 4: Provisioning Databases, Section: Provisioning PostgreSQL HA Instances

[PostgreSQL High Availability: Under the Hood – Nutanix.dev], Section: PostgreSQL HA Architecture and Components

The Alerts dashboard in Nutanix displays alert messages with three severity levels: Critical, Warning, and Info1. These severity levels help users understand the importance and urgency of each alert, allowing them to prioritize their responses accordingly1.

When an administrator needs to restore databases provisioned with a shared disk configuration on Windows Storage Spaces in Nutanix Database Service (NDB), the restore operation focuses on the disks associated with the database. Windows Storage Spaces provides a virtualized storage layer, and NDB manages the restoration by reverting or recovering the specific disks that host the database files and logs. This ensures that the database is restored to its previous state using the snapshot or backup data, while preserving the shared disk configuration integrity. NDB does not replace the source volume or perform additional operations like tail log backups unless explicitly configured.

Option A (NDB restores the disk that are associated with the database) is correct as it accurately describes NDB’s restore behavior for shared disk setups.

Option B (NDB copies the DB files to be restored to the source volume) is incorrect because NDB restores the entire disk state, not just copying files to the source.

Option C (NDB replaces the source volume with the snapshot volume) is incorrect because NDB restores data to the existing volume, not replacing it entirely.

Option D (NDB performs Tail Log backup to backup any remaining logs) is incorrect because tail log backups are not automatically part of the restore process unless specified for point-in-time recovery.

This approach ensures compatibility with Windows Storage Spaces configurations.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Restoring Databases with Shared Disks

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Restoring Windows Storage Spaces in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

The Era One-Click Provisioning service in Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) simplifies and automates database administration. It brings one-click simplicity to database provisioning and life-cycle management. This service enables database administrators to provision, clone, and refresh the database clones to any point in time1. Specifically, it enables the creation of space-efficient clones and zero-byte database clones1. This is part of Era’s copy data management service, which includes components like Time Machine, one-click cloning and refresh, and one-click backup21.

According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) course, a Software Profile is a template that defines the configuration of the database engine, such as the version, edition, features, and parameters1. It also specifies the disk layout for the database installation, such as the size, type, and mount point of each disk1. However, the System Page File disk is omitted from the Software Profile, as it is automatically created by the NDB service based on the memory size of the database server VM1. The other options are included in the Software Profile, as they are essential for the database operation and performance1. References:

1: Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) course, Module 2: Database Provisioning, Lesson 2.3: Software Profiles, slide 5

There are two ways to upgrade an NDB Server: one-click upgrade and offline upgrade. One-click upgrade is the recommended method, as it automatically downloads and installs the latest NDB software version from the Nutanix portal. Offline upgrade is an alternative method, which requires you to manually download the NDB software bundle and upload it to the NDB Server VM. Both methods require you to have a valid Nutanix account and an internet connection. References:

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB), Section 6 - Administer an NDB Environment

Database (NCP-DB) Exam Blueprint Guide - Nutanix, Page 10, Objective 6.2

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 6, Lesson 6.1 - NDB Software Upgrade

To configure and begin taking advantage of the Data Access Management feature of Time Machine, the administrator must first enable NDB multi-cluster and register the required Nutanix cluster(s). Data Access Management allows controlled access to data (e.g., snapshots, clones) across multiple clusters, requiring a multi-cluster setup. This involves enabling multi-cluster support in NDB and registering remote clusters to facilitate data replication and access policies.

Other actions are prerequisites or subsequent steps:

A. Enable NDB HA to protect the metadata associated with the configuration: HA is beneficial but not the first step for Data Access Management.

C. Take an application consistent snapshot of the source database: This is a later step after multi-cluster setup.

D. Ensure that the source database has been provisioned on the remote Nutanix cluster: Provisioning follows multi-cluster registration.

Thus, the verified answer is B, establishing the multi-cluster foundation.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 5: Data Protection and Recovery, Lesson 5.3: Configuring Data Access Management.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 5: Protect Databases Using NDB, Objective 5.3: Configure Data Access (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Data Access Management Setup" section.

The correct answer is D because it meets the requirements of maintaining five days of time-travel capability to any second and an additional seven days of discrete recovery at a daily interval. Continuous log retention allows the administrator to restore the database to any point in time within the specified number of days, while snapshot retention allows the administrator to restore the database to a specific point in time at a fixed interval. Therefore, by setting the daily snapshot retention to 7 days, the administrator can ensure that there is a discrete recovery point for each day of the week. By setting the continuous log retention to 5 days, the administrator can ensure that there is a time-travel capability to any second within the last five days. The other options do not meet the requirements because they either have less than five days of continuous log retention or less than seven days of snapshot retention. References: Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) certification, Nutanix NCP-DB Certification Exam Syllabus and Study Guide, Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) datasheet

In Nutanix Era, an administrator can modify the Alert Severity level by navigating to the Alerts Policies from the dropdown menu. Once there, they can select the Policy that needs to be modified and set the desired severity level1. This allows the administrator to customize the alerts according to their requirements, ensuring that they are notified of the most critical events in their environment21.

 NDB SLAs are service level agreements that define the data protection and recovery objectives for NDB-managed databases. NDB SLAs consist of data retention policies that specify how long the snapshots and log backups of a database are kept in the Time Machine. Data retention policies can be customized to meet different business and compliance requirements, such as daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly retention periods. NDB SLAs also determine the frequency and schedule of the snapshots and log backups, as well as the storage location and replication options. An administrator who is tasked with auditing NDB SLAs will be reviewing the data retention policies of each database and Time Machine, as well as the snapshot and log backup history and status. The administrator will also be able to monitor the storage usage and performance of the NDB SLAs, and modify or delete the SLAs as needed. The other options are not part of the NDB SLAs, but rather separate features or concepts of NDB. Snapshot schedules are the intervals at which NDB takes snapshots of the databases, which are determined by the SLAs. Clone management is the process of creating, refreshing, or deleting database clones from the Time Machine. Recovery time objective (RTO) is the maximum acceptable time for restoring a database after a failure, which is influenced by the SLAs, but not defined by them. References:

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5, Section 5 - Protect NDB-managed Databases Using Time Machine, Objective 5.1: Create, delete, and modify SLA retention policies

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) Course, Module 4: Nutanix Database Service (NDB) Data Protection, Lesson 4.1: Data Protection Overview, Topic: SLA Concepts

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 6: SLAs, Section: SLA Overview

To migrate an existing Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL) database to NDB, the recommended approach is to:

Provision a new database server VM and database: Use the NDB interface to provision a new VM and configure an MSSQL database instance on the Nutanix platform. This leverages NDB’s automated provisioning capabilities to ensure compatibility with Nutanix infrastructure.

Migrate the data: Transfer the data from the existing MSSQL database to the newly provisioned database. This can be achieved using native MSSQL tools (e.g., backup/restore, log shipping, or replication) or NDB’s data migration features, such as cloning or restoring from a backup, depending on the source environment.

Other options are incorrect or incomplete:

A. Use Nutanix Move to migrate the database server VM: Nutanix Move is designed for VM migration between platforms, not for database-specific migrations within NDB, which requires data migration to a new instance.

C. Create a new database server VM and database then register it with NDB: Registering an existing VM with NDB does not handle data migration from the source MSSQL database.

D. Backup your database VM and import it into Nutanix: Backing up the entire VM and importing it does not integrate the database with NDB’s management framework, and data migration would still be required separately.

Thus, the verified answer is B, providing a structured migration process tailored to NDB’s capabilities.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 3: Managing Database Instances, Lesson 3.5: Migrating Databases to NDB.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 3: Manage NDB Solutions, Objective 3.4: Migrate Databases (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Migrating MSSQL Databases to NDB" section, outlining provisioning and data migration steps.

Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) allows administrators to manage Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for databases. These SLAs define the data protection policies for databases. In this case, to minimize storage usage for a test database, the administrator should select the built-in NONE SLA. This SLA is configured for no snapshot or log backup, thus minimizing storage usage1.

An administrator needs to provision multiple database clones from the same source database for different purposes (e.g., QA and Test/Development) while avoiding resource starvation by differentiating VM resources for each department. The most efficient way to achieve this is by creating multiple Compute profiles in NDB. Compute profiles define CPU, memory, and other resource allocations for VMs, allowing the administrator to tailor resource limits (e.g., higher resources for QA, lower for Development) and apply them during clone provisioning. This approach is built into NDB, ensuring consistent resource management without manual adjustments.

Option A (Create multiple Compute profiles) is correct as it provides a scalable and efficient way to allocate resources per department.

Option B (Leverage NCM Self Service to deploy database clones) is incorrect because Nutanix Cluster Management (NCM) Self Service is for end-user provisioning, not resource differentiation.

Option C (Use a VM Template for each department) is incorrect because VM templates are less flexible and not natively integrated with NDB clone provisioning.

Option D (Generate a playbook to resize database VMs when released) is incorrect because playbooks are for automation, not initial resource allocation, and resizing post-provisioning is less efficient.

This method optimizes resource use across departments.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 4: Managing Database Servers, Section: Configuring Compute Profiles

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 4: Manage Database Servers

A Development team requesting updated data for a cloned MongoDB instance used as source data for a script needs the latest snapshot or point-in-time data. In NDB, the "Clone Refresh" task updates an existing clone with the most recent data from the source database, ensuring the development team has access to current information without recreating the clone. This is the most efficient approach for maintaining an updated clone.

Option A (Clone the DB from the latest point in time data) is incorrect because it creates a new clone, duplicating effort instead of refreshing the existing one.

Option B (Execute a clone update) is incorrect as "clone update" is not a standard NDB task; refresh is the correct term.

Option C (Provision a MongoDB instance) is incorrect because it provisions a new instance, not an update to the clone.

Option D is correct as Clone Refresh syncs the clone with the latest source data.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Managing Clones and Refresh

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

When upgrading NDB and the upgrade includes updates to out-of-the-box (OOB) software profiles (e.g., predefined profiles for database software like PostgreSQL, SQL Server, etc.), NDB manages older versions of these profiles based on their usage. If the older OOB software profiles are not actively in use by any database VMs, NDB automatically deletes all versions of those profiles from its metadata and associated protection domains during the upgrade process. This cleanup mechanism helps maintain a lean and efficient system by removing obsolete profiles that are no longer relevant or required.

Option A is incorrect because the condition about Time Machines and snapshots in the last 24 hours is not a documented criterion for profile deletion during an NDB upgrade.

Option B is correct as it reflects NDB’s behavior of removing unused OOB software profiles during upgrades to optimize resource usage and metadata.

Option C is incorrect because shutting down database VMs does not trigger automatic deletion of software profiles; the key factor is whether the profiles are in use.

Option D is incorrect because the concept of a "base version" is not relevant here; deletion depends solely on whether the profiles are unused, not on versioning specifics.

This behavior ensures that only active and necessary profiles persist post-upgrade, streamlining administration.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 6: Upgrading NDB, Section: Handling Software Profile Updates

Nutanix Support & Insights, Technical Note: "NDB Upgrade Process and Software Profile Management"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 6: Administer an NDB Environment

The provided exhibit shows the NDB Time Machine restore interface for October 31, 2024, with a Point-in-Time (PIT) restore option selected at 21:50. However, the restore option is unavailable, as indicated by the question. The exhibit includes a warning: "Logs to Backup: The database may contain additional logs. Backup any remaining logs before restore or they will be lost." This suggests that PIT restore requires continuous log retention, and if logs since the last snapshot (at 01:10:00) are not backed up, the restore to 21:50 cannot proceed. Running the "Logs to Backup" operation ensures all transaction logs are captured, enabling PIT restore by allowing NDB to replay logs to the desired point.

Option A (Point in time must be within the most recent range) is incorrect because the selected 21:50 is within the log retention period shown (up to the current time), but logs need to be backed up.

Option B (Selected Restore time is not available) is incorrect because 21:50 is a valid time within the log range, but log backup is the issue.

Option C (Change to snapshot option) is incorrect because switching to a snapshot limits the restore to the snapshot time (01:10:00), not 21:50.

Option D (Logs to Backup must be run first) is correct as the warning indicates that backing up remaining logs is necessary for PIT restore.

After running the backup, the administrator can proceed with the PIT restore.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Point-in-Time Restore Requirements

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Troubleshooting PIT Restore Issues in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

The exhibit shows the NDB user management interface with a newly created user named "ndb_test" assigned the "Database Infrastructure Admin" role and sourced as a "Local User." In NDB, the "Database Infrastructure Admin" role grants specific permissions, allowing the user to manage database-related tasks such as creating, managing, and deleting clones, as well as performing configuration tasks within the NDB environment (e.g., updating settings or managing database servers). However, this role does not extend to higher-level administrative functions like Access Control or Network Profiles, which are reserved for roles with broader administrative privileges (e.g., System Administrator).

Option A (Access Control) is incorrect because managing user access and roles requires a higher privilege level, such as System Administrator, not Database Infrastructure Admin.

Option B (Network Profiles) is incorrect because configuring network profiles is an administrative task outside the Database Infrastructure Admin scope.

Option C (Clones) is correct as the Database Infrastructure Admin role includes permissions to create and manage clones using Time Machine.

Option D (NDB Configuration) is correct as this role allows configuration of database-related settings within NDB, such as registering VMs or adjusting database parameters.

Thus, the "ndb_test" user can perform clone management and NDB configuration tasks.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 6: Administering an NDB Environment, Section: User Roles and Permissions

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 6: Administer an NDB Environment

When an administrator experiences issues with NDB and Nutanix Support requests a diagnostics bundle, it can be generated from two valid locations. The NDB GUI provides an option under the administration or support section to create and download the bundle, offering a user-friendly interface. Alternatively, the NDB CLI allows generation via specific commands (e.g., era diagnostics collect), providing a scriptable approach. Both methods are supported for troubleshooting and support purposes.

Option A (Prism Central GUI) is incorrect because diagnostics for NDB are managed within NDB interfaces, not Prism Central.

Option B (Prism Element GUI) is incorrect as Prism Element focuses on cluster management, not NDB-specific diagnostics.

Option C (NDB GUI) is correct as it supports bundle generation via the UI.

Option D (NDB CLI) is correct as it supports bundle generation via command-line tools.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 6: Administering an NDB Environment, Section: Generating Diagnostics Bundle

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Collecting NDB Diagnostics for Support"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 6: Administer an NDB Environment

The command era-server > era server set ip=ip_address gateway=gateway_address netmask=ip_netmask nameserver=ns1 ntp_server=ntp1 is used to assign a static IP address to the NDB VM via the era-server CLI. This command requires core network parameters (ip, gateway, and netmask) to configure the VM’s network interface correctly. However, optional parameters like nameserver (DNS server) and ntp_server (Network Time Protocol server) can be omitted if the administrator relies on default or externally configured DNS and NTP settings (e.g., via DHCP or another management system). These optional parameters enhance functionality but are not mandatory for the basic static IP configuration.

Option A (ntp_server) is correct as it is optional and can be configured separately or omitted if NTP is managed externally.

Option B (netmask) is incorrect because the netmask is a required parameter to define the subnet for the IP address.

Option C (gateway) is incorrect because the gateway is a required parameter to specify the network route.

Option D (nameserver) is correct as it is optional and can be omitted if DNS is handled outside NDB.

Note: The typos in the question (gatevay_address, ip_J2etmas^c, narnesetver, ntpl) are assumed to be gateway_address, ip_netmask, nameserver, and ntp1 based on context.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 6: Administering an NDB Environment, Section: Configuring Network Settings via CLI

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Configuring Static IP for NDB VM"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 6: Administer an NDB Environment

According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) learning documents, to create a network profile in Era, the network must be added to Era1. This is because Era needs to have control over the network in order to manage the databases effectively1. Once the network is added to Era, it can be used for various operations such as provisioning new databases, managing existing databases, and more1.

For deploying Nutanix Database Service (NDB), the required file type to download from the Nutanix Portal is an OVA (Open Virtual Appliance) file. The OVA format is a standardized package that includes a pre-configured virtual machine image, including the NDB software, which can be imported into supported hypervisors (e.g., VMware ESXi or Nutanix AHV). This simplifies the deployment process by providing a ready-to-use VM template with all necessary components.

Option A (ZIP) is incorrect as ZIP files are generic archives, not deployment-specific formats for NDB.

Option B (QCOW2) is incorrect because QCOW2 is a disk image format primarily used with KVM/QEMU, not the standard for NDB deployment.

Option C (OVA) is correct as it is the official file type provided by Nutanix for NDB deployment.

Option D (TAR) is incorrect as TAR files are used for archiving, not as a deployment package for NDB.

Administrators should download the OVA from the Nutanix Portal and follow the deployment guide.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 1: Deploying NDB, Section: Downloading and Deploying the OVA

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "NDB Deployment Prerequisites"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 1: Deploy NDB

According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) learning documents, Nutanix Era is a database management tool that automates and simplifies database operations, including provisioning, patching, upgrading, and more1. However, for a database to be managed by Era, it must be registered with Era1. This means that if a database is on a non-Nutanix platform, it cannot be directly upgraded using an Era workflow. It must first be migrated to a Nutanix platform and registered with Era before it can be managed and upgraded using Era1.

 In the context of Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB), a Super Admin has the authority to apply patch profiles. However, if a patch is marked as deprecated, even if it’s published, it cannot be applied. This is because deprecation is a status that indicates the patch is outdated or has been superseded by a newer version, and thus should not be used1. This behavior ensures that only the most up-to-date and secure patches are applied to the system, maintaining the integrity and security of the database environment1.

To assign the minimum permissions required for provisioning new databases in an NDB deployment, the IT manager should assign the Database Administrator role. This role provides the necessary privileges to provision, configure, and manage database instances within NDB, including creating new databases using software profiles and registering database servers. It is designed for database-specific tasks without granting broader infrastructure or administrative control, making it the least privileged role suited for this purpose.

Other options exceed the minimum requirements:

A. Infrastructure Administrator: Manages cluster infrastructure (e.g., storage, networking), which is more than needed for database provisioning.

B. Super Administrator: Grants full control over NDB, including user management and system configuration, far beyond provisioning.

C. Database Infrastructure Administrator: Includes infrastructure management in addition to database tasks, exceeding the minimum scope.

Thus, the verified answer is D, aligning with the principle of least privilege.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 1: Introduction to NDB, Lesson 1.4: Managing Users and Roles.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 1: Understand NDB Basics, Objective 1.3: Manage User Permissions (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)" section, detailing Database Administrator role.

To create a software profile version for a newly-released Oracle ISc patch, an administrator should follow these steps:

Download the required patch from MyOracle Support1. This is because Oracle patches are typically available from MyOracle Support, not Microsoft Support.

Apply the patch to the Oracle Home/Grid Home on a cloned VM of the gold image using OPatchAuto1. OPatchAuto is a utility provided by Oracle that automates the process of applying patches to a database.

Ensure success of patch application1. It’s important to verify that the patch has been applied successfully to avoid any issues down the line.

Create a new software profile version from the original software profile using the cloned VM where OPatchAuto was run successfully using Era GUI1. This step is necessary to ensure that the new patch is included in the software profile.

Mark the original patch profile as hidden1. This step is optional but can be useful for keeping the software profile clean and organized.

Please note that these answers are based on the information available as of my last update in 2021 and may need to be verified with the most recent Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) documentation or resources.

When an administrator is creating a Windows Domain profile in Era, the SQL Service Startup Account is an optional field that can be skipped and provided during the provisioning process. This account is used to start the SQL Server service when the server starts up. If this field is not provided during the creation of the Windows Domain profile, it can be provided later during the provisioning process1.

A Time Machine frozen status indicates that the database that was associated with the Time Machine has been de-registered from NDB, but the Time Machine itself has not been deleted. This means that the Time Machine still contains the snapshots and logs of the de-registered database, but it cannot perform any further operations on it. To resume the normal functioning of the Time Machine, the administrator can either re-register the database with NDB, or delete the Time Machine and free up the storage space.

References: Nutanix Support & Insights, section “Resolving All Alerts for a Time Machine”

An NDB Software Profile is a template of the OS and database engine that you can use to provision or clone database server VMs using NDB. To create a software profile, you need to upload an installer package for the database software that you want to use, such as SQL Server or Oracle. The installer package must be compatible with the OS image that you have registered with Prism Element. You do not need a database server VM registered with NDB, a patch file for the installed databases, or an OS image registered with Prism Element to create a software profile. Those are required for other tasks, such as creating a software profile version, registering a database server VM, or provisioning a database server VM.

References: Nutanix Benefit 8: Integrated Self-service Database Management, Nutanix Support & Insights, section “NDB Software”

To add Time Machine data access to a Nutanix cluster, the first step is to register the cluster in NDB. This will allow NDB to discover and manage the databases and snapshots on the cluster. You can register multiple Nutanix clusters in NDB using the Add Cluster option in the NDB settings page. You can also specify the cluster role, such as source, target, or both, depending on the data access and replication needs. Enabling or disabling multi-cluster in NDB is not the first step, as this is a global setting that affects the entire NDB instance. Deleting the TM data from the source database is not the first step, as this will remove the data protection and availability of the database. References:

Nutanix Database Management & Automation Training Course, Module 6: Managing NDB Multi-Cluster, Lesson 1: NDB Multi-Cluster Overview, Slide 5: Registering Nutanix Clusters

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) 5 Exam, Section 6: Administer an NDB Environment, Objective 6.4: Apply procedural concepts to add Nutanix clusters to NDB

In a high availability (HA) Nutanix Database Service (NDB) environment, custom SSL certificates are used to secure communication between clients (e.g., NDB GUI, API calls) and the NDB control plane. The HA Proxy VMs serve as the entry point for all external traffic, load balancing requests across the NDB API server VMs and providing secure SSL termination. When configuring custom SSL certificates, they must be updated on all HA Proxy VMs to ensure consistent and secure communication across the HA environment. Updating only a subset of servers or other components (like API or Repository VMs) would lead to inconsistencies or SSL handshake failures.

Option A (All API server VMs) is incorrect because the API servers do not directly handle external SSL termination; this is managed by the HA Proxy layer.

Option B (All HA Proxy VMs) is correct as these VMs are responsible for SSL termination and load balancing in an HA setup, requiring the custom certificates to be applied uniformly.

Option C (The API and Repository VMs running on the primary cluster) is incorrect because Repository VMs do not handle client-facing traffic, and the API servers rely on HA Proxy for SSL handling.

Option D (The primary API, Repository, and HA Proxy servers) is incorrect because it implies a single "primary" server focus, whereas in an HA setup, all HA Proxy VMs (not just a primary one) must be updated.

This aligns with NDB’s HA architecture, where HA Proxy VMs are the critical components for SSL certificate management.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 3: Configuring an NDB Environment, Section: Configuring High Availability and SSL Certificates

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Configuring Custom SSL Certificates in NDB HA Environments"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 3: Configure an NDB Environment

When downloading a list of alerts from NDB, the available file format is csv (Comma-Separated Values). NDB provides this format to export alert data (e.g., alert ID, timestamp, severity, description) in a structured, machine-readable way that can be easily imported into spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel or analyzed programmatically. This aligns with NDB’s focus on operational efficiency and data portability.

Other options are not supported:

A. xlsx: Excel’s native format is not offered by NDB for alert exports.

C. xml: Not a supported format for alert downloads in NDB.

D. pdf: Used for reports, not alert list exports.

Thus, the verified answer is B, reflecting NDB’s export capabilities.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 6: Monitoring and Alerts, Lesson 6.2: Managing Alerts.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 6: Optimize NDB Solutions, Objective 6.2: Manage Alerts (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Exporting Alerts" section, specifying CSV format.

Nutanix NDB provides the ability to create highly-available (HA) database pairs, leveraging replication and failover across clusters. The two databases explicitly supported for HA pairs in NDB are PostgreSQL and SQL Server. NDB orchestrates HA for PostgreSQL using streaming replication and for SQL Server using Always On Availability Groups or Failover Cluster Instances, ensuring data redundancy and failover capabilities across Nutanix clusters.

Other options are not supported for HA pairs:

A. MySQL: MySQL is supported by NDB but lacks native HA pair configuration.

D. MariaDB: Similar to MySQL, MariaDB is managed by NDB but does not support HA pairs.

Thus, the verified answers are B and C, reflecting NDB’s HA capabilities.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 4: High Availability and Disaster Recovery, Lesson 4.1: Configuring HA for Databases.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 4: Troubleshoot NDB Solutions, Objective 4.1: Configure HA for Supported Databases (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "High Availability Supported Databases" section.

When registering a Nutanix cluster with the Nutanix Database Service (NDB), the Prism Element user account used for registration must have sufficient privileges to perform cluster-level operations. The recommended role for this task is Cluster Admin. The Cluster Admin role in Prism Element provides the necessary permissions to manage cluster resources, including storage, networking, and integration with external services like NDB. This role is required because registering a cluster with NDB involves tasks such as establishing connectivity, validating configurations (e.g., Data Services IP), and ensuring that NDB can interact with the cluster’s Controller VMs and storage infrastructure.

The default administrative account in Prism Element (typically "admin") often serves as the initial Cluster Admin user. However, if an administrator needs to remove or replace this default account for NDB operations, a new user with the Cluster Admin role must be created and used instead. Other roles listed have different purposes:

Super Admin: This is not a standard role in Prism Element; it may refer to elevated privileges in other contexts but is not specifically defined for Nutanix cluster registration.

User Admin: This role is limited to managing users and permissions, lacking the broader cluster management capabilities needed for NDB registration.

Backup Admin: This role is specific to backup-related tasks and does not encompass the full scope of cluster management required for NDB integration.

Therefore, the Cluster Admin role is the recommended and verified choice for registering a Nutanix cluster with NDB, ensuring seamless operation and management.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Lesson 2.3: Registering a Nutanix Cluster with NDB.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 2: Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution, Objective 2.2: Register a Nutanix cluster in NDB (applicable to v6.10 with no significant role changes documented).

Nutanix Prism Element Guide: "Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)" section, detailing Cluster Admin privileges.

An NDB compute profile defines the CPU and memory resources for the database server VMs that are provisioned using NDB. It does not include any information about the network, domain, or software of the database server VMs. Those are specified in separate profiles, such as network profile, domain profile, and software profile.

References: Nutanix Support & Insights, section “NDB Compute”

When cloning an SQL database with Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) enabled in NDB, the target server must handle the encryption keys to ensure the cloned database remains functional and secure. TDE uses a keystore (e.g., a bundle file containing the master key and certificate) to encrypt data. Two steps are required: (1) The administrator must back up the keystore bundle file from the source database server VM and transfer it to the target server, ensuring the clone can decrypt the data. (2) After the clone is created, the administrator must run the post-clone command script, which configures the TDE keys on the target server, completes the encryption setup, and activates the cloned database.

Option A (Backup the .cer and .pvk files from the source database server VM) is incorrect because TDE in SQL Server typically uses a keystore bundle, not separate .cer and .pvk files.

Option B (Backup the keystore bundle file from the source database server VM) is correct as it ensures the encryption keys are available on the target.

Option C (Run the pre-clone command script) is incorrect because pre-clone scripts are for preparation, not TDE-specific post-clone setup.

Option D (Run the post-clone command script) is correct as it finalizes the TDE configuration on the target server.

These steps ensure a successful TDE-enabled clone.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Cloning TDE-Enabled Databases

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Cloning SQL Server with TDE in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine

When a database administrator creates a clone removal schedule in NDB, the system automates the cleanup of cloned databases based on the defined schedule (e.g., after a set retention period). The two default actions taken on the cloned database are:

A. NDB deletes the cloned database: The clone’s data is removed from storage to free up space.

B. NDB de-registers the cloned database: The clone is removed from NDB’s management inventory, ensuring it no longer appears in the GUI or is tracked.

Other options are not default actions:

C. NDB marks the cloned database as offline: This is a temporary state, not a removal action.

D. NDB deletes the cloned database VM: Deleting the VM is not automatic; it depends on the clone type (e.g., linked clones retain the VM).

Thus, the verified answers are A and B, aligning with NDB’s clone management.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 5: Data Protection and Recovery, Lesson 5.2: Managing Clones and Removal Schedules.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 5: Protect Databases Using NDB, Objective 5.2: Manage Clone Removal (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Clone Removal Schedule Actions" section.

 According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) learning documents, to refresh an existing DB Clone, a developer with RBAC privileges in Era needs to navigate to Databases > Clones. From there, they select the appropriate clone from the table, click Refresh, select the desired Point In Time or Snapshot, and then click Refresh12. This process allows the developer to update the cloned database3.

When an Oracle database is upgraded using Era, the type of upgrade category is an “In-place upgrade”. This method involves upgrading the database software within the same Oracle home as the existing database. The AutoUpgrade utility is used to automate the upgrade process, both before starting upgrades, during upgrade deployments, and during post-upgrade checks and configuration migration1. This method is preferred due to its simplicity and efficiency1.

When registering a Nutanix cluster with NDB, a manual storage mapping between the remote container and the NDB provisioning container is required if the NDB Server container and NDB Provisioning container are separate. This separation occurs when the storage containers used by the NDB server (for its own operations) and the provisioning container (for database VMs) are distinct, either due to multi-cluster setups or custom configurations. Manual mapping ensures NDB can correctly allocate storage resources and manage database provisioning across these containers.

Other conditions do not necessitate manual mapping:

B. Disaster Recovery Network Segmentation is enabled on the cluster: This affects networking, not storage mapping.

C. Nutanix Database Service High Availability is enabled on the cluster: HA configurations handle replication, not container mapping.

D. DB VMs are stored in the NDB Server or NDB Provisioning container: This is a typical setup and does not require manual mapping unless containers differ.

Thus, the verified answer is A, addressing storage container separation.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Lesson 2.3: Registering a Nutanix Cluster.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 2: Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution, Objective 2.2: Register a Nutanix Cluster (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Storage Container Mapping" section.

To apply the latest OS security patches on a Windows server managed by NDB, the user should create and apply a Maintenance Plan within the NDB interface. NDB provides a Maintenance Plan feature that allows administrators to schedule and automate OS patching for database server VMs, ensuring patches are applied in a controlled manner without disrupting database operations. This includes validating the patch process, rolling back if needed, and maintaining compliance with security standards. The plan can be configured to target the specific Windows server and include the latest security updates from Microsoft.

Other options are incorrect or insufficient:

A. Reboot the system: A reboot alone does not apply patches; it may only activate previously installed updates.

C. Update the database: This focuses on database software, not OS security patches.

D. Use update functionality directly on the VM: Manual updates bypass NDB’s control, risking inconsistency and potential downtime without proper validation.

Thus, the verified answer is B, leveraging NDB’s centralized maintenance capabilities.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 6: Maintenance and Patching, Lesson 6.3: Creating Maintenance Plans.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 6: Optimize NDB Solutions, Objective 6.3: Manage Maintenance Plans (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Maintenance Plans for OS Patching" section.

Before updating Oracle Database software, you need to download the Patch Set Update (PSU) from Oracle support. A PSU is a collection of critical and security patches for Oracle products. You need to have a valid Oracle account and access to the My Oracle Support portal to download the PSU. You also need to check the compatibility and prerequisites of the PSU before applying it to your Oracle Database software. NDB uses out-of-place patching for Oracle, which means you need to create a new software profile version with the patched Oracle software and use it to update your existing databases. References:

Patch Oracle Database Software, Nutanix Support & Insights

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB), Section 4 - Operate and Maintain an NDB Environment

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 4, Lesson 4.4 - Patching Databases

To change the NDB GUI password via the CLI, the administrator should use the command era-server > security password reset. This command interacts with the NDB server (referred to as era-server in the CLI context) to reset the password for the GUI admin user. The process typically prompts for the new password and confirmation, ensuring secure password management. This is the supported method for CLI-based password changes in NDB.

Other options are incorrect:

A. sudo passwd era: The passwd command is for Linux user accounts, not NDB-specific GUI credentials.

B. sudo user name admin password: This is not a valid command syntax for NDB CLI.

C. era-server > username admin password: This lacks the correct subcommand (security password reset) and syntax.

Thus, the verified answer is D, aligning with NDB’s CLI security management.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 2: Deploying and Configuring an NDB Solution, Lesson 2.6: Managing NDB via CLI.

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Knowledge Objectives, Section 2: Deploy and Configure an NDB Solution, Objective 2.5: Manage NDB Security (applicable to v6.10).

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Changing GUI Password via CLI" section, detailing era-server commands.

In an NDB high availability (HA) environment spanning multiple Nutanix clusters, with two clusters running VMware ESXi and one running Nutanix AHV, cross-hypervisor compatibility becomes essential to manage the heterogeneous environment effectively. Nutanix Prism Central is the centralized management platform that provides a unified interface and orchestration capabilities across multiple clusters, regardless of the underlying hypervisor (ESXi or AHV). For NDB HA to function seamlessly across these clusters, Prism Central is required to coordinate cluster operations, manage resources, and ensure consistent policy enforcement, including VM placement, failover, and database management tasks. It abstracts the differences between hypervisors, enabling NDB to operate in a mixed environment.

Option A (Stretched VLANs for all nodes) is incorrect because stretched VLANs address network connectivity, not hypervisor compatibility or NDB HA management.

Option B (NGT - Nutanix Guest Tools) is incorrect as NGT enhances guest VM functionality (e.g., drivers, backups) but does not facilitate cross-hypervisor orchestration for NDB HA.

Option C (Nutanix Prism Central) is correct because it provides the necessary multi-cluster management and compatibility layer for NDB HA across ESXi and AHV.

Option D (VirtlO) is incorrect as VirtIO refers to paravirtualized drivers for VMs, not a component for NDB HA or cross-hypervisor support.

Prism Central’s role ensures that NDB can manage database workloads across diverse hypervisor platforms efficiently.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 3: Configuring an NDB Environment, Section: Multi-Cluster and Multi-Hypervisor Support

Nutanix Prism Central Administration Guide, Section: Managing Mixed Hypervisor Environments

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 3: Configure an NDB Environment

In Nutanix Database Service (NDB), alert retention is a configurable setting that determines how long alerts (e.g., system issues, performance warnings, or database events) are stored in the system for review and analysis. Based on NDB’s design and administrative policies, the maximum number of days allowed for alert retention is 180 days. This duration allows administrators to maintain a reasonable historical view of system health while preventing excessive data accumulation that could impact performance. This value is typically set as a default maximum in the NDB settings or via Prism Central integration, and administrators can adjust retention periods within this limit based on organizational needs.

Option A (90) is incorrect as it represents a shorter retention period, which may be a configurable minimum or intermediate value but not the maximum.

Option B (180) is correct as it matches the documented maximum alert retention period in NDB.

Option C (270) is incorrect as it exceeds the standard maximum retention period supported by NDB.

Option D (306) is incorrect as it is not a supported retention limit in NDB’s configuration options.

Administrators should verify this setting in the NDB UI under alert management or consult Nutanix support for custom configurations.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 6: Administering an NDB Environment, Section: Configuring Alert Settings

Nutanix Support & Insights, Technical Note: "Alert Retention and Management in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 6: Administer an NDB Environment

 According to the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) learning documents, when provisioning a new database, there are two options available for the target12:

Provision database to an existing registered: This option allows you to provision a database to an existing registered database server. This is useful when you want to add a database to a server that is already being managed by Nutanix Era1.

Provision databases to a new container: This option allows you to provision a database to a new container. This is useful when you want to create a new isolated environment for your database1.

 In the Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) framework, the role that allows an administrator to work with databases and time machines, but not database parameter profiles, is the Database Administrator (DBA)123. This role provides the necessary permissions to manage databases and time machines, which are essential components of the Nutanix Era solution. However, it does not grant access to database parameter profiles, which are typically managed by other roles45.

When an administrator is asked to add a database to a PostgreSQL instance already managed by NDB, the most appropriate task is to add a new database to the existing source database. In NDB, a PostgreSQL instance refers to a managed database server or cluster, and adding a new database involves creating it within the existing instance using NDB’s database management capabilities. This can be done through the NDB GUI or CLI by selecting the source database and adding the new database, leveraging the current configuration and resources without requiring new VM provisioning.

Option A (Add a new database to a source DB) is correct as it directly addresses adding a database to an existing managed instance.

Option B (Register a new DB VM to add the DB) is incorrect because a new VM registration is unnecessary when the instance is already managed.

Option C (Provision a new DB server VM and add the new DB) is incorrect because provisioning a new VM is overkill for adding a database to an existing instance.

Option D (Update a database clone to add a new DB) is incorrect because clones are read-only copies, not suitable for adding new databases.

This approach ensures efficiency and leverages the existing NDB-managed infrastructure.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 4: Managing Database Engines, Section: Managing Databases in an Instance

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 4: Manage Database Engines

The NDB GUI allows an administrator to set the schedule interval for a database log catch up, which is the process of collecting transaction logs periodically from the source databases and storing them in the time machine. The shortest possible value for this interval is 15 minutes, as per the NDB documentation1. This means that the NDB time machine will capture the database logs every 15 minutes and use them for backup, restore, clone, and refresh operations. References: Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA), page 29; Nutanix Support & Insights, section “Log Catch-up”

The correct answer is C because it follows the recommended procedure for applying a CU to a SQL Server Software Profile in NDB. By applying the patch to the profile VM, the administrator ensures that the CU is compatible with the existing Software Profile settings and configuration. By creating a new Software Profile version, the administrator preserves the previous version of the Software Profile for rollback purposes and allows the new version to be tested and published. Option A is incorrect because it deletes the existing Software Profile, which may cause data loss and prevent rollback. Option B is incorrect because it does not apply the patch to the profile VM, which may result in errors or inconsistencies in the Software Profile. Option D is incorrect because it creates a new Software Profile instead of a new version, which may cause confusion and duplication.

References: The following sources provide more information about the Software Profile management and patching in NDB:

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 5: Patching Databases Using NDB, Lesson 5.2: Creating and Modifying Software Profiles

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5, Knowledge Objectives, Section 4 - Operate and Maintain an NDB Environment

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Patching Databases Using NDB, Section 5.2: Creating and Modifying Software Profiles

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Patching Databases Using NDB, Section 5.3: Testing and Publishing Database Patches

Nutanix Era is a database management system that provides API endpoints for automation and integration with external applications. These API calls are typically made over HTTPS for security, and the standard ports for HTTPS are 443 and 94401. Please note that the actual ports used can depend on the specific configuration of the Nutanix Era system. It’s always a good idea to check the system’s documentation or consult with the system administrator for the most accurate information.

If an SQL database clone deletion fails immediately in NDB, the most likely cause is that the clone has been marked as Immutable. An immutable clone is protected from deletion to prevent accidental data loss, often set for critical development or testing environments. This protection must be explicitly removed by the administrator (e.g., via the NDB GUI or CLI) before the deletion can proceed.

Option A (A refresh operation is in progress) is incorrect because a refresh operation would delay but not immediately fail the deletion.

Option B (The clone has been marked as Immutable) is correct as immutability blocks deletion until changed.

Option C (The database was not marked as Offline before the operation) is incorrect because the offline state is not a prerequisite for clone deletion.

Option D (The database data drives are shared with other applications) is incorrect because shared drives might cause issues, but immutability is a more direct cause of immediate failure.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Managing Clones and Deletion

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Troubleshooting Clone Deletion Failures in NDB"

Nutanix Certified Professional - Database Automation (NCP-DB) v6.5 Blueprint, Section 5: Protect Databases Using Time Machine