NCP-CI-Azure Exam Results

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

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

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

Other Destinations:

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

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

: Related to development and API documentation, not necessary for initial deployment.

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

References:

Nutanix NC2 on Azure Network Configuration Guide

Azure Network Security Documentation

Port Requirements: The specified ports (22, 2009, 2020, 2049, 3260, 9440) are commonly used for various services and require TCP communication.

Port 22: SSH

Port 2009: Used for Nutanix internal communication

Port 2020: Nutanix services

Port 2049: NFS

Port 3260: iSCSI

Port 9440: Nutanix Prism management

Communication Type: To ensure proper disaster recovery setup, bi-directional communication is needed to allow traffic to flow both from on-premises to Azure and vice versa.

TCP Protocol: These ports use the TCP protocol, which provides reliable communication between devices.

Conclusion: Creating a bi-directional (TCP) rule on the firewall allows the necessary communication for disaster recovery processes.

References:

Nutanix Networking and Security Documentation

Azure Networking Documentation

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

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

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

Comparison of Options:

14 nodes: Less than the maximum supported.

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

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

References:

Nutanix Clusters on Azure Technical Specifications

Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets Documentation

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

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

References:

Azure Marketplace Documentation

Nutanix Licensing Guide