Free Practice Questions for Nutanix NCP-DB Exam

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”

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.

 NDB supports two modes of log backup management for Microsoft SQL databases: NDB-managed and 3rd-party managed. In the NDB-managed mode, NDB takes full control of the log backups and stores them in the Cerebro log location. In the 3rd-party managed mode, NDB allows the use of external backup tools to backup the logs from the database log destination. However, NDB still needs to capture the logs for its own operations, such as point-in-time recovery, clone refresh, and log catch-up. Therefore, NDB will periodically scan the database log destination and copy the logs to the Cerebro log location. This process requires that the log catch-up begins before the logs get backed up by the 3rd-party tool, otherwise NDB will miss some logs and the operations will fail. If the 3rd-party tool grants exclusive access to the logs, then NDB will not be able to capture them at all, and the operations will not be supported. References:

Nutanix Database Management & Automation (NDMA) course, Module 5, Lesson 5.2 - Log Backup Management

Nutanix Support & Insights, Nutanix NDB User Guide v2.5, Log Backup Management

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

In Nutanix Database Service (NDB), when an administrator deprecates a software profile version, it is marked as obsolete and restricted from certain operations. Specifically, a deprecated software profile version can no longer be used for provisioning new database instances or VMs. This ensures that only current, supported versions are utilized for new deployments, maintaining consistency and security. Existing database servers using the deprecated profile can continue to operate and may still be patched (if updates are compatible), but the profile itself is excluded from future provisioning tasks.

Option A is correct because deprecation explicitly prevents the profile version from being selected for new provisioning, aligning with NDB’s lifecycle management.

Option B (It can be used in provisioning) is incorrect as this contradicts the purpose of deprecation.

Option C (Any database server using that profile will be updated to the latest software profile) is incorrect because deprecation does not automatically update existing servers; it only affects new provisioning.

Option D (Any database server using that software profile can no longer be patched) is incorrect because patching existing servers is still possible if compatible updates exist, independent of the profile’s deprecated status.

Deprecation is a deliberate administrative action to phase out outdated profiles while preserving existing deployments.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 4: Managing Software Profiles, Section: Deprecating Software Profile Versions

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Software Profile Management in NDB"

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

NDB Agents handle log backups for database instances, but storing these backups locally can lead to bottlenecks (e.g., disk I/O, storage capacity). To alleviate this, integrating NDB with Nutanix Objects is the recommended solution. Nutanix Objects is an S3-compatible object storage service within the Nutanix ecosystem, ideal for offloading log backups from NDB Agents to a scalable, centralized storage platform. This reduces local storage pressure, improves performance, and ensures strict SLAs for database recovery by leveraging efficient backup retrieval.

Other options are less effective:

A: Integrating with AWS S3 or Azure Blob is possible but requires external connectivity and introduces latency, complexity, and cost compared to Nutanix Objects.

B: Adding NDB Agent VMs increases management overhead and doesn’t address the root storage bottleneck.

D: Increasing RAM/CPU on NDB Agents may help processing but doesn’t solve storage capacity or I/O issues for log backups.

Thus, C is the verified answer, aligning with Nutanix’s integrated ecosystem approach.

Official Nutanix Database Automation References

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

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

Nutanix NDB Administration Guide: "Integrating NDB with Nutanix Objects for Log Backups" section.

The correct answer is A because the Windows Domain profile is the profile that includes information related to the SQL service startup account and the NDB worker service account. A Windows Domain profile is a collection of settings that define how NDB manages Windows-based database servers and databases. It contains the following information:

The domain name and credentials to join the database server VMs to the domain

The SQL service startup account and password to run the SQL Server service on the database server VMs

The NDB worker service account and password to run the NDB Database Agent service on the database server VMs

The SQL Server authentication mode to use for the databases

By using a Windows Domain profile, the administrator can simplify the database provisioning process by applying the same settings to multiple database server VMs and databases, without having to manually enter them each time. The other options are not correct because they describe different types of profiles that do not include information related to the SQL service startup account and the NDB worker service account. Option B is not correct because the Network profile is a profile that defines the network settings for the database server VMs, such as the IP address, subnet mask, gateway, DNS, and VLAN. Option C is not correct because the Database Parameter profile is a profile that defines the database parameters for the databases, such as the memory, CPU, storage, and performance settings. Option D is not correct because the Software profile is a profile that defines the software settings for the database server VMs and databases, such as the database engine version, edition, and features. 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 Database Services: Database modernization with Era - Now available

After a DBA’s script corrupts an Oracle DB managed by NDB, the administrator needs to restore a clean copy using the latest available snapshot. The most straightforward action is to use the NDB Time Machine feature to select the most recent uncorrupted snapshot and create a new clone. This clone can serve as a restored version of the database, bypassing the corrupted data while leveraging existing snapshots for efficiency.

Option A (Fail the Oracle cluster over to a surviving RAC node) is incorrect because RAC failover is for HA, not corruption recovery via snapshots.

Option B is correct as it uses Time Machine to create a clone from a valid snapshot, addressing the corruption.

Option C (Use Time Machine to create a clone from file-level database backup) is incorrect because NDB primarily uses snapshots, not file-level backups, for cloning.

Option D (Provision a new Oracle DB and perform log catch-up) is incorrect because provisioning a new DB is more complex and unnecessary when a snapshot-based clone suffices.

This method ensures rapid recovery with minimal disruption.

References

Nutanix Database Service (NDB) User Guide, Chapter 5: Configuring Time Machines, Section: Restoring and Cloning from Snapshots

Nutanix Support & Insights, Knowledge Base Article: "Recovering from Database Corruption in NDB"

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

The administrator can remediate the issue of critical storage alerts by scaling up the storage directly from the Database Summary page for that specific DBA database. This action allows for an increase in storage capacity to alleviate space constraints and prevent future critical alerts related to storage space1. The other options are not correct, as they either involve scaling the entire database group, which may not be necessary or desired, or require additional steps outside of NDB, which may not be feasible or efficient. References:

1: Nutanix Database Automation (NCP-DB) course, Module 2: Database Provisioning, Lesson 2.4: Database Scaling, slide 5

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.