NS0-176 Cisco and NetApp FlexPod Implementation and Administration Practice Questions
Prepare for NS0-176 with more than an answer.
- Exam fee
- $150 USD
- Level
- Specialist
- Valid for
- 3 years
Domains covered on the exam 5
- Information Gathering for FlexPod Solutions20%
- FlexPod Design25%
- FlexPod Configuration30%
- FlexPod Administration15%
- FlexPod Troubleshooting10%
- 1
An organization wants to implement a multi-tiered application on a FlexPod. The web tier requires moderate performance and standard availability. The database tier requires the highest possible I/O performance and must be resilient to component failures. Which combination of Cisco UCS server types would be most appropriate for this design?
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Correct answer: C
Cisco UCS B-Series (blade) servers are ideal for stateless, scalable workloads like a web tier due to their high density and ease of provisioning via service profiles. UCS C-Series (rack) servers are often used for workloads requiring large amounts of local storage or specific PCIe cards, and they can be configured with more powerful CPUs and memory, making them a better fit for high-performance, resource-intensive database tiers. This combination leverages the strengths of both server types.
- 2
A client is concerned about the upgrade process for their new FlexPod solution. They want to ensure that firmware and software updates for all components (Cisco UCS, Nexus, and NetApp ONTAP) are performed using a validated and supported matrix to prevent compatibility issues. Which resource provides this definitive compatibility information?
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Correct answer: B
The NetApp Interoperability Matrix Tool (IMT) is the authoritative source for checking compatibility between NetApp products and third-party components. For FlexPod, the IMT provides specific, validated combinations of ONTAP software, Cisco UCS firmware, Nexus switch NX-OS versions, and hypervisor versions. Consulting the IMT before any upgrade is a critical step to ensure the solution remains supported and stable.
- 3
True or False: When configuring SAN boot in a FlexPod solution, the Boot LUN must be located in the root aggregate of the NetApp storage system.
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Correct answer: B
This statement is false. The root aggregate is reserved for ONTAP system files and is not intended for user data, including boot LUNs. Boot LUNs should be created in a data aggregate, just like any other data LUN. Placing user data in the root aggregate is against best practices and can cause system instability.
- 4
A company is deploying a FlexPod with Cisco ACI for network automation and micro-segmentation. Which component provides the integration point between Cisco APIC and NetApp ONTAP for automated storage provisioning based on network policies?
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Correct answer: C
Integration between Cisco ACI and NetApp ONTAP is achieved through API calls. The Cisco Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) can communicate directly with the ONTAP REST API to automate storage tasks. This allows for the creation of service graphs in ACI that can trigger storage provisioning actions on the NetApp array, such as creating volumes or LUNs and assigning them to the appropriate network endpoint groups (EPGs).
- 5
What is the function of the 'scrub policy' within a Cisco UCS service profile?
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Correct answer: C
The scrub policy is a security feature that defines the action to be taken on the local disks of a blade server when the service profile is disassociated. The options are typically 'no-scrub' (data is left intact) or 'scrub' (data is securely erased). This is crucial in multi-tenant or secure environments to ensure that data from a previous workload is not accessible to the next workload that gets provisioned on that same physical blade.
- 6
During the initial setup of a FlexPod solution, an administrator is configuring the Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects. To ensure that both Fabric Interconnects actively forward traffic for different sets of VLANs and act as the root bridge for their respective sets, which feature must be configured on the upstream Nexus switches?
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Correct answer: B
Virtual Port Channel (vPC) allows both Nexus switches in a pair to appear as a single logical switch to the downstream device (the UCS Fabric Interconnects). This enables the configuration of a port channel across two physical switches, allowing for active-active forwarding paths without being blocked by Spanning Tree Protocol. The UCS FIs can then be configured in an active-active manner for different VLANs, with proper STP root guard and other features ensuring a loop-free topology.
- 7
A solutions architect is designing a new FlexPod environment for a mixed-workload VDI deployment. A key requirement is to provide consistent, low-latency performance for persistent desktops while also cost-effectively storing user profile data that is accessed less frequently. Which NetApp storage configuration best meets these requirements within a single storage system?
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Correct answer: C
A NetApp FAS system with Flash Pool is the ideal solution for this scenario. Flash Pool allows the creation of aggregates that contain both SSDs and HDDs. The SSDs act as a high-performance cache, accelerating reads and writes for frequently accessed data like VDI boot volumes and active user sessions. The HDDs provide a cost-effective capacity tier for less frequently accessed data, such as user profiles and archives, all within the same aggregate and managed automatically by ONTAP.
- 8
An administrator is troubleshooting a SAN boot issue where a newly provisioned Cisco UCS B-Series blade fails to see its boot LUN from a NetApp AFF array. The zoning on the Cisco MDS switches is confirmed correct, and other blades in the same chassis can boot successfully using similar service profile templates. The administrator observes that the vHBA on the failing blade remains offline. What is the most likely cause of this issue within the UCS Manager configuration?
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Correct answer: A
For a vHBA to come online, it must be associated with a VSAN that is configured on the Fabric Interconnects and permitted on the uplink Fibre Channel ports connecting to the MDS switches. If the VSAN is missing from the uplink port's allowed list, the Fabric Interconnect cannot perform the necessary FLOGI (Fabric Login) on behalf of the vHBA, causing it to remain offline. Since zoning and other blades are correct, this points to a specific configuration issue related to the blade's service profile or the underlying network fabric configuration within UCS.
- 9
A FlexPod administrator needs to perform a firmware upgrade on multiple Cisco UCS B-Series blades. To ensure consistency and minimize manual effort, the administrator decides to use policies within UCS Manager. Which TWO policies are essential for managing the firmware versions of the blade server components? (Select TWO)
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Correct answer: A, C
- 10
True or False: In a standard FlexPod deployment, a vPC (Virtual Port Channel) peer-link must be established directly between the two Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects to enable active-active uplinks.
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Correct answer: B
This statement is false. The two Cisco UCS Fabric Interconnects form a high-availability cluster and are connected by dedicated L1/L2 ports for cluster communication. They do not use vPC between themselves. The vPC is configured on the upstream Cisco Nexus switches, making the pair of switches appear as a single logical switch to the Fabric Interconnects.
