NS0-520 NetApp Certified Implementation Engineer - San Ontap Practice Questions
Prepare for NS0-520 with more than an answer.
- Exam fee
- $150 USD
- Level
- Implementation Engineer
- Valid for
- 3 years
Domains covered on the exam 4
- ONTAP SAN Solution Assessment25%
- ONTAP SAN Concepts25%
- ONTAP SAN Implementation and Configuration35%
- ONTAP SAN Implementation Testing and Troubleshooting15%
- 1
What is the function of the
vserver iscsi connection showcommand in ONTAP?Show answer details
Correct answer: B
The
vserver iscsi connection showcommand is a key troubleshooting tool that displays details about active iSCSI sessions. It shows information such as the Target Session Identifying Handle (TSIH), initiator IQN, and the specific LIF being used for the connection. This is useful for verifying that hosts have successfully logged into the iSCSI target. - 2
In ONTAP, a LUN is a file within which containing object?
Show answer details
Correct answer: C
In NetApp's WAFL (Write Anywhere File Layout) architecture, a LUN is not a physical block device but is represented as a special file within a FlexVol volume. This file-based approach allows LUNs to benefit from volume-level features like Snapshots, thin provisioning, and deduplication.
- 3
An administrator observes that after a controller failover event in a two-node cluster, all FC LUNs remain accessible to the hosts, but with significantly increased latency. The hosts are configured with ALUA-aware multipathing software. What is the most likely reason for the performance degradation?
Show answer details
Correct answer: C
ALUA (Asymmetric Logical Unit Access) informs the host about optimized (local) and non-optimized (partner) paths. After a failover, the aggregates from the failed node are taken over by the partner. While paths to the LUNs are still available through the partner node's LIFs, they are now non-optimized paths. I/O must traverse the cluster interconnect, which adds latency. The host's multipathing software should recognize the path state change and switch to the new optimized paths, but if it fails to do so quickly or correctly, it will continue using the high-latency non-optimized paths.
- 4
Which two statements accurately describe SAN-specific data protection concepts in ONTAP? (Select TWO)
Show answer details
Correct answer: B, D
A LUN clone is a space-efficient, writable copy created from a LUN or a LUN Snapshot. It initially consumes minimal space because it points to the same data blocks as its source. New blocks are written only as the clone diverges from the parent.
While ONTAP Snapshots are crash-consistent by default, achieving application consistency (e.g., for databases) requires coordinating with the application to flush its memory buffers to disk. SnapCenter software integrates with applications like SQL Server, Oracle, and VMware to manage this process, ensuring the Snapshot captures a fully consistent state.
- 5
You are troubleshooting a connectivity issue where a newly configured Linux host cannot discover any NVMe namespaces. You have verified the following:
- The NVMe service is running on the SVM.
- The correct host NQN is in the subsystem map.
- The FC switch zoning is correct.
Which command on the ONTAP cluster would you use to verify that the NVMe LIFs are operational and online?
graph LR Host -->|FC| Switch Switch -->|FC| ONTAP_Node1 Switch -->|FC| ONTAP_Node2 subgraph ONTAP Cluster ONTAP_Node1 -- Interconnect --> ONTAP_Node2 endShow answer details
Correct answer: B
This command is the correct way to display all LIFs on a specific SVM that are configured for the
nvme-fcprotocol. The output will show the 'Operational Status' of each LIF (up/down) and the 'Administrative Status' (up/down), allowing the administrator to quickly verify if the interfaces are online and ready to serve traffic. - 6
A solutions architect is designing a new ONTAP SAN for a healthcare provider's VDI environment. The key requirements are predictable low latency and the ability to scale performance and capacity independently. The existing network infrastructure is 10GbE. Which ONTAP SAN protocol and configuration best meet these requirements?
Show answer details
Correct answer: B
iSCSI is the optimal choice as it leverages the existing 10GbE infrastructure, reducing costs and complexity. ONTAP QoS policies can be applied at the SVM or LUN level to guarantee performance for the VDI workload, providing predictable low latency. This approach allows for independent scaling of storage performance (by adding more nodes or faster media) and capacity without requiring a separate SAN fabric.
- 7
During the initial assessment for a new AFF A400 deployment, the implementation engineer discovers the customer's data center uses a top-of-rack switching design with limited physical rack space. The plan includes both FC and iSCSI connectivity. Which physical connectivity aspect is most critical to validate with the customer's facilities team?
Show answer details
Correct answer: C
In a top-of-rack design with limited space, ensuring the correct cable types (e.g., SFP+ DAC for short-run iSCSI, optical for FC) and lengths are available is critical to a smooth installation. Ordering incorrect cables can cause significant delays. While power and cooling are important, cable management and connectivity are often overlooked and are particularly challenging in dense, top-of-rack environments.
- 8
A customer is migrating from a legacy SAN environment to ONTAP. They want to ensure their host bus adapters (HBAs), FC switch firmware, and guest OS versions are fully supported. Which two NetApp tools should be used to validate the complete I/O path? (Select TWO)
Show answer details
Correct answer: B, C
The IMT is the primary tool for verifying end-to-end support for software and firmware components, including HBA drivers, switch firmware, and operating system versions.
The Hardware Universe is used to validate the compatibility of physical hardware components, such as HBA models, SFPs, and switches, with the NetApp storage controllers.
- 9
True or False: When using Asymmetric Namespace Access (ANA) with NVMe/FC in ONTAP, all paths to a given namespace are reported to the host as 'Optimized/Active'.
Show answer details
Correct answer: B
This statement is false. Asymmetric Namespace Access (ANA) is designed to inform the host about optimal and non-optimal paths. Paths to the node that owns the aggregate where the namespace resides are reported as 'Optimized/Active', while paths to other nodes in the cluster are reported as 'Non-Optimized/Active'. This allows the host's multipathing software to prioritize I/O on the most efficient paths.
- 10
A financial institution uses SnapMirror Synchronous (SM-S) to protect a critical database LUN. During a disaster recovery test, the primary site goes offline. What is the state of the LUN on the secondary site, and what action is required to bring it online for host access?
Show answer details
Correct answer: B
With SnapMirror Synchronous, the destination LUN is not directly accessible until the relationship is broken. In a disaster recovery scenario where the primary is unavailable, the
snapmirror breakcommand must be run on the destination SVM. This action promotes the destination volume to read/write, allowing the LUN to be brought online and mapped to hosts.
