Nutanix Certified Master – Multicloud Infrastructure 6.10 is the next certification level after NCP-MCI 6.10.
Since version 6.5, this exam has changed its format, and now it is not a familiar test but laboratory work in a live Nutanix multi-cluster environment with a certain number of scenarios and tasks that need to be completed. The closest analogies are any of the Red Hat exams.
Next, we will look in more detail at what the exam is and the list of topics, as well as the preparation procedure.
Note: This is an updated version of my NCM-MCI 6.5 prep guide.
Briefly about the exam:
The exam requires you to perform a set of scenarios and tasks in a live laboratory environment. According to the blueprint, the number of scenarios is 17. The time allotted for the exam is 180 minutes. The maximum number of points that can be scored is 6000. The passing score is 3000. Scenarios have different weights, which means that simply completing half of them may not be enough.
The cost of the exam is $299, but sometimes you can get a promo code for a 50% or even 100% discount, so you should stay tuned for news on next.nutanix.com, as well as the Twitter account Nutanix University.
You can take the exam either at the PSI test center or online.
Since I took the exam online, I will briefly describe the requirements:
- You must have a document confirming your identity. The first and last name must be in Latin;
- Having a computer/laptop with a webcam and microphone;
- Stable Internet connection;
- There should be nothing unnecessary in the room, and especially behind the workplace where the exam is being taken. It is preferable to have a completely clear table that contains only a keyboard and mouse. Additional displays, TVs, etc. will need to be turned off;
- Of course, there should be no third parties in the room, and it should be quiet.
Pay attention to points 2 and 3. It is a practical exam, and completing tasks on a laptop with a small display will be extremely inconvenient, so I strongly recommend using a computer with a large display to take this exam. It will be much more convenient. Using two displays is prohibited.
A stable Internet connection is also important because it directly affects the quality and speed of passing the exam. Given that the laboratory environment is accessible via a remote desktop, it would be inconvenient to frequently lose connection.
The exam is lengthy, and you may take a short break during it. To ask for a break, you can use a special button on the top of the exam program.
What is the exam?
It is better to see once than to hear a hundred times. Nutanix University posted an excellent video on the YouTube channel that will introduce you to what the laboratory environment looks like, what the exam itself looks like, and the procedure for passing it. The video also shows an example of completing one of the exam tasks.
The author of the video, Joshua Andrews, is one of the developers of this exam.
When receiving remote access, several elements will be placed on the desktop:
- Exam instructions containing tasks, addresses and access accounts;
- Browser to access the Prism and Prism Central interfaces;
- A set of files that may be needed for some scenarios,
- A documentation that can and should be used. A good tip here is to familiarize yourself with how to use Acrobat Reader’s multi-document search, which will help you find something among multiple documents;
- Postman for executing API requests;
- Putty for connecting via SSH.
The examination panel itself consists of three sections:
- Numbers of tasks, by switching between which we gain access to a specific task;
- Instructions for the task – what needs to be done and where. Each task specifies the cluster where the tasks need to be performed;
- Clusters information – addresses and accounts.
An important and not very convenient point related to the laboratory environment. According to test center policy, the Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V key combination is not available. Copy and paste operations should be performed using the mouse. RMB-Copy, RMB-Paste.
Let’s move on to preparation:
Nutanix recommends taking this exam to specialists with at least five years of experience in IT infrastructure maintenance and at least three years of experience working with Nutanix solutions, in particular.
The candidate must have a thorough understanding of configuring the Nutanix Platform, troubleshooting and maintenance, and be able to analyze business objectives and requirements. The successful candidate should also be able to work with command interfaces as well as APIs.
Remember, you must demonstrate these skills in practice by completing the assigned tasks.
To prepare for any exam, start by reviewing the official document that outlines the topics it will cover.
The Blueprint Guide for the NCM-MCI 6.10 exam can be found here.
In addition to the topics that will appear on the exam, Blueprint provides a list of recommended documents for preparing for each topic, as well as general preparation guidelines. You should carefully read Section 5 – Live Lab Exam Considerations. This section contains information about what the lab environment looks like and what documentation is available on the exam, as well as guidelines and helpful tips.
Unlike previous test prep articles, I will not post the main sections and topics from the Blueprint because there are too many of them. But let me remind you that to successfully pass the exam, you need to understand everything, or at least most of the topics, and in this case, in a practical sense.
Consider each topic of each section as a potential exam task. For example: “Identify VM settings for optimal performance according to SQL Server BPG”. Meaning, you should be familiar with the SQL Server Best Practice Guide and should know how to configure the VM using those best practices during the exam.
Theory and practice:
The exam requires excellent theoretical and practical preparation. You need to know how to complete the task and understand, based on the context of the question, how to do it in the most correct way, usually according to the provided requirements or following the best practices.
Online courses:
Advanced Administration and Performance Management (AAPM) — a free online course covering most of the theory, including best practices, disaster recovery, optimization, and troubleshooting.
You can take the course on the Nutanix University portal at no cost.
This is a fantastic course; it will guide you through most aspects of the platform management. It contains theoretical knowledge on most of the exam topics and demos covering them as well. If you do not have the opportunity to test something in your environment, those demos could be very useful.
Practice:
I usually put this section at the end of articles about preparing for theoretical exams, but it should be first here.
In the context of this exam, you should open Blueprint and practice on the covered objectives. Haven’t configured log redirection and syslog? – It’s time to try. Haven’t worked with the API? – It’s time to practice.
The best recommendation to practice without damaging a productive cluster is Nutanix Community Edition (Nutanix CE). You can even deploy Nutanix CE on a virtual machine; it’s not difficult and absolutely free. Currently, Nutanix CE aligns with Nutanix AOS 6.10, making it an ideal choice for exam preparation.
With one or even multiple Nutanix CE clusters, you can practice virtually every aspect of cluster management, including Prism Central, data protection, replication, and backup.
Let me remind you that I have an article on my website on how to deploy Nutanix Community Edition 2.0 in a VMware vSphere environment. It is a bit outdated, but the principle is still the same.
In addition, I have two guides on how to deploy Prism Central using the 1-Click Method and how to deploy it using Offline Bundle.
In my opinion, the perfect lab can look like two clusters, where one of them is a 3-node cluster, the second is a one-node cluster, and there is a Prism Central instance. This setup gives you an ability to test even DR features and scenarios.
Video:
I’m not a big fan of watching videos to prepare for the exam, but this is a practical exam, and I want to recommend this method as one of the main ones when preparing for NCM-MCI 6.10.
As always, I would like to recommend visiting the Nutanix University YouTube channel, where you can find many videos on all sorts of topics. There are also thematic playlists here.
One of these playlists was compiled specifically for preparing for the exam and is called NCM-MCI Certification Exam Prep.
Literature and official documentation:
Given the large number of topics that the exam covers, it will be difficult to recommend specific documentation. The advice here is traditional: open Blueprint, look at unfamiliar topics, and each topic lists the recommended literature. We use it in preparation.
Since access to documentation will be available during the exam, you should be able to navigate it effectively and know which document contains the desired topic (or alternatively, it is advisable to use the search function).
For example, earlier we talked about MS SQL Server and configuring it using best practices. If you are unsure what best practices for MS SQL Server are, make sure to check out the Microsoft SQL Server on Nutanix Best Practices document.
If you’re unfamiliar with how to work with the API, please refer to the Nutanix API Reference.
The blueprint also includes references to all these documents.
Check the knowledge:
Currently, I have not seen any tests for the practical exam, but the portal next.nutanix.com periodically conducts the so-called Monday Masterclass NCM, where questions are published that are very similar to those that may be encountered in the exam. By the way, by sending correct answers you can win a branded suitcase.
As of this writing, they have posted 5 such questions. The right responses will be released after a while.
Question 1;
Question 2;
Question 3;
Question 4;
Question 5.
As a conclusion:
Proper preparation, good practical skills, and knowledge of Nutanix functionality will be the key to passing this exam.
Before handing in, pay special attention to your workplace and the quality of your Internet connection. As already mentioned, taking the exam on a laptop with a small screen is not the best idea.
