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The NKPA course details the process of creating an NKP cluster on vSphere using the NKP CLI, including the configuration of multiple node pools with specific worker node counts and CPU settings. The correct approach involves creating the cluster with the initial node pool and then adding additional node pools separately.

The steps inOption Aalign with this process:

nkp create cluster vsphere --worker-replicas 6 --worker-cpus 10: This command creates the NKP cluster on vSphere with the first node pool, consisting of 6 worker nodes, each with 10 CPUs.

nkp create nodepool vsphere --worker-replicas 3 --worker-cpus 8: This adds the second node pool to the cluster with 3 worker nodes, each with 8 CPUs.

nkp create nodepool vsphere --worker-replicas 3 --worker-cpus 6: This adds the third node pool with 3 worker nodes, each with 6 CPUs.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “To create an NKP cluster with multiple node pools on vSphere, use nkp create cluster vsphere to define the first node pool, then add additional node pools with nkp create nodepool vsphere, specifying --worker-replicas and --worker-cpus for each pool.” This method ensures precise control over each node pool’s configuration.

Incorrect Options:

B: The second nkp create nodepool command uses --replicas and --cpus, which are not the correct flags. The NKPA course specifies --worker-replicas and --worker-cpus.

C: The --node-pools, --worker-replicas 6,3,3, and --worker-cpus 10,8,6 flags are not supported in a single nkp create cluster command. Node pools must be created separately.

D: There is no nkp create nodepools command; the correct command is nkp create nodepool. Additionally, --replicas and --cpus are incorrect flags.

As stated in theNKPA 6.10 documentation, when using external storage (such as AWS S3) withLokifor log storage, AWS credentials must be provided securely. This typically involves creating a KubernetesSecretcontaining the static AWS credentials (access key ID and secret access key), which are referenced in the override ConfigMap to authenticate Loki’s S3 storage backend.

Key reference from documentation:

“For Loki to store logs in an S3 bucket, AWS credentials must be created as a Kubernetes secret and referenced in the storage configuration.”

A bastion host in a dark site environment serves as a secure entry point for managing the NKP deployment, providing access to the cluster infrastructure without direct Internet connectivity. The NKPA course outlines the prerequisites for preparing a Linux VM as a bastion host, focusing on secure access and time synchronization, which are critical for air-gapped Kubernetes deployments.

Get or create SSH Keys (Option B):The bastion host requires SSH keys to enable secure, passwordless access to the NKP cluster nodes and other infrastructure components (e.g., Nutanix AHV hosts). The NKPA course specifies that SSH keys must be generated or obtained and configured on the bastion host to facilitate secure communication during deployment and management tasks. The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “For a bastion host in an NKP dark site deployment, ensure SSH keys are created or obtained to enable secure access to cluster nodes and infrastructure.” The engineer can generate SSH keys using ssh-keygen and distribute the public key to the target systems.

Enable NTP Service (Option D):Time synchronization is essential in Kubernetes clusters to ensure consistent logging, certificate management, and scheduling. In a dark site with no Internet access, the bastion host must be configured to synchronize time with an internal NTP (Network Time Protocol) server or act as an NTP server itself. The NKPA course emphasizes enabling the NTP service on the bastion host to maintain accurate time across the air-gapped environment. The NCP-CN 6.10 Study Guide notes: “Enable the NTP service on the bastion host to ensure time synchronization in a dark site NKP deployment, as Kubernetes requires accurate time for proper operation.” The engineer can enable NTP using commands like systemctl enable ntpd and configure it to use an internal time source.

Incorrect Options:

A. Install LDAP Server: LDAP is used for centralized authentication, but it is not a requirement for a bastion host in an NKP dark site deployment. The course focuses on SSH access instead.

C. Install Docker: While Docker is needed on Kubernetes nodes for container runtimes, the bastion host’s role is to provide secure access and management, not to run containers.

The exhibit indicates an error during the creation of a bootstrap cluster using the nkp create bootstrap command in an air-gapped environment. The NKPA course explains that a bootstrap cluster is a temporary Kubernetes cluster used to initialize Cluster API (CAPI) components for provisioning the target NKP cluster. In an air-gapped environment, all required resources, including container images, must be available locally since there is no Internet access to pull them from public registries.

The most likely reason for the error is thatthe bootstrap cluster image needs to be loaded prior to creating the bootstrap cluster(Option B). The course specifies that in air-gapped deployments, the bootstrap cluster image (typically a kind or k3s image used by CAPI) must be pre-loaded into a local container registry or the bastion host before running nkp create bootstrap. This image is part of the Air-Gapped Bundle provided by Nutanix, which includes all necessary container images for NKP deployment. Without pre-loading this image, the nkp create bootstrap command fails because it cannot pull the required image.

The Nutanix Cloud Native (NCP-CN) 6.10 Study Guide states: “In an air-gapped NKP deployment, ensure the bootstrap cluster image (e.g., kindest/node) is loaded into a local registry or host before executing nkp create bootstrap, as the command requires this image to create the temporary cluster.” The engineer must extract the bootstrap image from the Air-Gapped Bundle, load it using docker load or similar, and configure the local registry to make it accessible during the bootstrap process.

Incorrect Options:

A. The CAPI provisioning method needs to be specified as nkp create bootstrap nutanix: The nkp create bootstrap command does not require a provisioning method like nutanix at this stage; the provider (e.g., CAPX for Nutanix) is specified during the actual cluster creation (nkp create cluster), not bootstrap creation.

C. The Ubuntu 22.04 OS image needs to be NIB-prepped prior to creating the bootstrap: The Ubuntu 22.04 image is for the target NKP cluster nodes, not the bootstrap cluster, which uses a pre-built image (e.g., kind). NIB-prepping this image is a later step.

D. The nkp create bootstrap command needs to be executed as root: While some commands may require elevated privileges, the NKPA course does not specify that nkp create bootstrap must be run as root. The error is more likely related to missing images in an air-gapped setup.