Nutanix NCP-CN study plan

Diagram the NKP component stack from memory: management cluster, workload clusters, CAPI controllers, and the bootstrap/control-plane node roles, labeling each API boundary.

Trace the full lifecycle of a workload cluster creation request from CLI invocation through Cluster API reconciliation to a Ready node.

List the prerequisites an on-prem Nutanix environment must satisfy before an NKP management cluster can be deployed, and explain why each matters.

Compare NKP's supported cluster topologies (single-node, multi-node management, self-managed) and state which fits a given small-lab versus production scenario.

Perform management cluster creation, then create and delete a workload cluster in a lab, capturing the CLI output at each stage.

Execute a cluster upgrade and a node scale-out/scale-in, recording what changes in the control plane versus worker nodes.

Configure and validate the Nutanix CSI driver installation on a workload cluster, confirming StorageClass binding and PVC provisioning.

Explain how Nutanix Volumes and Nutanix Data Services differ from CSI-backed persistent volumes and when each is the right choice.

Deploy a StatefulSet that consumes CSI storage, then demonstrate volume expansion and snapshot/restore of its PVCs.

Map the Kubernetes networking layers on NKP: pod CIDR, service CIDR, CNI plugin behavior, and kube-proxy or replacement dataplane.

Configure a LoadBalancer-type Service and trace how the load balancer IP is allocated and advertised in a Nutanix environment.

Compare MetalLB-style bare-metal load balancing with a Nutanix-integrated load balancing approach, listing tradeoffs for each.

Configure ingress for an application on NKP and verify end-to-end traffic flow from client to pod.

Diagnose a deliberately broken Service-to-pod connection using DNS resolution, endpoint, and network policy checks in sequence.

Describe NDB's architecture: database server VMs, the NDB management plane, and how database instances are provisioned and cloned.

Provision a database instance through NDB and register a Kubernetes workload to consume it, documenting the connection path.

Perform NDB operations: clone a database, apply a patch, and take an on-demand snapshot, recording time-to-completion for each.

Explain how NDB supports database high availability and which operations are non-disruptive versus requiring downtime.

Describe NC2's architecture: the Prism Central extension, cluster registration, and the boundary between on-prem and cloud infrastructure.

Compare NC2 deployment models across supported public clouds and state the operational differences that affect networking and storage.

Deploy or walk through an NC2 cluster registration and validate that a workload can be scheduled onto it from the management plane.

Plan a hybrid workload placement decision: given latency, data gravity, and licensing constraints, justify where each component belongs.

Explain how NKP clusters on NC2 differ operationally from NKP clusters on native Nutanix infrastructure, focusing on networking and storage backends.

Identify the failure domains and blast radius in a multicluster NC2 plus on-prem topology.

Instrument an application with metrics and logs, then build a dashboard that surfaces pod health and storage latency.

Apply least-privilege RBAC to a namespace and demonstrate that an over-broad role is rejected by policy.

Configure backup and restore for both Kubernetes resources and CSI persistent volumes, then execute a full restore drill.

Define RPO and RTO targets for a stateful workload and verify the configured backup schedule meets them.

Re-derive the NKP, networking, storage, NDB, NC2, and observability fundamentals from blank pages without notes.

Complete a timed practice set weighted to the domain percentages, then categorize every miss by domain and root cause.

Re-run the two weakest lab exercises from earlier weeks until both succeed without reference material.

Write a one-page decision cheat sheet mapping common scenario triggers to the correct Nutanix component.