Nutanix Certified Associate Practice Exam

To ensure data availability through two host failures in a 3-node Nutanix cluster, it's essential to configure the cluster for the appropriate level of redundancy. The correct answer includes both increasing the CVM memory and converting the cluster from Replication Factor 2 (RF2) to Replication Factor 3 (RF3).

Increasing the CVM memory to 24GB can enable better performance of the Virtual Controller Module (CVM) and support more concurrent operations, although it does not directly impact redundancy. However, it is important for overall cluster health and efficiency, particularly during stressful scenarios where multiple host failures occur.

Converting the cluster from RF2 to RF3 is the key step for achieving the desired data availability. In a Nutanix cluster, RF2 means that each block of data is stored on two hosts, which allows for one node failure. To withstand two host failures, the cluster needs to be configured for RF3, where data is stored on three different nodes. In this way, if any two nodes fail, the data remains accessible from the third node.

Therefore, both increasing the CVM memory and changing the replication factor to RF3 work together to improve both performance and ensure the necessary redundancy to maintain data accessibility during failures.