Nutanix Certified Associate Practice Exam

What is a recommended method to ensure that an Active Directory domain controller VM starts first and shuts down last during maintenance operations in Nutanix?

1. Configure Start/Stop Priority

2. Configure VM guest restrictions

3. Configure VM as Agent VM

4. Configure Affinity for the VM

The correct answer is: Configure VM as Agent VM

The recommended method to ensure that an Active Directory domain controller VM starts first and shuts down last during maintenance operations in Nutanix is to configure the VM as an Agent VM. This configuration allows you to designate the VM as one that should participate in specific operations related to power management, such as starting and stopping according to defined priorities. Agent VMs are designed to interact more effectively with the infrastructure, particularly in scenarios involving dependencies between different VMs. When a VM is configured as an Agent VM, it can help maintain the operational integrity of critical services, like a domain controller, by ensuring its availability during the startup and shutdown processes. This is particularly important for domain controllers, as they play a crucial role in authentication and service management within a network. By ensuring the domain controller is started before other dependent VMs and is one of the last to be shut down, you are protecting the overall stability and functionality of the Active Directory environment. Understanding VM roles and their dependencies helps maintain a smooth operation during maintenance, ensuring high availability and minimizing downtime for critical services.