NS0-185 Netapp NetApp Storage Installation Engineer - ONTAP Professional Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2026 Updated)

A 2-node switchless cluster is a special ONTAP configuration that allows two nodes to communicate directly without cluster interconnect switches. However, this design has strict scalability limitations.

NetApp documentation clearly states that switchless clusters are limited to two nodes only. Before adding additional nodes, the cluster must be converted to a switched cluster by installing cluster interconnect switches. This is a mandatory architectural requirement.

Installing interconnect switches provides the necessary redundant, high-speed connectivity required to support more than two nodes. Without cluster switches, additional nodes cannot participate in cluster communication, and ONTAP will not allow them to join.

Cluster peering and vserver peering are unrelated to cluster expansion and are used for replication and data access between clusters or SVMs. Enabling cluster HA is already inherent in a switchless cluster and does not address the physical connectivity requirement.

Therefore, before adding nodes to a 2-node switchless cluster, interconnect switches must be installed, making B the correct answer.

NetAppDocsprovides official installation documentation, posters, and step-by-step guidelines. It is the correct resource for resolving disk ownership and installation workflow issues.

After completing the initial configuration of a multi-node ONTAP cluster and its cluster interconnect switches, NetApp installation best practices require enabling proactive monitoring of the cluster network. TheCluster Switch Health Monitor (CSHM)is the ONTAP feature designed specifically for this purpose.

CSHM continuously monitors the health of supported cluster switches by collecting information such as switch configuration, port status, firmware versions, cabling, and error conditions. It validates this information against NetApp-supported configurations and best practices. When deviations or risks are detected, CSHM generates alerts and EMS messages that allow administrators to take corrective action before cluster communication is affected.

Cluster switch logging alone does not provide health analysis or proactive validation; it only records switch events. IPv6 is not required or recommended for cluster interconnect networks in standard ONTAP installations. Data Center Bridging (DCB) is used for specific Ethernet storage protocols and is not applicable to ONTAP cluster interconnect networks.

Therefore, enabling thecluster switch health monitoris the correct and required post-installation step.

Storage failover is acore ONTAP featureand does not require a separate license. As long as the hardware supports HA and the system is properly cabled and configured, storage failover is available by default.

Therefore,no license is required.

Physical installation of an AFF system requires specific tools. APhillips #2 screwdriveris required for securing rails and components. Alaptop computeris needed for console access, initial configuration, and validation. Acable management trayis necessary to properly route and secure cables, ensuring airflow and serviceability.

Additional network cables and slide rail kits are equipment components, not tools.

Therefore, the correct answers areB, C, and E.

AFF A250 systems use25GbE ports with breakout cablingfor cluster and HA traffic. When adding these nodes to switches running a standard Cluster-HA RCF, the switches must be updated to aCluster-HA-Breakout RCFto support breakout ports. The nodes must then be cabled to the breakout ports. Therefore,B and Dare correct.

ONTAP cluster networks support specific switch vendors validated by NetApp.Ciscois a supported and commonly used vendor for ONTAP cluster interconnect switches.

Other vendors listed are not supported for ONTAP cluster networks.

The cluster ping-cluster command is specifically designed to testinter-node cluster network connectivity, includinglatency, packet loss, and throughputbetween cluster nodes. This command generates synthetic traffic over the cluster interconnect and measures performance characteristics that directly affect cluster health and stability.

The command is commonly used duringpost-installation validation, cluster expansion, and troubleshooting scenarios involving cluster network performance. It provides insight into whether the cluster interconnect is operating within expected parameters.

Other commands listed do not provide this functionality. QoS workload statistics focus on application-level performance, network test-path validates reachability for LIF failover paths, and statistics node show reports internal node counters rather than inter-node network performance.

Therefore, the correct answer isB.

On AFF A220 systems, porte0Mis the dedicatedmanagement Ethernet portused for node management. This port is physically separate from data and cluster ports and is typically a 1GbE RJ-45 interface. In the exhibit, number1points to this dedicated management port.

ONTAP assigns the logical namee0Mautomatically to this physical interface, and it is reserved exclusively for management traffic. Administrators use e0M to configure node management LIFs, access the Service Processor (SP/BMC), and perform out-of-band management tasks.

Other numbered ports in the exhibit represent data, cluster, or console-related interfaces and cannot be used as e0M. Because ONTAP maps e0M to a fixed physical location on AFF A220 controllers, the correct answer is1.

As part of the ONTAP SAN solution assessment domain, NetApp defines strict rules governingcluster composition and scalability. ONTAP clusters support a maximum of24 nodes, and within that limit, clusters can includedifferent controller models, provided they are supported by the same ONTAP release and meet hardware compatibility requirements.

BothFAS8060andFAS8080controllers are supported within ONTAP clusters and can coexist in a single cluster configuration. NetApp installation documentation explicitly allows mixed-controller clusters as long as the controllers are compatible and running the same ONTAP version.

In this scenario, there are six total controllers available: three FAS8060 and three FAS8080. Since ONTAP supports heterogeneous clusters and there is no architectural limitation preventing all six controllers from participating, thelargest possible clusteris achieved by includingall six nodes.

Smaller cluster sizes—two, four, or five nodes—are technically valid but do not meet the requirement of providing thelargest possible cluster. The assessment objective focuses on maximizing usable resources while staying within supported configuration guidelines.

Additionally, ONTAP automatically manages performance balancing and high availability across mixed-controller clusters. Each node pair forms an HA pair, and ONTAP ensures consistent data access across the entire cluster fabric.

Therefore, the correct answer isD, a cluster made up of six nodes.

After installing a NetApp storage system, it is critical to validate the environment for configuration and cabling errors.Config Advisoris the NetApp-recommended tool specifically designed for this purpose.

Config Advisor performs automated checks against NetApp-supported configuration rules, including hardware cabling, HA setup, disk ownership, shelf connectivity, network configuration, and firmware compatibility. It identifies misconfigurations that could lead to operational issues if left unresolved.

FilerView and BNA are legacy or unrelated tools, and Synergy is not used for ONTAP installation validation.

Therefore, the correct answer isD (Config Advisor).

Default failover groups are defined bybroadcast domains. Therefore, the LIF fails over to any operational port in the broadcast domain.

AFF A250 systems use aconverged networking design, where the same physical ports are used for bothcluster interconnect traffic and HA interconnect traffic. This differs from older platforms that used dedicated HA interconnect ports.

The NetApp CN1610 switches only support10GbE, which is insufficient for AFF A250 systems. AFF A250 platforms require25GbE-capable cluster switchesto support both cluster and HA interconnect traffic.

Because the cluster ports are operational, the nodes can join the cluster. However, the HA interconnect traffic cannot be established due to insufficient switch capability, which explains why the NVRAM log cannot synchronize and the HA partner is unreachable.

Therefore:

The AFF A250requires switches with 25GbE port support

The AFF A250uses the same ports for cluster and HA interconnect

Statements involving 40GbE or separate HA ports are incorrect.

The correct answers areC and D.

NVMe access in ONTAP is controlled throughNVMe subsystems, not igroups. A namespace must be explicitly mapped to a subsystem to allow host access. If the namespace is not added to the subsystem, the host cannot discover or connect to it.

Additionally, NVMe access control relies onNQNs (NVMe Qualified Names). If the subsystem is configured with an incorrect host NQN, authentication fails and the host is denied access.

Igroups are used for iSCSI and FC, not NVMe, making options B and C incorrect.

Therefore, the correct answers areA and D.

Cluster peering enables data replication and disaster recovery features such as SnapMirror and SnapVault. LIF configuration for cluster peering follows specific ONTAP SAN concepts.

Each cluster participating in a peer relationship must haveat least one intercluster LIF per node. This ensures redundancy and allows ONTAP to balance replication traffic across nodes.

Additionally,intercluster LIFs must use the default intercluster service policy, which defines the permitted traffic types and security rules required for peering operations.

An MTU of 9000 is recommended but not mandatory. Dedicated broadcast domains or IPspaces are optional and depend on network design.

Therefore, the correct answers areB and D.