Portworx-Enterprise-Professional Pure Certified Portworx Enterprise Professional (PEP) Exam Questions and Answers

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When using shared authentication in Portworx, the Kubernetes secret that contains the authentication token or credentials is stored in the same namespace where the application requesting storage resides. This placement ensures that the application pods have access to the secret needed to authenticate to Portworx for volume provisioning and management. It enables a security boundary aligned with Kubernetes namespaces, restricting credentials to the scope of the application. Storing the secret in the default namespace or the Portworx installation namespace would be less secure or less flexible in multi-tenant clusters. Portworx authentication documentation highlights this design for efficient, secure access management in Kubernetes environments【Pure Storage Portworx Security Guide†source】.

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To migrate data from an existing PVC backed by another storage provider to a new Portworx PVC, the administrator typically creates a temporary pod (often using a lightweight container like busybox) that mounts both the source and destination PVCs. Within this pod, standard Linux file commands such as cp or rsync are used to transfer data between volumes. This approach leverages Kubernetes volume mounting capabilities and avoids downtime by enabling data migration without removing the source volume immediately. Portworx does not provide a direct pxctl import command, nor does it use a DataExport Cluster Resource for PVC data migration. This manual method is widely documented and recommended for stateful data migration tasks involving Kubernetes PVCs across different storage backends【Pure Storage Portworx Data Migration Guide†source】.

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Portworx provides a mechanism to control KVDB pod placement through the kvdb.selector.matchNodeName field in the StorageCluster Custom Resource Definition (CRD). This allows administrators to explicitly specify node names where KVDB pods will be deployed. By setting this selector to include NODE01, NODE03, and NODE05, KVDB pods will run exclusively on these nodes, ensuring better control of quorum, fault tolerance, and performance. Node labeling alone is insufficient unless the labels are properly referenced in the spec, making direct node name matching the most straightforward and reliable method. This configuration must be done prior to cluster installation to ensure proper pod placement. Official Portworx documentation on cluster deployment and KVDB configuration confirms this method as the recommended best practice for managing KVDB nodes, critical for maintaining database availability and consistency within the Portworx cluster【Pure Storage Portworx Install Guide†source】.

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Restricting Portworx installation on certain Kubernetes nodes is achieved by labeling those nodes with px/enabled=false. This label signals the Portworx Operator or installer to exclude these nodes from Portworx deployment. This allows admins to reserve nodes for other workloads or prevent Portworx from running on unsupported hardware. The label px/service=stop or px/storage-node=false are not recognized controls in the Portworx installation process. Portworx deployment guides consistently document the use of px/enabled=false for node exclusion, providing a simple, declarative way to control cluster topology and resource assignment during Portworx installations and upgrades【Pure Storage Portworx Deployment Guide†source】.

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Portworx requires a minimum Linux kernel version of 3.10 or greater to operate properly. This requirement stems from Portworx’s dependencies on certain kernel features and modules that became standard from kernel version 3.10 onwards. The kernel version affects support for device-mapper, overlay filesystems, network stack enhancements, and other low-level capabilities essential for Portworx’s block storage functionality and performance. Although newer kernels (like 4.15+) offer additional features and improvements, Portworx maintains compatibility back to 3.10 to support a wide range of enterprise Linux distributions such as RHEL, CentOS, and Ubuntu LTS releases. The official Portworx system requirements document explicitly states kernel 3.10 as the minimum supported version to ensure stability and compatibility in production environments【Pure Storage Portworx System Requirements†source】.

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On-demand snapshots in Portworx allow administrators and applications to create point-in-time copies of volumes instantly without requiring downtime or interrupting running workloads. This capability is critical in Kubernetes environments where high availability and continuous operation are mandatory. Snapshots capture the exact state of data at a moment, enabling rapid recovery from accidental deletion, corruption, or ransomware attacks. Since these snapshots are created live, applications continue to run seamlessly, ensuring minimal impact on user experience. Portworx’s snapshot technology uses efficient -on-write mechanisms, which also minimize storage overhead. Official Portworx documentation emphasizes that on-demand snapshots enhance data protection strategies by enabling quick backups and restores without requiring maintenance windows or complex scheduling【Pure Storage Portworx Snapshot Guide†source】.

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To verify a Portworx upgrade on Kubernetes, administrators use the pxctl get storagenodes command. This Portworx CLI command lists all storage nodes with detailed information including version, status, and health. By inspecting the version column, administrators can confirm whether all nodes have been successfully upgraded to the desired Portworx release. This command specifically queries Portworx daemons for accurate cluster version details, unlike kubectl get nodes which shows Kubernetes node info but not Portworx versioning. Portworx upgrade best practices stress using pxctl commands for detailed verification after an upgrade to ensure consistent cluster software versions and successful upgrade completion【Pure Storage Portworx Upgrade Guide†source】.

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Enabling Alertmanager in Portworx involves creating a Kubernetes Secret containing the Alertmanager configuration (such as alert routing rules and notification channels) and referencing this secret in the Portworx StorageCluster manifest. This integration allows Portworx’s monitoring stack to forward alerts to Alertmanager for centralized alert processing and notifications. Unlike ConfigMaps, which are generally used for non-sensitive data, Secrets protect sensitive alert configuration. Enabling Alertmanager via pxctl CLI is not supported as Portworx relies on Kubernetes declarative configuration for monitoring components. Additionally, deploying Alertmanager independently and integrating through webhooks requires manual setup but is not the recommended or integrated approach. Portworx official observability documentation details the secret-based configuration as the standard and secure method to enable and manage Alertmanager within Portworx clusters for robust alert handling【Pure Storage Portworx Monitoring Guide†source】.

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Portworx recommends using Prometheus, Alertmanager, and Grafana as the core technologies for monitoring Portworx clusters within Kubernetes. Prometheus scrapes metrics exposed by Portworx components and stores time-series data for analysis. Alertmanager handles alert rules and notification delivery, enabling administrators to respond to critical events promptly. Grafana provides a powerful visualization platform to build dashboards from Prometheus data, helping teams visualize cluster health, performance metrics, and capacity trends. This combination is widely adopted due to its native Kubernetes integration, scalability, and extensibility. Portworx documentation includes detailed guidance on configuring these tools to monitor metrics such as volume latency, node health, pool usage, and snapshot status, forming a comprehensive monitoring and alerting solution for production environments【Pure Storage Portworx Monitoring Guide†source】.

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When telemetry is enabled, Portworx deploys a telemetry pod on each node whose primary function is to collect diagnostic and performance data and securely upload it to Pure1, Pure Storage’s cloud-based management and analytics platform. This pod gathers metrics such as resource utilization, error rates, and configuration changes, enabling proactive monitoring and predictive analytics. The data helps Pure1 provide customers with actionable insights, alerting, and automated support features, improving cluster reliability and reducing operational overhead. The telemetry pod does not directly monitor node health (which is the role of other components) nor manage network settings; its focus is on data collection and communication with Pure1. Official Portworx telemetry documentation highlights this pod as critical for enabling cloud-based health monitoring and customer support enhancements【Pure Storage Portworx Telemetry Guide†source】.

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The pxctl command-line interface is the primary tool for managing and monitoring Portworx clusters. It provides detailed health information, including node status, volume health, storage pools, and alerts. Running commands like pxctl status or pxctl cluster status offers real-time visibility into the cluster’s operational state. While kubectl manages Kubernetes resources and helm handles package deployment, neither provides the specialized insight into Portworx storage internals that pxctl delivers. Portworx operational best practices emphasize using pxctl for health checks, troubleshooting, and maintenance tasks to ensure cluster reliability and performance【Pure Storage Portworx CLI Guide†source】.

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When security is enabled in Portworx, all commands, including those issued via the pxctl CLI, require authentication to access the cluster. If pxctl returns an “access denied” error, it means the CLI does not have valid credentials. To regain access, administrators must provide authentication details using the --user and --password flags or configure a context with an authentication token. The username and password are stored securely within the Kubernetes secret px-admin-token. Using these credentials ensures pxctl commands are authorized to perform management operations. Without authentication, Portworx enforces strict access controls to protect sensitive storage operations and data. While creating new contexts via pxctl context create is a valid method, initially supplying credentials is mandatory. Failure to authenticate prevents any management activity, reinforcing Portworx’s security posture. Official security guides outline these steps as fundamental to transitioning from unsecured to secured cluster operation and managing authenticated access effectively【Pure Storage Portworx Security Guide†source】.

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After configuring credentials for AWS S3 object storage, the administrator uses the command pxctl cloudsnap backup -cred-id to create a cloud snapshot backup of a Portworx volume. This command instructs Portworx to take a point-in-time snapshot of the specified volume and upload it securely to the configured S3 bucket using the referenced credentials. The command leverages Portworx’s cloud snapshot feature for disaster recovery and long-term retention. Option B relates to creating credentials and is not the backup command. Option C creates a local snapshot but does not back it up to the cloud. The Portworx CLI documentation highlights pxctl cloudsnap backup as the core method to perform backups to cloud object storage, enabling data protection strategies aligned with cloud-native architectures【Pure Storage Portworx Cloud Snapshot Guide†source】.

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The VolumeSnapshot Kubernetes resource provides metadata about snapshots of Persistent Volumes, including references to the parent volume and snapshot IDs. It represents a snapshot request and maintains information linking it to the source PVC and the actual snapshot data. This resource enables Kubernetes-native management of volume snapshots, allowing users to create, delete, and list snapshots declaratively. Portworx integrates with Kubernetes snapshot APIs and populates VolumeSnapshot resources with detailed information necessary for managing snapshot lifecycle and restoring data. The Kubernetes and Portworx documentation highlight VolumeSnapshot as the primary interface to monitor and interact with snapshot metadata, crucial for backup, restore, and disaster recovery workflows in containerized environments【Pure Storage Portworx Snapshot API Guide†source】.

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The DriveStateChange alert in Portworx indicates that free disk space on a storage device has fallen below the recommended threshold of 10%. This alert warns administrators that storage capacity on a particular disk is critically low and that immediate action may be needed to avoid performance degradation or failures. Monitoring disk space is essential to maintain cluster health and prevent data loss. Portworx automatically generates this alert as part of its proactive monitoring system, providing early warning so operators can add capacity, remove unnecessary data, or re-balance workloads. The alert documentation advises maintaining sufficient free space to ensure optimal performance and data durability in the Portworx cluster【Pure Storage Portworx Alerting Guide†source】.

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When integrating Portworx with an S3 Object Store secured by a custom or third-party certificate that is not signed by a public Certificate Authority (CA), administrators must manually provide the relevant CA certificate to Portworx. This involves creating a Kubernetes secret that contains the custom CA certificate and referencing this secret in the StorageCluster manifest through environment variables. This allows Portworx components to trust the certificate during TLS handshake with the S3 endpoint, avoiding connection failures due to untrusted certificates. Without this step, Portworx cannot securely communicate with the object store. The Portworx security and installation documentation highlights this practice as essential for secure Object Store integration in private or regulated environments where internal or custom PKIs are used【Pure Storage Portworx Security Guide†source】.

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Portworx integrates with three primary external secret stores to manage encryption keys securely: AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS), Google Cloud Key Management Service (Google Cloud KMS), and Kubernetes Secrets. AWS KMS enables secure key storage and management for workloads running in AWS, leveraging native cloud security features. Google Cloud KMS provides similar key management for Google Cloud environments, allowing seamless integration with Google’s security infrastructure. Kubernetes Secrets provide an on-premises or hybrid cloud method to store encryption keys and sensitive configuration securely within Kubernetes clusters, suitable for private data centers or cloud-agnostic deployments. This multi-cloud and hybrid cloud compatibility enable Portworx to meet diverse customer requirements for key management and regulatory compliance. Portworx security documentation details the setup, configuration, and best practices for each supported secret store to ensure data encryption keys are managed securely and efficiently across environments【Pure Storage Portworx Security Guide†source】.

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When troubleshooting a Portworx node that appears down, the first step is to verify the overall Kubernetes cluster health, particularly the node’s readiness. Running kubectl get node -o wide provides detailed information about all cluster nodes, including their status, roles, and network details. Ensuring the affected node is marked “Ready” or identifying any abnormal conditions helps isolate whether the problem is at the Kubernetes level or specific to Portworx. If the node is not Ready, issues may lie with Kubernetes components or node-level hardware/network problems. After confirming node status, further investigation using pxctl status or examining kubelet logs with journalctl can pinpoint Portworx-specific or system-level failures. Portworx operational best practices recommend starting with Kubernetes node health checks before delving into Portworx or system logs to effectively triage issues【Pure Storage Portworx Troubleshooting Guide†source】.

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Adding a new drive to an existing Portworx storage cluster involves bringing the physical device online for Portworx management. The correct command for this is pxctl service drive add -drive /dev/dm-1 -operation start. This command instructs Portworx to recognize and incorporate the new drive specified by the device path (e.g., /dev/dm-1) into its storage pool. After this operation, Portworx can use the drive for provisioning volumes or expanding capacity. The -operation start flag signals Portworx to initialize and prepare the drive for use. This method is part of Portworx’s dynamic storage management capabilities, allowing flexible scaling of storage resources without downtime. Official CLI documentation outlines this command as the supported approach to adding drives to running clusters safely and efficiently【Pure Storage Portworx CLI Guide†source】.