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

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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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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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To enable Portworx metrics exposure compatible with external Prometheus servers, administrators must set the exportMetrics flag inside the Prometheus monitoring section of the StorageCluster spec. The correct configuration is:

spec:

monitoring:

prometheus:

exportMetrics: true

This declarative configuration directs Portworx to expose its internal metrics on Prometheus endpoints, allowing external monitoring tools to scrape these metrics for observability, alerting, and dashboarding. The operator-managed Portworx cluster leverages this configuration for integration with cloud-native monitoring stacks, ensuring seamless visibility into cluster health, performance, and resource utilization. Using CLI commands alone is insufficient for operator-managed clusters since they don’t persist settings or integrate with Kubernetes manifests. The official Portworx observability guide and operator documentation endorse this method as the recommended approach for metrics exposure and integration with Prometheus-compatible systems【Pure Storage Portworx Monitoring Guide†source】.

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Portworx requires swap to be disabled on Linux hosts where it runs. Disabling swap is necessary because swap usage can cause unpredictable latency and performance degradation for storage operations. Portworx relies on consistent and predictable I/O performance for managing block devices and volumes, which is incompatible with the potential delays caused by swapping memory pages to disk. Additionally, many Kubernetes environments recommend disabling swap to meet Kubernetes scheduler requirements, aligning with Portworx’s needs. Portworx installation and system requirements documentation explicitly state that swap should be disabled on nodes running Portworx to ensure cluster stability, optimal performance, and predictable behavior of storage operations【Pure Storage Portworx System Requirements†source】.

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To perform an ApplicationBackup in Portworx, two Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) are essential: BackupLocation and ApplicationBackup. The BackupLocation CRD defines the target backup storage, such as an S3 bucket or NFS share, including credentials and endpoints. ApplicationBackup defines the specifics of the backup operation, including which application volumes to back up, schedules, and retention policies. Together, they enable declarative backup management within Kubernetes, allowing administrators to configure, automate, and monitor backups of stateful applications using Portworx. These CRDs provide flexibility and integration with Kubernetes-native tools, improving disaster recovery capabilities. Portworx backup documentation describes these CRDs as the foundation of its application-aware backup and restore system【Pure Storage Portworx Backup Docs†source】.

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Enabling security in Portworx without allowing guest access involves explicitly setting both enabled: true under the security section and guestAccess: false within the auth subsection of the StorageCluster spec. This configuration activates Portworx security features, enforcing authentication and encryption while preventing unauthenticated (guest) access to volumes. The guestAccess flag controls whether clients without valid credentials can access storage resources; setting it to false tightens security by requiring all access to be authenticated. This declarative setup is managed via the Kubernetes operator, ensuring consistent enforcement across cluster restarts and upgrades. Portworx’s security documentation stresses this dual setting to harden clusters against unauthorized access while maintaining operational capabilities for authorized users, aligning with enterprise security policies and compliance standards【Pure Storage Portworx Security Guide†source】.

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Portworx primarily supports deployment on Kubernetes and is well-integrated with major cloud platforms including Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS offers native infrastructure and storage services that complement Portworx’s capabilities for cloud-native storage, including integration with Elastic Block Store (EBS) and S3 Object Storage. While Portworx historically supported container orchestrators like Docker Swarm and Mesosphere DC/OS (DCOS), the primary and recommended platform for production deployments today is Kubernetes on cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. AWS’s ecosystem allows Portworx to leverage scalable compute and storage infrastructure, advanced networking, and cloud security features, making it a preferred platform. Portworx official platform support documentation lists AWS as a key supported environment for its container storage solutions【Pure Storage Portworx Platform Support 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】.

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To view detailed information about storage pools in a Portworx cluster—including size, availability, usage, and health—administrators should use the command pxctl service pool show. This CLI command provides a comprehensive overview of all storage pools configured on cluster nodes, including pool IDs, device names, pool sizes, free space, and status. It helps administrators monitor resource utilization, detect degraded pools, and plan capacity expansions. While kubectl get storagecluster shows the overall cluster CRD status and pxctl cluster provision-status shows provisioning status, neither provides detailed pool-level insights. Portworx’s operational documentation recommends pxctl service pool show as the definitive command for monitoring pool resources and ensuring storage health across the cluster【Pure Storage Portworx CLI Guide†source】.

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Portworx requires a minimum of 4 CPU cores per node to operate efficiently. This minimum ensures sufficient compute resources to handle storage management operations, volume I/O, replication, and metadata services without performance bottlenecks. While more cores can improve throughput and scalability, 4 cores is the documented baseline for supporting production workloads and maintaining cluster responsiveness. The Portworx system requirements specify this CPU baseline to guarantee stable operation alongside other Kubernetes node workloads. Deployments with fewer CPU resources may face degraded performance or instability. Official Portworx hardware requirements recommend 4 cores or more per node to meet performance and reliability objectives in typical enterprise environments【Pure Storage Portworx System Requirements†source】.

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The primary command to back up a volume in Portworx is pxctl volume snapshot create. This command creates a point-in-time snapshot of the specified volume, capturing its state for backup or recovery purposes. Snapshots can be local or uploaded to cloud object stores as part of disaster recovery strategies. The snapshot operation is efficient and minimally intrusive, using -on-write mechanisms to avoid full data duplication. Although other commands like pxctl volume save or pxctl backup volume might exist in other storage systems, Portworx explicitly uses pxctl volume snapshot create as its core volume backup command. The Portworx CLI documentation details this command as fundamental for data protection and snapshot lifecycle management in the cluster【Pure Storage Portworx CLI Guide†source】.

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Defragmentation in Portworx reorganizes storage blocks to reduce fragmentation caused by frequent write and delete operations. Scheduling defragmentation during low workload periods ensures minimal impact on application performance while improving storage efficiency and I/O throughput. This optimization leads to faster read/write operations and prolongs the lifespan of storage devices by minimizing random I/O. Portworx provides administrators the ability to define defragmentation windows and recurrence policies within cluster configurations to automate this process. The official Portworx documentation explains that carefully timed defragmentation is critical to maintaining optimal cluster performance without disrupting business-critical workloads, making it an essential part of ongoing cluster maintenance and operational health【Pure Storage Portworx Performance Guide†source】.

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Portworx provides a declarative method to schedule automatic backups by configuring schedule policies within its Backup and DR framework. These policies specify when and how frequently backups should occur, retention rules, and target storage locations. By applying schedule policies, administrators enable Portworx to perform backups automatically without manual intervention or external scripting. Using cron jobs to run pxctl snapshot create is possible but less integrated, error-prone, and not recommended for scalable environments. The command px backup volume is not a valid Portworx CLI command. The Portworx backup documentation encourages using native schedule policies for reliable, maintainable, and policy-driven backup automation, supporting compliance and disaster recovery strategies【Pure Storage Portworx Backup Guide†source】.

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Dynamic Provisioning in Kubernetes with Portworx StorageClasses enables automatic, on-demand creation of storage volumes as requested by applications through Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs). This eliminates the need for administrators to manually create and manage volumes, significantly improving operational efficiency and accelerating application deployment. StorageClasses encapsulate parameters such as replication, encryption, and IO profiles, ensuring consistent volume configuration. Dynamic Provisioning also supports scaling and workload agility by provisioning storage transparently based on application needs. This feature is central to cloud-native storage management and is well documented in both Kubernetes and Portworx installation guides. It contrasts with manual volume creation, which is labor-intensive and error-prone, thus dynamic provisioning enhances automation and simplifies storage lifecycle management【Pure Storage Portworx Kubernetes 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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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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During Portworx upgrades via the Kubernetes Operator, if the deployment uses a px-versions ConfigMap to manage available Portworx versions, the administrator must update the version manifest within this ConfigMap to include the new version. This update informs the Operator of the target version for upgrades and ensures that the correct container images are pulled and deployed. Simply creating a new namespace or deleting the ConfigMap is insufficient and can cause upgrade failures or inconsistent version deployments. The Portworx Operator upgrade documentation emphasizes updating the px-versions ConfigMap manifest as a necessary step in orchestrated upgrades, enabling controlled, predictable version management within Kubernetes clusters【Pure Storage Portworx Upgrade Guide†source】.

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The officially recommended method to install Portworx with Kubernetes Operator support is using the PX-Operator manifest. This is done by applying the manifest URL with the comp=pxoperator parameter. The command:

kubectl apply -f "https://install.portworx.com/ ?comp=pxoperator&kbver=&ns=portworx"

deploys the Portworx Operator, which manages Portworx lifecycle operations such as installation, upgrades, and configuration changes within the Kubernetes cluster. Specifying the Kubernetes version (kbver) and namespace (ns) ensures compatibility and proper scoping. This operator-centric installation enables more efficient management and automation compared to standalone scripts or manual installations. Portworx official operator installation documentation confirms this approach as the best practice for production deployments, streamlining Portworx management in Kubernetes environments【Pure Storage Portworx Operator Installation Guide†source】.

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The Portworx diagnostics bundle, known as “diags,” aggregates comprehensive diagnostic data for troubleshooting. This includes Portworx journal logs, which record detailed system and service events essential for identifying errors or malfunctions. Additionally, the bundle contains outputs from key CLI commands such as pxctl status and pxctl volume list that provide snapshots of the cluster’s health, volume states, and configuration at the time of collection. Basic operating system information, including kernel version, disk hardware details, and network interfaces, is also captured to understand the underlying environment. Together, these components equip Portworx support and administrators with the contextual data needed for effective root cause analysis and faster issue resolution. The official Portworx support documentation recommends collecting and submitting this bundle for all significant troubleshooting cases as it expedites problem diagnosis and resolution【Pure Storage Portworx Support Guide†source】.