Nutanix Files disaster recovery (DR) and data protection policies are managed centrally through Prism Central. The Files view in Prism Central provides the necessary interface to configure granular, share-level protection. This allows an administrator to create distinct policies with different Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and replication schedules for individual shares or groups of shares within the same Files cluster. This method directly addresses the requirement to apply unique policies to different shares, offering flexibility beyond protecting the entire file server as a single entity.

A. Create a protection domain in the Data Protection view in Prism Element.

Protection Domains in Prism Element protect the entire set of File Server VMs (FSVMs), not individual shares. This does not allow for unique policies per share.

B. Configure data protection polices in File Server view in Prism Element.

The File Server view in Prism Element is used for local management of a single file server, but advanced, policy-based DR for shares is a centralized function managed via Prism Central.

C. Create a protection domain in the Data Protection view in Prism Central.

Similar to option A, Protection Domains in Prism Central protect VMs. This is not the correct method for applying granular, share-level data protection policies for Nutanix Files.

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1. Nutanix Files v4.4 Guide: In the "Disaster Recovery" section

it states

"You can configure Files disaster recovery (DR) to a remote site from Prism Central. Files DR supports asynchronous

and nearsync replication schedules." It further details the process of selecting a file server in Prism Central and adding shares to a protection policy. (Reference: Nutanix Files v4.4 Guide > Data Protection and Recovery > Disaster Recovery).

2. Prism Central Guide (pc-v2023.4): The guide details the procedure for protecting a file server. It specifies navigating to the Files application through the Prism Central UI (Services > Files)

selecting the file server

and then using the "Protect" action to configure policies for specific shares. (Reference: Prism Central Infrastructure Guide > File Server Management > Protecting a File Server).

3. Nutanix University

Nutanix Unified Storage Administration (NUSA) v6.5 Courseware: The "Protecting Nutanix Files" module explicitly teaches that share-level replication for disaster recovery is configured and managed through Prism Central

allowing for different RPOs to be set for different shares. (Reference: NUSA v6.5 Student Guide

Module 6: Protecting Nutanix Files).