It’s been a long time for me in the blogosphere , precisely an year has passed since my last article. While it’s not an excuse for not writing but it was a fantastic and a busy year for me in this great company Nutanix.Being part of the NPX program has been one of them.
NPX was a program built from ground up and for the sole purpose of producing world class enterprise architects who could work in diversified data center environments. Keeping the interests of customers at forefront was the most important criteria for us while laying the groundwork for the program.
Please read below for more details on the program :
- http://www.nutanix.com/press-releases/2015/03/17/nutanix-launches-flagship-hyper-converged-certification-program/
- http://www.nutanix.com/2015/03/20/nutanix-platform-expert-npx-why-we-built-it-and-why-it-matters
I was part of the core group of people who developed this program and I knew if I had any chance of getting through this I have to up my game significantly. One thing that I love working for Nutanix more than anything is the people (my fellow Nutants !!) , I have never been in close proximity of so many talented individuals who keeps inspiring you with their sheer knowledge and energy. Many of them are best in business and role models for us in the industry.
NPX was a journey which started early this year when the program was defined and released. I was part of a group of people who would bootstrap the program and appear for a NDR (Nutanix Design Review) before our .NEXT event which happened last week in Miami , Florida.
I choose KVM and vSphere ESXi as the choice of hypervisor, my design was based on KVM hypervizor with an extensive list of documents submitted for the review of the panel which is required as part of the submission process. The documentation made through the review phase and I was invited for the in-person, panel based Nutanix Design Review (NDR).
I was also invited to be part of the NDR panel , this was a new learning experience for me specially considering that we included multi hypervizor and emerging technologies as part of the NPX program. I have had the privilege to be part of the VCDX Panels in past so I was confident of using that experience on the NDR Panel.
My NDR was divided in 3 parts
- Design Review : I had to present my KVM based design in a 90 minute session to an impressive panel consisting of multiple VCDXs
- Troubleshooting Scenario : I had a vSphere troubleshooting scenario which I have to go through in 30 minutes
- Design scenario : The troubleshooting scenario was followed up with a 60 minute design scenario on vSphere
Each sections would be scored separately and measured against the success criteria set for the program. NDR was intense to say the least , having to go through KVM and vSphere talking about docker/containers/devops. Fixing problems in a broken scenario and creating a logical design in 60 minutes.
The experience of doing NDR in front of some of the worlds best architects was amazing , I was constantly challenged and scrutinised in all the areas. I managed to get through the NDR and finally made through the rigorous process , I was awarded NPX#004.
What is in it for others or why one should pursue ?
Mark Brunstad (@MarkBrunstad) has beautifully summarised the essence of this certification
“Infrastructure design at the X-level is an incredibly demanding art. It requires a superbly skilled technologist who can capture the essence of a business enterprise and create the foundation for its success. If you aspire to be NPX this should be your primary goal.”
I fully agree to the above statement and having been though the program I can safely say it’s worth every moment spend on becoming an NPX. NPX program tests your skills in a multi-hypervizor environment (KVM, Hyper-V, ESXi) , enables you to understand the new world of micro-services (aka docker/containers/devops) and how it applies to the largest enterprises out there. In short it prepares you for the future !!
If you want to start working towards NPX below resources will help you get started.
- NPX program registration : http://go.nutanix.com/npx-application.html
- Nutanix Community Edition : http://www.nutanix.com/products/community-edition/ (Enroll yourself in the BETA program to get access to the Software only NOS)
- Nutanix Next Community : http://next.nutanix.com/t5/Nutanix-Platform-Expert-NPX/bd-p/NutanixPlatformExpert
As we go through scaling the program we will offer help and mentorship to the interested candidates . So first get your NPP done and start working on NPX , NPX is a program which is offered with no exam cost.
Below are my fellow brothers after our successful NDR , from left to right ( Lane Leverett, NPX#002(@wolfbrthr), Myself, NPX#004(@kooltechies), Jon Kohler, NPX#003(@JonKohler), Josh Odgers, NPX#001(@josh_odgers), Magnus Andersson, NPX#005(@magander3), Michael Webster, NPX#007(@vcdxnz001). Missing in this pic Bas Raayman,NPX#006 (@basraayman)
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Congratulations Samir!
Thanks !!