A customer is running out of storage in an ESXi cluster. The customer wants to add storage without paying for an additional hypervisor license. Which option should the consultant recommend to meet the requirement?

--- QUESTION #185 --- A customer is running out of storage in an ESXi cluster. The customer wants to add storage without paying for an additional hypervisor license. Which option should the consultant recommend to meet the requirement?

A. Convert the cluster to AHV to support storage-only node requirements.
B. Select the storage-only checkbox during Foundation and then expand the cluster in Prism.
C. Buy a new node to meet the requirements of the storage-only node specifications.
D. Edit the factoryconfig.json file to configure the node as storage-only and then expand the cluster in Prism
Answer: A Correct Answer: A

Explanation: Storage-only nodes added to an ESXi cluster still require a valid VMware vSphere license. The only way to add a storage-only node to a Nutanix cluster without incurring an additional hypervisor license cost is to use the license-free Nutanix AHV hypervisor. Since a Nutanix cluster cannot have mixed hypervisors (e.g., ESXi and AHV), the entire cluster must be converted to AHV. This meets the strict requirement of adding storage without paying for another hypervisor license.

Why Incorrect Options are Wrong: B: This correctly describes how to image a storage-only node, but it does not solve the ESXi licensing requirement for that new node.

C: Buying a new node is a necessary step but does not address the core problem of avoiding the hypervisor license cost.

D: Manually editing factoryconfig.json is an unsupported and incorrect method for configuring a node's role.

References:
1. Nutanix Prism Web Console Guide v6.5, "Hardware Management" section, subsection "Adding a Storage-Only Node to a Cluster". It states, "For ESXi clusters, a vSphere license is required for a storage-only node."
2. Nutanix University - Nutanix Cluster Administration (NCA) v6.5, Module "Cluster and Node Management". The courseware clarifies that storage-only nodes participate in the storage tier but do not run guest VMs, and licensing depends on the underlying hypervisor.