Exam NS0-185 Topic 1 Question 71 Discussion

As part of the ONTAP SAN solution assessment domain, NetApp defines strict rules governingcluster composition and scalability. ONTAP clusters support a maximum of24 nodes, and within that limit, clusters can includedifferent controller models, provided they are supported by the same ONTAP release and meet hardware compatibility requirements.
BothFAS8060andFAS8080controllers are supported within ONTAP clusters and can coexist in a single cluster configuration. NetApp installation documentation explicitly allows mixed-controller clusters as long as the controllers are compatible and running the same ONTAP version.
In this scenario, there are six total controllers available: three FAS8060 and three FAS8080. Since ONTAP supports heterogeneous clusters and there is no architectural limitation preventing all six controllers from participating, thelargest possible clusteris achieved by includingall six nodes.
Smaller cluster sizes-two, four, or five nodes-are technically valid but do not meet the requirement of providing thelargest possible cluster. The assessment objective focuses on maximizing usable resources while staying within supported configuration guidelines.
Additionally, ONTAP automatically manages performance balancing and high availability across mixed- controller clusters. Each node pair forms an HA pair, and ONTAP ensures consistent data access across the entire cluster fabric.
Therefore, the correct answer isD, a cluster made up of six nodes.