Nutanix Interview Experience for Systems Reliability Engineer 2024

Last Updated : 28 Aug, 2023

Nutanix came to Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore to hire Interns for the SRE role. Out of 200 students registered 3 were selected and I am one of those to be offered this role I hope this article helps other students to prepare well for this particular role.

This role is strictly non-coding round, it is more related to troubleshooting, cloud, debugging, and networks, so if you are one of the people who have an interest in troubleshooting and debugging this can be a perfect option.

Topics To Prepare

Computer Networks
Operating System
Linux
Cloud Computing
Virtualization
Computer Hardware(Basics)
Troubleshooting

Online Assessment

The first round of the selection process consisted of an online Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) test with around 50 questions to be answered within 70 minutes. The topics covered in this round included:

Basic Network Protocols
Linux commands and their use cases
Basics of computer hardware, such as storage devices
IPv4 and IPv6
Terminologies in Operating Systems

The test also included some true/false questions and some questions where more than one correct option could be selected. Out of approximately 200 participants, around 40 students were selected to advance to the next round of the selection process

Round 1: Technical Interview

Interview Round 1 Topics:

Fundamentals of Networking
Linux Operating System
Scenario-based Questions
Troubleshooting Questions (very important)

Questions Asked in the Interview:

Explain the System Booting Process.
You are not able to reach google.com. How do you resolve this issue? (DNS)
Explain DHCP in detail.
Subnetting questions.
Linux commands: top, file creation commands, ping, tracers, but presented in different troubleshooting scenarios.
Explain virtualization and hypervisor types used in data centers and laptops.
What is APIPV4 (important)? Who assigns it?
What is Virtual Memory, and what provides real-world situation-based questions?
What are the states of processes with PCB?

For the interview, the interviewer expects clear and accurate explanations of the concepts. It’s essential to present the answers in a well-structured and organized manner. Make sure to demonstrate a deep understanding of networking, Linux, and operating systems, and be prepared to handle troubleshooting scenarios effectively.

Round 2: Technical Interview

Questions Asked in the Interview:

Difference between SSD and HDD.
Explain a switch and its functions in the network, along with a scenario-based question.
Explain a router with a scenario-based question.
How is the Network Interface Card (NIC) connected to the Motherboard?
Explain what an API is as if you are explaining it to a 5-year-old kid without using any technical terms (in simple layman terms).
Resume Discussion (likely discussing the candidate’s qualifications and experiences).
Operating system scenario-based questions, such as troubleshooting a computer hang situation using Linux commands.
Discussion about the Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) role and the candidate’s understanding of it.
In the interview, the depth of understanding of the concepts is crucial. The interviewer is likely looking for clear and comprehensive explanations of the topics related to networking, Linux, and operating systems. Additionally, the candidate’s resume and their fit for the SRE role may also be discussed. Be prepared to provide well-thought-out and detailed responses to showcase your knowledge and problem-solving skills.

Round 3:Technical Interview

Questions Asked in the Interview:

Explain Cloud computing in detail with follow-up questions.
Explain what is OS as if you are explaining it to a 5-year-old kid without using any technical terms (in simple layman’s terms).
Networking scenario-based questions with diagram and IP address assigned to pc’s
What is SSH and its commands and troubleshooting SSH ports that is client has a problem with SSH and the problem is in the server make him understand that the problem is not in his machine but in the server
Make basics Strong so that even if you don’t know a question you can frame its basics around it.

Round 4:HR

This was my first offline interview and was most amazing, the person interviewing was from the support team of NUTANIX.

Introduce yourself, your family background, why chose engineering, why came to computer science, and why not go for masters.
Standard HR round questions you can find on the interview bit.
Some situation-based questions to analyze your real-time ability to think of solutions ( real-life not from syllabus)
They want to know you as a person so be honest and humble.
They asked why not development and why SRE.

Resource

https://linkedin.github.io/school-of-sre/
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTnRtjQN5iea6LlzIpcX5M4Av4JBPEiHm

Linux basics

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxbwE86jKRgMpuZuLBivzlM8s2Dk5lXBQ
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7zRJGi6nMRzg0LdsR7F3olyLGoBcIvvg
https://whimsical.com/networking-cheatsheet-by-love-babbar-FcLExFDezehhfsbDPfZDBv