NCP-AIO Installation and Deployment Practice Question
A cloud architect is deploying NVIDIA AI Enterprise on a vSphere cluster with multiple ESXi hosts, each containing NVIDIA A100 GPUs. The architect must enable GPU virtualization using NVIDIA vGPU. Which two components are required to support vGPU on the ESXi hosts? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse Kubernetes-focused tools like the GPU Operator with hypervisor-level components required for vGPU on ESXi.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
NVIDIA vGPU guest driver installed in each VM
To enable NVIDIA vGPU on VMware ESXi, the host must have the NVIDIA vGPU Manager VIB installed, which allows the hypervisor to partition the physical GPU. Each VM that uses a vGPU must also have the NVIDIA vGPU guest driver installed. These two components are essential; other tools like the GPU Operator or Container Toolkit are not used on ESXi.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
NVIDIA GPU Operator for Kubernetes
Why it's wrong here
The GPU Operator is designed for Kubernetes clusters, not for vSphere hypervisors. It automates driver and container toolkit deployment on Kubernetes nodes. It does not enable vGPU on ESXi; that requires the vGPU Manager VIB. Using the GPU Operator here would not provide GPU virtualization to VMs on ESXi.
- ✗
NVIDIA CUDA Toolkit installed on the ESXi host
Why it's wrong here
The CUDA Toolkit is a development environment for GPU-accelerated applications. It is installed in guest VMs or containers, not on the ESXi hypervisor. ESXi does not run user applications, so installing CUDA Toolkit there would not enable vGPU. The host only needs the vGPU Manager.
- ✗
NVIDIA Container Toolkit installed on the ESXi host
Why it's wrong here
The NVIDIA Container Toolkit is used to enable GPU access for containers, typically on Linux hosts running Docker or containerd. ESXi is a hypervisor and does not run containers natively. Installing the toolkit on ESXi is neither supported nor useful for vGPU. It is irrelevant to vGPU deployment on vSphere.
- ✓
NVIDIA vGPU guest driver installed in each VM
Why this is correct
Each VM that uses a vGPU must have the NVIDIA vGPU guest driver installed. This driver communicates with the vGPU Manager on the host to access the GPU. Without the guest driver, the VM cannot utilize the virtual GPU. It is a required component for vGPU functionality.
- ✓
NVIDIA vGPU Manager for VMware ESXi
Why this is correct
The NVIDIA vGPU Manager is a VIB (vSphere Installation Bundle) installed on the ESXi host. It mediates access to the physical GPU and provides virtual GPU instances to VMs. Without it, the hypervisor cannot present vGPU devices to guests. It is a mandatory component for vGPU operation on ESXi.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official NVIDIA exam blueprint
This NCP-AIO practice question is part of Courseiva's free NVIDIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the NCP-AIO exam.