NCP-AIO Administration Practice Question
An administrator is configuring NVIDIA GPUDirect Storage (GDS) on a cluster to accelerate data loading for AI training jobs. The cluster uses Mellanox InfiniBand adapters and NVMe storage. Which two actions are required to enable GDS and ensure optimal performance? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that GDS can be enabled by a simple environment variable or that container toolkit configuration is sufficient, when it actually requires low-level driver and hardware configuration.
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
✓
Ensure that the storage devices and network adapters support RDMA and are properly configured for peer-to-peer communication.
Enabling GPUDirect Storage requires installing the GDS kernel module and user-space libraries on GPU nodes, and ensuring that storage and network hardware support RDMA and peer-to-peer communication. These two actions create the necessary software and hardware foundation for direct data transfers between storage and GPU memory. Other options are either incorrect or not specific to GDS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Ensure that the storage devices and network adapters support RDMA and are properly configured for peer-to-peer communication.
Why this is correct
GDS relies on RDMA and peer-to-peer (P2P) communication to transfer data directly between storage and GPU memory without CPU involvement. The storage devices (NVMe over Fabrics) and network adapters (InfiniBand) must support RDMA, and the system must be configured to allow P2P DMA. This includes enabling PCIe Access Control Services (ACS) and IOMMU settings that permit direct peer-to-peer transfers. Without this, GDS cannot achieve direct data paths.
- ✗
Set the environment variable NVIDIA_GDS_ENABLE=1 on all nodes.
Why it's wrong here
There is no such environment variable as NVIDIA_GDS_ENABLE. GDS is enabled through kernel modules and system configuration, not by setting an environment variable. This option is a distractor that might seem plausible but is technically incorrect. Administrators should refer to NVIDIA documentation for the correct configuration steps, which involve installing drivers and configuring hardware.
- ✗
Configure the GPU nodes to use the NVIDIA Container Toolkit for all training containers.
Why it's wrong here
The NVIDIA Container Toolkit is used to enable GPU access within containers, but it is not specific to GDS. While containers can benefit from GDS, the toolkit itself does not enable or configure GDS. The requirement for GDS is at the driver and system level, not container runtime. Therefore, this action, while generally useful, is not a required step for enabling GDS.
- ✗
Disable IOMMU in the BIOS to allow direct memory access between devices.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling IOMMU is not a requirement for GDS; in fact, IOMMU can be configured to allow peer-to-peer DMA while maintaining security. Disabling it may introduce security risks and is not a recommended practice. Proper configuration of IOMMU to permit P2P transfers is the correct approach. Thus, this action is not required and could be harmful.
- ✓
Install the NVIDIA GPUDirect Storage kernel module and user-space libraries on all GPU nodes.
Why this is correct
Installing the GDS kernel module and user-space libraries is essential because GDS requires a kernel-level driver to enable direct memory access between storage and GPU memory. Without these components, the GDS path cannot be established, and data transfers would fall back to traditional methods through CPU memory. The libraries provide the APIs for applications to use GDS, so this step is foundational for enabling the feature.
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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.