Exam Profile: VMware VCP-510
Date: Mar 12, 2012
The VCP510 Exam is the only test that you must pass to become a VMware Certified Professional for vSphere 5.0 (VCP5).
To obtain your certification, in addition to passing the VCP510 Exam, VMware requires that you attend a class with a VMware Certified Instructor for vSphere 5.0 (VCI5), certified courseware, and certified lab gear. You can obtain more information about this class requirement at vmware.com/certification.
Exam Details
- Types of Questions: The exam consists completely of multiple choice questions. Some questions have only one correct answer; and are indicated as such. Other questions have more than one correct answer but the question clearly indicates how many answers are correct. There are no “choose all that apply” questions on the test. There are no simulations or “drag and drop” questions.
- Number of Questions: There are 85 test questions and a short pre-exam survey consisting of only 8 questions.
- Passing Score: Pass/Fail. The passing score is based on a scale from 100-500, where 300 or above is passing.
- Time Limit: You have 90 minutes for the exam with 15 additional minutes to complete the survey questions and agreements. Candidates who take the exam in a country in which English is not a primary language will be given another 30 minutes. For these purposes, the countries in which English is considered a primary language are Australia, Belize, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, The United Kingdom, and The United States of America.
- Cost: $225.00 (Costs may vary due to exchange rates and local taxes (VAT, GST))
- How to Register: http://www.vue.com/vmware
A candidate who fails the exam must wait 10 business days before retaking the exam.
Trouble Spots
At your first glance, it may look easy. After all, it’s just a multiple choice test and you only need to get a “low D” to pass! Well, don’t be lulled into a sense of false security; this is not an easy exam to pass! In my opinion, the main factor that makes this test difficult is the “somewhat diabolical psychology” used by the people who write the test questions. Since there are no simulations or “drag and drop” questions, the test makers have to devise another way to determine whether you really understand the key concepts and don’t just have rote knowledge of the facts.
To test your understanding, they build questions that are really “a question twisted within another question,” and they are very good at it! Because of this, your success in passing the test relies on very carefully reading what they are really asking you and then understanding the key concepts well enough to “untwist the question” in your mind and obtain the correct response. Their assumption is that if you can do this, you have a true working knowledge of VMware vSphere 5.0 key concepts.
Preparation Hints
My first recommendation is to schedule the test now! I know what you’re thinking: “But I haven’t even begun to study yet!” Fine; begin to study, but have a “guidepost” out there and a “looming deadline.” Don’t leave it to chance that you will have enough time to work it in one day and then schedule the test when you are ready. You will study more, and study better, after you have scheduled the test.
My second recommendation is, whenever you look at any study material; focus on five key areas, which are the following:
- Configuration maximums (for anything!)
- Any new feature on vSphere 5.0
- Ports (they love ports!)
- Tables (anything that you find in a table)
- Dialog boxes (spend time so that you know what’s on each dialog box in the GUI tools of vSphere...and what’s not on them)
Recommended Study Resources
Since you will have to take a certified class with a VCI5, I highly recommend that you use him or her for your first resource. Pick that instructor’s brain while you’re in class! You will be glad that you did when you take the test.
Next, you should compare the knowledge that you have gained with the knowledge that is expected for the exam. You can do this by carefully reviewing the VCP510 Exam Blueprint. It’s available at vmware.com/certification, but I have also copied it at the bottom of this exam profile for your easy reference. In addition, The Official VCP5 Certification Guide follows the VCP510 Exam Blueprint “to the letter.”
Finally, VMware uses a special account called a MyLearn account to help you track your progress. You will need to use your MyLearn login ID, or create one, in order to see the Exam Blueprint in pdf format on the VMware website. On the same site, there is a Mock Exam that you can take to test your knowledge. You only get 25-30 questions per exam from a pool of hundreds of questions. You can take the Mock Exam as many times as you like with your MyLearn login ID associated with your email address; UNTIL you get a perfect score. My recommendation is, “Don’t get a perfect score, at least not until you’ve taken the Mock Exam a few dozen times”! Enough said?
The following study references are also recommended:
- The Official VCP5 Certification Guide by Bill Ferguson
- The vSphere 5 Documentation Center
- Configuration Maximums for VMware vSphere 5.0
Exam Objectives
The following information provides general guidelines for the content likely to be included on the exam. However, other related topics may also appear on any specific delivery of the exam. In order to better reflect the contents of the exam and for clarity purposes, the guidelines below may change at any time without notice.
VCP510 Exam Blueprint
Section 1—Plan, Install, Configure and Upgrade vCenter Server and VMware ESXi
Objective 1.1—Install and Configure vCenter Server
- Identify available vCenter Server editions
- Deploy the vCenter Appliance
- Install vCenter Server into a virtual machine
- Size the vCenter Server database
- Install additional vCenter Server components
- Install/Remove vSphere Client plug-ins
- Enable/Disable vSphere Client plug-ins
- License vCenter Server
- Determine availability requirements for a vCenter Server in a given vSphere implementation
- Determine use case for vSphere Client and Web Client
Objective 1.2—Install and Configure VMware ESXi
- Perform an interactive installation of ESXi
- Deploy an ESXi host using Auto Deploy
- Configure NTP on an ESXi Host
- Configure DNS and Routing on an ESXi Host
- Enable/Configure/Disable hyperthreading
- Enable/Size/Disable memory compression cache
- License an ESXi host
Objective 1.3—Plan and Perform Upgrades of vCenter Server and VMware ESXi
- Identify upgrade requirements for ESXi hosts
- Identify steps required to upgrade a vSphere implementation
- Upgrade a vNetwork Distributed Switch
- Upgrade from VMFS3 to VMFS5
- Upgrade VMware Tools
- Upgrade Virtual Machine hardware
- Upgrade an ESXi Host using vCenter Update Manager
- Determine whether an in-place upgrade is appropriate in a given upgrade scenario
Objective 1.4—Secure vCenter Server and ESXi
- Identify common vCenter Server privileges and roles
- Describe how permissions are applied and inherited in vCenter Server
- Configure and administer the ESXi firewall
- Enable/Configure/Disable services in the ESXi firewall
- Enable Lockdown Mode
- Configure network security policies
- View/Sort/Export user and group lists
- Add/Modify/Remove permissions for users and groups on vCenter Server inventory objects
- Create/Clone/Edit vCenter Server Roles
- Add an ESXi Host to a directory service
- Apply permissions to ESXi Hosts using Host Profiles
- Determine the appropriate set of privileges for common tasks in vCenter Server
Objective 1.5—Identify vSphere Architecture and Solutions
- Identify available vSphere editions and features
- Explain ESXi and vCenter Server architectures
- Explain Private/Public/Hybrid cloud concepts
- Determine appropriate vSphere edition based on customer requirements
Section 2—Plan and Configure vSphere Networking
OObjective 2.1—Configure vNetwork Standard Switches
- Identify vNetwork Standard Switch (vSS) capabilities
- Create/Delete a vNetwork Standard Switch
- Add/Configure/Remove vmnics on a vNetwork Standard Switch
- Configure vmkernel ports for network services
- Add/Edit/Remove port groups on a vNetwork Standard Switch
- Determine use case for a vNetwork Standard Switch
Objective 2.2—Configure vNetwork Distributed Switches
- Identify vNetwork Distributed Switch (vDS) capabilities
- Create/Delete a vNetwork Distributed Switch
- Add/Remove ESXi hosts from a vNetwork Distributed Switch
- Add/Configure/Remove dvPort groups
- Add/Remove uplink adapters to dvUplink groups
- Create/Configure/Remove virtual adapters
- Migrate virtual adapters to/from a vNetwork Standard Switch
- Migrate virtual machines to/from a vNetwork Distributed Switch
- Determine use case for a vNetwork Distributed Switch
Objective 2.3—Configure vSS and vDS Policies
- Identify common vSS and vDS policies
- Configure dvPort group blocking policies
- Configure load balancing and failover policies
- Configure VLAN settings
- Configure traffic shaping policies
- Enable TCP Segmentation Offload support for a virtual machine
- Enable Jumbo Frames support on appropriate components
- Determine appropriate VLAN configuration for a vSphere implementation
Section 3—Plan and Configure vSphere Storage
Objective 3.1—Configure Shared Storage for vSphere
- Identify storage adapters and devices
- Identify storage naming conventions
- Identify hardware/dependent hardware/software iSCSI initiator requirements
- Compare and contrast array thin provisioning and virtual disk thin provisioning
- Describe zoning and LUN masking practices
- Scan/Rescan storage
- Identify use cases for FCoE
- Create an NFS share for use with vSphere
- Connect to a NAS device
- Enable/Configure/Disable vCenter Server storage filters
- Configure/Edit hardware/dependent hardware initiators
- Enable/Disable software iSCSI initiator
- Configure/Edit software iSCSI initiator settings
- Configure iSCSI port binding
- Enable/Configure/Disable iSCSI CHAP
- Determine use case for hardware/dependent hardware/software iSCSI initiator
- Determine use case for and configure array thin provisioning
Objective 3.2—Configure the Storage Virtual Appliance for vSphere
- Define Storage Virtual Appliance (SVA) architecture
- Configure ESXi hosts as SVA hosts
- Configure the storage network for the SVA
- Deploy/Configure the SVA Manager
- Administer SVA storage resources
- Determine use case for deploying the SVA
- Determine appropriate ESXi host resources for the SVA
Objective 3.3—Create and Configure VMFS and NFS Datastores
- Identify VMFS and NFS Datastore properties
- Identify VMFS5 capabilities
- Create/Rename/Delete/Unmount a VMFS Datastore
- Mount/Unmount an NFS Datastore
- Extend/Expand VMFS Datastores
- Upgrade a VMFS3 Datastore to VMFS5
- Place a VMFS Datastore in Maintenance Mode
- Select the Preferred Path for a VMFS Datastore
- Disable a path to a VMFS Datastore
- Determine use case for multiple VMFS/NFS Datastores
- Determine appropriate Path Selection Policy for a given VMFS Datastore
Section 4—Deploy and Administer Virtual Machines and vApps
Objective 4.1—Create and Deploy Virtual Machines
- Identify capabilities of virtual machine hardware versions
- Identify VMware Tools device drivers
- Identify methods to access and use a virtual machine console
- Identify virtual machine storage resources
- Place virtual machines in selected ESXi hosts/Clusters/Resource Pools
- Configure and deploy a Guest OS into a new virtual machine
- Configure/Modify disk controller for virtual disks
- Configure appropriate virtual disk type for a virtual machine
- Create/Convert thin/thick provisioned virtual disks
- Configure disk shares
- Install/Upgrade/Update VMware Tools
- Configure virtual machine time synchronization
- Convert a physical machine using VMware Converter
- Import a supported virtual machine source using VMware Converter
- Modify virtual hardware settings using VMware Converter
- Configure/Modify virtual CPU and Memory resources according to OS and application requirements
- Configure/Modify virtual NIC adapter and connect virtual machines to appropriate network resources
- Determine appropriate datastore locations for virtual machines based on application workloads
Objective 4.2—Create and Deploy vApps
- Identify vApp settings
- Create/Clone/Export a vApp
- Add objects to an existing vApp
- Edit vApp settings
- Configure IP pools
- Suspend/Resume a vApp
- Determine when a tiered application should be deployed as a vApp
Objective 4.3—Manage Virtual Machine Clones and Templates
- Identify the vCenter Server managed ESXi hosts and Virtual Machine maximums
- Identify Cloning and Template options
- Clone an existing virtual machine
- Create a template from an existing virtual machine
- Deploy a virtual machine from a template
- Update existing virtual machine templates
- Deploy virtual appliances and/or vApps from an OVF template
- Import and/or Export an OVF template
- Determine the appropriate deployment methodology for a given virtual machine application
Objective 4. —Administer Virtual Machines and vApps
- Identify files used by virtual machines
- Identify locations for virtual machine configuration files and virtual disks
- Identify common practices for securing virtual machines
- Hot Extend a virtual disk
- Configure virtual machine options
- Configure virtual machine power settings
- Configure virtual machine boot options
- Configure virtual machine troubleshooting options
- Assign a Storage Policy to a virtual machine
- Verify Storage Policy compliance for virtual machines
- Determine when an advanced virtual machine parameter is required
- Adjust virtual machine resources (shares, limits and reservations) based on virtual machine workloads
Section 5—Establish and Maintain Service Levels
Objective 5.1—Create and Configure VMware Clusters
- Describe DRS virtual machine entitlement
- Create/Delete a DRS/HA Cluster
- Add/Remove ESXi Hosts from a DRS/HA Cluster
- Add/Remove virtual machines from a DRS/HA Cluster
- Configure Storage DRS
- Configure Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
- Monitor a DRS/HA Cluster
- Configure migration thresholds for DRS and virtual machines
- Configure automation levels for DRS and virtual machines
- Create VM-Host and VM-VM affinity rules
- Enable/Disable Host Monitoring
- Enable/Configure/Disable virtual machine and application monitoring
- Configure admission control for HA and virtual machines
- Determine appropriate failover methodology and required resources for an HA implementation
Objective 5.2—Plan and Implement VMware Fault Tolerance
- Identify VMware Fault Tolerance requirements
- Configure VMware Fault Tolerance networking
- Enable/Disable VMware Fault Tolerance on a virtual machine
- Test an FT configuration
- Determine use case for enabling VMware Fault Tolerance on a virtual machine
Objective 5.3—Create and Administer Resource Pools
- Describe the Resource Pool hierarchy
- Define the Expandable Reservation parameter
- Create/Remove a Resource Pool
- Configure Resource Pool attributes
- Add/Remove virtual machines from a Resource Pool
- Determine Resource Pool requirements for a given vSphere implementation
- Evaluate appropriate shares, reservations and limits for a Resource Pool based on virtual machine workloads
- Clone a vApp
Objective 5.4—Migrate Virtual Machines
- Identify ESXi host and virtual machine requirements for vMotion and Storage vMotion
- Identify Enhanced vMotion Compatibility CPU requirements
- Identify snapshot requirements for vMotion/Storage vMotion migration
- Migrate virtual machines using vMotion/Storage vMotion
- Configure virtual machine swap file location
- Migrate a powered-off or suspended virtual machine
- Utilize Storage vMotion techniques (changing virtual disk type, renaming virtual machines, etc.)
Objective 5.5—Backup and Restore Virtual Machines
- Identify snapshot requirements
- Create/Delete/Consolidate virtual machine snapshots
- Install and Configure VMware Data Recovery
- Create a backup job with VMware Date Recovery
- Perform a test and live full/file-level restore with VMware Data Recovery
- Determine appropriate backup solution for a given vSphere implementation
Objective 5.6—Patch and Update ESXi and Virtual Machines
- Identify patching requirements for ESXi hosts and virtual machine hardware/tools
- Create/Edit/Remove a Host Profile from an ESXi host
- Attach/Apply a Host Profile to an ESXi host or cluster
- Perform compliance scanning and remediation of an ESXi host using Host Profiles
- Install and Configure vCenter Update Manager
- Configure patch download options
- Create/Edit/Delete an Update Manager baseline
- Attach an Update Manager baseline to an ESXi host or cluster
- Scan and remediate ESXi hosts and virtual machine hardware/tools using Update Manager
- Stage ESXi host updates
Section 6—Perform Basic Troubleshooting
Objective 6.1—Perform Basic Troubleshooting for ESXi Hosts
- Identify general ESXi host troubleshooting guidelines
- Troubleshoot common installation issues
- Monitor ESXi system health
- Export diagnostic information
Objective 6.2—Perform Basic vSphere Network Troubleshooting
- Verify network configuration
- Verify a given virtual machine is configured with the correct network resources
- Troubleshoot virtual switch and port group configuration issues
- Troubleshoot physical network adapter configuration issues
- Identify the root cause of a network issue based on troubleshooting information
Objective 6.3—Perform Basic vSphere Storage Troubleshooting
- Verify storage configuration
- Troubleshoot storage contention issues
- Troubleshoot storage over-commitment issues
- Troubleshoot iSCSI software initiator configuration issues
- Troubleshoot Storage Reports and Storage Maps
- Identify the root cause of a storage issue based on troubleshooting information
Objective 6.4—Perform Basic Troubleshooting for HA/DRS Clusters and vMotion/Storage vMotion
- Identify HA/DRS and vMotion requirements
- Verify vMotion/Storage vMotion configuration
- Verify HA network configuration
- Verify HA/DRS cluster configuration
- Troubleshoot HA capacity issues
- Troubleshoot HA redundancy issues
- Interpret the DRS Resource Distribution Graph and Target/Current Host Load Deviation
- Troubleshoot DRS load imbalance issues
- Troubleshoot vMotion/Storage vMotion migration issues
- Interpret vMotion Resource Maps
- Identify the root cause of a DRS/HA cluster or migration issue based on troubleshooting information
Section 7—Monitor a vSphere Implementation and Manage vCenter Server Alarms
Objective 7.1—Monitor ESXi, vCenter Server and Virtual Machines
- Describe how Tasks and Events are viewed in vCenter Server
- Identify critical performance metrics
- Explain common memory metrics
- Explain common CPU metrics
- Explain common network metrics
- Explain common storage metrics
- Compare and contrast Overview and Advanced Charts
- Configure SNMP for vCenter Server
- Configure Active Directory and SMTP settings for vCenter Server
- Configure vCenter Server logging options
- Create a log bundle
- Create/Edit/Delete a Scheduled Task
- Configure/View/Print/Export resource maps
- Start/Stop/Verify vCenter Server service status
- Start/Stop/Verify ESXi host agent status
- Configure vCenter Server timeout settings
- Monitor/Administer vCenter Server connections
- Create an Advanced Chart
- Determine host performance using resxtop and guest Perfmon
- Given performance data, identify the affected vSphere resource
Objective 7.2—Create and Administer vCenter Server Alarms
- List vCenter default utilization alarms
- List vCenter default connectivity alarms
- List possible actions for utilization and connectivity alarms
- Create a vCenter utilization alarm
- Create a vCenter connectivity alarm
- Configure alarm triggers
- Configure alarm actions
- For a given alarm, identify the affected resource in a vSphere implementation
Where to Go from Here
The VCP5 is a very prestigious and recognized certification; and by passing this exam you are on a path that leads to more specialized certifications such as the VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) or VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX).
There are numerous resources for VMware certification on the Internet; and a good place to start is vmware.com/certification.
Remember that a good study plan, along with some hands-on practice, is the key to your success on the exam. I wish you all the best!