Exam Profile: VMware Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Exam VCPVCD510

Date: May 8, 2013

This article profiles the VMware Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Exam VCPVCD510. Pearson IT Certification provides a variety of exam preparation tools to help our customers in their quest for certification. As part of our service to you, we have developed this Exam Profile series. Each profile is developed based on the testing experience of one of our trainers or authors. You won’t get exact questions or answers, but you will get a real feel for the exam. Each profile describes question forms, trouble spots, hints for exam preparation, and recommendations for additional study resources. Find out what you can expect to see on the exam and how you can better prepare for it.

The VMware Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Exam VCPVCD510 is one of the new cloud-focused exams from VMware that go beyond core vSphere virtualization knowledge. The exam tests general cloud concepts and installation and administration of vCloud Director, vCenter Chargeback, vCloud Connector, and the vShield Manager and Edge products. It requires the candidate has the core vSphere platform knowledge necessary to serve as a base for vCloud Director and its associated components.

The VCP-IaaS exam is one of two exams a candidate may take to achieve VCP-Cloud certification, but it is only open to individuals that have achieved the VCP5-DCV certification. Candidates that do not hold the VCP5-DCV certification must either obtain that certification prior to attempting the VCP-IaaS exam or follow the alternative track: attend a requisite instructor-led course and pass the VCP-Cloud (VCPC510) exam. For more details about the VCP-Cloud exam and required course, please see the VCP-Cloud Exam Profile and the VCP-Cloud site from VMware.

Exam Details

Number of Questions: 85 questions, with a pre-exam survey of 8 questions
Type(s) of questions: multiple choice; some questions will require only one selection while others may require two or more selections. Questions clearly state the number of required selections.
Passing Score: 300, on a scaled score of 100 to 500
Time Limit: 90 minutes for the exam plus an additional 15 minutes for the pre-exam survey. Candidates testing in countries where English is not the primary spoken language will have an additional 30 minutes for the exam (120 minutes total)
How to register: http://www.pearsonvue.com/vmware

Trouble Spots

In general, candidates should have thorough knowledge of all aspects of the exam blueprint (listed below), but there are a few objectives that could cause particular trouble.

Networking is a very key component of a vCloud environment, and the exam reflects this importance. Networking is generally one of the weaker skills of vSphere and server administrators, so this can be an area of particular difficulty. Expect to be tested extensively on networking concepts, including the various types of network constructs that are available in vCloud Director (external networks, organization networks, vApp networks, and the different types of each) and when to make use of each type of network given a particular situation.

Similarly, vCloud Networking and Security (VCNS, formerly vShield Manager and vShield Edge devices) is also a key component of vCloud Director and the VCP-IaaS exam. Knowledge and experience with firewall concepts and rules, DHCP, NAT, and VPN services, and how these are configured within vCloud, are all necessary for success with this exam. These are, again, outside the core competencies of many server administrators and may require additional study in order to perform well on the exam.

Chargeback is a relatively new and foreign concept for most vSphere administrators but should be thoroughly understood prior to taking the exam. Reporting, cost models, and configuration details of vCenter Chargeback are important components of a VMware vCloud infrastructure, and candidates should take care to fully understand the details of vCenter Chargeback.

Preparation Hints

As with any exam, experience and practice with the products is key. If you are not an administrator of a vCloud environment where you are making use of all the tested products and where you are regularly exposed to the objectives of the exam blueprint, consider building a test environment. This can be accomplished using VMware Workstation or Fusion or similar products running on a powerful workstation or laptop, or with dedicated home lab resources.

There are two courses recommended by VMware for this certification: the vCloud Director Install, Configure, and Manage course (a 3-day course delivered online or in a live classroom by a VMware Certified Instructor) and the self-paced and complimentary VMware vCenter Chargeback Fundamentals online course. Candidates should seriously consider attending these courses to supplement job-based knowledge.

Take advantage of the free online labs available via the VMware Hands-On Labs (HOL) online. Many of these labs are the same as those that were available during VMworld 2012, while others are new. In addition, several videos are available on the official VMware YouTube channel. Supplementing hands-on experience with these labs and videos will help round out knowledge in preparation for the VCP-IaaS exam. VMware has made a mock exam available—attempt this once you feel prepared for the exam.

Recommended Study Resources

Aside from the official courses and other material mentioned above, the following study resources are recommended to ensure success on the exam:

The Official VCP-Cloud Certification Guide
The IaaS Blueprint on the VMware Certification Infrastructure as a Service Exam site
The official product documentation referenced in the IaaS blueprint.
The free videos offered by VMware Education Services

Exam Objectives

Prior to taking this exam, candidates should understand each of the following objectives, as outlined on the IaaS blueprint. Each objective is listed below; along with related tools the candidate should have experience with, and related documentation that contains information relevant to the objective. All objectives may also be referenced in other product documentation not specifically highlighted below. The candidate should be familiar with all relevant product documentation or have an equivalent skillset.

Section 1—Install and Configure vCloud Director

Objective 1.1—Install vCloud components

Identify required vCloud components and pre-requisites for installation
Describe installation order of vCloud components
Explain the purpose and use case of each vCloud component
Create a SysPrep package
Install vCloud Director
Install vShield Manager
Install vCenter Chargeback
Install vCloud Connector
Configure vCloud Director network connections
Configure vCloud Director database settings
Troubleshoot basic installation issues

Objective 1.2—Configure and Administer vCloud Connector

Identify components of vCloud Connector
Describe cross-cloud vApp flow
Identify VM state (shutdown/power down)
Differentiate between functionality of components of vCloud Connector
Explain the relationship between the components of vCloud Connector
Determine and implement required network and security settings
Determine storage requirements and add storage for use by a vCC node
Register vCloud Connector with vCenter Server
Troubleshoot common vCloud Connector installation and operation issues

Objective 1.3—Configure vCloud Director and vShield Manager System Settings

Identify vCloud Director pre-requisites
Cite the steps to deploy a vShield Manager appliance
Identify relationship between vCenter Server and vShield Manager
Generate self-signed certificates
Import self-signed or CA issued certificates
Add additional vCenter Servers to a vCloud Director implementation
Configure licensing for vCloud Director and vShield Manager

Section 2—Administer Users, Roles and Privileges in a vCloud

Objective 2.1—Create Roles and Apply Privileges to Roles in a vCloud

Identify vCloud Director predefined roles and their specific privilege levels
List the steps to create a custom role in vCD
Identify operations that can be performed on predefined roles
Identify the types of users that can be granted access to a vCloud
Explain the purpose of a custom role in vCD
Determine when to create a custom role.
Given an end-user's job description, determine which role would be granted
Validate the functionality allowed by a newly created role
Select specific access rights in a security role.
Troubleshoot common customized role access issues.

Objective 2.2—Configure AD/LDAP Integration in a vCloud

Identify AD/LDAP infrastructure components
Configure Open LDAP with vCD
Configure Active Directory with vCD
Test connectivity to external LDAP
Import users and groups from external LDAP
Troubleshoot common LDAP external connectivity issues

Objective 2.3—Configure and Administer vShield Edge

Identify where to set firewall rules within vCloud Director
Explain vShield firewall concepts as they relate to a vCloud environment
Determine which firewall rules need to be applied or modified
Identify ordering for firewall rules
Enable/Disable firewall
Add/Modify/Delete firewall rules
Determine which vShield devices impact a given service
Verify firewall rule operation
Troubleshoot common firewall service issues

Section 3—Configure and Administer vCenter Chargeback

Objective 3.1—Configure and Administer vCenter Chargeback Roles and Privileges

Identify vCenter Chargeback permissions
Identify Resource types
Identify Resources that cannot be manually assigned permissions
Identify default vCenter Chargeback roles
Create/Modify/Delete a role
Determine when a new role should be created
Associate a role to a user
Troubleshoot common permission issues

Objective 3.2—Configure and Generate vCenter Chargeback Reports

Identify vCenter Chargeback report types
Identify components of the reporting dashboard
Given a reporting requirement, determine what report type should be run
Schedule reports
Manage archived reports
Generate custom reports

Objective 3.3—Configure and Manage vCenter Chargeback Cost Elements

Identify vCenter Chargeback cost elements
List cost element attributes
Describe default billing policies and cost models
Create/Edit billing policies
Manage cost models
Edit cost configuration of an entity
Manage physical infrastructure costing
Manage pricing matrix for virtual machine

Objective 3.4—Troubleshoot Common vCenter Chargeback Issues

Collect logs
Run troubleshooting utility
Explain impact of vSphere statistics levels on report generation
Explain impact of local firewall settings on vCenter Chargeback services
Given a service failure, determine root cause

Section 4—Configure and Administer vCloud Networking

Objective 4.1—Create and Administer vCloud External and Organization Networks

Identify and differentiate the types of vCloud Organization networks
Create/Modify/Delete an external network
Create/Modify/Delete an external direct organization network
Create/Modify/Delete an external NAT-routed organization network
Create/Modify/Delete an internal organization network
Explain the relationship between external networks and vSphere port groups
Explain the purpose and use cases for external networks
Explain the relationship between organization networks and vShield Edge
Explain best practices related to organization networks
Given organization requirements, determine the appropriate organization network type.

Objective 4.2—Configure and Administer vCloud Network Pools

Describe the concept of a Network Pool
Create/Delete a Network Pool
Expand a Network Pool
Determine appropriate backing for a given Network Pool
Configure Network Pool properties

Objective 4.3—Configure and Administer vApp Networks

Identify vApp Network types
Explain the purpose and use cases for vApp networks
Explain the relationship between vApp networks and vShield Edge devices
Create/Modify/Delete a direct vApp network
Create/Modify/Delete a NAT-routed vApp network
Create/Modify/Delete an internal vApp network
Troubleshoot vApp networks using the visual mapping tool

Section 5—Configure and Administer vCloud Organizations

Objective 5.1—Create vCloud Organizations

Identify the URL name of a newly created Organization
Create/Modify/Delete vCloud Organizations
Configure VM lease times
Configure Storage lease times
Configure SMTP server information
Configure notification settings
Apply policies to a vCloud Organization

Objective 5.2—Administer vCloud Organizations

List operations that can be performed on an Organization
List the vCloud constructs that make up an Organization
Given a tier of server determine the appropriate Organization vDC
Edit leases/quotas/limits applied to an Organization
Revise Catalog(s) attached to an Organization
Add/Remove users and groups
Configure/Edit Organization settings
Allocate resources to an Organization
Explain the purpose and use case for storage options
Configure storage provision options

Section 6—Allocate and Manage vCloud Resources

Objective 6.1—Create and Administer Provider VDCs

Identify where in the hierarchy a provider VDC resides
Identify where an Provider VDC gets its resources
Differentiate Provider and Organization VDCs
Explain the concept of a Provider VDC
Explain when and how to Enable/Disable a Provider VDC
Create/Delete a Provider VDC
Select Resource Pools and Datastores for a Provider VDC
Explain when and how to Enable/Disable a Provider VDC Host
Prepare/Unprepare a Provider VDC Host
Upgrade/Repair a Provider VDC Host agent
Explain when and how to Enable/Disable a Provider Datastore
Configure Low Disk Space Warnings

Objective 6.2—Create and Administer Organization VDCs

List Allocation Models
Explain the concept of an Organization VDC
Create/Modify/Delete an Organization VDC
Enable/Disable an Organization VDC
Select Organization VDC components
Select/Edit Organization VDC resources
Configure Allocation Model settings
Determine the appropriate network pool for a given Organization vDC network

Section 7—Create and Administer vCloud Catalogs

Objective 7.1—Create vApp Templates, Media and Catalogs

Describe the function of vApp templates, media, and catalogs
Identify the location of vApp templates, media and catalogs
Identify the format in which vApp templates, media, and catalogs can be stored
Differentiate between vApp templates, media and catalogs
Create/Update a vApp template
Create/Delete a Catalog
Publish a catalog to different Organizations

Objective 7.2—Administer vCloud Catalogs

Identify frequently used Catalog properties
Explain how guest customization works in a vCloud implementation
Deploy a vApp from a Catalog
Configure a Catalog to be shared by users in an Organization
Copy vApp templates and media to/from a Catalog
Configure Catalog properties
Given requirements, apply the appropriate properties to a Catalog

Section 8—Monitor a vCloud Implementation

Objective 8.1—Troubleshoot and Audit Resources and Events in a vCloud

Identify vCloud Director interface components used for monitoring
Identify the location of logs in vCloud Director
Monitor CPU, Disk and Memory usage for a Provider vDC
Monitor CPU, Disk and Memory usage for an Organization
Monitor External Network, Organization Networks, and Network Pools
Monitor IP allocation utilization
Review and interpret tasks and events in a vCloud
Troubleshoot common resource/event issues in a vCloud

Objective 8.2—Map vCloud Resources to vSphere Resources

Differentiate components of vCloud Director and vSphere client interfaces
Describe the relationship between vCloud storage resources and VMFS/NFS datastores
Describe the relationship between vCloud network resources and vSphere virtual switches
Describe the relationship between vCloud compute resources and DRS/HA Clusters/Resource Pools
Determine total/current resources available to a Provider/Organization vDC relative to assigned vSphere resources
Determine the explicit vSphere resource consumed by a Provider/Organization vDC
Determine which vSwitch resource is being use by a given vCloud network
Determine on which datastore a vCloud hosted virtual machine resides
Determine on which ESXi host a vCloud hosted virtual machine resides

Where to Go from Here

The VCP-Cloud certification, regardless of the path taken to obtain it, is an entry-level certification for the VMware vCloud suite of products. The certification will validate your ability to install and administer a vCloud infrastructure and position you to move deeper in the cloud infrastructure certification track. The VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) exams should be your next goal if you intend to continue within the track. The VCAP Cloud Infrastructure Administration (VCAP-CIA) exam takes a much deeper dive in to installing and administering a vCloud infrastructure, while the VCAP Cloud Infrastructure Design (VCAP-CID) exam is focused more on architecting and designing a vCloud infrastructure. Both exams will be necessary to pursue the coveted VCDX certification in the cloud track.

Whether your vCloud certification ends with VCP-Cloud or you intend to journey all the way to the top and obtain VCDX-Cloud...good luck!