VCAP6-DCV Deploy Blueprint Changes from VCAP5-DCA

VMware, Certification

VMware recently announced a 2 week availability for the VCAP6-DCV Deploy beta. After some debate I signed up to sit the exam on June 28, 2016. They provide a beta version of the blueprint so I started there to see what had changed from my VCAP5-DCA 5.5 blueprint and notes. I made some quick notes and want to share them here.

As a disclaimer my list is quick first pass. Just because the objectives are the same between the two blueprints the underlying technology may not be. What I’m saying is don’t use this as an exclusive study guide! It’s only meant to detail the absolutely new stuff so I can start there before reviewing the stuff I learned in February.

Objective 1.1 - Perform Advanced ESXi Host Configuration - All new from 5.5

Objective 1.2 - Deploy and Configure Core Management Infrastructure Components - All new from 5.5

Objective 1.3 - Deploy and Configure Update Manager Components - maps directly to Objective 5.2 on the 5.5 blueprint

Objective 2.1 - Implement Complex Storage Solutions - maps to Objective 1.1 on the 5.5 blueprint but has some changes:

  • vVols coverage is new
  • vSAN coverage is new
  • Configure and view VMFS locking is new
  • Storage I/O control and configuring multipathing is covered in Objective 1.3

Objective 2.2 - Manage Complex Storage Solutions - maps to Objective 1.2 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • vSAN alarms is new
  • Expand (Scale out/Scale up) vSAN hosts is new

Objective 2.3 Troubleshoot Complex Storage Solutions - sorta maps to Objective 1.3 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • vSAN is new
  • I couldn’t find direct relations for the NFS or RDM troubleshooting but may have missed it.

Objective 3.1 - Implement and Manage vSphere Standard Switch Networks - maps to Objective 2.1 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Create a custom TCP/IP Stack is something I couldn’t find or remember from 5.5

Objective 3.2 - Implement and Manage vSphere 6.xDistributed Switch Networks - maps to Objective 2.2 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Deploy a LAG and migrate to LACP is new
  • Create/Apply traffic marking and filtering rules is new

Objective 3.3 - Scale a vSphere 6.x Network Implementation - maps to Objective 2.3 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Network I/O control 3 (resource pools and reservations)
  • Determine and configure vDS port binding settings is new to the blueprint but I remember covering it.

Objective 3.4 - Troubleshoot a vSphere 6.x network Implementation - maps to Objective 2.3 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Perform a vDS Health Check for teaming, MTU, mismatches… is a new feature
  • Use command line tools for VLAN is in old Objective 2.2
  • Use DCUI to correct network connectivity issues is new

Objective 4.1 - Implement and Maintain Complex vSphere Availability Solutions maps to Objective 3.1 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Configure VM Component Protection (VMCP) is new
  • Configure Fault Tolerance for multi-vCPU VMs is new
  • Noticeably absent is any discussion on HA Slot Sizes or Admission Control.

Objective 4.2 - Implement and Manage Complex DRS Solutions maps exactly to Objective 3.2 on the 5.5 blueprint

Objective 4.3 - Troubleshoot vSphere Clusters - is newish and sorta covered in Objective 3.3 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Resolve DRS/HA Faults is new
  • Troubleshoot DRS/HA config issues is new
  • Troubleshoot vSAN/HA interoperability is new

Objective 5.1 - Execute VMware Cmdlets and Customize Scripts using PowerCLI - maps to Objective 7.1 on the 5.5 blueprint.

  • Use PowerCLI to configure and administer Auto Deploy (Including Image Builder) is new
  • Create a report from a PowerCLI script is new

Objective 5.2 - Implement and Maintain Host Profiles - maps to Objective 5.1 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Configure stateful caching and installation for host deployment is new

Objective 5.3 - Manage and analyze vSphere log files - maps to Objective 5.4 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Configure logging levels for vSphere isn’t explicitly on the 5.5 blueprint but I remember watching a video that included this while studying.

Objective 5.4 - Configure and manage Content Library - totally new topic

Objective 6.1 - Utilize Advanced vSphere Performance Monitoring Tools - maps exactly to Objective 4.1 on the 5.5 blueprint

Objective 6.2 - Optimize Virtual Machine Resources - maps to objective 4.2 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Configure Flash Read Cache reservations is covered in 1.1 on the 5.5 blueprint
  • Optimize a VM for latency sensitive workloads is new

Objective 7.1 - Deploy and manage vSphere Replication - maps to Objective 4.4 on the 5.5 blueprint

  • Configure and manage a vSphere Replication Infrastructure has more detail:
  • Isolate vSphere Replication network traffic is new
  • Enable data compression of vSphere Replication traffic is new
  • Analyze and resolve vSphere Replication issues also has more detail but not exactly new - Storage Configuration - Multiple point in time snapshots - Enabling vSphere Replication on VMs

Objective 7.2 - Deploy and Manage vSphere Data Protection is a totally new topic

Objective 7.3 - Backup and Recover vSphere Configurations feels familiar but I couldn’t find it on the 5.5 blueprint

Objective 8.1 - Configure a vSphere 6.x Environment for Security - maps to Objective 6.1 on the 5.5 blueprint but there is a lot of security changes.

  • Add/edit Remove users on ESXi hosts can be centrally managed now
  • Enable and configure ESXi Pass Phrase is new
  • Disable the Managed Object Browser (MOB) to reduce attach surface is new

Objective 8.2 - Manage SSL certificates - maps to Objective 6.2 on the 5.5 blueprint but once again, certificates are different in 6.0 so this really needs to be reviewed

  • Configure and manage VMware Certificate Authority is new
  • Configure and manage VMware Endpoint Certificate Store is new

Objective 8.3 - Harden a vSphere 6.x Deployment - maps to Objective 6.1 on the 5.5 blueprint. To be a broken record there are major differences here

  • Enable and configure ESXi Lockdown mode (Strict/Normal) is new
  • Configure a user on the Lockdown Mode Exception Users list is new
  • Enable strong passwords and configure password policies are handled differently now with an advanced setting
  • Configure vSphere hardening of virtual machines is a new topic but probably a combination of all this.

This helped me look through and hopefully help me narrow down on topics. Auto-deploy is rampant throughout this blueprint and an area I really need to prioritize. Also there is a lot of vSAN.

If you notice anywhere I messed up, missed a topic, or have any comments please let me know!