vSphere4 notes Archive

VMware exam resources

By
Forbes Guthrie
 – 7 November 2009

Here’s my list of VMware exam study resources. I realize that a lot of fellow bloggers have created similar lists, and I always try avoid what the rest of the madding crowd are doing, however in this case I’m happy to follow along. Firstly I need the list for myself. Yep, I haven’t actually sat the VCP4 yet, and I need to get it done by the end of the year. Secondly, a lot of people come to my site as a resource for their studying, so I think its only appropriate that I share with them the tools which I’ll be using.

Below all the VCP4 links I’m also listing some VCDX resources. Maybe these will motivate me to take some more exams :)

Now, I have a conundrum before I even register for the exam. There are 2 offers at the moment which I’m eligible for, which you might be interested in:

  1. If you attended this year’s VMworld, then you can get a 30% discount on the cost of the exam if you go here (offer at the bottom of the page): http://www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/vmworld-exclusive-offers.html
  2. If you are an existing VCP or have attended the Fast Track course, then you can apply for a special voucher which gives you a free resit if you fail at the first attempt. Here is the link to register: http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/courses.cfm?ui=www&a=one&id_subject=17662 and the instructions: http://www.pearsonvue.com/VMware/Upgrade

If you want to take advantage of either of these offers, make sure you register for them before you book the exam.

So here’s the conundrum. Do I feel confident enough to grab the 30% discount and wave the free re-sit? Answers below in the comments please =S

OK, so here’s the advice I’ll be following to revise for the VCP4:

  1. Check for latest updates on VMware’s Education Services portal: http://mylearn.vmware.com/portals/certification/
  2. Review the VCP Blueprint carefully, understand each point, both the theory behind it and how to do things in practice: http://mylearn.vmware.com/lcms/mL_faq/2726/VCPonvSphere4ExamBlueprint.pdf

Things to learn:

  1. Official VMware documentation. There shouldn’t be anything on a VCP exam that isn’t in these. If you use the blueprints, you can tailor your reading to concentrate on the right areas: http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vs_pages/vsp_pubs_esx40_vc40.html
  2. Pay particular attention to the latest Configuration Maximums document: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_config_max.pdf
  3. My documentation notes: http://www.vreference.com/vsphere4-notes/
  4. My reference card: http://www.vreference.com/vsphere4-card/

Here are some ways to now test and practice what you’ve just learnt:

  1. VMware mock exam: http://mylearn.vmware.com/quiz.cfm?item=15211
  2. Simon Long’s practise exam: http://www.simonlong.co.uk/blog/vcp-vsphere-4-practice-exam/
  3. Barry Coombs’ cue cards: http://virtualisedreality.wordpress.com/vcp-in-vsphere-4-0-study-notes/

Finally here are some final words of advice about the exam itself so you know what coming:

  1. Scott Vessey’s training site: http://vmwaretraining.blogspot.com/2009/09/studying-for-vcp-on-vsphere-4.html
  2. Eric Sloof’s post on VCP4 exam scoring: http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/1255-VCP-on-vSphere-4-Exam-Scoring.html
  3. Jason Boche’s VCP4 experiences: http://www.boche.net/blog/index.php/2009/09/05/vcp4-exam/

As I find more exam resources I’ll update this post. Keep checking back or subscribe to the RSS feed to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Here are some links for the VCDX certification that I’ve also collected along the way.

Tags: , , ,

Updated vSphere4 notes

By
Forbes Guthrie
 – 30 June 2009

I’ve updated my vSphere4 notes.  Grab them over here.

The main documentation set is now complete, and I’ve just got a few more to cover.  Those in red are still to be done.  On with the vSphere4 reference card…

Main Documentation Set (ESX not ESXi)

  • Introduction to VMware vSphere
  • Getting Started with ESX
  • ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
  • Upgrade Guide
  • Basic System Administration
  • ESX Configuration Guide
  • Fibre Channel SAN Configuration Guide
  • iSCSI SAN Configuration Guide
  • Resource Management Guide
  • Availability Guide
  • vSphere Web Access Administrative Guide

Additional Resources

  • Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service (MSCS)
  • vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide
  • License Server Configuration for vCenter Server 4.0
  • ESX 4 Patch Management Guide
  • Guest Operating System Installation Guide

Optional vSphere Products and Modules

  • vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide
  • vCenter Converter Administration Guide
  • vCenter Orchestrator Installation and Configuration Guide
  • vCenter Orchestrator Administration Guide
  • VMware Consolidated Backup – Virtual Machine Backup Guide
Tags: ,

Free vSphere4 documentation notes

By
Forbes Guthrie
 – 4 June 2009

You’ll be glad to hear that I’m in the process of collating information for a new vSphere4 reference card. I hope to have the first draft out in a only few weeks.

As part of that effort, I’ve been trawling through all the new GA ESX4 documentation. I thought I’d offer my condensed notes up as a free download in the meantime. These notes aren’t meant to be comprehensive, or for a beginner; just my own personal notes. They’re snippets I found interesting while reviewing the official VMware documentation, either because:

  • They were new to ESX4
  • They were new to me
  • I thought they might be useful for the next reference card
  • I wanted reinforcement in that area

However, I think for anyone who is familiar with ESX3 and perhaps a VCP, that it should bring you up to speed fairly quickly. The VMware documentation is about 1800 pages. These notes aren’t complete yet (I’ll keep adding to it over the coming weeks – so check back for more), but so far I’ve covered about half of the documentation in only 14 pages of notes.

I hope they’re useful to you as well: vSphere4 Documentation Notes Get the latest notes here

Tags: ,