Starting my training in VMWARE

Hello,

I am new to the board. I am an IT professional with two certs. I have my A+ and Network+. I took the Server+ this past tuesday but missed the mark by 50 points. I was dissapointed, but will pass the next attempt. Currently I just started my training for my VCA-DCV cert from VMware. I am enrolled in the online class provided by VMware. I am reading other posts on this cert and I am getting mixed reviews. I think I should be ok with the video training but I am not entirely sure. Any opinions? Is Citrix a viable option also?

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Verities

I would recommend studying for the VCP-DCV instead of the VCA-DCV. Watch the videos to learn a high level overview of their products. The VCA is an unproctored exam and doesn't really have any industry recognition (the only reason I got mine, was due to a free voucher). However, if you plan on aiming for the VCA, despite this, then yes the videos will be sufficient for the exam. As far as learning more about VMware I recommend vSphere for Dummies.

alexfamous

Thanks. The main reason why i am taking the VCA is that I reached out to a education rep at VMware and he suggested to take the VCA as a precursor to the VCP. I figure it could not hurt. I do plan to take the VCP-DCV in the near future. How is studying for the VCP? are you self studying or taking a class?

iBrokeIT

You have to take a VMware approved class and pass the exam before you can receive the VCP level certification.

Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 by Scott Lowe is THE book to get if you are studying for the VCP.

The book and class are not enough for most people to pass the exam. You must also lab lab lab lab and lab some more in order to get enough familiarity with the product to pass the exam.

Dakinggamer87

I took the online training course via VMware and read the following book:

VMware Certification: Data Center Virtualization

VCP5 VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 5 Study Guide: Exam VCP-510: 9781118181126: Computer Science Books @ Amazon.com

I found the VCP exam pretty easy overall although it has some challenging areas in networking and storage I will point out depending on your exposure. I work with vSphere and vCloud Director daily so I have lots of practice!!

alexfamous

Thanks guys for the advise and insight on the VCP exam. I will most likely be self studying through the on-demand class thru the website. The book suggestions are great but is there really a difference to buy a vSphere 5 book over a vSphere 5.5 book?

My exposure is minimal with VMware with minor administration on the end user side. It is going to be hard for me to find a live classroom unless there is a after work class available in my area.

The education rep for vmware quoted me at around $3k for the class thru the website including voucher. is that a good deal?

Itrimble

@alexfamous I'd recommend the class from Stanly Community College. It is about $185 for the class plus $50 for the book. After you take the class, you can take the VCP class.

Dakinggamer87

I would take the class as a cheaper alternative at Stanley Community College. The main reason I took the online class was because my company paid for it and I get to take VMware certifications for free!!

alexfamous

I checked the class out online. According to class page, there is a waiting list. I put my name in. Says that the class is 80 hours. is that an every day class?Also, is there a difference between vSphere 5 and 5.5?

Verities

I was on the wait list for 6 months before I got an email for the class. Yes, vSphere 5 and 5.5 have different features. Taking the class is cool, but as noted above, it's not enough to pass the exam. Labbing is very important, during and after the class.

Please see the Stanly CC VMware class threads for more information about the course.

alexfamous

@Verities Thank you for the information about the class. I will try my best to get into the class. I will read the thread about the class for addtional help.

Thank you everyone else for the great study material and information on how to study for the VCP. I know virtualization is growing in the field and i am trying to keep current with it. Haha.

Deathmage

alexfamous wrote: »

@Verities Thank you for the information about the class. I will try my best to get into the class. I will read the thread about the class for addtional help.

Thank you everyone else for the great study material and information on how to study for the VCP. I know virtualization is growing in the field and i am trying to keep current with it. Haha.

Best outcome is you will probably get into the class after the the next class, so roughly 6 months. The class waiting list is backlogged because it's such a great alternative to the 5 day $3000 class.

alexfamous

iBrokeIT wrote: »

You have to take a VMware approved class and pass the exam before you can receive the VCP level certification.

Mastering VMware vSphere 5.5 by Scott Lowe is THE book to get if you are studying for the VCP.

The book and class are not enough for most people to pass the exam. You must also lab lab lab lab and lab some more in order to get enough familiarity with the product to pass the exam.

How would i 'lab' to get hands on experience if the book and class are not enough?

Xavor

Get access to a computer which can host nested vm's and around 16 gb ram. You can test all the features for the exam with that, but if you can get a few older generation servers it will be a better learning experience.

I took the stanley class and I did not buy the course book. I used the book linked above, and followed the homework assignments. The homework is self paced and you have about 15 assignments and some quizzes to take. The assignments are on the stanley site with a homework assignment that walks you through what you need to do. I've seen recommendations of around 6 months of serious self study for the exam.

alexfamous

Just passed the VCA-DCV and ordered the Mastering vSphere books for 5 and 5.5. Will wait to see the next step to start my studying for the VCP

Essendon

Get a headstart and start on the Hands-on-Labs while you wait for the book to arrive. Look around the forums on building a home lab.

alexfamous

In my research, I see that every one has built dedicated servers with SSD's, dual core processors, and 32 GB RAM. I have a basic tower with at 4 GB of ram and one dual core processor. any suggestions?

STANLY_CC

We can offer the VMware class only to individuals and not as part of corporate training. The course is conducted entirely online, including labs, in an asynchronous manner which basically means it is available to students 24/7. Students can study at their own pace provided you meet the minimum due dates set by the instructor. The courses are 8 weeks in length, and the current tuition & lab fee costs total $185. There is also an optional textbook available through our book store.

Please feel free to p-m here with any specific questions you may have.

alexfamous wrote: »

I checked the class out online. According to class page, there is a waiting list. I put my name in. Says that the class is 80 hours. is that an every day class?Also, is there a difference between vSphere 5 and 5.5?

iBrokeIT

alexfamous wrote: »

In my research, I see that every one has built dedicated servers with SSD's, dual core processors, and 32 GB RAM. I have a basic tower with at 4 GB of ram and one dual core processor. any suggestions?

Thats not going to be enough RAM or processor. There are plenty of threads on here about how to build a lab server cheaply with the spec, not sense repeating them when you can search

You really do need the hands on lab experience in order to pass the VCP level exam and it is not to be taken lightly.

alexfamous

iBrokeIT wrote: »

Thats not going to be enough RAM or processor. There are plenty of threads on here about how to build a lab server cheaply with the spec, not sense repeating them when you can search

You really do need the hands on lab experience in order to pass the VCP level exam and it is not to be taken lightly.

Yes i could understand that. so i will be upgrading my RAM to 8 or 16 GB if my MB supports it. I have to do some more research on that. I found out through the Mastering Vmware 5.5 book that there is a dedicated website where you can successfully build your own home lab. autolabs i think is the site name.

SimonD.

So Autolabs will allow you to build the lab out based on your infrastructure, it still requires that you have the required resources available.

I found that personally I prefer to build my own infrastructure (knowing about the gotcha's etc).

I blogged about various product installations on my site (as well as my lab hardware).
The more hands on you can get, the better it will make you.

Todd B

alexfamous wrote: »

Just passed the VCA-DCV and ordered the Mastering vSphere books for 5 and 5.5. Will wait to see the next step to start my studying for the VCP

Where do you guys recommend taking the VCP5-DCV course? Need a low cost provider (not $3k) and need to have soon - need this for work on v5.5.

Todd B

Todd B wrote: »

Where do you guys recommend taking the VCP5-DCV course? Need a low cost provider (not $3k) and need to have soon - need this for work on v5.5.

I got signed up for the v5.5 VCP5-DCV course at yourtechtraining.com. Looks like I start in about 2 weeks and may be VCP by the end of the year!

Deathmage

Todd B wrote: »

I got signed up for the v5.5 VCP5-DCV course at yourtechtraining.com. Looks like I start in about 2 weeks and may be VCP by the end of the year!

Good Luck! - Have 22 pages of notes, once I'm done with the exam I'm thinking of posting them to the forum.

Todd B

Deathmage wrote: »

Good Luck! - Have 22 pages of notes, once I'm done with the exam I'm thinking of posting them to the forum.

Cool. Any tips are welcome with me!

stryder144

alexfamous wrote: »

Yes i could understand that. so i will be upgrading my RAM to 8 or 16 GB if my MB supports it. I have to do some more research on that. I found out through the Mastering Vmware 5.5 book that there is a dedicated website where you can successfully build your own home lab. autolabs i think is the site name.

First thing you will need to know is what model processor you have. If it is an Intel processor, go to ark.intel.com and type in the model number. It will tell you how much the max ram is for the CPU. I've found, for Intel processors at least, that I can upgrade my computer using that as my guideline and safely disregard the mobo max (if different).

zcarenow

doe anyone know if you really need the book that stanly training provides to do the class or labs? or can i get away with scott lowe's mastering vmware vsphere 5.5 book which is very good. thank you.