Scheduled the VCP-DCV 5.1 exam for December 17th

scott28tt

The ICM class aligns to the majority of the exam objectives, but not all of them. The Fast Track class includes the ICM plus additional materials/labs and is the class that most closely aligns to the exam.

As for a CPU stressing tool, have a look here: https://communities.vmware.com/message/493857#493857

Save the text into a file, save it with a .vbs extension. To run it, right-click the file and choose "Open with Command Prompt". Running a single instance will stress a single vCPU (1 virtual core to be more exact)

I honestly think you've used too many different resources - so many books, study guides, and practice exams... While they have value, I believe a simpler approach is best - the blueprint, the documentation, and a lab to try things out.

Best of luck for your next attempt.

Deathmage

scott28tt wrote: »

The ICM class aligns to the majority of the exam objectives, but not all of them. The Fast Track class includes the ICM plus additional materials/labs and is the class that most closely aligns to the exam.

As for a CPU stressing tool, have a look here: https://communities.vmware.com/message/493857#493857

Save the text into a file, save it with a .vbs extension. To run it, right-click the file and choose "Open with Command Prompt". Running a single instance will stress a single vCPU (1 virtual core to be more exact)

I honestly think you've used too many different resources - so many books, study guides, and practice exams... While they have value, I believe a simpler approach is best - the blueprint, the documentation, and a lab to try things out.

Best of luck for your next attempt.

Thanks, Scott! - it's just a test, I'll do it till I pass...

Indeed, I've already blown away the lab and rebuilt it thus far minus I saved 3 templates in a datastore (and I kep all the physical infrastructure the same: core switches, iSCSI switches, and NAS) that are my updated Windows 7 box, Windows 2008 R2 standalone server, and a the last would be the Primary DC for my home-network with all updates allied and Domain Services installed on it. I additional before I dropped the cluster made a physical DC so that the forest would survive.

I've been in the process of rigorously going thru each line in the blueprint more deeply than last time...

Knowing what to expect on the exam makes my nerves less stressful now...that's half the problem I had..

SixtyCycle

scott28tt wrote: »

The ICM class aligns to the majority of the exam objectives, but not all of them. The Fast Track class includes the ICM plus additional materials/labs and is the class that most closely aligns to the exam.

I honestly think you've used too many different resources - so many books, study guides, and practice exams... While they have value, I believe a simpler approach is best - the blueprint, the documentation, and a lab to try things out.

I will be following this suggestion as I don't want to spend too much time preparing and still end up not passing. I think the ICM course from Stanly is good, it was fast but it covered most aspects. Part of the exercise was the CPU stress test to see how DRS works, it's good enough for me but is it really needed to work more on it? I will read the Lowe book cover to cover then work on the blueprint then off to sit for the exam. I'm more interested in seeing the test questions rather than passing on the 1st try. One question though, I read the blueprint yesterday and didn't see PowerCLI mentioned in it however I noted the OP stating it was on the exam. Any thoughts on this? Has anything changed?

Deathmage

SixtyCycle wrote: »

I will be following this suggestion as I don't want to spend too much time preparing and still end up not passing. I think the ICM course from Stanly is good, it was fast but it covered most aspects. Part of the exercise was the CPU stress test to see how DRS works, it's good enough for me but is it really needed to work more on it? I will read the Lowe book cover to cover then work on the blueprint then off to sit for the exam. I'm more interested in seeing the test questions rather than passing on the 1st try. One question though, I read the blueprint yesterday and didn't see PowerCLI mentioned in it however I noted the OP stating it was on the exam. Any thoughts on this? Has anything changed?

without voiding the NDA, all content in the blueprint including command line structure should be studied as-well as the products outside of the esxi 5.5 suite.

for instance I didn't work with the DCUI as much as I should have and it's a bummer since yesterday I spent 6 hours getting really intimate with it and I'm finding the logs inside of the linux substructure are very helpful verse the error logs inside of vCenter or ESXi on the vSphere client. There is also a ton of commands that dish up way more information than the client can do...

like the following, to name a few:

network firewall get
network firewall load
license oem update

Deathmage

So instead of re-hashing the book from Scott Lowe for a 3rd time I just got the vmware press book for VCP510 this morning at B&N and I've read just under 350 pages today, got about 250 to go. it's pretty much redundant knowledge but I figured since I have to wait another 5 more days before I can reschedule mind as well read something new...

Itrimble

I also got the the VMWare Press guide. It got favorable reviews on Amazon and it just cost $33 with the dvd, practice test, and videos from Pluralsight. I'm going to be diving into it at the beginning of the year.

Deathmage

Itrimble wrote: »

I also got the the VMWare Press guide. It got favorable reviews on Amazon and it just cost $33 with the dvd, practice test, and videos from Pluralsight. I'm going to be diving into it at the beginning of the year.

Ya $33 on Amazon wasn't bad. Ordered it Thursday got it Friday afternoon, Prime baby! I'm going threw it and most of it I know already. Paying more attention to details as I'm sure since you just took the exam so you know what I mean...

Nearly finished with it. I put on my iPod and just went at it reading. I passed out around 2am. Something like 14 hours yesterday I spent reading and or labbing as I read along..

I'm determined to pass next time!

Itrimble

What did you put on your iPod ? The Videos ?

Deathmage

Itrimble wrote: »

What did you put on your iPod ? The Videos ?

Relaxing techno music. Plus the Keurig Coffee maker 2 feet away for endless coffee

Deathmage

So learned something tonight, something really new:

In order for you to migrate a Virtual Adapter or a Physical Adapter to a vDS switch, basically move is from a vSS to a vDS you can't have your cluster in a DRS/HA with FT enabled cluster. Especially one with a few vApp's on it. I literally had to tear the whole cluster apart and disable the datastores in order for me to migrate the vSS port/kernel groups to the vDS. What a pain in the arse!

Deathmage

I just finished reading the "The Official VCP5 Certification Guide" for VCP510 from VMware Press, it was only roughly 560 pages. Wasn't a hard read, tagged a few pages and paper clips on the maximums (since I seem to have sucked on them on the exam), however today my back-drop for studying was different. Just read for the past 4 hours in the park near the Washington Monument here in Washington, DC so that was interesting.

Now I'm just going to use the flashcard on the DVD and take the practice exam a few times, hopefully it has some informative feedback on the practice exam so I know were to study more....

On a closing note, dear lord gas here is $2.35 a gallon; it's 2.85 back in NY, this is crazy... How low can it go?

scott28tt

Deathmage wrote: »

On a closing note, dear lord gas here is $2.35 a gallon; it's 2.85 back in NY, this is crazy... How low can it go?

It's £1.12 per litre close to me in the UK, that's roughly $9 a gallon - and it's dropped by over 20% in the last 6 months or so...

Itrimble

Gas is around $2.09 in Louisiana and $1.99 in Mississippi.

Deathmage

scott28tt wrote: »

It's £1.12 per litre close to me in the UK, that's roughly $9 a gallon - and it's dropped by over 20% in the last 6 months or so...

wow us yankee's take for granted cheap gas.... $9 a gallon, geez!!!!!!

Deathmage

Scheduled the 2nd exam for Jan 5th @ 12:45 pm.

JustFred

Good luck and have fun.

Dakinggamer87

Good luck bro!!

Deathmage

OK, so this is what I've done the past 2 weeks:

1) Read another book from Pearson Vue; VMware Press: The Official VCP5 Certification Guide: 510.
2) TrainSignal 5.1 videos
3) www.mspreston.net study notes and practice tests (got a 78 out of 80, 1st time through in 3 weeks).
4) wrote my own notes from the VMware Press book totaling 15 pages, reviewing them each morning for 20 minutes before work.
5) printed out and read over for the past 7 days the maximums for 5.1
6) re-evaluated 5.1 Blueprints
7) re-did every lab-scenario in the home-based lab, focusing more on the little things like an example what tabs are available in the Network Configuration in the Configuration tab on the ESXi hosts.
reviewing chapter quizzes in the book to refresh my knowledge of each chapter.
9) remembering to take breaks from studying so my brain doesn't get burned out...
10) studying 6+ hours a day so that I pass this one!!!!!

scott28tt

I hope you've not over-done it - good luck for the re-take!

Deathmage

scott28tt wrote: »

I hope you've not over-done it - good luck for the re-take!

well considering I thought the max for hosts on a vDS two weeks ago was 350 when it's actually 500 in 5.1 and 1000 in 5.5 I think I've learned more.

I'm doing my best to read the maximums PDF that I printed out at-least twice a day.

Today though I'm doing more of the command-line stuff, like CPU Ready and resxtop/perfmon as-well as navigating the linux kernal to view logs and somewhat understand them in the DCUI.

The book, stated above, is for 5.1, the book I was reading was for 5.0 and boy did the differences make a impact on the exam. live and learn, I suppose.

Deathmage

If I look at one more maximum or review these 12 pages of refined notes one more time my heads going to explode. I think I've now read the 5.1 maximums about 30 times now and read over these distilled notes about 20 times, and now I've re-read the book 4 times in two days, gazing primarily over highlight parts I felt were pressing. Nothing in the chapters is unclear to me at this point.

I guess all that is needed is to get into the mindset of the exam, as you all know that took it, VMware like to wrap a question within a question and except you to extrapolate the answer....

Hopefully all this mind-numbing studying the past 14 days will be enough this time...

scott28tt

There's definitely a technique to passing exams such as the VCPs. Back in my days as a VCI I used to run exam prep workshops that focused 80% on technique and 20% on knowledge.

Fingers crossed that all your work pays off.

Deathmage

Ok, few hours tilll exam. Can **** pretty much all the important stuff to paper once I think about it.

I'm pretty relaxed this time going into this one. Just need to really read the questions.

Wish me luck!

CIO

Good luck today. You got this

JoJoCal19

Good luck today Deathmage! Hope to see great news later.

JasminLandry

Good luck! Let us know how it went.

Itrimble

Good Luck DeathMage!

Deathmage

Praise the lord...

Passed with a 300, I honestly thought I failed...

JoJoCal19

WHEW!!!!! Congrats!!!! How did you feel during the test this time?

Itrimble

Congrats DeathMage, we were all rooting for you!!!! So which part of the new study method, do you think helped you the most?