For those of you VCP's Out there!!!

davidspirovalentine

My Scenario:

My company is more than willing to send me down to Sydney for the Vmware VCP training. I will be doing the install and configure course.

My question is, what are the real life pre-requisites? Do I need like CCENT to be able to pass the exam? There are quite a few Virtual Networking questions I hear so I was wondering, am I able to pass? Currently I only have 1 cert (MCP 70-270) which sucks ass...

Also I hear it is 100 questions and pass mark is 70. How long do they give you in the exam room?

Thanks guys and hey congrats for passing!!!

blargoe

I haven't taken the test yet but I have taken the class. I think the class is geared toward folks who have administered real, live servers at some point in their life and it seems foundation level knowledge (net+ or ccent level maybe) in networking and a very basic understanding of storage fundamentals is assumed. Either way, I think anyone will have to get a good amount of hands-on with ESX to pass this test.

dynamik

I think the most advanced thing you need to understand is what a VLAN is. The rest primarily focuses on ESX's networking functionality (i.e. NIC teaming). I don't feel like my CCENT helped me at all, and I only remember getting a few questions on networking. There's 75 questions, and you have 90 minutes to complete the exam (which should be more than enough time). Good luck!

laidbackfreak

got to say this is one cert thats frustrating for the pre-requisites.

I've had some really good training from a re-seller (but not allowed to call it training) and on the job and would love to sit the exam. And while I know I can I also know the training\studying I've done does not match the official pre-requisites.

Just wish the official course was cheaper

bwcarty

dynamik wrote: »

I think the most advanced thing you need to understand is what a VLAN is.

I'll second that from the Cisco/LAN side of things.

The course generally covers what you need to know to get an ESX up and running, but if you're used to running servers off of local hard drives only and are not familiar with connecting to remote storage via Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or NFS, you should familiarize yourself with those technologies.

davidspirovalentine

thanks guys!

Yeah Dynamic, I just realized today that VLAN's is pretty much all I need to know to implement ESX. Basic network knowledge I have, just need to brush up on VLAN tech. Hey in a Virtual Switch you don't actually log into and configure it like you would a real switch so i wont need CCENT, at least not yet. Thanks for the relief!

Will have to do some research on SAN's, Fiber Channel Switches and NAS. I know nas but the other two are knew...

Hey guys, what can I do for practise??? I want to implement ESX in my home lab for hands on experience. What do I need? I have a old Dell 2550, Its not the HCL for ESX but is there a way i can put ESX on it???

Thanks people, having you guys around means alot!!!

blargoe

Minimum requirements for CPU is dual 1.5Ghz. You're probably out of luck with that server.

You can fortunately build a decent test box on a recent dual core PC if you have one. There's a guide on xtravirt.com called ESX in a Box that can will walk you through using VMWare Workstation (free eval for 60 days) and running ESX inside of that. I'm using an AMD Phenom Quad-core with 8GB Ram which is more than enough for my purposes.

astorrs

davidspirovalentine wrote: »

Hey in a Virtual Switch you don't actually log into and configure it like you would a real switch so i wont need CCENT, at least not yet.

Not yet is right... You've got 6-9 months before the Cisco Nexus 1000V debuts alongside ESX 4.0. Then you can either decide to hand it completely over to the Cisco guys, or pickup the CCENT guide book.

davidspirovalentine

Astorrs very funny! Blargoe thanks for the heads up. I'm buying a new PC anyway so I guess ill get a dual or a quad core intel so that I can run ESX on it...

Yeah thanks Blargoe I actually did read the White paper. It is for Workstation 6.5 build 118166 yup they tell you how to do it step by step. I was wondering though, would it run alright?

Currently I use VM's in workstation for alot of things and they all seem to run smooth, when i get my new machine I will run ESX 3.5 on it and use vm's for work and play...

Good luck when you do sit the test (blargoe), I read some of your other posts, what exactly do you gain from the course (please elaborate on both physical (eg.textbooks) and mental (eg.strength of knowledge) advantages of sitting the course).

Thanks again Guys!!!

tiersten

davidspirovalentine wrote: »

Good luck when you do sit the test (blargoe), I read some of your other posts, what exactly do you gain from the course (please elaborate on both physical (eg.textbooks) and mental (eg.strength of knowledge) advantages of sitting the course).

The main one is that you can't become a VCP without taking an official course.