Vcap5-dca

The VCAP has recently caught my eye as I am bored with trivial technical exams. Lab exams are much more interesting.
So far I have watched the Trainsignal/Pluralsight videos which have been helpful. My study plan is to lab each section in the blueprint and complete the tasks as many different ways as possible via C#, web, cli, powercli, etc.

I am having a hard time scheduling the exam due to the changes were made to the process recently. I also hope to get some time booked on Josh's Test Track as I have read nothing but good things about it.

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iBrokeIT

Pearson Vue is an absolutely terrible company to deal with for anything other than their standard exams. You have my sympathy.

I found the VCAP5-DCA Official Cert Guide useful but make sure you get the deluxe edition which has an addition 3rd set of scenarios based on 5.5 (the first two are based on 5.0 but still mostly relevant).

GSXRules

Try calling in to schedule the exam, the tools the operators have seem to be working better right now than the website.

If you're in Boston I'll have Test Track at the VMUG conference in a few weeks.

DPG

Exam scheduling is now working but I chickened out on actually setting the date.

Deathmage

if you fail its still a gauge of your progress studying.

DPG

$400 is rather expensive for a practice exam. I am thinking of going in blind with the Test Track to get a good feel of where I am at before moving forward.

GSXRules

TT wasn't written to gauge preparedness, wasn't written to meet the blueprint coverage and was written for DCA510 and converted to DCA550.

However, those that do well on TT tend to do well on the exam.

DPG

Well my VCP expires in May so I have scheduled the exam for April 6.

DPG

VCAP5-DCA is going to be retired on June 2, 2016.

http://blogs.vmware.com/education/2016/03/6734.html

Essendon

DPG wrote: »

VCAP5-DCA is going to be retired on June 2, 2016.

And be renamed/replaced by the VCIX. No other difference really - the recognition will remain the same. Do it!

DPG

Essendon wrote: »

[/FONT][/COLOR]And be renamed/replaced by the VCIX. No other difference really - the recognition will remain the same. Do it!

I think it is being replaced by the VCAP6-DCV Deployment. I am hoping to pass the VCAP5 and then maybe add the version 6 Design to achieve the VCIX.

dave330i

Essendon wrote: »

[/FONT][/COLOR]And be renamed/replaced by the VCIX. No other difference really - the recognition will remain the same. Do it!

If you look at the roadmap, they changed it again. Exam is still called VCAP, but if you get both VCAP for a track you can call yourself a VCIX.

iBrokeIT

WTH, the VCAP6s aren't even out yet and they are announcing the end of the VCAP5 but they allow a year+ of overlap at the VCP level?

tbgree00

I'm so glad I got my DCA, I'm working on my DCD and planned to set end of May. Maybe I want to move that up a month as a little bit of insurance in case I need to retake it.

scott28tt

iBrokeIT wrote: »

WTH, the VCAP6s aren't even out yet and they are announcing the end of the VCAP5 but they allow a year+ of overlap at the VCP level?

Running and maintaining lab environments to support the live lab exams is a bit different from the support needed to keep a VCP exam alive.

DPG

A little over a week to go. My weak areas appear to be host profiles and vCO since I have used neither in a real environment.

Essendon

I hope you've been working on getting your PoSh/PowerCLI skills up to scratch too? (without knowing what you do at work with vSphere).

DPG

I think I should be alright with PowerCLI. I use it to run reports and perform mass VM tasks.

I have almost no experience with vMA but it looks straight forward to setup. I haven't found any specific tasks that can only be completed with it.

Essendon

Comfortable with AutoDeploy too?

iBrokeIT

Essendon wrote: »

Comfortable with AutoDeploy too?

No AutoDeploy for the VCAP-DCA 5.5

Essendon

Ah good, one less thing to worry about!

Deathmage

Well I just 'upgraded' in the world, managing a *redacted* DC with colo and I came on just when there doing EMC, VCE, and VCP6 training, so I'm getting free training, w00t!!!

There buying a EMC VMAX 100k, another vBlock, and some perdy Nexus 5672U-16G switches. I'm going to be there 2nd VMware and Primary EMC/Storage person, from the looks of things I may sooner-rather-than-later be a core network person too since I motioned CCIE:DC and they said sure go for it.

Although I won't pick up the reigns of the DC for a month until I pick up the infrastructure layout, I'm really excited!

Plus it's only a 15 minute commute.

DPG

Must be nice. Almost a decade in the datacenter and I can barely subnet.

Deathmage

DPG wrote: »

Must be nice. Almost a decade in the datacenter and I can barely subnet.

It's pretty cool, nearly a full /16 worth of /24's for 40+ locations. DMVPN with NHRP is new to me but it feels like Frame Relay.

But it's a massive cluster, so I'm in

, plus is so close to home.

DPG

I wish I could convince some of my customers to implement DMVPN. Much easier than managing dozens of tunnels per site.

Deathmage

DPG wrote: »

I wish I could convince some of my customers to implement DMVPN. Much easier than managing dozens of tunnels per site.

Ya I like it allot, next up in my understanding is VXVLAN, going to figure out how ot setup a FC Tunnel over L2 to our colo location. Curious to know if it's possible over DMVPN, if it is then just need to increase the pipe to 1G.

But the cool thing about ESXi 6.0 vCenter just figures out how to communicate as-long as L2 between sites exists, but pushing FC traffic over that pipe in its own payload is what I'm aiming for, or perhaps QoS on Storage traffic.

Never used Nexus switches yet, so there new to me.

DPG

I am one week away but am wishing I could take the exam sooner and the lab dates are harder to come by than a soon to be updated CCIE lab.

I am now focusing on strategy since I am reading that time is the biggest obstacle. I haven't had any problems with this over the 20 or so certification exams that I have taken. Obviously the VCAP is a different animal but I look at it as a greater accomplishment than some random multiple choice exam.

DPG

Deathmage wrote: »

Ya I like it allot, next up in my understanding is VXVLAN, going to figure out how ot setup a FC Tunnel over L2 to our colo location. Curious to know if it's possible over DMVPN, if it is then just need to increase the pipe to 1G.

But the cool thing about ESXi 6.0 vCenter just figures out how to communicate as-long as L2 between sites exists, but pushing FC traffic over that pipe in its own payload is what I'm aiming for, or perhaps QoS on Storage traffic.

Never used Nexus switches yet, so there new to me.

What's your use-case for spanning FC traffic across sites?

Deathmage

DPG wrote: »

What's your use-case for spanning FC traffic across sites?

for replication between the EMC VMX's and vBlocks and for Storage to appear as Storage to both sites and for use with our newly purchased SRM.

One is a Dell Chassis, and the other DC is a UCS Chassis.

DPG wrote: »

I am one week away but am wishing I could take the exam sooner and the lab dates are harder to come by than a soon to be updated CCIE lab.

I am now focusing on strategy since I am reading that time is the biggest obstacle. I haven't had any problems with this over the 20 or so certification exams that I have taken. Obviously the VCAP is a different animal but I look at it as a greater accomplishment than some random multiple choice exam.

I'm looking forward to the VCIX.

But looks like my track for this year, is VCP6 next weekend, then EMC storage track, then CCNA and onto CCNP: R&S.

There is a guy that does MCSE, so I don't need to focus on it, I know enough to do what he does, so I can focus on VMware and Storage and then NP level networking. Plus the company is paying for the training, so it's a good idea.

Taking the Optimize and Scale 6.0 class tomorrow, paid by work.

DPG

Deathmage wrote: »

Taking the Optimize and Scale 6.0 class tomorrow, paid by work.

Which VATC is providing this?

Deathmage

DPG wrote: »

Which VATC is providing this?

let me look at the email, got it this morning and approval this afternoon.