Questions about vMA on the VCAP5-DCA test

Got questions about how the vMA is setup for you in the VCAP5-DCA test.

1. Is it setup ready for you to blast away? I mean are the network, timezone and proxy (if any) settings already done or do you need to configure them?
2. Is there an Active Directory environment, you know so you can add the hosts and vCenter to vMA without storing any credentials in vMA's store? Doesnt matter really for testing purposes, but doesnt hurt to know.
3. Are you able to use the built-in help in the vMA? perldoc /usr/bin for example?

Just want to be familiar with what I'll be facing on the day. The exam's just over a month away.

Thanks for replying!

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jibbajabba

Not sure anyone can go into too much detail - but if you struggle with vma then you can always use other means - you can use vMA, the vSphere client, PowerCLI or the local CLI ... I didn'[t sit the exam yet but I'd guess that the necessary bits have been setup so you can jump right in.

Essendon

That may not be right jibba. I've been hearing that if they ask you to do a task via the vMA and you did it via the GUI - no points.

Anyone else confirm either way please? meadIT/scot28tt?

dave330i

I've heard they grade on end results, not the path you took. That said, there are certain tasks you can accomplish using 1 method.

If vMA isn't AD integrated setting up fastpass is pretty quick and painless.

Essendon

Thanks Dave, I'd also like to hear this from the other two guys. Any answers to point 3?

dave330i

Essendon wrote: »

Thanks Dave, I'd also like to hear this from the other two guys. Any answers to point 3?

DCA's an open book exam. Don't see why VMware would disable help.

blargoe

Implementing vMA is on the blueprint, which means configuration may or may not appear on the lab exam, and it is available as a tool. I've been operating under the assumption that I may have to set it up and possibly configure it to some specification given in the exam, but I haven't taken the exam, so I don't know.

I would think if they are testing AD integration, that they would offer an AD environment.

I would bet the farm that any default help that is available when you install a VMware product will be available on the exam.

The communities at vmware.com has a VCAP section that probably has the more definitive answers to your questions, I know they had answered some of mine that I couldn't find anywhere else.

scott28tt

It's the results that are tested on, not the method.

When I did VCAP4-DCA I used the vMA to carry out many of the tasks.

The vMA in the exam is the same one you can download/deploy, there is no removal of the help

Essendon

Thanks for the reply gents. Back to the books and lab.

jibbajabba

Let's face it - when in doubt - just learn how to do that quickly and without help - setting up that is

nosoup4u

What book are you using for this?

Essendon

nosoup4u wrote: »

What book are you using for this?

Aint no one book for this beast! I'm using:

1. My own lab of multiple virtual ESXi servers.
2. The Optimise and Scale course material that a colleague gave me, this includes the labs.
3. All official VMware documentation
4. The Duncan Epping Technical Deepdive book
5. The Mastering vSphere book
6. The following links:

| VCAP-DCA 5
VCAP5-DCA | www.vExperienced.co.uk
VCAP5-DCA Objectives - The Foglite << Using this one primarily
VCAP-DCA Index | Sean Crookston
» VCAP-DCA VCDX Wannabe
ProfessionalVMware - vBrownBag << Awesome videos
VCAP5-DCA Objective 2.1
VCAP5-DCA Testing Strategy and Tips | whiteboardninja << Using this method to tackle the beast (thanks to blargoe for posting this a few threads ago)

This should get me through. I can configure most things in vSphere but I need to be quick at it. Tasks that I take 10 minutes to finish should only take 1-2.

blargoe

Every mention to the reference environment I can find online mentions RDPing into a vCenter Server. Does this mean we don't have to worry about knowing the vCenter appliance? I didn't see that appliance called out anywhere in the blueprint, but it is a valid implementation of vCenter Server, so I wasn't sure.