VCP Cloud Exam Blueprint v3 0

VMware Certified Professional Cloud
Exam Blueprint
VCP-Cloud Exam testing center exam code: VCPC550

Exam Blueprint Version 3.0
14 February 2014
Disclaimer:
This blueprint is intended to provide information about the objectives covered by the exam and provide related
resources and recommended courses. The material contained within this blueprint is not intended to guarantee
that a passing score will be achieved on the exam. VMware recommends that a candidate utilizes the resources
and courses recommended in this guide to ensure they thoroughly understand the exam objectives prior to any
attempt of the exam itself.
Blueprint Authors:
Jon C. Hall
Joshua Andrews
Jeff Hall
Contributors:
Bill Call
John Krueger
Richard Anderson
Jon Hall
Tom Ralph
George Kobar
Jeremy Sage
Copyright 2014 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Use of any VMware Certified
logo is restricted to individuals who have achieved the respective certification.
Table of Contents
1. The Exam ...............................................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Purpose of Exam ..............................................................................................................................................3
1.2 Number of Questions ......................................................................................................................................3
1.3 Passing Score ...................................................................................................................................................3
1.4 How Objectives Relate to Questions on the Exam ..........................................................................................3
1.5 Languages ........................................................................................................................................................3
1.6 Time Limit ........................................................................................................................................................3
1.7 Scheduling and Taking the Exam .....................................................................................................................4
1.8 Certification Tracks ..........................................................................................................................................4
1.9 Retake Policy....................................................................................................................................................4
1.10 Exam Security ................................................................................................................................................4
2. Intended Audience ................................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Intended Audience ..........................................................................................................................................4
3. Objectives covered in the VCP-Cloud Exam ..........................................................................................................5
3.1 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................5
3.2 Objectives ........................................................................................................................................................5
4. VCP-Cloud Path Options and Course Requirement .............................................................................................33
4.1 VCP-Cloud Path Options ................................................................................................................................33
4.2 Course Requirement ......................................................................................................................................34
5. Additional Resources ...........................................................................................................................................36
5.1 Mock Exam ....................................................................................................................................................36
5.2 VCP-Cloud Community ..................................................................................................................................36
5.3 Building a vCloud Test Environment ..............................................................................................................36
1. The Exam
1.1 Purpose of Exam
The VMware Certified Professional Cloud Exam tests certification candidates on their skills and abilities
installing, configuring and administering a VMware vCloud environment. Successful candidates demonstrate
mastery of these skills and abilities.
1.2 Number of Questions
The VCP-Cloud Exam consists of 135 questions and a short pre-exam survey consisting of 10 questions.
1.3 Passing Score
The passing score for this exam is 300, using a scaled scoring method. The scale is from 100-500. Scaled scores
are calculated using a mathematical formula that considers a variety of factors, including the number and type
of exam questions included in a specific version of the exam. Because this combination may vary in different
versions of the same examination, scaled scores provide a fair score for each individual based on the version of
the exam taken.
1.4 How Objectives Relate to Questions on the Exam
Objectives summarize what the test is designed to measure. Objectives are developed by Exam Developers and
Subject Matter Experts based on identified tasks that relate to the job of administering a vCloud Director
environment. Once the initial development process is complete, these objectives are verified using an external
group of individuals in the actual job role. The external survey determines the number of questions for each
objective, which relates directly to the criticality of the task in the job role.
1.5 Languages
The exam is available in English.
1.6 Time Limit
The time limit for the exam is 120 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes to complete the survey questions and
agreements. Candidates who take the VCP-Cloud Exam in a country where English is not a primary language will
have an additional 30 minutes added to the exam time. This time extension is automatic, no additional action is
required from the candidate. For the purposes of this exam, countries where English is considered one of the
primary languages include Australia, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the United
Kingdom and the United States.
1.7 Scheduling and Taking the Exam

This exam is administered through Pearson VUE. Details on the rules and procedures associated with
requesting authorization, registering, and sitting for the exam are available here. For the latest certification
news and more, please sign up for updates.
1.8 Certification Tracks
There are two paths to earning your VCP-Cloud certification.
The VCP-Cloud Exam is a core component of the VCP-Cloud certification. The certification requires a passing
score on the exam and successful completion of a required VMware authorized course. Courses that meet this
requirement are listed in section 4.
The VCP-Cloud certification is a requirement for several certification tracks, including the VMware Certified
Advanced Professional Cloud Infrastructure Administration, the VMware Certified Advanced Professional
Cloud Infrastructure Design and the VMware Certified Design Expert Cloud.
1.9 Retake Policy
If a candidate fails an exam on the first attempt, he or she must wait 7 calendar days from their original
appointment time before he or she can register to retake the exam. There is no limit to the number of retakes a
candidate can attempt, but the same waiting period applies after each failed attempt. Once the exam is passed,
a candidate may not make any further attempts.
1.10 Exam Security
VMware reserves the right to refuse certifying a candidate who violates exam security policies. This includes
copying and redistribution of exam material, using any type of study material during the exam itself, attempting
to photograph exam items and taking an exam using a false identity. Pearson VUE testing centers will take you
photo and capture your digital signature upon arrival to take the exam.
2. Intended Audience
2.1 Intended Audience
A typical candidate for the VCP-Cloud certification has six months experience working with vCloud Director
implementations. They are typically infrastructure personnel, who are capable of installing and configuring ESXi
hosts and can use VMware vCenter Server to monitor, manage, troubleshoot, and administer virtual
machines. The candidate possesses an understanding of basic cloud concepts including public/private/hybrid
clouds, multi-tenancy and cloud security. The candidate is capable of installing and configuring a VMware cloud
infrastructure and can monitor, manage, troubleshoot, and administrator a vCloud implementation. A candidate
is expected to have a working knowledge of the components that makes up the vCloud Suite and can enable
users to deploy vCloud workloads.
3. Objectives covered in the VCP-Cloud Exam

3.1 Introduction
It is recommended that candidates have the knowledge and skills necessary to install, configure and administer
a vCloud environment before taking the VCP-Cloud Exam. It is required for candidates to have completed one of
the courses listed as a requirement for this exam as detailed in section 4.
3.2 Objectives
Prior to taking this exam, candidates should understand each of the following objectives. Each objective is listed
below; along with related tools the candidate should have experience with, and related documentation that
contains information relevant to the objective. All objectives may also be referenced in other product
documentation not specifically highlighted below. The candidate should be familiar with all relevant product
documentation or have an equivalent skillset.
Section 1 Plan, Install, Configure and Upgrade vCenter Server and VMware ESXi
Objective 1.1 -- Install and Configure vCenter Server
Knowledge
Identify vCenter Server requirements

Identify vCenter Server database requirements
Identify vSphere Client/Web Client requirements
Identify available vCenter Server editions
Identify Single Sign On requirements
Deploy the vCenter Server Appliance
Install vCenter Server
Create an ODBC connection to a vCenter Server database
Size the vCenter Server database
Install additional vCenter Server components
Install and configure vSphere Client/vSphere Web Client
Install/Remove vSphere Client plug-ins
Enable/Disable vSphere Client plug-ins

License vCenter Server
Determine availability requirements for a vCenter Server in a given vSphere implementation
Tools
vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

vCenter Server and Host Management Guide
vSphere Examples and Scenarios Guide
VMware Virtualization Toolkit
vSphere Client and Web Client
Objective 1.2 Install and Configure VMware ESXi

Knowledge
Identify ESXi host requirements

Perform an interactive installation of ESXi using media or PXE
Configure NTP on an ESXi Host
Configure DNS and Routing on an ESXi Host
Enable/Configure/Disable hyper-threading
Enable/Configure/Disable CPU power management
License an ESXi host
Tools

Objective 1.3 Plan and Perform Upgrades of vCenter Server and VMware ESXi
Knowledge
Identify upgrade requirements for ESXi hosts

Identify steps required to upgrade a vSphere implementation
Upgrade a vSphere Distributed Switch
Upgrade from VMFS3 to VMFS5
Upgrade VMware Tools
Upgrade Virtual Machine hardware
Upgrade an ESXi Host using vCenter Update Manager
Stage multiple ESXi Host upgrades

Determine whether an in-place upgrade is appropriate in a given upgrade scenario
Tools

vSphere Upgrade Guide
Objective 1.4 Secure vCenter Server and VMware ESXi

Knowledge
Identify common vCenter Server privileges and roles

Describe how permissions are applied and inherited in vCenter Server
Configure and administer the ESXi firewall
Enable/Configure/Disable services in the ESXi firewall
Enable/Disable Lockdown Mode
Configure network security policies
View/Sort/Export user and group lists
Add/Modify/Remove permissions for users and groups on vCenter Server inventory objects
Create/Clone/Edit vCenter Server user roles
Apply permissions to ESXi Hosts using Host Profiles
Configure and administer Single Sign On (SSO)
o Describe SSO architecture
o Differentiate SSO Deployment Scenarios
o Configure database for SSO installation
o Configure SSO identity source
o Install and configure SSO
o Manage SSO Users and Groups
o Install/Configure vCenter Inventory Services
o Configure and administer vCloud Director integration with vCenter SSO
Determine the appropriate set of privileges for common tasks in vCenter Server
Tools

Section 2 Plan and Configure vSphere Networking

Objective 2.1 Configure vSphere Standard Switches (vSS)
Knowledge
Identify vSphere Standard Switch capabilities

Create/Delete a vSphere Standard Switch
Add/Configure/Remove vmnics on a vSphere Standard Switch
Configure vmkernel ports for network services
Add/Edit/Remove port groups on a vSphere Standard Switch
Determine use case for a vSphere Standard Switch
Tools

vSphere Networking Guide
Objective 2.2 Configure vSphere Distributed Switches (vDS)

Knowledge
Identify vSphere Distributed Switch capabilities

Create/Delete a vSphere Distributed Switch
Add/Remove ESXi hosts from a vSphere Distributed Switch
Edit general vSphere Distributed Switch settings
Add/Configure/Remove dvPort groups
Configure dvPort settings
Add/Remove uplink adapters to dvUplink groups
Create/Configure/Remove virtual adapters
Migrate virtual adapters to/from a vSphere Standard Switch
Migrate virtual machines to/from a vSphere Distributed Switch
Monitor dvPort state
Backup/Restore vSphere Distributed Switch configuration
Configure Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) on Uplink Port Groups
Tools

Objective 2.3 Configure vSphere Standard and Distributed Switch Policies

Knowledge
Identify common vSphere Standard and Distributed Switch policies

Describe vSphere Distributed Switch security policies and settings
o IP Discovery
o IP Source Guard
o Dynamic ARP Inspection
o ARP Rate Limiting
o Autoscale
Configure dvPort group blocking policies
Configure load balancing and failover policies
Configure VLAN/PVLAN settings
Configure traffic shaping policies
Enable TCP Segmentation Offload support for a virtual machine
Enable jumbo frames support on appropriate components
Determine appropriate VLAN configuration for a vSphere implementation
Tools

Section 3 Plan and Configure vSphere Storage

Objective 3.1 Configure Shared Storage for vSphere
Knowledge
Identify storage adapters and devices

Identify storage naming conventions
Identify hardware, dependent hardware, and software iSCSI initiator requirements
Compare and contrast array thin provisioning and virtual disk thin provisioning
Describe zoning and LUN masking practices
Scan/Rescan storage
Configure FC/iSCSI LUNs and ESXI boot LUNs
Create/Connect an NFS share for use with vSphere
Enable/Configure/Disable vCenter Server storage filters
Configure/Edit hardware and dependent hardware initiators
Enable/Disable software iSCSI initiator
Configure/Edit software iSCSI initiator settings
Configure iSCSI port binding

Enable/Configure/Disable iSCSI CHAP
Determine use case for hardware, dependent hardware, software iSCSI initiators
Determine use case for and configure array thin/thick provisioning
Tools
vSphere Storage Guide

Objective 3.2 Create and Configure VMFS and NFS Datastores

Knowledge
Identify VMFS and NFS Datastore properties

Identify VMFS5 capabilities
Describe 2TB+ VMFS capabilities
Identify Storage Distributed Resource Scheduler (SDRS) capabilities
Create/Rename/Delete/Unmount a VMFS Datastore
Mount/Unmount an NFS Datastore
Extend/Expand VMFS Datastores
Upgrade a VMFS3 Datastore to VMFS5
Place a VMFS Datastore in Maintenance Mode
Select the Preferred Path for a VMFS Datastore
Disable a path to a VMFS Datastore
Create and assign capabilities to a storage profile
Create/Modify/Delete a storage cluster
Determine use case for multiple VMFS/NFS Datastores
Determine appropriate Path Selection Policy for a given VMFS Datastore
Tools

10
Section 4 Deploy and Administer Virtual Machines, vCloud vApps, and vCenter vApps
Objective 4.1 Create and Deploy Virtual Machines
Knowledge
Identify capabilities of virtual machine hardware versions

Identify methods to access and use a virtual machine console
Identify VMware Tools device drivers
Identify virtual machine storage resources
Place virtual machines in selected ESXi hosts/clusters/resource pools
Configure and deploy a Guest OS into a new virtual machine
Configure/Modify disk controller for virtual disks
Configure appropriate virtual disk type for a virtual machine
Create/Convert thin/thick provisioned virtual disks
Configure disk shares
Install/Upgrade/Update VMware Tools
Configure virtual machine time synchronization
Configure/Modify virtual CPU and Memory resources according to OS and application requirements
Configure/Modify virtual NIC adapter and connect virtual machines to appropriate network
resources
Determine appropriate datastore/storage profile for virtual machines based on application
workloads
Tools
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

Installing and Configuring VMware Tools Guide
Objective 4.2 Create and Deploy vSphere vApps

Knowledge
Identify vCenter vApp settings

Create/Clone/Export a vCenter vApp
Add objects to an existing vCenter vApp
Edit vCenter vApp settings
Configure IP pools
Suspend/Resume a vCenter vApp
Determine when a tiered application should be deployed as a vCenter vApp
11
Tools

Objective 4.3 Create and Deploy vCloud vApps

Knowledge
Identify vApp deployment options into MyCloud

Import vApp (OVF/OVA) directly into MyCloud
Create a vApp
Tools
vCloud Director Administrators Guide

vCloud Director Users Guide
Objective 4.4 Manage Virtual Machine Clones and Templates

Knowledge
Identify Cloning and Template options

Identify content types
Clone an existing virtual machines
Clone vCloud vApp with memory states
Create a template from an existing virtual machine
Deploy a virtual machine from a template
Update existing virtual machine templates
Deploy virtual appliances and/or vApps from an OVF/OVA template
Import and/or Export an OVF/OVA template
Create a vCloud Connector Content Library (VMs, ISOs, Scripts, vApps)
o Local Library
o Remote Library with/without external storage
Publish/Subscribe/Share vCloud Connector Content Library
Determine the appropriate deployment methodology for a given virtual machine
Tools

12

VMware Open Virtualization Format Tool
OVF Tool User Guide
Objective 4.5 Administer Virtual Machines and vApps

Knowledge
Identify files used by virtual machines

Identify locations for virtual machine configuration files and virtual disks
Identify common practices for securing virtual machines
Hot Extend a virtual disk
Configure virtual machine options
Configure virtual machine power settings
Configure virtual machine boot options
Assign a Storage Policy to a virtual machine
Verify Storage Policy compliance for virtual machines
Determine when an advanced virtual machine parameter is required
Adjust virtual machine resources (shares, limits and reservations) based on virtual machine
workloads
Tools

Section 5 Establish and Maintain Service Levels

Objective 5.1 Create and Configure VMware Clusters
Knowledge
Describe Disbributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) virtual machine entitlement

Create/Delete a DRS/High Availability (HA) Cluster
Add/Remove ESXi Hosts from a DRS/HA Cluster
Add/Remove virtual machines from a DRS/HA Cluster
Configure Storage DRS
Configure Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
Monitor a DRS/HA Cluster
Configure DRS migration threshold
13
Configure automation levels for DRS and virtual machines

Enable/Configure/Disable Host Power Management/Distributed Power Management
Create VM-Host and VM-VM affinity rules
Enable/Disable Host Monitoring
Enable/Configure/Disable virtual machine and application monitoring
Configure admission control for HA and virtual machines
Determine appropriate failover methodology and required resources for an HA implementation
Determine appropriate power threshold for a given implementation
Tools

vSphere Availability Guide
vSphere Resource Management Guide
Objective 5.2 Create and Administer Resource Pools

Knowledge
Describe the Resource Pool hierarchy

Define the Expandable Reservation parameter
Create/Remove a Resource Pool
Configure Resource Pool attributes
Add/Remove virtual machines from a Resource Pool
Determine Resource Pool requirements for a given vSphere implementation
Evaluate appropriate shares, reservations and limits for a Resource Pool based on virtual machine
workloads
Tools

Objective 5.3 Migrate Virtual Machines

Knowledge
Identify ESXi host and virtual machine requirements for vMotion and Storage vMotion
Identify Enhanced vMotion Compatibility CPU requirements
14
Migrate virtual machines using vMotion/Storage vMotion
Tools

Objective 5.4 Patch and Update ESXi and Virtual Machines

Knowledge
Identify patching requirements for ESXi hosts and virtual machines

Create/Edit/Remove a Host Profile from an ESXi host
Import/Export a Host Profile
Attach/Apply a Host Profile to an ESXi host or cluster
Perform compliance scanning and remediation of an ESXi host using Host Profiles
Install and Configure vCenter Update Manager
Configure patch download options
Create/Edit/Delete an Update Manager baseline
Attach an Update Manager baseline to an ESXi host or cluster
Scan and remediate ESXi hosts and virtual machines using Update Manager
Stage ESXi host updates
Tools

vSphere Host Profiles Guide
Installing and Administering VMware vSphere Update Manager
Section 6 Perform Basic Troubleshooting and Alarm Management

Objective 6.1 Perform Basic Troubleshooting for ESXi Hosts
Knowledge
Identify general ESXi host troubleshooting guidelines

Troubleshoot common installation issues
15
Monitor ESXi system health

Export diagnostic information
Tools

vSphere Monitoring and Performance Guide
vSphere Troubleshooting Guide
vSphere Single Host Management Guide
Objective 6.2 Perform Basic vSphere and vCloud Network Troubleshooting

Knowledge
Verify network configuration

Verify a given virtual machine is configured with the correct network resources
Troubleshoot virtual switch and port group configuration issues
Troubleshoot physical network adapter configuration issues
Tools

Objective 6.3 Perform Basic vSphere and vCloud Storage Troubleshooting

Knowledge
Verify storage configuration

Troubleshoot storage contention issues
Troubleshoot storage over-commitment issues
Troubleshoot iSCSI software initiator configuration issues
Troubleshoot Storage Reports and Storage Maps
Identify the root cause of a storage issue based on troubleshooting information
Tools

16
Objective 6.4 Perform Troubleshooting for High Availability and Distributed Resource Scheduler
(HA/DRS) Clusters and vMotion/Storage vMotion Migrations
Knowledge
Identify HA/DRS and vMotion requirements

Verify vMotion/Storage vMotion configuration
Verify HA network configuration
Verify HA/DRS cluster configuration
Troubleshoot HA capacity issues
Troubleshoot HA redundancy issues
Interpret the DRS Resource Distribution Graph and Target/Current Host Load Deviation
Troubleshoot DRS load imbalance issues
Troubleshoot vMotion/Storage vMotion migration issues
Interpret vMotion Resource Maps
Identify the root cause of a DRS/HA cluster or migration issues based on troubleshooting
information
Tools

vSphere Availability Guide
Section 7 Monitor vSphere and vCloud Implementations

Objective 7.1 Monitor ESXi, vCenter Server and Virtual Machines
Knowledge
Describe how Tasks and Events are viewed in vCenter Server

Identify critical performance metrics
Explain common memory metrics
Explain common CPU metrics
Explain common network metrics
Explain common storage metrics
Compare and contrast Overview and Advanced Charts
Configure SNMP for vCenter Server
Configure Active Directory and SMTP settings for vCenter Server
Configure vCenter Server logging options
Create a log bundle
17
Create/Edit/Delete a Scheduled Task

Configure/View/Print/Export resource maps
Start/Stop/Verify vCenter Server service status
Start/Stop/Verify ESXi host agent status
Configure vCenter Server timeout settings
Monitor/Administer vCenter Server connections
Create an Advanced Chart
Determine host performance using guest Perfmon
Given performance data, identify the affected vSphere resource
Tools

Objective 7.2 Create and Administer vCenter Server Alarms

Knowledge
List vCenter default utilization alarms

List vCenter default connectivity alarms
List possible actions for utilization and connectivity alarms
Create a vCenter utilization alarm
Create a vCenter connectivity alarm
Configure alarm triggers
Configure alarm actions
For a given alarm, identify the affected resource in a vSphere implementation
Tools

18
Objective 7.3 Install, Configure, and Manage vCenter Operations (vC Ops) Manager
Knowledge
Differentiate Major/Minor vC Ops badges

Explain vC Ops architecture
Deploy and Configure vC Ops appliance
Upgrade vC Ops
Understand metrics used by Major/Minor vC Ops badges
Monitor vSphere environment
For a given alarm, identify the affected resource in vSphere implementation
Tools

vCenter Operations Manager Getting Started Guide
Objective 7.4 Audit Resources and Events in a vCloud

Knowledge
Identify vCloud Director Administration interface components

Identify the location of events and tasks in the vCloud Director and/or vCloud Automation Center
(vCAC) interface
Monitor CPU, Disk and Memory usage for a Provider vDC
Monitor CPU, Disk and Memory usage for an Organization
Monitor External Network, Org vDC networks, and resource and network pools
Monitor IP allocation utilization
Review and interpret tasks and events in vCloud Director and/or vCAC
Monitor CPU, Disk and Memory usage for an Enterprise Group
Monitor CPU, Disk and Memory usage for a Provisioning Group
Troubleshoot common resource/event issues in a vCloud
Tools
vCloud Director Performance and Best Practices

vCloud Automation Center System Administrators Guide
vCloud Director Web Console
vCloud Automation Center Web Console
19
Objective 7.5 Map vCloud Resources to vSphere Resources

Knowledge
Identify and differentiate the components of the vCloud Director and vSphere GUIs
Identify and differentiate the components of vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) and vSphere GUIs
Describe the relationship between vCloud storage resources/profiles and VMFS/NFS datastores
Describe the relationship between vCloud network resources and vSphere standard/distributed
switches
Describe the relationship between vCloud compute resources and DRS/HA clusters/Resource Pools
Determine total/current resources available to a Provider/Organization vDC relative to assigned
vSphere resources
Determine the explicit vSphere resource consumed by a Provider/Organization vDC
Determine which vSwitch resource is being used by a given cloud network
Determine on which datastore a virtual machine resides
Determine on which host a virtual machine resides
Describe the relationship between vCAC Enterprise Groups and vSphere Resources
Describe the relationship between vCAC Network Profiles and vSphere networks
Tools

vCloud Automation Center Foundations and Concepts Guide
Section 8 Install, Configure, and Upgrade vCloud Suite Components

Objective 8.1- Install available vCloud Suite editions
Knowledge
Identify available vCloud Suite editions

Explain Site Recovery Manager functionality
Differentiate vCloud Hybrid Service offerings
Explain vCenter Chargeback Manager functionality
Explain vCenter Configuration Manager functionality
Explain vCenter Infrastructure Navigator functionality
Explain vFabric Hyperic functionality
20
Explain vFabric Application Director functionality

Determine the appropriate vCloud Suite edition based on customer requirements
Tools
vCloud Suite Licensing Guide

vCloud Director Installation and Upgrade Guide
vShield Administration Guide
vCenter Chargeback Manager Installation and Upgrade Guide
VMware Journey to Your Cloud
VMware vCloud Architecture Toolkit (vCAT)
vShield Manager Web Console
vCenter Chargeback Web Console
Objective 8.2 Install and upgrade vCloud Suite components

Knowledge
Identify the vCloud Suite components and prerequisites for installation

Describe installation order of the components
Describe upgrade order of the components
Identify the pre-requisites and deployment steps necessary for vCloud Director configuration
Identify the pre-requisites and deployment steps necessary for vCloud Automation Center (vCAC)
configuration
Cite the steps to deploy and configure vCloud Networking and Security (vCNS) Manager appliance
Identify relationships between vCenter Server, vCNS Manager, and vCloud Director
Identify relationships between vCenter Server, vCNS Manager, and vCAC
Create a SysPrep package
Install vCloud Director
Install vCloud Networking and Security
Install vCloud Connector (vCC)
Configure vCloud Director cell network connections
Configure vCloud Director cell database settings
Troubleshoot basic installation issues
Install vCloud Automation Center
Interpret vCloud Automation Center prerequisite checker results
Configure vCloud Automation Center endpoints
Configure vCloud Automation Center database settings
21
Tools
vCloud Director Installation and Upgrade Guide

vCloud Automation Center Installation and Configuration Guide
vShield Installation and Upgrade Guide
Installing and Configuring vCloud Connector
vCenter Chargeback Web Console
vCC vSphere Client Plug-In
vCC Web UI
Objective 8.3 Configure and administer vCloud Connector Advanced Edition

Knowledge
Identify the components of vCloud Connector (vCC)

Explain vApp copy process
Identify VM state
Identify the configuration(s) necessary for Data Center Extension
Configure and Administer vCloud Connector
Differentiate between functionality of components of vCloud Connector
Implement required network and security settings
Determine storage requirements and add storage for vCC node
Register vCloud Connector UI with vCenter
Register vCloud Networking and Security Manager with the vCloud Connector server
Troubleshoot common vCloud Connector installation and operations issues
Create a vCloud Connector Content Library
Publish vSphere folders and vCloud catalogs to a vCloud Connector Content Library
Subscribe/unsubscribe to a published folder or catalog
Stretch deploy a VM or vApp using Data Center Extension
Tools
Installing and Configuring vCloud Connector

Using vCloud Connector
VMware vCloud Architecture Toolkit (vCAT)
vCC vSphere Client Plug-In
vCC Web UI
22
Objective 8.4 Configure vCloud system settings

Knowledge
Identify vCloud Director system administration user interfaces (UI)

Identify vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) Enterprise Administrator UI
Configure vCloud Director System Settings
Configure vCAC System Settings
Generate a Certificate Signing Request or self-signed certificates
Import certificates
Add vCenter Servers to a vCloud Director server
Add vCenter Servers to a vCAC server
Configure vCNS licensing
Tools

vCloud Automation Center Foundations and Concepts Guide
Section 9 Administer Users, Roles and Privileges in a vCloud

Objective 9.1 Create Roles and Apply Privileges to Roles in a vCloud
Knowledge
Identify the vCloud Director predefined roles and their specific privilege levels
Identify vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) predefined roles and their specific privilege levels
Identify the steps to create a custom role in vCloud Director
Identify the operations that can be performed on predefined roles
Identify the types of users that can be granted privileges in vCloud Director
Explain the purpose of a custom role in vCloud Director
Given an end-users job description, determine the appropriate role to grant
Validate specific access rights in a security role
Troubleshoot common customized role access issues
23
Tools

vCloud Director Security Hardening Guide
Objective 9.2 Configure AD/LDAP Integration in a vCloud

Knowledge
Identify Open LDAP infrastructure components

Identify Active Directory infrastructure components
Configure AD/LDAP integration
Describe how to import users and groups
Configure vCloud Director to authenticate via Open LDAP
Configure vCloud Director to authenticate via Active Directory
Test connectivity to external LDAP
Import users and groups from external LDAP
Troubleshoot common LDAP external connectivity issues
Tools

Section 10 Create and Administer vCloud Networking

Objective 10.1 Create and Administer vCloud External and Organization Networks
Knowledge
Identify the types of Organization vDC networks

Identify the types of vCNS Edge Gateways
Create/modify/delete an external network
Create/modify/delete an external direct organization network
Create/modify/delete an external routed organization network
Create/modify/delete an internal organization network
Explain the relationship between external networks and vSphere port groups
Explain the purpose and use cases for external networks
Explain the relationship between Org vDC networks and vCNS Edge Gateways
24
Explain best practices related to Org vDC networks

Deploy an Org vDC network from the GUI
Explain the purpose and use cases for Org vDC networks
Create and administer external and organization networks
Given requirements, determine the appropriate network type
Given a scenario, determine the appropriate Organization network type
Given a scenario, determine the proper level of Organization vDC Network sharing
Tools
Architecting a vCloud
Objective 10.2 Create and Administer vCloud Network Pools

Knowledge
Describe the concept of a Network Pool

Create and Administer Network Pools
Create/Delete a Network Pool
Expand Network Pool
Determine appropriate backing for a given Network Pool
Configure Network Pool properties
Tools
Objective 10.3 Create and Administer vApp networks

Knowledge
Identify the types of vApp networks

Explain the purpose and use cases for vApp networks
Explain the relationship between vApp networks and vCNS Edge devices
25
Explain capabilities related to vApps

Explain the purpose and use of the visual mapping tool
Administer vApp networks
Create/modify/delete a direct vApp network
Create/modify/delete a routed vApp network
Create/modify/delete an internal vApp network
Troubleshoot vApp networks using the visual mapping tool
Tools
Objective 10.4 Manage Network Services

Knowledge
Identify the available vCNS Edge network services

Manage network services from within vCloud Director
Configure DHCP/NAT/VPN/Load Balancer/DNS services
o Add a SNAT/DNAT rule
o Add a DHCP IP pool
Sub-allocate IP pools
Add static IP addresses
Configure syslog
Use logs to troubleshoot common network service issues
Tools

vShield Manager UI
26
Objective 10.5 Manage vCNS Edge firewall from within vCloud

Knowledge
Identify where to set firewall rules within the vCD interface

Identify available vCNS Edge network services
Explain vCNS firewall concepts as they relate to a cloud environment
Identify the different deployment options of vCNS Edge
Manage vCNS Edge firewall from within vCloud Director
Determine which firewall rules need to be applied or modified
Ensure configured rules are placed in the proper order
Enable/Disable firewall
Add/Modify/Delete firewall rules
Determine which vCNS devices impact a given service
Ensure rules are performing correctly for a given solution
Troubleshoot common firewall service issues
Tools

vShield Manager UI
Objective 10.6 Configure and manage vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) networking
Knowledge
Enable static IP service

Define network profiles
Add/Remove IP address ranges
Monitor IP allocations
Tools
IaaS Configuration for Virtual Platforms

IaaS Configuration for Cloud Platforms
27
Objective 10.7 Configure and manage VXLAN

Knowledge
Identify where to install and configure VXLAN

Identify physical network requirements
Prepare the cluster for VXLAN
Prepare VTEPs on cluster
Tools
vShield Installation and Upgrade Guide

VMware VXLAN Deployment Guide
vSphere Client plugin
Section 11 Configure and Administer vCloud Organizations

Objective 11.1 Create an Organization
Knowledge
Identify where to add Organizations in the vCloud Director interface

Identify the URL name of the newly created Organization
Identify local SMTP server
Create an Organization
Create a new Organization via the Wizard
Configure VM lease times
Configure Storage lease times
Setup SMTP server information
Setup notification settings
Tools

28
Objective 11.2 Manage Organizations

Knowledge
Manage Organizations
Identify Allocation models
List operations that can be performed on an Organization
List the vCloud constructs that make up an Organization
Explain the purpose and use case for each storage option
Match the Org vDC to the tier of service
Edit leases, quotas, and limits that would be applied to organizations.
Revise catalog(s) and their permissions that are attached to the Org
Add/Remove users and groups
Add/Remove/Edit Org vDCs
Edit Organization settings
Allocate proper resources to an Organization
Configure the different allocation models
Configure storage provision options
Tools

Section 12 Allocate and Manage vCloud Resources

Objective 12.1 Create and Administer Provider vDCs
Knowledge
Identify where a Provider vDC gets its resources

Differentiate Provider and Organization vDCs
Explain the concept of a Provider vDC
Create/Delete a Provider vDC
Enable/Disable a Provider vDC
Select Resource Pools and Storage Profiles for a Provider vDC
Prepare/Unprepare a Provider vDC Host
Enable/Disable a Provider vDC host
Upgrade/Repair a Provider vDC Host agent
Enable/Disable a Storage Profile
29
Configure Low Disk Space Warnings

Expand Provider vDCs
Tools

Objective 12.2 Create and Administer Organization VDCs

Knowledge
Differentiate Allocation Model types

Explain the concept of an Organization vDC
Create/Modify/Delete an Organization vDC
Select Organization vDC components
Enable/Disable an Organization vDC
Select the appropriate network pool for a given network in an Organization vDC
Select the appropriate storage provisioning policy
Select the appropriate Storage Profiles
Select the appropriate external networks for the Organization vDC
Tools

Objective 12.3 Create and Manage vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) Enterprise Groups
Knowledge
Identify an Enterprise Group

Identify who administers an Enterprise Group
Identify machines that exist within an Enterprise Group
Create and manage vCAC Enterprise Groups
Tools
vCloud Automation Center System Administration

Iaas Configuration for Virtual Platforms
30
Iaas Configuration for Cloud Platforms

Changes from vCloud Automation Center 5.2
Objective 12.4 Create and Manage vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) Reservations
Knowledge
Identify the provisioning group for the Reservation

Specify the maximum number of machines that can be provisioned on the Reservation
Specify the priority of the Reservation
Identify allocated and reserved resources
Create and manage vCAC Reservations
Create and manage vCAC Reservation policies
Troubleshoot over-allocation of the Reservation
Tools

Section 13 Create and Administer vCloud Catalogs and vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) Blueprints
Objective 13.1 Create vApp Templates, Media and Catalogs
Knowledge
Identify the location of vApp templates, media and catalogs

Explain the benefits and use of vApp templates in a cloud
Explain the benefits and use of a catalog in a cloud
Identify vApp template and media versions
Differentiate between vApp templates, media and catalogs
Create/Update/Delete a vApp template
Create a catalog
Publish a catalog to different organizations
Explain the use case for new media types in a catalog (application director, blueprints, etc.)
Tools
31

Objective 13.2 Manage Catalogs

Knowledge
Identify virtual machine formats that can be imported to a Catalog

Identify virtual machine and media formats that can be exported from a Catalog
Identify frequently used catalog properties
Explain the concept of catalogs
Explain how guest customization works for various operating systems
Configure guest customization for vApp templates
Import a VM into a catalog (OVF, OVA, vSphere)
Deploy a vApp (catalog or direct)
Modify catalog properties
Configure catalog synchronization and publication
Given a standard use situation, determine which items need to be customized in a cloud
environment
Given a use case, determine the effect frequently-used catalog properties will have
Given a use case, determine organization level catalog sharing
Tools

Objective 13.3 Create and Manage vCloud Automation Center (vCAC) Blueprints
Knowledge
Identify the different blueprint machine types (virtual, cloud, physical)

Identify the different blueprint provisioning types (local and global)
Identify different blueprint actions (create, clone, linked-clone)
Explain run time property precedents
Create single and/or multi-machine blueprints
Create a build profile
Configure appropriate blueprint security
Configure approvals for a blueprint
Given a scenario, determine the appropriate custom properties for the blueprint or build profile
32
Tools

4. VCP-Cloud Path Options and Course Requirement

4.1 VCP-Cloud Path Options
There are three paths to earning your VCP-Cloud certification.
Path 1 Just starting with VMware technologies using vCloud Director v5.5
1. Attend a qualifying course
o vCloud Director: Install, Configure, Manage [v5.5]
o VMware vCloud Automation Center: Install, Configure, Manage [V5.2]
2. Pass the VCP-Cloud Exam (VCPC550 exam)
Path 2 Just starting with VMware technologies using vCloud Director v5.1
1. Attend a qualifying course
o vCloud Director: Install, Configure, Manage [v5.1]
o VMware vCloud: Deploy and Manage the VMware Cloud [V1.5]
2. Pass the VCP-Cloud Exam (VCPC510 exam)
Path 3 Currently VCP5-DCV or VCP5-DT certified
1. VMware Certified Professional 5 Data Center Virtualization (VCP5-DCV) or VMware Certified
Professional 5 Desktop (VCP5-DT) certification
a. Suggested Courses to help you prepare:
i. vCloud Director: Install, Configure, Manage [v5.5]
ii. VMware vCloud Automation Center: Install, Configure, Manage [V5.2]
iii. vCloud Director: Install, Configure, Manage [v5.1]
iv. VMware vCloud: Deploy and Manage the VMware Cloud [V1.5]
v. vCenter Chargeback Fundamentals
2. Pass the VCP-Cloud (VCP510) or VCP-Cloud (VCP550) Exam or the Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
Exam.
33
For additional information on the VCP-Cloud exam, please see the VCP-Cloud Exam Blueprint located at
http://mylearn.vmware.com/register.cfm?course=159512
4.2 Course Requirement

In order to obtain the VCP-Cloud certification, a candidate must first attend one of the following qualifying
courses. After successfully completing the class, the candidate may attempt the VCP-Cloud Exam. Successful
completion of the course and exam will grant the candidate VCP-Cloud certification status.
VMware vCloud Director: Install, Configure, Manage [V5.x]
A three day, hands-on training course that demonstrates to technical personnel how to deploy and manage the
ongoing operation of VMware vCloud Director for a small private cloud environment. This course focuses on
the private cloud in an engineering or quality assurance solution. It covers all of the fundamentals needed to
34
install, configure, and manage any small private cloud with vCloud Director. This course is the prerequisite for
other courses that cover more advanced vCloud Director configurations in enterprise deployments.
The course covers all of the fundamentals needed to install, configure, and manage any small private cloud with
vCloud Director, including the following objectives:
Deploy vCloud Director.

Manage vCloud Director to satisfy small private cloud business needs.
Configure VMware vSphere storage to enable multiple tiers in provider virtual data centers.
Create and manage vCloud Director organizations and VMware vSphere vApps to satisfy business
needs.
Create and manage vCloud Director catalogs.
Configure networking for organizations and vApps.
Create an interface between vCloud Director and Microsoft Active Directory servers.
Understand the interactions between VMware vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)
clusters and vCloud Director.
VMware vCloud Automation Center: Install, Configure, Manage [V5.2]

A three day, hands-on training course that focuses on installing, configuring, and managing VMware vCloud
Automation Center. This course covers the configuration and use of vCloud Automation Center as a platform
for self-service provisioning of virtual, cloud, and physical machines to create and manage on-demand
multivendor cloud infrastructures.
The course covers all of the fundamentals needed to install, configure, and manage any cloud infrastructure
with vCloud Automation Center, including the following objectives:
Understand the vCloud Automation Center architecture and use case in multivendor cloud
environment.
Install and configure vCloud Automation Center 5.2.
Manage vCloud Automation Center 5.2 entities on VMware and third-party hardware and cloud
infrastructures.
Configure and manage provisioning groups and blueprints.
Configure and manage enterprise groups and reservations for compute resources on VMware,
Microsoft, Citrix, and more.
Use the Self-Service portal to request and manage machines according to vCloud Automation Center
approval policies.
Use the Report portal to monitor vCloud Automation Center configuration and managed resources.
Understand and configure vCloud Automation Center workflows.
Manage and monitor machines and resource reclamation.
35
5. Additional Resources
5.1 Mock Exam
VMware provides free practice questions for the VCP-Cloud Exam. The mock exam contains sample questions,
along with explanation for incorrect responses. The mock exam presents 25 questions, written by the same
authors of the actual exam. The mock exam pass score is set to 100% and a candidate can retake the mock
exam as many times as desired until the 100% score is achieved. Please be advised that the pass score for the
mock exam is unrelated to the pass score for the actual exam. Refer to section 1.3 for the scoring information
for the VCP-Cloud Exam.
The mock exam is located at: http://mylearn.vmware.com/quiz.cfm?item=39070
5.2 VCP Community
VMware provides an online community for VCP candidates. This community contains valuable information
from other candidates and senior VCPs, and is moderated by VMware certification staff. The community is
located at: http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/certedu/certification/vcp
5.3 Building a vCloud Test Environment
All VMware products, including vSphere 5 and vCloud Director 5.1, can be downloaded and evaluated for 60
days. If you have the equipment to install a copy of ESXi 5.x, you can install ESXi in a VM. This would allow you
to install multiple copies of ESXi and a copy of vCenter Server to create the underlying environment for a vCloud
implementation. For shared storage, obtain a virtual appliance that contains an iSCSI target. Several of these
are available on the appliance marketplace.
Version
2.7
Date
2013-11-27
2.8
2.9
3.0
2014-01-24
2014-02-03
2014-02-13
Change Notes
Section 1.8: Certification Tracks updated to delineate how the VCP5-Desktop
certification can be used to meet VCP-Cloud certification requirements for those
who wish to take the VMware IaaS Exam.
Section 1.6: Time Limit clarifications
Updated document to include vCloud Suite v5.5 objectives and references.
Updated exam code version, updated recommended vCloud Director: Install,
Configure, Manage class to v5.5, and added vCloud Automation Center v5.2 training
course to list of exam prerequisites.
36
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VMware Certified Professional Cloud

VCP-Cloud Exam testing center exam code: VCPC550

1.7 Scheduling and Taking the Exam

3. Objectives covered in the VCP-Cloud Exam

Identify vCenter Server requirements

Enable/Disable vSphere Client plug-ins

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Objective 1.2 Install and Configure VMware ESXi

Identify ESXi host requirements

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Identify upgrade requirements for ESXi hosts

Stage multiple ESXi Host upgrades

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Objective 1.4 Secure vCenter Server and VMware ESXi

Identify common vCenter Server privileges and roles

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Section 2 Plan and Configure vSphere Networking

Identify vSphere Standard Switch capabilities

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Objective 2.2 Configure vSphere Distributed Switches (vDS)

Identify vSphere Distributed Switch capabilities

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Objective 2.3 Configure vSphere Standard and Distributed Switch Policies

Identify common vSphere Standard and Distributed Switch policies

vSphere Installation and Setup Guide

Section 3 Plan and Configure vSphere Storage

Identify storage adapters and devices

Configure iSCSI port binding

vSphere Storage Guide

Objective 3.2 Create and Configure VMFS and NFS Datastores

Identify VMFS and NFS Datastore properties

vSphere Storage Guide

Identify capabilities of virtual machine hardware versions

vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

Objective 4.2 Create and Deploy vSphere vApps

Identify vCenter vApp settings

vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

Objective 4.3 Create and Deploy vCloud vApps

Identify vApp deployment options into MyCloud

vCloud Director Administrators Guide

Objective 4.4 Manage Virtual Machine Clones and Templates

Identify Cloning and Template options

vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

vCloud Director Users Guide

Objective 4.5 Administer Virtual Machines and vApps

Identify files used by virtual machines

vSphere Virtual Machine Administration Guide

Section 5 Establish and Maintain Service Levels

Describe Disbributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) virtual machine entitlement

Configure automation levels for DRS and virtual machines

vCenter Server and Host Management Guide

Objective 5.2 Create and Administer Resource Pools

Describe the Resource Pool hierarchy

vSphere Resource Management Guide

Objective 5.3 Migrate Virtual Machines

Migrate virtual machines using vMotion/Storage vMotion

vSphere Resource Management Guide

Objective 5.4 Patch and Update ESXi and Virtual Machines

Identify patching requirements for ESXi hosts and virtual machines

vSphere Resource Management Guide

Section 6 Perform Basic Troubleshooting and Alarm Management

Identify general ESXi host troubleshooting guidelines

Monitor ESXi system health

vCenter Server and Host Management Guide