![vCAP 6 DCA - logo.webp][1]
Today I would like to share my experience with VMware Certified Advanced Professional 6 – Data Center Virtualization Deployment Exam (3V0-623).
It was a while ago when I took it (March 2017) but I think my experience will be valuable to you.
Blueprint
Like with any exam, VMware exams have blueprints which are very important to pass it. Before starting learning towards you have to familiarize yourself with its blueprint: Certification VMware Certified Advanced Professional 6 – Data Center Virtualization Deployment Exam (3V0-623).
- Section 1 - Create and Deploy vSphere 6.x Infrastructure Components
- Objective 1.1 - Perform Advanced ESXi Host Configuration
- Objective 1.2 - Deploy and Configure Core Management Infrastructure Components
- Objective 1.3 - Deploy and Configure Update Manager Components
- Objective 1.4 - Perform Advanced Virtual Machine Configurations
- Section 2 - Deploy and Manage a vSphere 6.x Storage Infrastructure
- Objective 2.1 - Implement Complex Storage Solutions
- Objective 2.2 - Manage Complex Storage Solutions
- Objective 2.3 - Troubleshoot Complex Storage Solutions
- Section 3 - Deploy and Manage a vSphere 6.x Network Infrastructure
- Objective 3.1 - Implement and Manage vSphere Standard Switch (vSS) Networks
- Objective 3.2 - Implement and Manage vSphere 6.x Distributed Switch (vDS) Networks
- Objective 3.3 - Scale a vSphere 6.x Network Implementation
- Objective 3.4 - Troubleshoot a vSphere 6.x Network Implementation
- Section 4 - Configure a vSphere Deployment for Availability and Scalability
- Objective 4.1 - Implement and Maintain Complex vSphere Availability Solutions
- Objective 4.2 - Implement and Manage Complex DRS solutions
- Objective 4.3 - Troubleshoot vSphere clusters
- Section 5 - Configure a vSphere Deployment for Manageability
- Objective 5.1 - Execute VMware Cmdlets and Customize Scripts Using PowerCLI
- Objective 5.2 - Implement and Maintain Host Profiles
- Objective 5.3 - Manage and analyze vSphere log files
- Objective 5.4 - Configure and manage Content Library
- Section 6 - Configure a vSphere Deployment for Performance
- Objective 6.1 - Utilize Advanced vSphere Performance Monitoring Tools
- Objective 6.2 - Optimize Virtual Machine resources
- Section 7 - Configure a vSphere 6.x Environment for Recoverability
- Objective 7.1- Deploy and manage vSphere Replication
- Objective 7.2 - Deploy and Manage vSphere Data Protection
- Objective 7.3 - Backup and Recover vSphere Configurations
- Section 8 - Configure a vSphere 6.x Environment for Security
- Objective 8.1 - Manage authentication and end-user security
- Objective 8.2 - Manage SSL certificates
- Objective 8.3 - Harden a vSphere 6.x Deployment
Technical tips before taking the exam
- Familiarize yourself with VMware Certification Platform Interface (Exam UI experience)
- Try at least one Hands-on Lab with low resolution (1200 or smaller) to simulate real-world equipment
- Try to put everything on full screen (browser, UI) and hide scenario
Studying tips
- Build a lab where you can break stuff and fix it
- If you don’t own personal lab try Hands-On Labs:
- HOL-1804-02-CHG - vSphere 6.5 - Challenge Lab
- HOL-1808-02-CHG - vSAN v6.6 - Challenge Lab
- HOL-1808-01-HCI - vSAN v6.6 - Getting Started
- HOL-1804-01-SDC - vSphere 6.5 - Performance Diagnostics and Benchmarking
- HOL-1811-03-SDC - vSphere with Operations Management - Advanced Topics
- HOL-1811-04-SDC - vSphere Security - Getting Started
- Cover each section of blueprint either in your own lab or in HOL
My experience
Although I failed the exam ( I didn’t prepare to it at all) by just a few points I have to say that I enjoyed pretty many aspects of this exam. One pain point was a small monitor (19") with low resolution. All other aspects of the exam were great. The questions were accurate and presented real-world scenarios. Such exam or tasks should be at every VMware related job offer.
I hope my experience will help you better prepare to the exam and nail it 🙂
[1]: /images/uploads/2017/11/vCAP 6 DCA - logo.webp