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vSphere 4 Review Guide
vSphere 4 Review Guide
390
Computer Networking
Graduate
05/19/2010

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Cards

Term
What VMware features are part of the vSphere 4 Standard Edition?
Definition
• VMware ESXi or VMware ESX (deployment-time choice) (Max 6 cores per processor)
• VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)
• 4-way Virtual SMP
• VMware vCenter Server Agent
• VMware vStorage APIs / VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
• VMware Update Manager
• VMware High Availability (HA)
• VMware vStorage Thin Provisioning
Term
What VMware features are part of the vSphere 4 Advanced Edition?
Definition
• VMware ESXi or VMware ESX (deployment-time choice) (Max 12 cores per processor)
• VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)
• 4-way Virtual SMP
• VMware vCenter Server Agent
• VMware vStorage APIs / VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
• VMware Update Manager
• VMware High Availability (HA)
• VMware vStorage Thin Provisioning
• VMware VMotion™
• VMware Hot Add
• VMware Fault Tolerance
• VMware Data Recovery
• VMware vShield Zones
Term
What VMware Features are part of the vSphere 4 Enterprise Edition?
Definition
• A VMware ESXi or VMware ESX (deployment-time choice) (Max 6 cores per processor)
• VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)
• 4-way Virtual SMP
• VMware vCenter Server Agent
• VMware vStorage APIs / VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
• VMware Update Manager
• VMware High Availability (HA)
• VMware vStorage Thin Provisioning
• VMware VMotion™
• VMware Hot Add
• VMware Fault Tolerance
• VMware Data Recovery
• VMware vShield Zones
• VMware Storage VMotion
• VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)
• VMware Distributed Power Management (DPM)
Term
What VMware features are part of the VMware vSphere 4 Enterprise Plus Edition?
Definition
• A VMware ESXi or VMware ESX (deployment-time choice) (Max 12 cores per processor) VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)
• 8-way Virtual SMP
• VMware vCenter Server Agent
• VMware vStorage APIs / VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
• VMware Update Manager
• VMware High Availability (HA)
• VMware vStorage Thin Provisioning
• VMware VMotion™
• VMware Hot Add
• VMware Fault Tolerance
• VMware Data Recovery
• VMware vShield Zones
• VMware Storage VMotion
• VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)
• VMware Distributed Power Management (DPM)
• VMware vNetwork Distributed Switch
• VMware Host Profiles
• VMware vStorage APIs for Multipathing
Term
True or False. ESX and ESXi are considered to be host-based operatying system hypervisors.
Definition
False. ESX and ESXi are bare-metal hypervisors.
Term
Provide two examples of host-based operating system hypervisors.
Definition
VMware Server and VMware Workstation
Term
What should be done prior to installing ESX to ensure a successful installation?
Definition
Check the hardware of your server against the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)
Term
hat tool is available from VMware to check the specifications of a server’s processor?
Definition
VMware CPU Identification Utility
Term
What tool is available from VMware to check the integrity of an ESX 4 DVD download?
Definition
Md5sum from the VMware web site can be compared against the DVD download
Term
What is the maximum number of cores on a CPU allowed by the ESX 4 Standard license?
Definition
6
Term
What is the most significant difference in the SC architecture between ESX 3 and ESX 4?
Definition
The SC is a virtual machine in ESX 4
Term
What storage options are available for the SC VM?
Definition
VMFS on FC storage or VMFS on local storage
Term
What are the default service console mount points?
Definition
/ (root), /var/log, and swap
Term
What is the importance of partitioning?
Definition
Protect the / (root), to prevent the root from becoming full
Term
True or False. If the / (root) runs out of space there could be service interruptions.
Definition
True
Term
What partition is most directly impacted by the amount of RAM granted to the Service Console?
Definition
Swap
Term
What is the impact of creating /usr as a separate partition?
Definition
The / (root) partition can be smaller than normal.
Term
What is the default size of the swap partition for ESX 4?
Definition
600MB
Term
What is the maximum size of the swap partition for ESX 4?
Definition
1600MB
Term
What ESXi specific partition is used to store vm-support output but is not mandatory for ESXi?
Definition
Scratch
Term
True or false. ESXi is considered more reliable and more secure than ESX.
Definition
True
Term
True or false. ESXi can be managed by vCenter.
Definition
True, however the appropriate license must be purchased
Term
True or False. ESX Service Console can use Active Directory to check user passwords for authentication but still requires local user accounts created in the Service Console.
Definition
True
Term
What are the two versions of ESXi 4?
Definition
Installable and Embedded
Term
List the operational functions that can be performed from the ESXi Direct Console.
Definition
Set TCP/IP information (address, subnet mask, gateway, DNS), host name, logging settings, restart management agents (local only), test the management network (local only), select the management network NIC, restore standard vSwitch (local only), reset configuration
Term
What is the importance of synchronizing ESX/ESXi 4 hosts with an NTP server?
Definition
• Accurate timestamps in the logs
• Provide VMs with an accurate time source
• Accurate performance graphs
Term
What port is used for NTP communication?
Definition
UDP port 123
Term
List the steps involved in an upgrade from VI3 to vSphere?
Definition
• Upgrade vCenter
• Upgrade VUM
• Upgrade vSphere client
• Create ESX Upgrade baseline
• Remediate ESX
• Create VM Tools and VM Hardware Upgrade baseline
• Remediate VMs
Term
What prior versions of ESX/ESXi can be upgraded directly to ESX 4?
Definition
• ESX 3, 3.0.1, 3.02
• ESX/ESXi 3.5
Term
What is the minimum required size of a boot partition for upgrading to ESX 4?
Definition
100
Term
List two ways to upgrade and ESX host?
Definition
VUM or vSphere 4 Host Update Utility
Term
What two components are upgraded during the upgrade from ESX 3 to ESX 4?
Definition
Service Console and VMkernel
Term
True or false. The vSphere 4 Host Update Utility does not check for upgrade compatibility.
Definition
False. In addition to performing upgrades, the Host Update Utility can check for upgrade compatibility.
Term
What Service Console components should be backed up prior to an upgrade?
Definition
/etc/passwd, /etc/group, /etc/gshadow, /etc/shadow, any custom configuration scripts and all the data in the local VMFS datastore
Term
What utility can backup ESXi?
Definition
vicfg-backup
Term
The ESX Service Console firewall is configured by default to ____ security, by ____ all traffic unless required for default management tasks.
Definition
High, blocking
Term
True or False. Users who connect to vCenter must be granted direct access to ESX with local user accounts in the Service Console.
Definition
False. Only a limited number of administrative staff should have local user accounts in the Service Console that provide direct access to ESX.
Term
What command line tool will list available firewall services?
Definition
esxcfg-firewall –s
Term
What command line tool will identify the status of services in the ESX firewall?
Definition
esxcfg-firewall –q
Term
What port and protocol is used by ESX 4 hosts to communicate with an NTP server?
Definition
UDP port 123
Term
List some a few reasons why time synchronization of ESX is important.
Definition
• Accuracy of performance graphs
• Accuracy of time stamps in logs
• Accuracy of VM time synch with SC
Term
True or False. Service Console users and groups can only be managed using the vSphere Client when directly connected to an ESX host.
Definition
True. SC users and groups cannot be managed when the vSphere client is connected to vCenter
Term
True or False. Every user that access vCenter to manage one or more ESX 4 hosts must have a Service Console user account.
Definition
False. Only a limited number of administrators should have direct ESX 4 management capability
Term
When performing a boot from SAN how should LUN masking be configured?
Definition
Each LUN holding an ESX installation should be seen only by the ESX host that needs to boot from that LUN
Term
List the HBA requirements for configuring a boot from SAN.
Definition
• The ESX 4 host must boot from the HBA
• The FC card must be configured to initiate a primitive connection to the target boot LUN.
Term
To expedite the discovery of the FC HBA where should the HBA be inserted in the ESX 4 host?
Definition
The PCI slot with the lowest value (that is where device scanning begins)
Term
What VMware product integrates with vCenter for managing virtual desktops?
Definition
VMware View
Term
What VMware product provides failover between datacenters that span large geographic distances?
Definition
Site Recovery Manager
Term
What VMware product allows for rapid provisioning of gold image VMs for testing and development purposes?
Definition
Lab Manager
Term
What VMware product would integrate with vCenter to create multi-step workflows? For example creating a workflow to use VUM to perform upgrades of VM hardware, VMware Tools, and patches the guest OS?
Definition
vCenter Orchestrator
Term
What VMware product is packaged as a virtual appliance that can proactively monitor application performance and provide visibility into the performance of multitier
applications that run in VMs?
Definition
AppSpeed
Term
What VMware product allows to bridge, firewall, or isolate virtual machine between multiple zones defined by your logical organizational and trust boundaries?
Definition
VMware vShield Zones
Term
What VMware product provides a unique capability for virtualized environments through an application program interface (API)-sharing program that enables select partners to develop security products for VMware environments?
Definition
VMware VMsafe
Term
What are the three types of Standard vSwitches that can be created in ESX 4?
Definition
Internal-only vSwitch, NIC team (2 or more uplinks), regular vSwitch (1 uplink)
Term
What is the maximum number of ports that can be configured on a standard virtual switch?
Definition
4088 (4096)
Term
What are the three different connection types that can exist in a vSwitch?
Definition
Service Console port, VMkernel port, and VM port group
Term
True or False. A standard vSwitch can only contain a single port or portgroup.
Definition
False. A standard vSwitch can contain multiple ports or port groups or only a single port or port group
Term
List the benefits of VLANs.
Definition
Less hardware required, improved security
Term
How many VLANs can be defined on port or port group?
Definition
1
Term
What is the range of valid VLAN IDs for a vSwitch?
Definition
1 – 4094
Term
ESX/ESXi 4 both support the industry standard ____ VLAN tagging.
Definition
802.1q
Term
True or False. VLAN IDs must be unique across all ports and port groups.
Definition
False. Multiple ports and port groups can have the same VLAN ID.
Term
When a vSwitch contains multiple ports and port groups with VLANs defined how must the physical switch be configured?
Definition
The ports on the physical switch where the ESX 4 X hosts are connected must be configured as trunk ports for all VLANs in the respective vSwitch
Term
What data can be found from the Network Adapters link on the Configuration tab for an ESX host?
Definition
Observed IP range, speed and duplex setting, wake on LAN support
Term
What are the network load balancing policies available for a virtual switch?
Definition
Route based on originating virtual port ID, route based on source MAC address, route based on source and destination IP hash, and route based on explicit failover order
Term
How does ESX determine how to handle NIC selection in the event of failure of one of the uplinks in a NIC team?
Definition
The uplink that has the highest uptime
Term
List the security configuration options for a VM.
Definition
Promiscuous mode, MAC address changes, and Forged Transmits
Term
Which security setting allows VMs to inspect all traffic passing through a vSwitch?
Definition
Promiscuous mode
Term
Which security setting allows a VM to accept traffic when the MAC address defined in the VM does not match the MAC address defined in the .vmx configuration file?
Definition
MAC address changes
Term
Which security setting allows a VM to a transmit traffic when the MAC address defined in the VM does not match the MAC address defined in the .vmx configuration file?
Definition
Forged transmits
Term
What can be done to control the bandwidth available to VMs connected to a port group?
Definition
Traffic shaping
Term
What traffic shaping is available on standard virtual switches?
Definition
Egress (outbound)
Term
What are the traffic shaping configuration parameters?
Definition
Average bandwidth (Kbps), Peak bandwidth (Kbps), and Burst size (KB)
Term
True or alse. A physical NIC, or uplink, can be assigned to two virtual switches only if it is set to Full Duplex.
Definition
False. A physical NIC (uplink) can only be assigned to one vSwitch.
Term
True or false. By default only the first uplink in a vSwitch NIC team is active.
Definition
False. By default all uplinks are active in a NIC team.
Term
What CLI commands can provide information about vSwitches?
Definition
esxcfg-info –n and esxcfg-vswitch
Term
At what levels of a vSwitch architecture can traffic shaping and security be configured?
Definition
At the vSwitch or at the port group
Term
How does the VMkernel keep track of failed uplinks?
Definition
Link state or beacon probing
Term
Which method can be used to identify failures of upstream devices?
Definition
Beacon probing
Term
What vSwitch NIC teaming option instructs the vSwitch to notify the physical switch when failover event occurs or when the location of a VM NIC is changed?
Definition
Notify switches
Term
What is a vNetwork Distributed Switch?
Definition
A virtual switch created in vCenter that spans multiple ESX 4 hosts
Term
List the different components involved in the creation and configuration of a distributed virtual switch.
Definition
• vCenter, distributed virtual switch
• distributed virtual port group
• distributed virtual uplink
• physical adapter
Term
List the benefits of the vNetwork Distributed Switch?
Definition
• A Centralized creation and management
• Consistency across multiple ESX 4 hosts
Term
True or False. Third party vSwitches built off the vNetwork APIs are only supported with distributed virtual switches?
Definition
True
Term
What third-party distributed virtual switch is available to provide a fully managed switch in a vSphere environment?
Definition
Cisco Nexus 1000v
Term
What are the three port binding options available for a dvPort Group?
Definition
Static, Dynamic, Ephemeral
Term
Which port binding option assigns a VM to a port as soon as the VM is associated with the port group?
Definition
Static
Term
Which port binding option assigns a VM to a port the first time the VM is powered on after being associated with the port group?
Definition
Dynamic
Term
Which port binding option provides no binding of a VM to a port?
Definition
Ephemeral
Term
Which port binding option makes a distributed switch available for configuration on a VM when using the vSphere client connected directly to an ESX 4 host?
Definition
Ephemeral
Term
What traffic shaping options are available for distributed switches?
Definition
Ingress (inbound) and egress (outbound)
Term
What are the network load balancing policies available for a distributed virtual switch?
Definition
Route based on originating virtual port ID, route based on source MAC address, route based on source and destination IP hash, and route based on explicit failover order
Term
How can VMs be moved from standard vSwitches to vNetwork Distributed Switches?
Definition
Manually edit the network adapter properties in the VM configuration or use the Network VMotion feature (Migrate Virtual Machine Networking wizard) to migrate multiple VMs at once
Term
What VLAN options are available on a distributed virtual switch?
Definition
• None
• VLAN
• VLAN trunking
• Private VLAN
Term
When using a distributed virtual switch to support VLANs for VMs running on 8 participating ESX 4 hosts, how many times must the VLAN be configured?
Definition
1
Term
What is the purpose of a Private VLAN (PVLAN)?
Definition
To provide further segmentation within a VLAN
Term
What are the three different modes for a PVLAN?
Definition
Promiscuous, Isolated, and Community
Term
A PVLAN is created at the ____ level and assigned at the ____ level.
Definition
Distributed virtual switch, distributed virtual port group
Term
The Primary VLAN of a PVLAN is in which mode?
Definition
Promiscuous
Term
VMs in a PVLAN defined as Community can communicate with which VMs?
Definition
Other VMs in the Community PVLAN or VMs in the Promiscuous PVLAN.
Term
VMs in a PVLAN defined as Isolated can communicate with which VMs?
Definition
VMs in the Promiscuous PVLAN, NOT VMs in the Community or even other VMs in the Isolated PVLAN.
Term
True or False. vNetwork Distributed vSwitches do not support Service Console and VMkernel ports.
Definition
False
Term
True or False. Service Console and VMkernel ports on a distributed virtual switch cannot co-exist with other ports and port groups.
Definition
False.
Term
What is the maximum number of distributed virtual switches per vCenter?
Definition
16
Term
What is the maximum number of hosts per distributed virtual switch?
Definition
64
Term
What is the maximum number of distributed virtual switch port groups per vCenter?
Definition
512
Term
What is the maximum number of distributed virtual switch ports per ESX 4 host?
Definition
4096
Term
What is the maximum number of distributed virtual switch ports per vCenter?
Definition
6000
Term
When managing a distributed virtual switch, what is the difference between Manage Virtual Adapters and Manage Physical Adapters?
Definition
Manage Virtual Adapters allows for the creation, migration, and configuration of VMkernel and Service Console ports while Manage Physical Adapters allows for the management of physical adapters assigned to dvUplinks
Term
What configuration options of a distributed virtual switch must be done at the ESX 4 host object level?
Definition
Creation and configuration of virtual adapters used for VMkernel and Service Console
Term
True or false. Physical network adapters (uplinks) used in a distributed virtual switch must be assigned at the host level.
Definition
False
Term
How can a Service Console port be configured on vNetwork Distributed vSwitch?
Definition
• An existing SC port can be migrated to a distributed switch
• An SC port can be created on an existing distributed virtual port group
• SC port can be created and added to a new standalone port on a distributed switch
Term
True or false. It is a best practice to separate the Service Console network from the production network that VMs are connected to.
Definition
True
Term
In what two ways can the Service Console management network be separated from the VM’s production network?
Definition
Separate physical switches or VLANs
Term
True or false. If the Service Console is compromised all VMs on that ESX host are at risk of an outage.
Definition
True.
Term
List the features supported on Fibre Channel storage.
Definition
VMotion, Storage Vmotion, HA, DRS, Snapshots, Raw Device Mappings, Microsoft Clustering
Term
The process of segmenting the Fibre Channel fabric to allow communication from ESX hosts to FC storage arrays is called ___.
Definition
Zoning
Term
Where is zoning configured?
Definition
The Fibre Channel switch(es)
Term
The process of hiding LUNs from ESX hosts is called LUN ___.
Definition
Masking
Term
Where should LUN masking be configured?
Definition
Storage array
Term
True or False. ESX 4 hosts cannot access the same LUN using the same LUN ID.
Definition
False. ESX 4 hosts MUST access the same LUN using the same LUN ID.
Term
True or False. The runtime name for a Fibre Channel storage device is consistent across reboots.
Definition
False
Term
What is the format of the runtime name for a Fibre Channel storage device?
Definition
Vmhba#:C:T:L where vmhba# is the adapter, C is the controller, T is the target, and L is the LUN
Term
Is it better to equip ESX 4 hosts with two single port Fibre Channel HBAs or one dual port Fibre Channel HBA?
Definition
Two single port FC HBAs
Term
List VMware features supported on iSCSI storage.
Definition
• VMotion
• Storage Vmotion
• HA
• DRS
• Snapshots
• Raw Device Mappings
• VMFS
Term
List some of the benefits of iSCSI.
Definition
• Lower cost infrastructure
• utilizes existing IP networks
Term
What are the two types of iSCSI initiation available with ESX 4?
Definition
Software initiation and hardware initiation
Term
What is the advantage of hardware initiation?
Definition
Reduce the workload on the VMkernel
Term
How is multipathing configured for iSCSI storage when using the VMware software iSCSI initiator?
Definition
Create multiple VMkernel ports a single vSwitch bound to uplinks connected to the storage network or multiple VMkernel ports on multiple vSwitches bound to uplinks connected to the storage network. Use the esxcli to associate both VMkernel ports with the iSCSI software initiator.
Term
What is the command required to complete the configuration required to activate multipathing for iSCSI?
Definition
A esxcli-swiscsi nic add –n -d where is the name of the VMkernel port and vmhba# is the name of the iSCSI software initiatior (don’t forget to repeat this command for all VMkernel ports)
Term
What is the maximum number of paths available from an ESX 4 host to an iSCSI LUN?
Definition
8
Term
What type of CHAP is not available with iSCSI hardware initiation?
Definition
Mutual CHAP
Term
What is the purpose of Jumbo Frames?
Definition
Send larger amount of data
Term
What is the appropriate MTU value for enabling Jumbo Frames?
Definition
9000
Term
Where does Jumbo Frames need to be enabled in order to achieve Jumbo Frames for iSCSI in ESX 4?
Definition
VMkernel port, virtual switch, physical switch
Term
List the functions and process of the VMware software iSCSI initiation.
Definition
• Encapsulate I/O requests into iSCSI Protocol Data Units
• Send iSCSI Protocol Data Units through TCP/IP connections
• VMkernel TCP/IP stack relays TCP/IP packets to physical network adapter
• Physical network adapter sends IP packets over Ethernet to the iSCSI storage array
Term
List the functions and process of hardware iSCSI initiation.
Definition
• Encapsulate I/O requests into iSCSI Protocol Data Units
• Encapsulate iSCSI Protocol Data Units through TCP/IP connections
• Send IP Packets over Ethernet to the iSCSI storage array
Term
What is the default port for iSCSI?
Definition
3260
Term
List VMware features supported on NFS.
Definition
• VMotion
• Storage Vmotion
• HA
• DRS
• Snapshots
Term
How does ESX lock a VM stored on an NFS datastore?
Definition
ESX creates a .lck-### file
Term
What is the maximum number of NFS datastores ESX 4 supports by default?
Definition
64
Term
What happens when an NFS datastore is unmounted from an ESX host?
Definition
That host loses access to the files in the NFS datastore. Files are NOT deleted from the NFS share.
Term
Under what user context does ESX 4 and ESXi 4 connect to an NFS server? Can you specify a different account?
Definition
Root, no
Term
List some characteristics of VMFS.
Definition
Optimized for multiple ESX host access, optimized to run multiple VMs from single formatted datastore, VM SCSI commands are translated by VMkernel into VMFS file system commands
Term
How many times must a new VMFS datastore be formatted for 10 hosts in a cluster?
Definition
1
Term
What happens when a VMFS datastore is removed?
Definition
All data is deleted and none of the hosts in a cluster will have access any longer
Term
What is the maximum size of a VMFS volume residing on single LUN?
Definition
2 TB
Term
How many VMFS datastores does an ESX host support?
Definition
256
Term
What are the default Path Selection Policies supported by ESX4?
Definition
Most Recently Used (MRU), Fixed, and Round Robin
Term
How many paths can be used at the same time when using the native Round Robin multipathing policy?
Definition
1
Term
What functions are performed by the VMware Pluggable Storage Architecture (PSA) when more than one Multipathing Plugin (MPP) exists?
Definition
• Physical path discovery
• physical path removal
• I/O queuing for the logical devices
• I/O queuing for HBAs
Term
What are the two ways increasing the size of a VMFS datastore?
Definition
VMFS extents and VMFS volume grow
Term
What is the maximum size of a VMFS volume using extents?
Definition
64 TB, 2 TB x 32 extents
Term
What happens to the LUN being added to the existing VMFS datastore when configuring an extent?
Definition
All data gets wiped
Term
What types of LUNs are valid extent candidates?
Definition
Any LUN that is NOT formatted as VMFS
Term
What option for increasing the size of a VMFS datastore allows for utilization of the space for snapshots, re-sizing, and thin provisioning?
Definition
VMFS volume grow
Term
List the two storage design techniques for VMFS and virtual machine storage?
Definition
Adaptive and Predictive
Term
Define the adaptive scheme for VMFS and virtual machine storage?
Definition
Using a fewer number of larger LUNs
Term
Define the predictive scheme for VMFS and virtual machine storage?
Definition
Using a larger number of smaller LUNs
Term
What options are available for mounting a replicated VMFS volume to an ESX host?
Definition
Keep the existing signature (Force-mount) or Assign a new signature (resignature) or Format the disk
Term
Which VMFS replica mount option is the equivalent of setting DisallowSnapshotLun = 0?
Definition
Keep the existing signature (Force-mount)
Term
Which VMFS replica mount option is the equivalent of setting EnableResignature = 1?
Definition
Assign a new signature
Term
True or False. A VMFS replica mounted with the “Assign new signature” option can be unmounted with no impact.
Definition
True
Term
What type of information can be gathered about VMFS datastores from the Storage Views tab in the vSphere Client?
Definition
Filesystem type, connectivity status, space used (%) , snapshot space (%), number of virtual disks, shared space (%), virtual disk space, swap space, other VM space
Term
What information is displayed in the default Storage Views Report?
Definition
A VM, Multipathing Status, Space Used, Snapshot Space, Disks
Term
An ESX administrator requests more storage from a storage administrator. The storage administrator e-mails the ESX administrator to let her know that a new 500GB LUN has been created and assigned to all of the ESX 4 servers in the cluster. What must be done first to allow the ESX 4 servers to recognize the new LUN?
Definition
Rescan
Term
True or False. LUNs should not be partitioned into multiple partitions.
Definition
True. It is best practice to configure each LUN as a single partition VMFS volume.
Term
List the hardware requirements for vCenter.
Definition
• 2.0 GHz or higher Intel or AMD processor
• 2GB RAM (more recommended if DB, VUM, Converter)
• 1GB disk space (2GB recommended)
• 1Gb network adapter (recommended)
• Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008
Term
List the ports required by vCenter by default.
Definition
• 80
• 389
• 443
• 636
• 902
• 903
• 8080
• 8443
Term
What are the two types of vCenter licenses available?
Definition
Foundation and Standard
Term
True or False. The system where vCenter is installed can belong to a Workgroup or an Active Directory domain.
Definition
True
Term
True or False. The system where vCenter is installed can be a physical computer or a virtual machine.
Definition
True
Term
List the various database engines that can be used to support a vCenter installation.
Definition
• A Microsoft SQL Server 2008
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition
• Oracle 10g
• Oracle 11g
Term
List the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database requirements for installing vCenter.
Definition
• MDAC 2.8 SP1 must be installed if installing vCenter on Windows XP
• Configure a valid DSN
• Remove MSXML Core Services 6.0 prior to install of vCenter (if present)
Term
True or False. Windows Authentication is supported for authenticating vCenter to the backend SQL Server database.
Definition
True, but you must specify a Windows account to run the vCenter Server service and configure the ODBC accordingly
Term
What type of ODBC connection should be created to allow vCenter Server to communicate with the SQL Server database?
Definition
System DSN
Term
List the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 database requirements for installing vCenter.
Definition
MDAC 2.8 SP1 must be installed if installing vCenter on Windows XP, configure a valid DSN
Term
List the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express database requirements for installing vCenter.
Definition
• (if present) remove SQL Native Client prior to install of vCenter,
• (if present) remove MSXML Core Services 6.0 prior to install of vCenter
Term
What is the maximum number of ESX hosts that can be managed by vCenter Server installed on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition? 64-bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition?
Definition
200/300
Term
What is the maximum number of virtual machines that can be powered on from a
vCenter Server installed on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition? 64-bit
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition?
Definition
2,000/3,000
Term
What is the maximum number of registered virtual machines for a vCenter Server installed on 32-bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition? 64-bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition?
Definition
3,000/4,500
Term
What is the maximum number of vCenter servers that can participate in vCenter Linked Mode?
Definition
10
Term
What feature of vCenter allows and administrator to view information about all inventory objects in the enterprise even if multiple vCenter Servers have been deployed?
Definition
vCenter Server Linked Mode
Term
List the two ways to configure vCenter in Linked Mode?
Definition
1) During the install, choose the Join Linked Mode Group option
or
2) After the installation of vCenter use All Programs > VMware > vCenter Server Linked Mode Configuration
Term
What is the maximum number of hosts that can be managed through a vCenter Linked Mode configuration?
Definition
1,000
Term
What is the maximum number of powered on VMs for a vCenter Linked Mode configuration?
Definition
10,000
Term
What is the maximum number of registered VMs for a vCenter Linked Mode configuration?
Definition
15,000
Term
What is the maximum number of vSphere client connections for vCenter installed on 32- bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition? 64-bit Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition?
Definition
15/30
Term
What is the maximum number of hosts per datacenter?
Definition
100
Term
What vCenter tool can import third-party images as VMs?
Definition
vCenter Converter
Term
What ports must be open to allow vCenter Converter to convert a physical machine running Windows?
Definition
139, 443, 445, 902, 9089
Term
What types of 3rd-party images can be converted into a VM?
Definition
Acronis True Image 9 and 10 files (.tib) and Norton Ghost 9, 10, and 12 (.gho) files
Term
List the additional functions of vCenter Converter?
Definition
Physical to virtual migrations, virtual to virtual migrations, and VCB image restorations
Term
Cloning a running server is referred to as ____ cloning, while cloning an offline server is referred to as ____ cloning.
Definition
Hot, cold
Term
Hot cloning is also called ____ cloning, while cold cloning is also called ____ cloning.
Definition
Remote, local
Term
A server being cold cloned must be booted from the Enterprise Converter Boot CD which is built off of ____.
Definition
WinPE
Term
What types of servers are good candidates for hot cloning?
Definition
Servers with static data sets (application servers, web servers)
Term
What types of servers are good candidates for cold cloning?
Definition
Servers with dynamic data sets (database servers, mail servers)
Term
List the advantages to installing vCenter in a VM?
Definition
can take advantage of VMware features like HA, VMotion, and vDR
Term
What is the vCenter Guided Consolidation feature?
Definition
vCenter Server module that can find, analyze, and consolidate systems
Term
What is the maximum number of systems that can be analyzed at once by the Guided Consolidation feature?
Definition
100
Term
How does the Guided Consolidation feature identify that system is a good virtualization candidate?
Definition
A confidence metric is generated which is calculated based on a comparison of system performance against available resources on the available ESX 4 hosts
Term
What is the formula used to calculate the size of the hard disk for the new VM created by vCenter Guided Consolidation feature?
Definition
(amount of disk usage on physical disk) x 1.25 = (size of virtual disk)
If the physical disk is using 50GB then the resultant VMDK will be 62.5 GB
(50 x 1.25 = 62.5)
Term
What is the purpose of the vCenter Plug-in Manager?
Definition
• Download and install plug-ins
• Review plug-ins that are already installed
Term
Under what circumstance must a legacy licensing server be installed with vCenter 4?
Definition
When vCenter 4 is managing ESX 3.x hosts
Term
What options are available for creating a Scheduled Task?
Definition
• A Change the power state of a VM
• Clone | Deploy |Migrate |Create a VM
• Make a snapshot of a VM
• Add a host
• Change resource settings of a Resource Pool or VM
• Check compliance for a profile
• Import a machine
• Export a VM
• Scan for updates | Remediate
Term
What are the components in the vCenter access control model?
Definition
Users, roles, privileges, permissions
Term
From where does vCenter pull user accounts for assigning permissions?
Definition
Active Directory (if vCenter belongs to an AD domain) or Local Security Accounts Manager (SAM)
Term
What is a role?
Definition
A vCenter object that serves as a collection of privileges to be granted to members assigned to the role.
Term
What is a privilege?
Definition
A task that can be performed in vCenter
Term
What is a permission?
Definition
A combination of user as a member of a role with defined privileges linked to an object in the vCenter inventory
Term
Which default vCenter role can assign permissions?
Definition
Administrator
Term
What should you do if a default role provides more permission than necessary?
Definition
Clone the role and make the appropriate adjustments to the privileges
Term
True or False. When a role is cloned, all users in the base role are also included in the new role.
Definition
False. Cloning a role only clones the existing privileges configuration
Term
A user is logged in to vCenter, while the user account is deleted in the Active Directory database. What happens?
Definition
The user can remain connected to vCenter for 24 hours. If the user logs out they will not be able to log in again.
Term
What happens to a user’s vCenter permissions when the role that grants them permission is no longer available in vCenter?
Definition
The user can no longer authenticate into vCenter.
Term
True or False. A user that belongs to the Administrator role in vCenter has full control of the ESX host when connecting directly to the host using the vSphere Client.
Definition
False, the user won’t be able to log in to the ESX host without a local user account
Term
When is a user assigned the union of privileges assigned to a role?
Definition
When the user belongs to multiple groups with permissions assigned to the same object and those permissions do not compete with one another.
Term
True or False. The management capability of the vSphere WebAccess tool is the same if you connect to vCenter or an ESX 4 host.
Definition
False, connecting to vCenter provides VM access and management to all VMs while connecting to an ESX 4 host only provides access to the VMs on that host
Term
What option in the vSphere WebAccess tool allows for the creation of a URL that can directly access the remote console of a VM?
Definition
Generate Virtual Machine Shortcut
Term
List the files that make up a VM?
Definition
• .vmx
• .vmdk
• -flat.vmdk
• .nvram
• .vmsd
• the VMs log files
Term
What is the maximum memory that can be configured for a VM?
Definition
255 GB
Term
What is the maximum size of a virtual hard drive that can be configured for a VM?
Definition
2048 GB (2 TB)
Term
What is the maximum number of CPUs that can be configured for a VM?
Definition
8
Term
Can a VM have a number of vCPUs that exceeds the number of physical CPUs?
Definition
No
Term
What additional configuration options are available when creating a VM using the Custom option?
Definition
Configuration for CPUs, Memory, Network, SCSI controller, Disk Selection
Term
What is a limit?
Definition
Maximum resource that the VMkernel can assign
Term
Do limits enhance or hinder performance for the VM defined with the limit?
Definition
Hinder, since the VM is limited in the amount of resource it can be granted by the VMkernel
Term
What is a reservation?
Definition
A VMkernel guarantee for an amount of a resource
Term
True or False. A VM will only power if it’s guarantee can be met.
Definition
True
Term
What is a virtual machines “available memory”?
Definition
The amount of RAM the virtual thinks it has
Term
What is the VMkernel swap file?
Definition
A per-VM file created when a VM is powered on used to allow the contents of physical RAM to be swapped
Term
How is the size of the swap file determined?
Definition
Available memory – reservation = swap file size
Term
True or false. By default a VMs swap file is equal to the amount of available memory configured for the VM.
Definition
True. Since the default reservation is 0, available memory – 0 = vswp size
Term
In addition to the memory used by the VM the VM uses an amount of memory as an operational cost known as the memory ____.
Definition
overhead
Term
What option is available for VM virtual disks to conserve disk space?
Definition
Thin provisioning
Term
How can you be proactive in monitoring thin provisioned VMs on a single LUN?
Definition
Create an alarm that monitors Datastore Disk Overallocation
Term
True or False. A virtual disk can be converted from a thin-provisioned disk to a thickprovisioned disk while the VM is powered on.
Definition
False
Term
How can a thick-provisioned disk be converted to a thin-provisioned disk while the VM remains online?
Definition
Storage VMotion
Term
True or False. A VM can use a thin-provisioned disk for the OS and a thick-provisioned disk for the data.
Definition
True, a VM can use a mixture of thin and thick-provisioned disks.
Term
Where can Disk Shares be configured?
Definition
On a VM
Term
How does the Guided Consolidation identify virtualization candidates?
Definition
By calculating a Confidence Level based on collected data
Term
What child objects can be created within a vApp?
Definition
Resource pools, vApps, VMs
Term
True or False. Virtual machines stored on an NFS datastore are stored in a format determined by the filesystem of the NFS datastore.
Definition
True
Term
How can virtual machines be provided with direct access to a SAN LUN?
Definition
Raw Device Mapping
Term
What are the two configuration options for Raw Device Mapping?
Definition
Physical compatibility or virtual compatibility
Term
Which RDM compatibility mode allows VMware snapshots?
Definition
Virtual compatibility mode
Term
What must be done in order to allow customization for Windows VMs that are built from a template?
Definition
Sysprep must be (downloaded and) extracted into the vCenter Server computer.
Term
What must be done in order to allow customization for Linux VMs that are built from a template?
Definition
Install Perl in the Linux guest operating system used as the template
Term
How can a VM be configured to have direct access to a LUN on a storage array?
Definition
Raw Device Mapping (RDM)
Term
What are the two modes available for RDM configuration?
Definition
Physical and Virtual
Term
Which RDM mode allows VMware VM snapshots?
Definition
Virtual
Term
If a VM is configured with a Raw Device Mapping (RDM) in Physical Compatibility mode is it possible to VMotion the VM?
Definition
Yes
Term
True or False. VMs can be cloned between datacenter objects.
Definition
True
Term
List 2 ways to reach the BIOS of a VM.
Definition
Press F2 during the boot process or edit the VM properties to allow a one time boot to the bios on next boot
Term
In what two ways can a VM’s files be moved to a new storage location?
Definition
Storage VMotion or Suspended VM migration
Term
Where can you configure how a VM responds when placed into standby? What are the standby options?
Definition
Edit the settings of a VM | Options | Power Management
Suspend the VM or Put the guest OS into Standby and leave the VM powered on (with Wake on LAN capability)
Term
List the various virtual network adapter drivers available in ESX 4.
Definition
• Flexible
• vmxnet
• enhanced vmxnet
• e1000
• vmxnet3
Term
Which of the virtual network adapter drivers is only available with VM hardware version 7?
Definition
vmxnet3
Term
How is logging disabled in a VM?
Definition
Edit Settings | Options | Advanced | General
Term
What VM option allows you to gain significant improvement by taking advantage of the Virtual Machine Interface?
Definition
Paravirtualization
Term
True or false. Paravirtualization only helps the guest OS if the disk holding the operating system installation uses the paravirtualized adapter.
Definition
False. The adapter is generally used with the data disk not the OS disk.
Term
What VM option allows a VM to be configured with a WWN and have access to Fibre Channel storage devices?
Definition
N-port ID Virtualization (NPIV)
Term
True or False. NPIV is only used for VMs that have/need RDMs.
Definition
True
Term
True or False. A VM with NPIV enabled cannot be part of the Storage VMotion process?
Definition
True
Term
True or False. A VM with NPIV enabled can only be part of the VMotion process if the RDM mapping file is in the same storage location as the configuration file.
Definition
True
Term
VMs are easily transported once they are converted into the ____ format.
Definition
OVF
Term
What is VMDirectPath I/O?
Definition
The ability to assign a VM to a piece of physical hardware (i.e. a network adapter)
Term
VM Direct Path PCI devices and memory management are made possible through the Virtualized ____.
Definition
Memory Management Unit (MMU)
Term
What is the impact on VMotion when a VM is configured for VMDirectPath I/O to a physical network adapter?
Definition
VMotion will no longer function for that VM
Term
What is a vApp?
Definition
A group of virtual machines built for a common application architecture that can be imported, exported, and managed as a single entity.
Term
What are the three IP Allocation Policies available for vApps?
Definition
DHCP, Fixed, and Transient
Term
What is character limitation for vApp names?
Definition
80
Term
What vSphere components can be updated with vCenter Update Manager?
Definition
Service Console, VM hardware, VM tools, guest operating systems
Term
What are the default baselines available in VUM?
Definition
VMware Tools Upgrade to Match Host, VM Hardware Upgrade to Match Host, VA Upgrade to Latest, VA Upgrade to Latest Critical
Term
True or False. vCenter Update Manager will only update vCenter Server 4 if it is running
on Windows Server 2008.
Definition
False, vCenter Update Manager does not update vCenter Server
Term
What are the levels of update severity supported by VUM for host and VM patches?
Definition
Any, Unrated, Low, Moderate, Important, Critical, General, Security
Term
True or False. Upgrading from ESX 3.x to ESX 4 can be done by booting from DVD and selecting the Upgrade option.
Definition
False.
Term
List the two ways to perform an ESX upgrade.
Definition
VMware Update Manager Upgrade Baseline or vSphere Client Host Update Utility
Term
When using VUM to perform an ESX upgrade, how does VUM integrate with DRS?
Definition
VUM upgrades one host at a time by placing the host into maintenance mode, migrating VMs, performing the upgrade, and removing the host from maintenance mode
Term
When a VM fails to remediate due to an unknown invalid state, what should be the first step to resolve the problem and allow remediation?
Definition
Restart the guest operating system
Term
What happens when a VM does not have enough disk space to apply a patch that is part of a scheduled remediation?
Definition
The VM remains in a state of non-compliance even after remediation is complete.
Term
True or False. If a VM is running applications that conflict with updates to be deployed in a remediation VUM will not apply the update and leave the VM in a non-compliant status.
Definition
True
Term
What ESX configuration options can be managed with a host profile?
Definition
Memory reservation, storage configuration, networking configuration, date and time configuration, firewall configuration, security configuration, service configuration, user configuration, user group configuration, and advanced configuration
Term
What versions of ESX support host profiles?
Definition
ESX 4
Term
True or false. A VM must be in maintenance mode to apply a host profile.
Definition
True.
Term
List 2 ways to establish a host profile.
Definition
1) install and configure a new ESX server and create a profile, 2) import an existing profile
Term
What is the file extension for a host profile?
Definition
.vpf
Term
What happens when a DRS/HA cluster is checked for compliance but a host profile is not attached to the cluster?
Definition
vCenter will check Cluster Requirements Compliance (VMotion, FT logging, DPM, etc)
Term
What is the maximum number of hosts that can be put into a VMware HA cluster?
Definition
32
Term
What happens to the VMs running on an ESX host that belongs to a fully automated DRS
cluster when the host is placed into maintenance mode?
Definition
The VMs will automatically be VMotioned to another host
Term
What happens to the VMs running on an ESX host that belongs to a partially automated DRS cluster when the host is placed into maintenance mode?
Definition
Nothing, the host will not reach maintenance mode until all VMs are powered off, suspended, or VMotioned manually.
Term
What types of events are covered by VMware HA?
Definition
An ESX server failure, an ESX server becomes isolated, a guest operating system fails
Term
VMware vCenter is required for the ____ and ____ of VMware HA, but not the ____ of VMware HA.
Definition
Configuration and management, execution
Term
True or False. If vCenter is running in a VM and resides on an ESX 4 host that fails, it must be manually powered back because VMware HA will not work without a running vCenter.
Definition
False, vCenter will be powered back on by another host in the HA enabled cluster
Term
Which VMware HA setting enforces the failover capacity defined for the HA cluster?
Definition
“Prevent VMs from being powered on if they violate availability constraints”
Term
Which VMware HA setting does NOT enforce the failover capacity defined for the HA cluster?
Definition
“Allow VMs to be powered on even if they violate availability constraints”
Term
Which HA setting is termed “strict admission control”?
Definition
Prevent VMs from being powered on if they violate availability constraints
Term
Which HA setting is termed “guaranteed admission control”?
Definition
Allow VMs to be powered on even if they violate availability constraints”
Term
List the three failover capacity settings for a VMware HA cluster.
Definition
1) number of host failures allowed, 2) % of free space to maintain, and 3) specified ESX server hot spare
Term
How does VMware HA calculate the spare capacity required to maintain space for single host failover scenarios when and must maintain resource guarantees?
Definition
The highest CPU reservation and the highest memory reservation of any VM running within the cluster
Term
True or False. VMware HA will function if a cluster is made up of several ESX 4 hosts with Intel CPUs and several ESX 4 hosts with AMD CPUs.
Definition
True
Term
What options are available for minimizing the impact of constructing a DRS cluster with clusters that have processors that do not all support the NX/XD feature?
Definition
Edit the properties of each VM in the cluster and mask the NX/XD bit or enable Enhanced VMotion Compatibility (EVC)
Term
Where in the vSphere Client interface can VM CPU reservations and shares be adjusted for any VM in a cluster?
Definition
Resource Allocation tab of the cluster
Term
Where in the vSphere Client interface can VM Memory reservations and shares be adjusted for any VM in a cluster?
Definition
Resource Allocation tab of the cluster
Term
What is the purpose of a DRS affinity rule?
Definition
Keep VMs together on the same host
Term
What is the purpose of a DRS anti-affinity rule?
Definition
Keep VMs separated on different hosts
Term
What VMware feature provides zero downtime zero data loss availability for a VM?
Definition
VMware FT
Term
List the benefits of enabling VMware FT on a VM?
Definition
• A (FT provides zero downtime, zero data loss)
• FT provides on-demand fault tolerance
• FT is easily enabled and disabled
• FT provides fault tolerance for VM running applications that are capable of being configured into a Microsoft Cluster (not “cluster aware”)
• FT provides fault tolerance in the event that ESX hardware fails
Term
True or False. VMware FT is only available on ESX 4.
Definition
True
Term
What type of virtual networking port is required for providing memory synchronization between ESX hosts that run primary and secondary VMs in an FT configuration?
Definition
VMkernel
Term
Can a VMkernel port support both VMotion and FT logging?
Definition
Yes
Term
What is the name of the technology used by VMware Fault Tolerance (FT) to keep RAM in sync between the host with the primary VM and the host with the secondary VM?
Definition
VMware vLockstep
Term
List the VMware features not supported when a VM has FT enabled. (The features that would prevent a VM from having FT enabled.)
Definition
• Multiple processors (SMP)
• Non-replayable devices
• (USB, physical floppy,
• physical CD)
• Paravirtualization enabled
• Snapshots
• Hot add
• Nested page
• tables/extended page tables
• Microsoft Clustering
• NPIV
• Vlance legacy network
• drivers
• Automatic DRS
• Storage VMotion
• VMDirectPath I/O
Term
What is the impact on VMware FT if the Host Monitoring is disabled on a VMware cluster with DRS and HA enabled?
Definition
If FT converts the secondary VM to primary due to failure, a new secondary will not be automatically configured
Term
What does it mean when the Summary tab of a VM identifies the FT status as “Not Protected”?
Definition
A secondary VM is missing or FT is currently turned off
Term
What vSphere features are not available for VMs with FT enabled?
Definition
VMware SMP, VMware DRS
Term
True or False. A cluster with some ESX hosts that have Intel processors and some ESX hosts that have AMD processors can still have a functioning HA configuration.
Definition
True
Term
List the different migration options for VMs.
Definition
• VMotion
• Storage VMotion
• Suspended Migration
• Cold Migration
Term
What are the ESX host requirements for VMotion?
Definition
Both hosts must have access to all datastores in use by the VM, both hosts must have access to the same IP network, both hosts must have an accessible VMkernel port, both hosts must have similarly labeled VM port groups
Term
What are the VM requirements for VMotion?
Definition
VM cannot be connected to a non-shared datastore, VM cannot be connected to an internal-only vSwitch, VM cannot be part of a Microsoft cluster, VM cannot have CPU affinity configured, VM cannot be bound to physical hardware
Term
How does High Priority VMotion differ from Low Priority VMotion?
Definition
A High priority VMotion reserves resources for the VM on the source and destination hosts, low priority VMotion does not
Term
Which migration feature will solve LUN contention problems without experiencing a VM outage?
Definition
Storage VMotion
Term
What are the requirements for storage VMotion?
Definition
The host must have access to source and destination datastores, the VM cannot have existing snapshots, the VM cannot have NPIV enabled
Term
What is the purpose of a resource pool?
Definition
To manage and separate CPU and Memory resources from hardware, and to provide an object that can be used for access control and delegation
Term
Resource pools located within another resource pool are called ____ pools, while resource pools at the same level as another resource pool are called ____ pools. The resource pool that contains other pools is called the ____ pool.
Definition
child, sibling, parent
Term
What is the purpose of an expandable reservation?
Definition
To allow the borrowing of resources from the ancestors of a resource pool.
Term
Why is a resource pool dangerous?
Definition
A rogue administrator could consume all available resources
Term
An expandable reservation offers a lot of flexibility to the ____ but a severe lack of protection to the ____.
Definition
Child, parent
Term
True or False. Inherently, a cluster is a resource pool.
Definition
True, it is the root pool, or the highest parent pool in the hierarchy
Term
What happens by default to all local Resource Pools on an ESX host when added to a cluster?
Definition
They are deleted
Term
Why would the option to create a resource pool not be available for an ESX cluster?
Definition
DRS has not been enabled
Term
True or False. The memory overhead for a VM counts towards the sum of resources being used within a resource pool.
Definition
True
Term
What new feature of vSphere allows the resource settings of a resource pool to be changed only when needed?
Definition
vSphere allows the creation of a Scheduled Task that alters the Shares, Reservation, or Limit of a resource pool (or VM)
Term
When configuring the settings of a resource pool, as seen in the exhibit, what does the yellow triangle indicate?
Definition
A Remaining resources available
Term
Which licensing options include the VMware Data Recovery appliance product?
Definition
vSphere Essentials Plus, vSphere Advanced, vSphere Enterprise, vSphere Enterprise Plus
Term
How is the VMware Data Recovery tool introduced to the vSphere environment?
Definition
The vDR appliance must be downloaded from VMware in OVF format and then imported into the vCenter inventory, the vDR client plug-in (VMwareDataRecoveryPlugin.msi) must be installed into the vSphere client
Term
True or False. Virtual Machines left in the ESX 3.5 hardware format can be backed up with the VMware Data Recovery appliance?
Definition
True. But the backup will take longer than the same VM in ESX 4 hardware format.
Term
What should be done on the console of an ESXi host when the vSphere client is unable to connect?
Definition
Restart the management agents
Term
What is the easiest way to gather diagnostic information to send to VMware support?
Definition
Use the vSphere client to export system logs
Term
True or False. Restarting the management agents on ESXi will cause all VMs to become unavailable.
Definition
False
Term
What service must be running to connect to an ESX host using the vSphere client?
Definition
hostd
Term
What command line tools can identify if the VMware host agent is running?
Definition
ps –ef | grep hostd or service mgmt-vmware status
Term
What management options are available from the homepage of an ESX 4 host?
Definition
Download vSphere Client, Download VMware vCenter, access documentation, Log in
to Web Access, Browse Datastores, Download the Web Services SDK, Browse objects managed by this host
Term
You have configured an ESX host to boot from a LUN on an active/passive SAN. After installing the system will not boot. What should you do?
Definition
Edit the BIOS of the HBA to alter the storage processor used for LUN access or trespass the LUN back to the other storage processor
Term
True or False. Since ESX is built off a Red Hat Enterprise Linux kernel it is imperative that any new Red Hat patches be applied to ESX as soon as possible.
Definition
False, VMware will create and distribute all necessary patches and updates
Term
An administrator creates the first node of a Microsoft cluster and provides the VM with a new VMDK on a shared LUN. After adding the second node in the cluster he is experiencing issues with the shared disk. What should be done?
Definition
Remove the virtual disk using a VMDK and add a new disk as a Raw Device Mapping
Term
What is the maximum number of nodes that can be built into a Microsoft Cluster using VMs?
Definition
2 node cluster
Term
What type of virtual NIC is required when constructing a Microsoft Server Cluster on Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition 32-bit?
Definition
Flexible
Term
List the Virtual SCSI adapter requirements for constructing Microsoft Clusters with VMs.
Definition
• LSI Logic Parallel for Windows Server 2003
• LSI Logic SAS for Windows Server 2008
Term
What virtual NIC should be used for constructing Microsoft Clusters with VMs?
Definition
Leave the default NIC selection
Term
How should the I/O timeout values be set for VMs that are cluster nodes in a Microsoft Cluster?
Definition
Set the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Disk\TimeOutValue to 60 seconds or higher
Term
How should time synchronization be configured for the VMs in a Microsoft Cluster?
Definition
Synchronize the cluster nodes (and domain controllers) with an NTP server, disable the host-based time sync
Term
What disk format should be used to create disks in an eagerzeroedthick format when creating disks used by VMs ins Microsoft Cluster?
Definition
Create the VM using the Custom option and select the Support clustering features such as Fault Tolerance
Term
What tool can be used to test the connectivity of the Service Console?
Definition
ping
Term
What tool can be used to test the connectivity of the VMkernel?
Definition
Vmkping
Term
What should you do when an NFS datastore is accessible but none of the .iso files stored in the NFS datastore will mount properly into a VM?
Definition
Remove the NFS datastore and add it back
Term
What key value can indicate I/O contention for a VM?
Definition
A high value for SCSI queue length
Term
How does vCenter identify a cluster in which the VMs are using more resources than the fixed reservation permits?
Definition
The cluster is marked with a red warning icon
Term
How do Topology Maps identify that a host is not capable of VMotion for a specific VM?
Definition
The host icon object has a red X identifying a VMotion incompatibility
Term
What tool can be used to test connectivity between VMkernel ports that are enabled for VMotion?
Definition
vmkping
Term
What happens to an alarm created by a user that no longer has the rights to create the alarm?
Definition
Nothing happens, the alarm keeps working as it is supposed to
Term
What are the two ways to send notifications for alarms?
Definition
SNMP and SMTP (e-mail)
Term
In order to send e-mail responses to alarms what two pieces of information are required?
Definition
SMTP server name or IP address and the e-mail address of the sender
Term
What type of alarm should be created to track problems occurring with a network adapter that is suspected of being dysfunctional?
Definition
Create an event-based alarm that monitors hosts, configure a trigger using the Lost
Network Connectivity object
Term
What can be done to track when a triggered alarm has been addressed?
Definition
Select the Alarms tab of an object, right-click the alarm, select Acknowledge Alarm
Term
What Alarm Settings should be configured to prevent needless re-alarms?
Definition
Use the Range to avoid re-alarms from small fluctuations
Use the Frequency to avoid re-alarms that are repeats of a previous alarm
Term
What is an alarm?
Definition
A vCenter object that can provide notification of events that occur within vCenter
Term
What types of alarms can be created in vCenter?
Definition
Performance alarms and Event alarms
Term
True or false. If a vCenter user is removed from the role that granted the permission to create alarms all alarms the user created will become null and void.
Definition
False. The alarms will continue to function as normal
Term
What does it mean when a VM alarm state goes from green to yellow?
Definition
The VM has entered a warning state
Term
What does it mean when a VM alarm state goes from yellow to red?
Definition
The VM has entered an alert state
Term
Why would the Hardware Status tab not be available for an ESX host?
Definition
vCenter Hardware Status Plug-in is not enabled
Term
If a VM is showing a high Swap In value what can be done to eliminate any performance detriment resulting from the excessive swapping?
Definition
VMotion the VM to a new host or provide the virtual machine with a memory guarantee by setting a reservation
Term
What does it mean when the Task Manager utility inside of a VM shows 100% CPU utilization?
Definition
The VM is using 100% of the CPU it has been allocated by the VMkernel
Term
What feature of ESX provides for efficient use of memory by eliminating redundant memory pages use by VMs of similar guest operating systems?
Definition
Transparent page sharing
Term
The VMkernel can reclaim unused memory from a guest operating system through the balloon driver, also referred to as ____.
Definition
vmmemctl driver
Term
The vmmemctl driver is only available after the installation of the ____ into a guest operating system.
Definition
VMware Tools
Term
By default what is the maximum amount of memory that can be reclaimed by the VMkernel using vmmemctl?
Definition
65% or the VMs reservation (whichever comes first)
Term
True or False. If Task Manager inside a VM shows 40% of the VM memory is available the VM has plenty of physical RAM remaining to ensure optimal performance levels.
Definition
False, Task Manager does is not able to distinguish between physical RAM or swap that has been granted by the VMkernel, check vSphere performance counters for true RAM availability metrics
Term
A processor capability to schedule a single thread of execution is called a ____.
Definition
Hardware execution context (HEC)
Term
True or False. Each virtual CPU (vCPU) in a VM must be scheduled onto a HEC.
Definition
True
Term
What vSphere counter is a good indicator of CPU contention for a VM?
Definition
CPU Ready: the amount of time a VM is ready for CPU but has to wait b/c it is in use
Term
What new Perfmon counters are available for tracking physical resource usage inside of a VM?
Definition
VM Memory and VM Processor
Term
What can be done to eliminate excessive ballooning for a VM?
Definition
VMotion the VM to a new ESX host that is experiencing less memory contention
Term
What tool allows for the display of relationships between vSphere objects?
Definition
vCenter Maps
Term
True or False. vCenter Maps cannot be exported to images but can be printed to PDF.
Definition
False
Term
What relationships are available through vCenter Maps?
Definition
• A Host to VM
• Host to Network
• Host to Datastore
• Fault Tolerance relationships
• VM to Network
• VM to Datastore
Term
What counter value identifies the actual memory in use by a VM?
Definition
Guest Memory (see exhibit in 8.8.5)
Term
What counter value identifies the amount of physical memory allocated to a VM?
Definition
Host memory (see exhibit)
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