Hi VCF admins,
In this blog post, I aim to delve into my encounter with the freshly introduced VCF 9 training and Administrator exam 2V0-17.25, so let’s start.
As with every VMware exam, I started by consulting the Exam guide and below, you will find pertinent information that could also be highly beneficial to you.
Certification details
The VMware Certified Professional – VMware Cloud Foundation Administrator (VCP-VCF Admin) certification validates the skills required to deploy, manage, and support private cloud environments built on VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). This certification is designed for IT professionals expanding from traditional infrastructure roles to cloud administration. Candidates for this certification includes professionals responsible for implementing and maintaining VCF infrastructure, ensuring it meets organizational service level objectives for availability, performance, and security. By achieving this certification, professionals demonstrate their ability to effectively operate VCF environments.
Minimally Qualified Candidate
The candidate has the knowledge to install, configure, manage, and perform basic troubleshooting of a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) solution. The candidate is knowledgeable in the features, functions, and architecture of VCF and its components, including: vCenter, ESX, vSphere Supervisor, vSAN, NSX, VCF Identity Broker, VCF Automation, VCF Operations, VCF Operations for Logs, VCF Fleet Management, VCF Operations for Networks, and VCF Operations HCX. The candidate should have a minimum of one year experience working in IT and should have a foundational knowledge in general enterprise IT topics including, but not limited to, hardware, storage, networking, DNS, NTP and certificates. In addition, the candidate should have at least six months of experience working with either VCF or the individual VCF components. The candidate may occasionally need to research advanced VCF topics (such as command line utilities) or request assistance to troubleshoot complex scenarios. The candidate possesses most of the knowledge shown in the exam sections in the exam blueprint.
Since many VCF administrators already have experience with the VCP VCF Administrator exam, which is based on version 5.2, I will focus on the differences for the this one, starting with MQC.
In the exam 2V0-11.24 it is stated that “The candidate can install, configure, manage, and perform basic troubleshooting of the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) solution but occasionally needs to research topics or request assistance and with the new exam The candidate has the knowledge to install, configure, manage, and perform basic troubleshooting of a VMware Cloud Foundation(VCF) solution.
Based on my own comparison I noticed some requirements have been adjusted, which doesn’t surprise me since this new exam series is Role-Based. If you take a closer look at the exam sections, you might notice a distinction between exam sections. Starting with the introction of VCF 9 there a many changes on the architecture and the questions in this exam address this but there is more! There is also no indication for troubleshooting and add-on services which is a logical consequence since a specific exam has been introduced for troubleshooting VCF 9.
Exam Preparation.
After carefully exploring the exam guide, I started following the recommended training VMware Cloud Foundation 9: Build, Manage and Secure.
Modules that seemed relevant based on the exam sections are:
- 2: VCF Cloud Overview and Architecture
- 3: VCF Private Cloud Deployment,
- 4: VCF Post-Deployment Tasks,
- 5: VCF Fleet Management,
- 6: VCF Workload Domain,
- 7: VCF Networking,
- 8: VCF Storage Management,
- 9: VCF Certificate Management, 12: VCF Upgrade Paths
Be aware that this training does not cover all sections from the exam guide, VCF Operations and VCF Automation are not fully covered. Therefore it is also recommended to follow the training ” VMware Cloud Foundation: Automation and Operations.
Modules that seemed relevant based on the exam sections are:
- 2 VCF Automation overview
- 3 Provider Infrastructure Management
- 4 Provider Identity Management
- 7 Provider Networking
- 9 Provider Content Library
- 13: VCF Operations Overview
- 14: Metrics, Views and Reports
- 15 Dashboards
- 19 VCF Logs, Storage, and Network Operations
Preparation essentials worth considering
With the introduction of the new VCF 9 certification program, new exams and training courses have been introduced to ensure candidates can prepare well. The exam criteria and focus have shifted because VMware by Broadcom now offers various Role-Based exams in accordance with the Role-Based Exam Framework. This exam is the obvious choice if you want to validate your role for implementation.
Final thoughts
I recently took this exam and here are my findings.
This exam validates your VCF Implementation skills, based on Private Cloud Vision, Deploy, Configure, and Manage VCF environments including skills based on (day 2) Operation(s), Consume and Automate. My PRO tip is to make sure you’re familiar with VCF 9 and its architecture and make sure to pay sufficient attention to VCF Operations and VCF Automation.
See also this the blog post for VCF 9 Hands on Labs, free resources available to start with additional training.
I trust that this blog post has ignited a spark within you to kick off your journey towards achieving the newest VCP 9 certification from VMware by Broadcom. Enjoy the preparation process and may you achieve great success in earning your badge!
End of this post.
Disclaimer: Please note that the views expressed in this blog are solely my own and should be treated as personal opinions. This content does not hold any legal or authoritative standing