Since the announcement of the version 5 exam, I am back to studying again! I have been studying for 6 months for version 4 until I put it on hold in February. The deadline of February 29th for current VCP 4's to be able to take the version 5 exam without having to attend the class had me shift focus to that. Luckily I passed the VCP 5 February 27th.Here is a list of what I have been using to prepare for the exam:
VMware vSphere Design – This is a fantastic resource and the only book I have found, other than the design workshop material, that focuses on vSphere design. Even though it is version 4, the design concepts and choices should be the same.
VMware vSphere 5 Clustering Technical Deepdive – With HA and clustering completely redesigned in vSphere 5 this book has very detailed info on the new features. It not only covers the new HA design but resource pools, SDRS and vMotion. I have had the opportunity to perform several upgrades to vSphere 5 and currently administer a large vSphere 5 environment. This has helped in seeing the new options and features, and the different design choices available.
VMware vSphere: Design Workshop – I attended the 4.1 course and thought it was one of the best VMware classes I have taken. Reviewing the booklet and the design examples gives the details of the VMware specific design steps. If you are new to design I would recommend attending this course.
DRBC Design – Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Fundamentals – This is a free course on MyLearn and Partner University covering SRM and BC/DR fundamentals.
ProfessionalVMware vBrownBags – Fantastic resources covering the specific topics of the VCAP exam from design fundamentals to technical details. Listen carefully during the sessions and you can get a lot of tidbits and insight on the exam.
Exam UI Demo – The video demonstrates how the Visio like diagram interface works so you can practice ahead of time.
Virtualization of Business Critical Applications (VBCA) – These are courses available on the Partner University site that focus on virtualizing SLQ and Oracle database servers and Exchange Server 2010. I am not sure if these areas will be on the exam, but the information was quite detailed. If you work for a VMware partner you may want to check the out.
If you are like me and pay for the exam out of your own pocket, you want to be as prepared as possible before taking the exam!
VMware vSphere Design – This is a fantastic resource and the only book I have found, other than the design workshop material, that focuses on vSphere design. Even though it is version 4, the design concepts and choices should be the same.
VMware vSphere 5 Clustering Technical Deepdive – With HA and clustering completely redesigned in vSphere 5 this book has very detailed info on the new features. It not only covers the new HA design but resource pools, SDRS and vMotion. I have had the opportunity to perform several upgrades to vSphere 5 and currently administer a large vSphere 5 environment. This has helped in seeing the new options and features, and the different design choices available.
VMware vSphere: Design Workshop – I attended the 4.1 course and thought it was one of the best VMware classes I have taken. Reviewing the booklet and the design examples gives the details of the VMware specific design steps. If you are new to design I would recommend attending this course.
DRBC Design – Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Fundamentals – This is a free course on MyLearn and Partner University covering SRM and BC/DR fundamentals.
ProfessionalVMware vBrownBags – Fantastic resources covering the specific topics of the VCAP exam from design fundamentals to technical details. Listen carefully during the sessions and you can get a lot of tidbits and insight on the exam.
Exam UI Demo – The video demonstrates how the Visio like diagram interface works so you can practice ahead of time.
Virtualization of Business Critical Applications (VBCA) – These are courses available on the Partner University site that focus on virtualizing SLQ and Oracle database servers and Exchange Server 2010. I am not sure if these areas will be on the exam, but the information was quite detailed. If you work for a VMware partner you may want to check the out.
If you are like me and pay for the exam out of your own pocket, you want to be as prepared as possible before taking the exam!
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