Well, this might pose a bit of a conundrum for me. VMware today announced that they’ve updated the VCAP5-DCA exam to version 5.5. I’m smack-dab in the middle of my VCAP5-DCA study. All of my test prep has been for the version 5.0 test and I have much less familiarity with 5.5’s web client than I have with the VIC. If I elect to take the 5.5 exam, I’m going to have to build a new lab and start over with some topics. Luckily, it appears as though the 5.0 test will still be offered (at least for now) and that either test will grant the VCAP5-DCA.
Category Archives: VMware
Building a Lab computer
My desktop computer recently died an ignominious death. And by that, I mean it just refused to boot. Not even a beep code. Troubleshooting it seemed to indicate that the old AMD Athlon64 processor had finally croaked. I was kind of in the market for a new PC anyway, but I’d rather have done a graceful migration, not a dead-PC replacement.
I had a couple of goals I wanted to accomplish:
VMware training and certification on a budget
One of the problems with working for a smaller company is that the money for training is rarely in the budget. For this reason, I have to find alternative routes that I can afford to pay for myself. VMware has a fairly expensive barrier to entry in that the prerequisite for the VCP program is a pricey formal class. I actually like this idea because it rarefies the certification somewhat. I still remember the heady days of the paper MCSE where anyone could do a test dump and get certified.
VMware has several levels of certification. They have the Associate program, which requires no class time and certifies that you have a very basic understanding of the product. They have Professional program at the next level, which does requires class time and has a fairly difficult multiple-choice test. Then there’s the Advanced Professional (the one I’m currently working on) for which the test is entirely lab work, and lastly the Design Expert level which I liken to a doctoral thesis in that you have to present a design before a review board and defend it.
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