Vmware Certified Professional

Michael Bender - MCT, MCITP, VCPMadison College

Computer Systems Administration

The entry certification exam from VMware for professionals in vSphere infrastructure installation, configuration, and management.

Currently, one the top industry certifications for IT professionals.

Requires the attendance at official VMware course. Currently, commercial courses run $2-4K

What is the VMware Certified Professional (VCP)?

What Is VMware vSphere? An infrastructure virtualization suite that:

Provides virtualization, management, resource optimization, application availability, and operational automation capabilities

Aggregates physical hardware resources and provides virtual resources to the datacenter Basically, it creates your virtual datacenter

vSphere integrates server, app, desktop, and storage virtualization.

VMware vSphere 4.1: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision A

vSphere Infrastructure

Many of our students may never touch another piece of hardware on the server infrastructure side.

In my opinion, server virtualization experience replaces traditional Hardware experience as more datacenters become “virtual”.

Provides them a certification that will make their resume stand out.

Virtualization has changed the game…It is no longer a “nice to have” skill!

Why is this important to our students?

VMware MyLearn Account◦ Create one at mylearn.vmware.com◦ This should be tied to your school email address

or the address you want associated to your future VCP credentials.

Sign up for the VMware IT Academy…◦ Once signed up and registered, you will receive a

number of emails with instructions for moving forward.

Take a Train the Trainer class Pass the VCP certification

◦ Required to teach courses

What you will need to get started…

VMware IT Academy◦ This program provides schools the opportunity to

teach VMware courseware in their classrooms◦ This is the same courseware used by commercial

trainers◦ http://www.vmware.com/partners/programs/vap/

VMware Academic Program◦ Program from VMware that allows education

institutions to acquire free licensing for staff, faculty, labs, and students.

◦ www.vmware.com/academic

VMware Programs and Sites

VMware Certified Professional 10-154-175◦ 3 credit course◦ Covers all the courseware from VMware’s

commercial class. vSphere 4: Installation, Configuration, and

Management◦ 24 total labs◦ 2-3 projects◦ Quizzes and Tests

Currently, we have 21 students in a 20 person class with a 3 person waitlist.

Our Class at Madison College

Class can be run on physical hardware, or virtualized.

Requires a significant infrastructure expenditure in either desktop or server infrastructure.

Currently, we train using VMware Workstation but will be using Netlabs+ in the future.

Classroom requirements

Virtual Network for vSphere 4:ICM class

Working with ICM Pods in Netlabs+

6 HP DL 360 G5 & G6 servers◦ 48GB RAM◦ 4 x 600GB 6k SAS Drives◦ 4-8 Network Adapters

Promise iSCSI SAN◦ 8TB of Storage

Dedicated 1GB networks for Management and vMotion

Our ESXi Infrastructure

Lots of Hands On Labs… Lots of Discussion… Lecturing only when necessary… You will leave with the framework and tools

to run this class effectively at your school. Access to the WTCS VCP Consortium* There is too much information for one

week so don’t expect to be a VCP by the end of the week…BUT we’ll give you the TOOLS you need to get it!

Our Train the Trainer Course…

*This is not a WTCS-sponsored group…Though I believe they would approve!

Upon completion of this class, you will be able to sit the VCP exam.

The exam is a total of 85 True/False and Multiple Choice/Answer questions based on the Objectives listed in the current VCP Blueprint.

You have 90 minutes for the exam and 15 to complete Surveys/Agreements included with the exam.

Passing score is 300 out of 500.

Getting your VCP

A grass-roots effort to get instructors from various schools together to produce class materials.

Group has produced shared materials including◦ Written and Hands-On evaluations◦ Lab Addendums◦ Curriculum Development such as WIDS (W.I.P.)

Unexpected result: Greater communication and sharing of ideas between institutions year around.

Goal: Spread this model throughout our college system.

VCP Class Consortium

VMware Certified - Desktop◦ New certification for students to support and

manage VMware View infrastructure.◦ VMware View is VMware’s desktop and application

environment built on vSphere 4.◦ Training is available through IT Academy

EMC Storage◦ Provides curriculum for teaching students the

knowledge and skills needed to manage network storage.

Future Class Options

Michael Bender – Madison Area Technical College◦ Email: mbender@matcmadison.edu◦ Phone: 608-243-4417◦ Computer Systems Administration Program

Summer Class at Madison College◦ VMware VCP Certification Fast Track for Teachers◦ http://www.cssia.org/event.cfm

THANKS FOR LISTENING!!!!