#vcap-dcd

Introduction

Last Thursday I made my first attempt at the VMware Certified Advanced Professional – Data Center Design 5 exam. I failed, scoring 285. 15 less than the required 300. After taking some time to decompress and reflect on the experience I am ready to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly. I feel I have a much better understanding of what is required to pass and plan to when I retake…

Introduction

As I write this I have just over 48 hours before I sit the VCAP-DCD 5. I feel ready, but I am nervous. I’ve heard that the test is incredibly hard. I’ve also heard it is not that bad. I’m really not quite sure what to expect. As a blogger I feel obligated to share the resources I’ve used in my preparation. Hopefully this will help others as the community has been a huge resource for…

I've been very slow to get this out so here it is.  I've been asked many times about the vTesseract homelab.  I've tweeted about the lab often and have received numerous recommendations.  My homelab is for personal use but while in operations I used it extensively for testing PowerShell scripts.  I've also used my homelab for various projects, blogging, and most importantly obtaining my VCAP certifications.  There is no greater investment in learning than a decent homelab.  TrainSignal subscription doesn't hurt either.

The vTesseract lab consists of 3 ESXi hosts, a small NAS, an old desktop, a managed switch, and a variety of useful VMs.  Like any good infrastructure design let's discuss the requirements.  The biggest point of discussion on twitter about my lab has been location.  The vTesseract Lab is required to be in my master bedroom.  As such the following requirements are largely driven based on this constraint.  Silly kids taking up all of my space!

Requirements

Space - Needs to be as compact as possible.

Power - Not trying to break the bank here.

Heat - Gear sits in master bedroom so this needs to be kept to a minimum.

Noise - Bedroom = Keep it quiet.

Compute - Do not need massive horsepower here.  Simple VMs

Storage - Size is primary but want iSCSI and NFS capabilities

Cost - Not a rich man so need it to be something that is relatively cost effective with a good ROI/TCO

Mrs. requires that all lights and flashy bits need to be covered...except the switch which is tucked away.

VMs

In the vTesseract lab I host a variety of VMs.  The primary ESXi installs and vCenter are vSphere 5.1.  Within the lab I host vSphere 4.1, 5.0, 5.1, and an undisclosed beta version.  I power these on and off on demand.  Supporting these VMs are:

 Active Directory server

CloudPhysics Observer

Veeam B&R Server for backup (in progress)

VMA,

VCMA iPad Interface :)

vCloud Director

vCO Appliance

Splunk server for logs (in progress)

Storage

At the core of the vTesseract lab is the Iomega IX4-200D NAS.  Right now I'm sitting with 4x1TB drives giving me 2.7TB usable space.  I split that up between iSCSI and NFS shares for hosting my VMware environment.  It's not the fastest storage on the planet and I truly wish I had a Synology but it's what I have.  This thing has been a great little NAS overall and with an 8"x8" base it has satisfied my requirements 1-4.  The only thing I come across is it can be noisy when doing operations.  I try not do these overnight because of that. 

I hope to upgrade in 2014 with a second higher performance array.  I want to splurge for a Synology but it will likely be another Iomega given discounting opportunities for that product.  Yes. I really want a small flash array. :)

I also have added an Iomega IX2 that I purchased from a co-worker who didn't need it any longer that gives me 2TB.  I'm configuring this to backup iPhone Videos and Photos as well as key VMs in my homelab using Veeam.  I've added it to the outline here because backup is important.  Especially if your house has been struck by lightning.

Storage Cost

Iomega IX-4 200D 4TB = $575

Iomega IX2 = $250

  Compute

This is the more controversial component of my homelab. I was inspired to use a Mac Mini when I saw William Lam @lamw made some posts showing how he was using one to run ESXi.  Truly the work he has posted, such as http://www.virtuallyghetto.com/2013/04/installing-esxi-51-update-1-on-mac-mini.html, has made my lab possible given some of the time constraints I've had.

I use a trio of Mac Mini computers with 16GB of memory each.  Only 48 GB of RAM in what some of my peers call "overpriced servers".  I don't disagree about the pricepoint but I have specific requirements.  My homelab is located on a small desk in my master bedroom (see photo below).  This means that while my children have their own spacious rooms for their toys, my toys must fit in an 8"x8" square stacked 11" tall.  The Mac Minis met all of my requirements, save having to pay a slight premium for the form factor.  I'll talk on this a bit more in a moment.

I have the Mac Mini 6,1 with the i5 dual core processor.  I had considered splurging for the i7 quad core. I have found that the i5 has provided plenty of horsepower for my needs and as such saved me lots of money overall.

The Mac Mini 6,1 comes with 4GB of RAM.  I performed an in-field upgrade to the maximum 16GB of RAM on each.  This ran me an additional $100-130 for each system.  I also added the $30 Thunderbolt NIC adapter.  One of the complaints about the Mac Mini as a homelab solution is the lack of NICs.  In truth in our new converged network adapter world I have found that a 2 NIC configuration matches up nicely and has provided all the bandwidth I "need".

Final component to the Mac Minis is that I'm booting ESXi from USB Flash drives I have acquired over the years as swag.  Most of them are of the 2GB variety and have served well.  My primary reason for doing this is that it a) meets my needs and b) allows me to pull the flash drive, reboot and I have a fully functioning Mac Mini.  This has come in handy multiple times and I eventually plan to upgrade each Mac Mini.  This should make re-purpose or resell a bit easier. 

The Mac Minis sit nicely on top of the Iomega IX4 array.  I use some rubber pot-holders between the Mac-Minis to provide some grip so they don't slide around.

Mac Mini Costs

3 x 750 = $2,250  | Best Buy 0% 18 months and on sale each purchase

Power Requirements = Low

Heat Output = Low

Space = Low

Resell Value = High

Performance = Reasonable

Compute p2

I also utilize my home desktop for my homelab running VMware  Workstation 9.  I was fortunate to get a free copy of Workstation 9 so that cost isn't being factored in.  The desktop is an old Dell Precision 690 Workstation with a quad-core Xeon processor.  I updated the memory to 20GB when pursuing my VCAPs and it serves nicely for side/non-critical VMs (think VMA, VCMA,etc).  Since it's a Xeon processor it requires fully buffered DIMMs which drove the cost up a bit.  This box served well but had some problems.

Only 20GB which I had to share with other applications

Had to shutdown entire lab in order to reboot the computer

Processor didn't support running nested 64-bit VMs which made deploying many appliances VERY challenging.  Inception is the only way to get by with 20GB of RAM.

Memory Upgrade = $400 | Amazon

Network

The core component of the my homelab network is the Cisco SG-300-10 Managed Switch.  This is a powerful little gigabit swtich that allows me to configure VLANs, which sadly I have done little of for a variety of reasons.

Since the lightning strike I discuss in the Power section blew up 2 ports on this switch I'll be looking to add a SG300-20 as my primary in the not too distant future.  I've also reached the port capacity on the SG300-10 even without having lost ports.  I'll then use the SG300-10 for redundancy, like a proper network design. :)

Cisco SG300-10 Switch  = $225 | Amazon.com

Cat6 Cables - Colored x 10 = ~$30 | Monoprice.com (I love Monoprice.com)

Coming Soon: Cisco SG300-20 Switch = $315 | Amazon.com

Power Protection

If there's one thing that can really destroy your homelab experience it is significant power issues.  I consider a lightning strike a significant power issue.  Last summer we got hit during a storm and the surge blew up my previous UPS and surge protectors.  This required me to replace nearly all networking gear and one of my drives in the Iomega IX4.

The best investment I've made in the entire homelab has been my APC BR1500G UPS.  Since everything is pretty low power draw this guy can keep things safe and running for quite a while.  I ended up purchasing 2 so I could protect my wireless router, the Iomega IX2, cable modem, etc. since they're located away from my desk.

UPS = $189 x2 = $378.00

Summary

The key to my homelab were my requirements and being realistic about my needs in order to run and test various applications.  I have received tremendous value out of my homelab.  It has allowed me to produce some interesting content, reproduce items, test scripting, obtain certifications.  While my lab isn't the most powerful, cheapest, or most flexible it does solve all of my primary requirements.

Cost Summary

Mac Minis - $2,250.00

Desktop Memory - $400.00

Iomega IX4 - $575.00

Iomega IX2 - $250.00

Cisco SG300-10 and Cables - $255.00

UPSs - $378.00

Total = ~ $4100 (over 2 years)

Earlier this evening while playing "Go to sleep daddy so I can stick my finger up your nose" with my 2yo I received my invitation to sit the VCAP5-DCD.  Needless to say I'm exhausted from thinking about certification exams but I'm going to give it a go before the deadline of March 2.  Definitely looking forward to getting it out of the way and seeing what VMware is offering up with the new version.

I do want to mention a something that I am a little "meh" about.

This is coming really late with respect to the required VCP4 to VCP5 upgrade requirement without coursework.  I would have really liked to have seen VMware release VCAP5's with some overlap.  Why?  Because I'd love to upgrade my VCAPs and have my VCP upgrade as well.  Call me silly but I'm pretty sure if you're taking a VCAP then the VCP isn't supposed to be a challenge and then becomes just another couple hundred bucks and many hours down the drain.

Update:  Upon further reflection the fact that I was invited without having my VCP5 yet gives me hope. In fact it does state in the blueprint that for a period of time there is no requirements for upgrade.

My complaint is that there is no overlap or announcement about the potential of this being the case.  My disappointment is that now many folks eligible for VCAP5-DCD are already having to worry about VCP5 upgrade if they haven't done it already (and haven't taken "What's New" - which fortunately I got an opportunity to take)

This is my first beta exam opportunity and I plan on taking it, and hopefully passing.  As such I'm going to ditch my VCP5 exam attempt next week and just work on this exam.  I would love to not have to worry about the VCP5 at all and give my poor brain a rest, but I'll do what I have to do.  I wish the other beta invitees the best on this and the VCP5 if you haven't taken it already. 

Update:  Started looking at the blueprint and this one is going to be another excellent challenge.  Well done VMware team!

It's customary for the bloggers out there to talk about their certification experience.  I don't want to disappoint so here's my story.  Hope it was worth the wait!

It was a cool October morning the day after an excellent birthday evening with the family followed by some light last minute preparation.  Going to bed early was definitely a great design decision which is what this exam is all about.

All kidding aside this was not an exam for the weak of heart or nerves.  Unfortunately I'm prone to test anxiety regardless of my preparation.  Fortunately I've done more than a handful of designs so I had a little bit of confidence going in.

That highlights on a key component.  The content of the exam is not the whole challenge.  The challenge is also in absorbing key information presented and making design decisions based on that information.

I'll not rehash what other great contributors have provided on the subject but I will provide a couple of pointers that I thought were pertinent (and I believe NDA safe).

Preparation Thought

While reviewing the blueprint and the study materials I made a point to identify topics or technologies that I had not previously designed into an environment.  Usually the environments I've designed for had requirements that limited my design choices.  For instance, If you are designing for an environment that is running all FC SAN storage then it's not likely you'll be experienced with iSCSI.  Your experiences play a huge part in how you prepare.

To solve this problem I took those items I was less familiar with and pretended that I did not have a requirement.  I read up on that technology and argued with myself (or sometimes with another person - recommended) on how I would design with that technology.  Often it came down to identifying constraints or requirements that would force you to use that solution.  This led me to think outside of the framework that my experience had built.  When possible I also set up that tech in my home lab I was building.  This gave some base experience with unfamiliar features.

Prepping with little to no Previous Design Experience

If you have limited design experience then I suggest grabbing Visio and talking to your peers about their environments.  Start with talking about their requirements, constraints, applications, utilization, and scope.  From there draw up a high level logical design of what you think the environment would look like and compare it to what is actually there.  Afterwards talk with your peer about their environment and why they chose what they did, especially if it was different then your logical design.  This looks towards objective 2.1 and really gets you into the design mindset.  http://www.seancrookston.com/2011/02/22/vcap-dcd-objective-2-1-map-business-requirements-to-the-logical-design/

The key here is to think quickly.  See if you can Visio/Whiteboard it in 10 Minutes? 5 Minutes?  Train yourself to think quickly and build confidence in your decisions.  This falls in line with the VCAP-DCD Design Tool that is available to view from VMware myLearn. Remember that time is your enemy here so you want to be quick and confident. http://mylearn.vmware.com/courseware/82525/VCAPDCD_Tutorial.swf

What are they asking?

A common SAT testing technique is to review the answers and attempt to eliminate options so as to increase your chances of successfully answering the question.  I approached nearly all questions by reading the potential answers first.  Once I had a feel for the answers I read the specific question being asked.  Several times the answer was very clear, other times I was still left to read much of the supportive text. 

My suggestion is to always double check any supportive text for keywords regarding design choices.  I figure this worked well since everything on the exam was in the blueprint as best I can recall. I found this technique effective and probably saved me some time.

How Would I Design That?

When looking at the blueprint and study materials…think "How would I design that in my environment?"  As I mentioned before there are likely things that you've never needed to use in your designs.  Identify those and spend some time going over its usage and purpose.  If you're not sure talk to some folks in the community and always remember that Google's your buddy! Next up try a mock design with it and look for notes from someone on whether it's correct usage.

If you gotta go, you gotta go, but the time doesn't stop. 

I knew going into this exam that there was no way I was going to make it 4 hours without a stop to the restroom.  Either I have a little girl's bladder or I drink too much but regardless I checked with the Pearson Vue folks and they informed me that any breaks are unscheduled and the timer keeps going.  Suffice it to say I just planned to stop around the 2 hour mark to make it a controlled situation and I only lost a couple of minutes.  I felt this was a good use of time though I completed the final question with only 2 minutes left.  This let me review 2 flagged questions.  Fortunately I had enough to pass and I'm now VCAP-DCD #433!  VCAP-DCA here I come November 30th!

Resources

No post like this is any good without a decent list of resources so here you go:

http://www.vmwarevideos.com/vcap

http://www.seancrookston.com/vcap-dcd-index/

http://professionalvmware.com/brownbags/ - Jason Boche is choice for Objective 1.x