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Ace Skills Consulting
VMware by Broadcom logoIntermediate

VCP-DCV: VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage

Install, configure and manage VMware vSphere environments with the skills data centre teams rely on.

  • 40 hours of live, trainer-led sessions
  • Nested vSphere lab for every learner
  • ESXi, vCenter, networking and storage end to end
  • vMotion, HA, DRS and lifecycle management
  • Practice questions with review
Aligned to VMware by Broadcom exam VCP-DCV
Duration
5 Days | 40 Hrs
Next batch
Batches on request
Delivery
Live Online · Onsite · Corporate
Level
Intermediate
Exam
VCP-DCV
Language
English

Why learn VCP-DCV with Ace Skills

  • Build it yourself

    Install hosts and deploy vCenter in your own nested lab instead of watching demos.

  • Networking and storage depth

    Configure distributed switches and shared datastores the way production clusters use them.

  • Keep workloads running

    Set up HA, DRS and vMotion and see how they respond to failures.

  • Certification-aligned

    Cover the skill areas of the VCP-DCV certification with practice questions.

Course overview

VMware vSphere still runs a large share of enterprise data centres, and teams need administrators who can build and operate it reliably. This five-day course takes you through a complete vSphere environment, from installing hosts to keeping workloads available and patched.

Day one covers virtualisation concepts, vSphere architecture and installing and configuring ESXi hosts. Day two deploys vCenter, organises the inventory, configures access control and creates and manages virtual machines, templates and content libraries.

Day three is about networking and storage: standard and distributed switches, port groups and VLANs, VMkernel adapters, iSCSI and NFS datastores, VMFS and an introduction to vSAN and storage policies. Day four focuses on resource management and availability — vMotion and Storage vMotion, resource pools, DRS, vSphere HA and Fault Tolerance — along with monitoring and alarms.

Day five covers lifecycle management with vSphere Lifecycle Manager, backup and certificate basics, security hardening, troubleshooting and an exam readiness session.

This course is aligned to the VMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) certification. Following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, certification tracks, exam codes and training requirements have changed. Please confirm the current exam and any training requirement with Broadcom before booking. Ace Skills is not a Broadcom partner and does not use official courseware.

Key features

  • Nested vSphere lab environment
  • ESXi install and vCenter deployment
  • Distributed switching and shared storage labs
  • HA, DRS and vMotion configuration
  • Lifecycle Manager patching practice
  • Course completion certificate from Ace Skills Consulting
  • Post-training doubt support

Who should attend

  • System administrators managing virtualised servers
  • Data centre and infrastructure engineers
  • Support engineers moving into virtualisation roles
  • Cloud engineers working with hybrid environments

Prerequisites

  • System administration experience on Windows or Linux
  • Networking and storage basics
  • No prior vSphere experience required

Curriculum

5 Days · 40 Hours · 17 Modules · 10 Labs

  1. Virtualisation concepts

    • Hypervisors and virtual machines
    • vSphere architecture
    • Software-defined data centre overview

    ESXi hosts

    • Installation requirements
    • Installing ESXi
    • DCUI and host client
    • Host networking and time settings
    • Lab: Install and configure ESXi hosts · 50 min

    Virtual machines on a host

    • VM hardware and files
    • VMware Tools
    • Creating a VM
    • Lab: Create a VM on a standalone host · 35 min

  2. vCenter

    • vCenter architecture
    • Deploying the vCenter appliance
    • Single sign-on and identity sources
    • Inventory: data centres, clusters and folders
    • Lab: Deploy vCenter and add hosts · 55 min

    Access control

    • Roles and permissions
    • Global and object permissions

    Managing VMs

    • Templates and cloning
    • Customisation specifications
    • Content libraries
    • Snapshots
    • Hot-add and resizing
    • Lab: Deploy VMs from a template with customisation · 40 min

  3. Virtual networking

    • Standard switches and port groups
    • VLANs and NIC teaming
    • Distributed switches
    • VMkernel adapters
    • Lab: Build a distributed switch with VLAN port groups · 50 min

    Storage

    • Storage protocols
    • VMFS and NFS datastores
    • iSCSI configuration
    • Multipathing
    • Thin and thick provisioning
    • Lab: Connect iSCSI and NFS datastores · 45 min

    Storage services

    • vSAN overview
    • Storage policies
    • Storage I/O control overview

  4. Migration

    • vMotion requirements
    • Storage vMotion
    • Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
    • Lab: Migrate running VMs between hosts and datastores · 35 min

    Resource management

    • Shares, reservations and limits
    • Resource pools
    • DRS and affinity rules

    Availability

    • vSphere HA
    • Admission control
    • Fault Tolerance overview
    • Lab: Configure HA and DRS and simulate a host failure · 50 min

    Monitoring

    • Performance charts
    • Alarms
    • Events and tasks

  5. Lifecycle management

    • vSphere Lifecycle Manager
    • Images and baselines
    • Upgrading hosts and vCenter
    • Lab: Remediate a cluster with Lifecycle Manager · 40 min

    Protection and security

    • vCenter backup and restore
    • Certificates overview
    • Host and VM hardening
    • VM encryption overview

    Troubleshooting

    • Logs and log bundles
    • Common host and VM issues
    • Network and storage troubleshooting
    • Lab: Troubleshoot connectivity and datastore issues · 40 min

    Exam readiness

    • Skill area review
    • Practice questions with review
Download full syllabus (PDF)

Skills you will gain

  • VMware vSphere
  • ESXi
  • vCenter
  • Virtual machine management
  • Distributed switches
  • Shared storage
  • vSAN basics
  • vMotion
  • DRS
  • vSphere HA
  • Lifecycle Manager
  • vSphere security
  • Troubleshooting

Tools & technologies

  • VMware ESXi
  • VMware vCenter
  • vSphere Client
  • vSphere Lifecycle Manager
  • PowerCLI

Certification exam

Exam details
Exam nameVMware Certified Professional – Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV)
Exam codeVCP-DCV
Voucher includedNo — book directly with the vendor

Skill areas measured

  1. Architecture and technologies
  2. Products and solutions
  3. Planning and designing
  4. Installing, configuring and setup
  5. Performance tuning, optimisation and upgrades
  6. Troubleshooting and repairing
  7. Administrative and operational tasks

Exam details are pending verification. Vendors change exams; confirm on the official vendor page before booking. Official exam page (opens in a new tab)

Schedule & Pricing

Live Online

Individual

Price on request

  • 40 hours of live, trainer-led sessions
  • 10 hands-on labs
  • Ace Skills course completion certificate

Onsite

At your office or our centre

Pricing depends on location, group size and dates.

  • Delivered at your premises or an Ace centre
  • Same curriculum and labs as live online
  • Dates planned around your team

Corporate / Team

Private batch for your organisation

A private batch with content adapted to your environment and goals.

  • Customised curriculum
  • Private batch, online or onsite
  • Progress and assessment reports
  • GST invoice and PO-based billing

No public batches scheduled — Talk to an Advisor for a private batch.

Projects & labs you will build

  • Day 2 · 55 min

    Deploy vCenter and add hosts

  • Day 3 · 50 min

    Build a distributed switch with VLAN port groups

  • Day 4 · 50 min

    Configure HA and DRS and simulate a host failure

Your certificate

Certificate of Completion — Ace Skills Consulting

Awarded on completing the course. It records the course title and training hours, and you can share it on your LinkedIn profile.

The VMware by Broadcom certification itself is awarded by VMware by Broadcom when you pass exam VCP-DCV.

Frequently asked questions

Has VCP-DCV changed under Broadcom?

Yes. Certification tracks, exam codes and training requirements have changed since the acquisition, so we confirm the current exam and any prerequisites with you before you book.

Does this course meet the official training requirement?

It is an independent Ace Skills course and is not official Broadcom training. If your chosen certification requires authorised training, we will tell you before enrolment.

Which vSphere version is used?

Labs use a current vSphere release; we note differences from older versions you may manage at work.

Do I need my own hardware?

No. Each learner gets a nested vSphere lab hosted in the cloud.

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VMware, vSphere and VCP are trademarks of Broadcom Inc.

Train your team on VCP-DCV

Private batches online or at your office in India and the GCC, with a curriculum adapted to your environment.