As of 10am today, I am officially a VCP4. I now have to wait for my official packet to arrive from VMware, but I have done the hard part and passed the exam. For any VCP3’s out there who still haven’t taken the test, there is still time to take the test without needing the official course if you take and pass the VCP4 exam before December 31. That was my major motivator – avoiding an $1,800 class. With relatively limited hands-on experience with vSphere and a little studying, I had no problems with the exam.
For anyone considering taking the exam, here is a quick list of the resources I used to study:
- Simon Long’s VCP4 Practice Exam
- VMware’s Official Documentation
* ESX and vCenter Server 4 Installation Guide (minimum system requirements, etc.)
* Configuration Maximums for vSphere 4 - Scott Lowe’s Mastering VMware vSphere 4
Areas I’d suggest focusing on – system requirements, configuration maximums, new technologies – Data Recovery, vApp, Distributed vSwitches (vmkernel and service console ports on dvSwitches), and licensing and portfolio offerings. Don’t forget some general knowledge about View, Fusion, VMware Server 2 and their other products – those are good for a quick and easy couple correct answers.
