3V0-23.25 Study Plan
This 4-week plan builds from storage fundamentals (HCI vs traditional, protocol use-cases) into VCF storage choices (vSAN ESA/OSA, principal vs supplemental, Supervisor storage), then moves through design+sizing, deployment/configuration of vSAN and supported (non-vSAN) storage, and finishes with monitoring/troubleshooting drills and exam-style mixed scenarios across all domains.
Daily Workload
Daily target: 4 pomodoros (about 100 minutes of focused study).
1 pomodoro = 25 minutes focus + 5 minutes break (keep breaks strict).
Pomodoro 1–2: Learn (read + annotate) + build one compact artifact (diagram/checklist/matrix).
Pomodoro 3: Apply (mini-scenario, validation steps, or “teach-back” summary out loud).
Pomodoro 4: Spaced review (yesterday’s notes/flashcards) + quick self-quiz (5–10 prompts).
Week 1 — Storage Foundations and VCF Storage Building Blocks
Week 1 Theme
You will establish a clean mental model of storage architectures and protocols, then map that model onto VCF storage choices (vSAN ESA/OSA, solution components, principal vs supplemental) and basic Supervisor storage translation, producing a small set of reusable decision artifacts you’ll reuse in Weeks 2–4.
Day 1 — HCI vs Traditional: architecture-first thinking
Study Content
IT Architectures, Technologies, Standards — Differentiate between types of Storage Architecture (HCI vs Traditional)
IT Architectures, Technologies, Standards — Identify the use case for different storage architectures
Build a “blast radius” mental model: what fails first, and how far the impact spreads (host vs fabric vs array)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of baseline terms (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Review your glossary notes for HCI, datastore, NFS/iSCSI/FC, multipathing, and failure domain; add missing definitions in your own words.
Deliverable: 15 flashcards (Q/A) in a notes app; Verification: you can answer each card in ≤10 seconds without looking.
Task 2: Create an HCI vs Traditional decision card (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a one-page “when to choose which” card with 5 signals for HCI and 5 for traditional, using requirement language (growth, ops ownership, failure isolation).
Deliverable: 1-page decision card; Verification: you can map 3 sample requirements to a choice with a one-sentence justification each.
Task 3: Make a failure-domain sketch (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Draw a simple diagram showing where failures occur for HCI (device/host/cluster) vs traditional (path/fabric/controller/array) and what symptom each causes.
Deliverable: a diagram (photo or digital); Verification: for each failure point, you can state the most likely first observable symptom.
Task 4: Self-quiz + correction loop (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 8 short prompts (e.g., “only some hosts see datastore—what layer first?”) and answer them from memory, then fix mistakes by updating your decision card.
Deliverable: quiz prompts + corrected notes; Verification: re-answer missed prompts correctly without referencing the source text.
Day 2 — Supported storage types: protocol-by-protocol mapping
Study Content
IT Architectures, Technologies, Standards — Differentiate between the use cases for supported storage types
External storage “trust gates”: exports vs CHAP vs zoning/masking (symptom signatures)
Quick verification order for “partial visibility” incidents
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of Day 1 artifacts (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Re-read your decision card and failure-domain sketch and refine any unclear wording; aim for “exam stem language” phrasing.
Deliverable: revised decision card + sketch; Verification: you can explain both in 90 seconds without pausing.
Task 2: Build a protocol matrix (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a 4-column matrix (NFS, iSCSI, FC, NVMe-oF) with rows: access control primitive, ESXi-side constructs, common failure signature, first verification check.
Deliverable: protocol matrix; Verification: given a symptom, you can point to the matching column+row within 5 seconds.
Task 3: Draft a “partial visibility” triage checklist (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a 5-step checklist: visibility across hosts → access controls → host drift → multipathing → backend saturation, with one concrete example per step.
Deliverable: triage checklist; Verification: run through a fictional scenario and confirm each step produces a clear yes/no outcome.
Task 4: Mini-scenarios (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 3 mini-stems (2–3 sentences each) that imply NFS/iSCSI/FC issues, and answer: “first check” + “most likely misconfiguration.”
Deliverable: 3 stems + answers; Verification: each answer explicitly references a row from your protocol matrix.
Day 3 — vSAN ESA vs OSA and vSAN solution components
Study Content
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Differentiate between vSAN OSA and vSAN ESA
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Identify the components of a vSAN Architecture/Solution
Component-to-symptom mapping (health, compliance, resync, latency)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of Day 2 matrix (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Quiz yourself on each protocol’s access control and first check; fix any ambiguity in your matrix wording.
Deliverable: updated protocol matrix; Verification: 12/12 quick prompts answered correctly from memory.
Task 2: Create an ESA vs OSA comparison card (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a “what changes operationally” card: constructs you’d expect, hardware readiness emphasis, and what “normal vs abnormal” looks like post-deploy.
Deliverable: ESA vs OSA card; Verification: you can explain which choice is implied by 3 different stems (legacy runbooks vs modern devices vs migration constraints).
Task 3: vSAN component map (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Draw a “parts list” map: ESXi Host, vSAN network, SPBM, vCenter Server, Skyline Health for vSAN, plus one line per component: “break symptom.”
Deliverable: component map; Verification: for each component you can name one likely symptom and one first check.
Task 4: Quick compliance drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 6 prompts about “policy noncompliant” and answer what you would verify first (capability/headroom vs recovery state vs fault domains).
Deliverable: 6 prompts + answers; Verification: each answer contains an explicit verification cue (what would confirm/refute your hypothesis).
Day 4 — Principal vs Supplemental storage and Supervisor-context storage translation
Study Content
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Differentiate between Principal and Supplemental storage in a VCF Workload Domain cluster
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Identify the role of supported Storage within a VMware Supervisor-context
Translate PVC/PV symptoms into datastore + policy readiness checks
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of vSAN cards (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Review ESA/OSA card and vSAN component map; add one “common trap” note to each (why an answer looks right but isn’t).
Deliverable: revised cards with trap notes; Verification: you can state the trap and the correct reasoning in two sentences.
Task 2: Principal vs Supplemental decision notes (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a short guideline: what “principal” implies for lifecycle and Day 2 expectations, and what risks “supplemental” introduces (drift/change control).
Deliverable: principal vs supplemental guideline; Verification: for 3 stems, you can label storage as principal/supplemental and justify with lifecycle reasoning.
Task 3: Supervisor storage translation sheet (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a translation chain: PVC → storage class → SPBM policy → eligible datastore visibility/capabilities, with 3 failure cues (PVC pending, provisioning failed, snapshot not supported).
Deliverable: translation sheet; Verification: you can map each failure cue to one vSphere-side check (policy capability, datastore accessibility, headroom).
Task 4: Mixed mini-quiz (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 10 mixed questions (single sentence each) spanning Day 1–4 topics and answer them from memory; update your weakest artifact with corrections.
Deliverable: quiz + corrected artifact; Verification: second pass score ≥9/10 without looking at notes.
Day 5 — Week 1 synthesis and readiness check
Study Content
Consolidate Week 1 artifacts into a single “Week 1 Storage Pack” (decision card + protocol matrix + vSAN component map)
Build a personal checklist of “first checks” for common symptoms (partial visibility, noncompliance, resync/latency)
Prepare for Week 2 design+sizing by identifying which assumptions you need in stems (headroom, failure domain, growth)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review sprint (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Do a fast recall pass: 20 flashcards + 5 “explain this in 30 seconds” prompts across all Week 1 topics.
Deliverable: scored recall log (right/wrong list); Verification: re-run the missed items until you can answer them cleanly twice in a row.
Task 2: Assemble your Week 1 Storage Pack (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Combine your best versions of: HCI vs Traditional card, protocol matrix, vSAN component map, principal vs supplemental notes, and Supervisor translation sheet.
Deliverable: one consolidated document (1–3 pages); Verification: you can locate any concept within 15 seconds and explain it in exam-stem terms.
Task 3: 30-minute scenario drill (2 pomodoros / 50 min)
Write one longer scenario (6–8 sentences) that includes: a requirement, a protocol choice, and a symptom (e.g., “some hosts can’t see datastore” or “policy noncompliant”).
Deliverable: scenario + a structured answer (architecture choice, first checks, likely root cause, verification step); Verification: your answer follows a consistent ladder (scope → visibility/compliance → access controls/drift → pathing → backend).
Task 4: Week 2 preview checkpoint (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
List the top 10 data points you’d want in a design/sizing stem (capacity headroom, failure domain, maintenance window, growth rate, service dependencies, etc.).
Deliverable: “Sizing & Design Inputs” checklist; Verification: you can explain why each data point changes the design decision in one sentence.
Week 2 — vSAN Design, Sizing, and Policy Intent
Week 2 Theme
This week you will learn to convert real requirements into a defensible vSAN design for a VCF Workload Domain: picking the right failure domain assumptions, expressing intent with SPBM policies, sizing for steady-state plus repairs, and recognizing when stretched/2-node or advanced services (encryption, protection) change the dependency chain and risk profile.
Day 1 — Requirements → design decisions (failure domains, intent, lifecycle)
Study Content
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Design a vSAN Storage Solution for VCF
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Appropriately size a storage solution based on VMware vSAN (focus: which inputs matter)
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Differentiate between Principal and Supplemental storage in a VCF Workload Domain cluster (lifecycle framing)
IT Architectures, Technologies, Standards — Identify the use case for different storage architectures (ops ownership and blast radius lens)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of Week 1 artifacts (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Review your Week 1 Storage Pack and pick the 5 weakest concepts (the ones you hesitate on).
Deliverable: a “Weak-5” list + corrected flashcards; Verification: you can explain each concept in ≤30 seconds without notes.
Task 2: Write a “Design Inputs” checklist for vSAN (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a checklist of the minimum stem facts you need to design safely (availability target, failure domain, growth, maintenance window, workload IO sensitivity, headroom).
Deliverable: checklist (10–15 lines); Verification: for each line you can state what design choice it influences (one sentence each).
Task 3: Map requirements to SPBM intent (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Take 3 sample requirements (e.g., “site resilience,” “low ops overhead,” “tight maintenance windows”) and write what SPBM intent they imply and what the cluster must be capable of.
Deliverable: 3 requirement→intent mappings; Verification: each mapping includes one “capability check” you would verify (headroom/fault domain/repair state).
Task 4: Mini-scenario: principal vs supplemental consequence (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a 5–6 sentence scenario where external storage exists alongside vSAN, then decide what is principal vs supplemental and why that matters for lifecycle/change control.
Deliverable: scenario + decision + 3 verification steps; Verification: your steps include one “all hosts see storage” check and one “policy/compliance expectation” check.
Day 2 — vSAN sizing worksheet (capacity, performance, repair budget)
Study Content
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Appropriately size a storage solution based on VMware vSAN
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Design a vSAN Storage Solution for VCF (trade-offs under failures/maintenance)
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor VMware vSAN using tools in VCF (what sizing failures look like in signals)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Do a recall pass on your Day 1 checklist and SPBM mappings, then revise any line that feels vague or untestable.
Deliverable: revised checklist + 8 flashcards; Verification: you can answer each flashcard correctly twice in a row.
Task 2: Build a vSAN sizing worksheet template (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a one-page worksheet with four sections: usable capacity, performance assumptions, repair budget, operational windows (maintenance).
Deliverable: worksheet template; Verification: each section has at least 3 prompts that produce numeric or yes/no outputs when filled.
Task 3: Fill the worksheet from a “thin” stem (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Invent a deliberately incomplete stem (missing 2–3 key facts) and fill what you can, then list the missing facts as “blocking questions.”
Deliverable: completed worksheet + blocking questions; Verification: every blocking question maps to a design risk (compliance, rebuild time, or performance).
Task 4: Diagnose a sizing failure from symptoms (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 6 symptom prompts (e.g., “resync backlog never shrinks,” “latency spikes after maintenance,” “persistent noncompliance”) and state the most likely sizing dimension at fault and the first check.
Deliverable: 6 prompts + answers; Verification: each answer includes a measurable verification cue (trend/backlog/headroom/compliance).
Day 3 — Stretched and 2-node: site semantics and witness dependency
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy a vSAN Stretched Cluster within a VCF Workload Domain
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy a vSAN 2-Node Cluster
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Troubleshoot and resolve issues with VMware vSAN Storage (site vs host failure reasoning)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Review your sizing worksheet template and explain aloud what “repair budget” means and why small clusters are more sensitive to maintenance.
Deliverable: a 10-line teach-back transcript (bullet notes are fine); Verification: you can deliver it smoothly in ≤90 seconds.
Task 2: Create a “site vs host failure” decision card (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a short card that distinguishes site impairment signals from host/component failures, including what you would verify first for each.
Deliverable: decision card; Verification: you can classify 5 sample symptoms correctly (site vs host) and justify each in one sentence.
Task 3: Witness dependency checklist (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a checklist for stretched/2-node designs: what must be reachable, what “stable” looks like, and what symptoms appear when the witness is unhealthy or unreachable.
Deliverable: checklist; Verification: your checklist includes at least 3 concrete “how to know” cues (not just “check health”).
Task 4: Scenario drill: choose (standard vs stretched vs 2-node) (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write one scenario with geography constraints and maintenance requirements, then choose the topology and list 4 design validations you would require.
Deliverable: chosen topology + validations; Verification: validations include one fault-domain check and one “expected behavior during maintenance” statement.
Day 4 — Advanced services and their design dependencies (encryption, protection, file/iSCSI, capacity sharing)
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure vSAN Encryption
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy/Configure vSAN Data Protection and create/configure a vSAN Data Protection Recovery Plan
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Identify the use cases for advanced VMware vSAN features/services/capabilities
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Review your stretched/2-node cards and run a 5-question recall test on witness dependency and failure classification.
Deliverable: 5 Q/A + corrected notes; Verification: you can answer all 5 correctly without notes on the second pass.
Task 2: Dependency chain map for vSAN Encryption (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Draw a simple dependency chain map showing what encryption adds (trust/reachability/key availability) and what symptoms appear if the dependency breaks.
Deliverable: dependency map; Verification: you can name one “first check” for an encryption enablement failure and one for a Day 2 key-availability issue.
Task 3: Recovery plan skeleton (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a recovery plan skeleton: ordering, verification steps, and what you would document as outputs (what restored, where, how validated).
Deliverable: recovery plan skeleton (10–15 lines); Verification: includes at least 3 explicit verification steps (not generic “test restore”).
Task 4: Feature fit vs “when not to use” mini-quiz (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 8 prompts that describe a requirement and ask “which vSAN feature fits” or “which is risky and why,” covering File Services, iSCSI Target Service, Data Protection, HCI Mesh, and stretched.
Deliverable: 8 prompts + answers; Verification: each answer includes one dependency/prerequisite reason (not just the feature name).
Day 5 — Week 2 synthesis: design review + mixed design questions
Study Content
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Design a vSAN Storage Solution for VCF (full loop: requirements → intent → verification)
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Create/configure a vSAN Storage policy (interpret compliance safely)
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor VMware vSAN using tools in VCF (confirm design with signals)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review sprint (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Do a 25-minute retrieval pass: 15 flashcards + 5 “explain in 30 seconds” prompts across Week 2.
Deliverable: scored log + missed-item fixes; Verification: re-test missed items until you get 100% in a final mini-pass.
Task 2: Build a “Design-to-Verification” checklist (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a checklist that starts with design intent (failure domain, policy, sizing) and ends with what you verify after deployment (health, compliance, resync trend, latency baseline).
Deliverable: checklist (12–18 lines); Verification: each line is testable (you can say what evidence would satisfy it).
Task 3: One full design scenario write-up (2 pomodoros / 50 min)
Write an 8–10 sentence design scenario (include: growth, maintenance, availability target, one advanced service dependency). Then answer with: architecture/topology choice, policy intent, sizing assumptions, and validation plan.
Deliverable: scenario + structured answer; Verification: your answer includes at least 6 explicit checks (capability, headroom, compliance expectation, recovery load expectation, and one dependency check).
Task 4: Timed mixed set (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create 12 rapid-fire stems (one sentence each) and answer them with “best next step” or “best design choice” in under 90 seconds total, then review mistakes.
Deliverable: 12 stems + answers + correction notes; Verification: second run improves by at least 3 correct choices or reduces time by 15 seconds without accuracy loss.
Week 3 — Deployment and Configuration Workflows (vSAN and Non-vSAN)
Week 3 Theme
This week you will turn your Week 2 design intent into concrete deployment and configuration workflows: deploying vSAN clusters (standard, stretched, 2-node), implementing SPBM policies, enabling key services (encryption, file/iSCSI, capacity sharing), and integrating supported (non-vSAN) datastores and datastore clusters with disciplined verification so you can recognize “deployment succeeded but not healthy” patterns quickly.
Day 1 — Deploy a standard vSAN cluster in a VCF Workload Domain (verification-first)
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy a vSAN Cluster within a VCF Workload Domain
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Identify the components of a vSAN Architecture/Solution (component-to-symptom mapping)
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor VMware vSAN using tools in VCF (baseline health/compliance/resync/latency)
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Design a vSAN Storage Solution for VCF (turn intent into proof checks)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Recall from memory your Week 2 “Design-to-Verification” checklist and rewrite it without looking, then compare to the original and fix gaps.
Deliverable: rewritten checklist + corrections; Verification: at least 10/12 lines match your original intent and are testable (evidence stated).
Task 2: Deployment proof set (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a “minimum viable proof set” for a newly deployed vSAN Workload Domain cluster: what must be true for health, datastore visibility, and basic placement/policy behavior.
Deliverable: proof set (12–15 lines); Verification: each line can be answered with a clear pass/fail observation (not vague “looks good”).
Task 3: Component-to-symptom flash drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create 10 prompts: each prompt names one component (ESXi Host, vSAN network, SPBM, vCenter Server, Skyline Health for vSAN) and asks “if this fails, what do you see first?”
Deliverable: 10 prompts + answers; Verification: each answer includes a first check and the expected scope (single host vs cluster-wide).
Task 4: “Succeeded but not healthy” scenario (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a 6–8 sentence scenario where deployment completes but the cluster shows warnings or noncompliance; answer with a safe triage plan (scope → health → compliance → resync trend).
Deliverable: scenario + triage plan; Verification: your plan includes at least 3 explicit verification cues (e.g., resync backlog trend, headroom check, compliance persistence).
Day 2 — SPBM in practice and Day 2 admin flow (maintenance, resync, compliance)
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Create/configure a vSAN Storage policy
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Complete Day 2 administration tasks on a vSAN Cluster
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Troubleshoot and resolve issues with VMware vSAN Storage (triage ladder)
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Appropriately size a storage solution based on VMware vSAN (repair budget lens)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Do a rapid recall pass: define “noncompliant” and list 3 reasons it can be transient versus persistent, then write the first check for each reason.
Deliverable: 3 transient + 3 persistent reasons with checks; Verification: each check is observable and distinguishes the cases.
Task 2: Policy intent → consequence mapping (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a short table with 5 policy intents (availability, site tolerance, performance sensitivity, capacity efficiency, maintenance friendliness) and write what consequence you must be prepared to see (overhead, rebuild pressure, compliance behavior).
Deliverable: 5-row table; Verification: you can explain each row in one sentence using exam-stem language.
Task 3: Maintenance-mode safety script (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a Day 2 “maintenance safety script”: what you verify before maintenance, what you watch during, and what you verify after (health, compliance, resync convergence, latency trend).
Deliverable: script (15–20 lines); Verification: includes at least 4 “after” checks and one “stop condition” (when you halt the operation).
Task 4: Resync-pressure scenario drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a scenario where performance degrades after host maintenance and resync is running; answer: what you check first, what you do not change yet, and what confirms recovery is progressing.
Deliverable: scenario + structured answer; Verification: answer includes a trend-based verification (backlog shrinking or latency returning to baseline).
Day 3 — Stretched and 2-node deployments (site semantics and witness stability)
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy a vSAN Stretched Cluster within a VCF Workload Domain
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy a vSAN 2-Node Cluster
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor VMware vSAN using tools in VCF (site vs host symptom cues)
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Design a vSAN Storage Solution for VCF (failure domain reasoning)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
From memory, write the difference between “site impairment” and “host/component failure” in 6 lines, then add one first check for each.
Deliverable: 6-line distinction + 2 checks; Verification: each check would produce a clear yes/no outcome.
Task 2: Stretched deployment verification checklist (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a checklist that proves two-site correctness: fault domain assignment, witness reachability, and expected behavior under a simulated site impairment scenario.
Deliverable: checklist (12–16 lines); Verification: includes at least 3 witness-related checks and 2 site-fault-domain checks.
Task 3: 2-node constraints card (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a “2-node constraints” card focusing on witness dependency and maintenance tolerance (what becomes risky, what must be verified).
Deliverable: 2-node card (10–12 lines); Verification: you can explain why a common maintenance action is riskier in 2-node than in a larger cluster.
Task 4: Topology choice mini-set (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create 8 one-sentence stems that imply standard vs stretched vs 2-node; choose the topology and list one validation for each.
Deliverable: 8 stems + choices + validations; Verification: each validation explicitly references fault domain or witness stability (not generic “check health”).
Day 4 — Enable and validate vSAN services (Encryption, File, iSCSI, Capacity Sharing)
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure vSAN Encryption
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure the vSAN File Service and configure a File Share using vSAN File Services
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure the vSAN iSCSI Target Service
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure vSAN Cross-Cluster Capacity Sharing and vSAN Storage Clusters
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Quiz yourself on the dependency chains for encryption, file, and iSCSI: write one “added dependency” and one “first failure symptom” for each, from memory.
Deliverable: 3 dependency chains + symptoms; Verification: each chain includes an explicit first check (reachability/trust/identity alignment).
Task 2: Encryption enablement readiness checklist (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a checklist for encryption readiness focusing on trust/reachability and Day 2 consequences (what breaks if the dependency is unstable).
Deliverable: readiness checklist (10–14 lines); Verification: includes one enablement check and one Day 2 “key availability” check with evidence cues.
Task 3: File Services validation script (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Draft a validation script: service health stable, share creation succeeds, client access behaves as intended, and what you check if access is denied or intermittent.
Deliverable: validation script (12–16 lines); Verification: includes at least 3 client-side verification cues and 2 admin-side checks.
Task 4: iSCSI target service “discovery to LUN” ladder (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a ladder that starts at initiator discovery and ends at LUN visibility and stable access; include what changes when only some initiators fail.
Deliverable: ladder (10–15 lines); Verification: includes one “partial failure” branch and names identity/access alignment as a first check.
Task 5: Capacity sharing roles check (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a short provider vs consumer roles checklist and a “what would you verify if capacity is not visible” first-response plan.
Deliverable: roles checklist + first-response plan; Verification: your plan starts with role clarity, then connectivity/permissions, then placement expectations.
Day 5 — Integrate supported (non-vSAN) storage and datastore clusters (consistency and drift control)
Study Content
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Deploy a VCF Workload Domain cluster with supported (non-vSAN) Storage
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure a Datastore (non-vSAN) in a VCF Workload Domain Cluster
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure a Datastore Cluster in a VCF Workload Domain Cluster
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Troubleshoot and resolve issues with supported (non-vSAN) Storage
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Recall the external storage troubleshooting ladder (visibility → access controls → drift → multipathing → backend) and rewrite it without notes, adding one example for each step.
Deliverable: rewritten ladder + examples; Verification: each example clearly matches the step (no duplicates or vague cases).
Task 2: Protocol-specific “first three checks” sheet (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a sheet listing the first three checks for NFS, iSCSI, and FC/NVMe-oF when a datastore is missing on one host.
Deliverable: protocol sheet; Verification: each protocol’s checks include one access-control check and one host-consistency check.
Task 3: Datastore Cluster expectations card (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a card explaining what changes when you introduce a Datastore Cluster (Storage DRS influence) and how that can confuse troubleshooting if you expect manual placement.
Deliverable: expectations card (10–12 lines); Verification: includes one “placement surprise” symptom and what you verify first to confirm Storage DRS influence.
Task 4: Drift-after-lifecycle scenario (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a scenario where a patch/host replacement occurs and afterward only some hosts see the datastore; answer with the exact order you check and what confirms the root cause.
Deliverable: scenario + ordered checks; Verification: the first two checks are access control alignment and host configuration consistency, each with a concrete evidence cue.
Week 4 — Monitoring, Troubleshooting, and Exam Simulation Drills
Week 4 Theme
This week you will operationalize everything you learned by drilling the monitoring signals and troubleshooting ladders for both vSAN and supported (non-vSAN) storage, then completing timed exam-style simulations that force you to choose the safest “best next step” and verify outcomes (compliance trends, resync convergence, datastore visibility consistency, and dependency-chain readiness).
Day 1 — vSAN monitoring mastery (health, compliance, resync, latency)
Study Content
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor VMware vSAN using tools in VCF
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Troubleshoot and resolve issues with VMware vSAN Storage
Plan and Design the VMware Solution — Appropriately size a storage solution based on VMware vSAN (symptoms of sizing failure)
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of Week 3 workflows (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Review your Week 3 “minimum proof set” and “maintenance safety script” and rewrite the top 8 checks from memory.
Deliverable: 8 checks (one line each) + a one-sentence reason per check; Verification: each check states what evidence would confirm it (pass/fail).
Task 2: Build a vSAN “minimum dashboard” card (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a one-page card listing: health status, policy compliance, capacity headroom, resync backlog/trend, and latency trend, with one “normal vs abnormal” note each.
Deliverable: dashboard card; Verification: you can explain how you’d classify a stem as recovery-load vs contention vs availability in ≤60 seconds.
Task 3: Resync vs performance triage drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 6 short stems that mix “slow” with other signals (resync running, capacity low, maintenance done, network warning) and answer: first check + what you would not change yet.
Deliverable: 6 stems + structured answers; Verification: every answer includes a trend-based cue (backlog shrinking/growing, compliance persistence, latency trend).
Task 4: Timed “best next step” set (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Do a 12-question rapid set focused on vSAN monitoring interpretation (compliance, resync, capacity pressure, latency). Answer in under 6 minutes, then review mistakes.
Deliverable: 12 Q/A + corrected dashboard card; Verification: second run improves by at least 3 correct answers without taking longer.
Day 2 — Supported (non-vSAN) storage monitoring and troubleshooting (visibility, access controls, drift, multipathing)
Study Content
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor supported (non-vSAN) Storage using tools in VCF
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Troubleshoot and resolve issues with supported (non-vSAN) Storage
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure a Datastore (non-vSAN) in a VCF Workload Domain Cluster
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of external storage ladders (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Rewrite your external troubleshooting ladder from memory (visibility → access controls → drift → multipathing → backend), then add one concrete “evidence cue” per step.
Deliverable: ladder + evidence cues; Verification: each evidence cue is observable (e.g., “host A sees 0 targets”) and not a generic “check logs.”
Task 2: Protocol-first quick checks sheet (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create a one-page sheet with three sections (NFS, iSCSI, FC/NVMe-oF): first three checks + common failure signature + most likely misconfiguration.
Deliverable: protocol quick-checks sheet; Verification: given a symptom, you can pick the protocol section and name the first check in ≤10 seconds.
Task 3: Partial visibility scenario ladder run (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write a 7–9 sentence scenario where only some hosts see the datastore after a change; produce an ordered response plan with a pass/fail test per step.
Deliverable: scenario + ordered plan; Verification: the first two steps test access control alignment and host configuration drift with explicit evidence.
Task 4: Multipathing and latency reasoning drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 6 prompts about “latency increased after a link event” and decide whether you suspect host-path queueing vs backend saturation, and what would prove it.
Deliverable: 6 prompts + answers; Verification: every answer includes a comparison (uniform across hosts vs only some hosts) and a measurable cue (path count, queueing symptom).
Day 3 — vSAN troubleshooting flows (noncompliance, failures, partitions, stretched/2-node semantics)
Study Content
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Troubleshoot and resolve issues with VMware vSAN Storage
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Complete Day 2 administration tasks on a vSAN Cluster
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Complete Day 2 administration tasks on a vSAN Stretched Cluster
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of vSAN triage flow (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
From memory, write your vSAN triage flow: define scope → classify (availability/compliance/performance) → highest-signal checks → safe action → verify.
Deliverable: triage flow (10–14 lines); Verification: you can apply it to a new stem and produce a consistent “first check” without hesitation.
Task 2: Noncompliance decision practice (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create 8 noncompliance stems that vary the context (after maintenance, capacity low, host failure, stretched cluster, resync running) and choose the best next check/action.
Deliverable: 8 stems + answers; Verification: each answer includes what would confirm the hypothesis (e.g., “resync backlog shrinking” or “fault domain mis-assigned”).
Task 3: Stretched/2-node failure classification set (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 10 one-sentence symptoms and classify each as site impairment vs host/component failure vs witness instability; add one first check per item.
Deliverable: 10 classifications + checks; Verification: at least 8/10 classifications are consistent with your own decision card logic (no contradictory reasoning).
Task 4: “Safe remediation” vs “make it disappear” drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 6 pairs of answers for the same stem: one risky/shortcut response and one safe/root-cause response; then explain why the safe one is better.
Deliverable: 6 pairs + explanations; Verification: each safe response ends with a verification outcome (compliance trend, resync convergence, latency improvement).
Day 4 — Mixed domain scenarios (vSAN + non-vSAN + services + Supervisor storage)
Study Content
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Products and Solutions — Identify the role of supported Storage within a VMware Supervisor-context
Install, Configure, Administrate the VMware Solution — Configure vSAN Encryption, vSAN File Service, vSAN iSCSI Target Service, vSAN Data Protection
Troubleshoot and optimize the VMware Solution — Monitor/Troubleshoot both vSAN and non-vSAN storage
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review of dependency chains (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Recall from memory the dependency chain for encryption (trust/reachability), file services (service health + access), iSCSI targets (discovery/session/visibility), and data protection (enablement → restore points → recovery plan).
Deliverable: 4 dependency chains (3–5 lines each); Verification: each chain includes one “first failure symptom” and one “first check.”
Task 2: Supervisor translation drill (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Write 6 short stems about PVC/PV issues (pending, provisioning failed, snapshot not supported) and translate each into the vSphere-side checks (storage class/SPBM capability, datastore eligibility/visibility, headroom).
Deliverable: 6 stems + translations; Verification: each translation contains at least one specific eligibility check (capability or visibility) and one verification cue.
Task 3: Mixed scenario set (2 pomodoros / 50 min)
Write 4 medium scenarios (6–9 sentences each): (1) vSAN noncompliance, (2) resync storm + performance, (3) external datastore partial visibility, (4) service dependency failure (encryption or iSCSI or file).
Deliverable: 4 scenarios + structured answers (scope → layer → first checks → likely root cause → verification); Verification: every answer includes a “what I would verify after remediation” line.
Task 4: Timed elimination practice (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Create 15 multiple-choice-style prompts (you write the options) where two answers look plausible; practice eliminating the wrong one by citing the missing prerequisite or wrong failure-domain assumption.
Deliverable: 15 prompts + elimination notes; Verification: for each, you can state the deciding clue in one sentence (e.g., “partial visibility implies access control drift”).
Day 5 — Full exam simulation and final consolidation
Study Content
All domains: architecture/protocol mapping, VCF storage choices, design+sizing, deployment+services, monitoring+troubleshooting
Focus on consistency: best-next-step, safest remediation, and verification outcomes
Tasks
Task 1: Spaced review mega-pass (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Run through 30 flashcards + 10 “30-second teach-back” prompts (mix across all Parents) and log every miss.
Deliverable: miss log + fixes; Verification: re-test misses until you can answer them correctly twice consecutively.
Task 2: 45-minute exam simulation (2 pomodoros / 50 min)
Do a timed simulation of 25 questions you create: 10 vSAN, 8 non-vSAN, 4 services/dependencies, 3 Supervisor translation.
Deliverable: answer sheet + confidence rating (high/med/low) per question; Verification: review all low-confidence items and write the missing fact or rule you needed.
Task 3: Build your final “one-page anchors” sheet (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Compress your key anchors into one page: HCI vs traditional signals, protocol matrix, vSAN dashboard, external ladder, stretched/2-node classification, Supervisor translation chain.
Deliverable: one-page anchors sheet; Verification: you can answer a random prompt from any domain using only this sheet in ≤20 seconds.
Task 4: Error-pattern review and fix plan (1 pomodoro / 25 min)
Analyze your simulation misses and group them into 3–5 error patterns (e.g., “ignored partial visibility clue,” “changed policy too early,” “forgot dependency chain”).
Deliverable: error-pattern list + a 7-day micro-fix plan (one action per day); Verification: each pattern has a specific prevention rule you can recite.