VMware® vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V6.5]

Learn how to install, configure, manage and troubleshoot VMware vSphere® 6.5 in just five days. On this accelerated VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V6.5] course, you'll get your own dedicated server with 24-hour lab access and official course material - including hands-on lab training covering VMware ESXi™ 6.5 and VMware vCenter® Server™ 6.5.

This course will prepare you to administer vSphere infrastructure for an organisation of any size. You'll also learn how to:

• Deploy and configure virtual machines and templates
• Back up and restore vCenter Server
• Use VLANs with standard switches
• Create, clone, and export vApps
• Use vSphere Data Protection to back up and restore data
• Use vSphere Update Manager to manage ESXi, virtual machine, and vApp patching

Firebrand's unique Lecture | Lab | Review technique combines both theoretical knowledge with practical, hands-on skills. This approach will accelerate your learning and ensure you can apply your new knowledge as soon as possible.

This course is aimed at system administrators and system engineers looking to further their understanding of vSphere infrastructure.

On this accelerated course, you'll be prepared for and sit the vSphere 6 Foundations and VMware Certified Professional 6.5 - Data Center Virtualization (VCP6.5-DCV) exams. This is covered by your Certification Guarantee.

1. Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives
• Describe the content of this course
• Gain a complete picture of the VMware certification system
• Familiarise yourself with the benefits of the VMware Education Learning Zone
• Identify additional resources

2. Introduction to vSphere and the Software-Defined Data Center

• Describe the topology of a physical data center
• Explain the vSphere virtual infrastructure
• Define the files and components of virtual machines
• Describe the benefits of using virtual machines
• Explain the similarities and differences between physical architectures and virtual architectures
• Define the purpose of ESXi
• Define the purpose of vCenter Server
• Explain the software-defined data center
• Describe private, public, and hybrid clouds

3. Creating Virtual Machines

• Introduce virtual machines, virtual machine hardware, and virtual machine files
• Identify the files that make up a virtual machine
• Discuss the latest virtual machine hardware and its features
• Describe virtual machine CPU, memory, disk, and network resource usage
• Explain the importance of VMware Tools™
• Discuss PCI pass-through, Direct I/O, remote direct memory access, and NVMe
• Deploy and configure virtual machines and templates
• Identify the virtual machine disk format

4. vCenter Server

• Introduce the vCenter Server architecture
• Deploy and configure vCenter Server Appliance
• Use vSphere Web Client
• Back up and restore vCenter Server
• Examine vCenter Server permissions and roles
• Explain the vSphere HA architectures and features
• Examine the new vSphere authentication proxy
• Manage vCenter Server inventory objects and licenses
• Access and navigate the new vSphere clients

5. Configuring and Managing Virtual Networks

• Describe, create, and manage standard switches
• Configure virtual switch security and load-balancing policies
• Contrast and compare vSphere distributed switches and standard switches
• Describe the virtual switch connection types
• Describe the new TCP/IP stack architecture
• Use VLANs with standard switches

6. Configuring and Managing Virtual Storage

• Introduce storage protocols and storage device types
• Discuss ESXi hosts using iSCSI, NFS, and Fibre Channel storage
• Create and manage VMFS and NFS datastores
• Describe the new features of VMFS 6.5
• Introduce vSAN
• Describe guest file encryption

7. Virtual Machine Management

• Use templates and cloning to deploy new virtual machines
• Modify and manage virtual machines
• Clone a virtual machine
• Upgrade virtual machine hardware to version 12
• Remove virtual machines from the vCenter Server inventory and datastore
• Customise a new virtual machine using customisation specification files
• Perform vSphere vMotion and vSphere Storage vMotion migrations
• Create and manage virtual machine snapshots
• Create, clone, and export vApps
• Introduce the types of content libraries and how to deploy and use them

8. Resource Management and Monitoring

• Introduce virtual CPU and memory concepts
• Explain virtual memory reclamation techniques
• Describe virtual machine overcommitment and resource competition
• Configure and manage resource pools
• Describe methods for optimising CPU and memory usage
• Use various tools to monitor resource usage
• Create and use alarms to report certain conditions or events
• Describe and deploy resource pools
• Set reservations, limits, and shares
• Describe expandable reservations
• Schedule changes to resource settings
• Create, clone, and export vApps
• Use vCenter Server performance charts and esxtop to analyse vSphere performance

9. vSphere HA, vSphere Fault Tolerance, and Protecting Data

• Explain the vSphere HA architecture
• Configure and manage a vSphere HA cluster
• Use vSphere HA advanced parameters
• Define clusterwide restart ordering capabilities
• Enforce infrastructural or intra-app dependencies during failover
• Describe vSphere HA heartbeat networks and datastore heartbeats
• Introduce vSphere Fault Tolerance
• Enable vSphere Fault Tolerance on virtual machines
• Support vSphere Fault Tolerance interoperability with vSAN
• Examine enhanced consolidation of vSphere Fault Tolerance virtual machines
• Introduce vSphere Replication
• Use vSphere Data Protection to back up and restore data

10. vSphere DRS

• Describe the functions and benefits of a vSphere DRS cluster
• Configure and manage a vSphere DRS cluster
• Work with affinity and anti-affinity rules
• Describe the new capabilities for what-if analysis and proactive vSphere DRS
• Highlight the evolution of vSphere DRS using predictive data from VMware vRealise® Operations Manager™
• Perform preemptive actions to prepare for CPU or memory changes
• Describe the vCenter Server embedded vSphere Update Manager, VMware vSphere® ESXi™ Image Builder CLI, and VMware vSphere® Auto Deploy capabilities
• Use vSphere HA and vSphere DRS together for business continuity

11. vSphere Update Manager

• Describe the new vSphere Update Manager architecture, components, and capabilities
• Use vSphere Update Manager to manage ESXi, virtual machine, and vApp patching
• Install vSphere Update Manager and the vSphere Update Manager plug-in
• Create patch baselines
• Use host profiles to manage host configuration compliance
• Scan and remediate hosts

You'll sit the following exams at the Firebrand Training Centre, covered by your Certification Guarantee:

vSphere 6.5 Foundations Exam (2V0-602)

In this exam, you'll be tested on the following topics:

• Section 1: Install and Configure vCenter Server 6.x and ESXi 6.x Hosts
• Section 2: Configure and Manage vSphere 6.x Networking
• Section 3: Configure and Manage vSphere 6.x Storage
• Section 4: Deploy and Administer Virtual Machines and vApps
• Section 5: Establish and Maintain Availability and Resource Management Features
• Section 6: Perform Basic Troubleshooting of a vSphere 6.x Implementation
• Section 7: Perform Basic Monitoring of a vSphere Implementation

Additional exam information:

• Duration: 105 minutes
• Number of questions:70
• Passing score: 300
• Exam languages: English
• Format: Single and multiple choice

VMware Certified Professional 6 - Data Center Virtualization (VCP6.5-DCV)

In this exam, you'll be tested on the following topics:

• Section 1: Configure and Administer vSphere 6.x Security
• Section 2: Configure and Administer Advanced vSphere 6.x Networking
• Section 3: Configure and Administer Advanced vSphere 6.x Storage
• Section 4: Upgrade a vSphere Deployment to 6.x
• Section 5: Administer and Manage vSphere 6.x Resources
• Section 6: Backup and Recover a vSphere Deployment
• Section 7: Troubleshoot a vSphere Deployment
• Section 8: Deploy and Consolidate vSphere Data Center
• Section 9: Configure and Administer vSphere Availability Solutions
• Section 10: Administer and Manage vSphere Virtual Machines

Additional exam information:

• Duration: 120 minutes
• Number of questions: 85
• Passing score: 300
• Exam languages: English
• Format: Single and multiple choice

You, and every other student, will be assigned your own dedicated server with 24-hour access during the course. You'll perform all labs on exactly the same hardware you find in a real data centre. This means you can 'get your hands dirty', by revisiting labs and working at your own pace, without time constraints or distractions.

Firebrand recommend you possess:

• System Administration experience with Microsoft Windows or Linux Operating Systems
• Data Centre Virtualisation experience/knowledge

Seven reasons why you should sit your course with Firebrand Training

• Two options of training. Choose between residential classroom-based, or online courses
• You'll be certified fast. With us, you’ll be trained in record time
• Our course is all-inclusive. A one-off fee covers all course materials, exams**, accommodation* and meals*. No hidden extras.
• Pass the first time or train again for free. This is our guarantee. We’re confident you’ll pass your course the first time. But if not, come back within a year and only pay for accommodation, exams and incidental costs
• You’ll learn more. A day with a traditional training provider generally runs from 9 am – 5 pm, with a nice long break for lunch. With Firebrand Training you’ll get at least 12 hours/day of quality learning time, with your instructor
• You’ll learn faster. Chances are, you’ll have a different learning style to those around you. We combine visual, auditory and tactile styles to deliver the material in a way that ensures you will learn faster and more easily
• You’ll be studying with the best. We’ve been named in the Training Industry’s “Top 20 IT Training Companies of the Year” every year since 2010. As well as winning many more awards, we’ve trained and certified over 135,000 professionals

*For residential training only. Doesn't apply for online courses
**Some exceptions apply. Please refer to the Exam Track or speak with our experts

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