(Beta) VCAP6-DCV Deploy 3V0-623 v1.2
Update 11/22
Kyle Jenner just finished a very, very good study guide for this exam - it's a full, topic by topic analysis with walkthroughs - and updated and complete study guide, with a bunch of useful links included as well. Make sure to give him kudos for this contribution!
http://www.vjenner.com/vcap6-dcv-deployment-study-guide/
Update 06/26
I just took the beta exam today. I like the new HOL interface - you can actually read the question and use the control screen at the same time. The exam still takes about 1/3 of the relatively small screen though, but it's definitely an improvement. I also found the lab to work well.
Copy paste only works in PuTTY, the c# client, and notepad++. You can also highlight something from the exam text and drag it into the control pane (even the browser) and it will paste it. Not having paste is bad, but also not having backspace is weird, especially in PuTTY.
Yes, you still have the C# client. Yes, it's still much quicker for lots of things. Yes, there are some things you have to do in the web client.
David Stamen wrote a nice post that helped me before my exam and he included excellent resources. Thom Greene made a nice post on strategy that mimics Tim Antonowitz's from the early v5 days, and I used successfully. Read all questions and do all those that you know you can win first, unless they require some other question to build. Leave what you aren't most comfortable for last, as searching in the documentation comes with a high "exam time" price.
Overall I found it very similar to the DCA v5.5 but with a better overall experience. I think as long as people know the new environment limitations, it's a good upgrade!
Study tips:
There's no official study guide yet (this is the beta off the exam) so I'll put what I'm finding out as I'm studying.
Most useful links are covered in the official G+ study group here:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/108002000588564278612
Major must-read - the official Certification Platform Interface guide . Don't open a VM console with the thick client or the VMRC! You will find that having ctrl+alt disabled means you can't escape it!
HOL labs I used to practice:
HOL-SDC-1602 vSphere with Operations Management 6: Advanced Topics . This is a long one that covers VCAP topics quite well, downsides are not much hands on and some VROps topics you must skip. It has a somewhat updated version of 1402 (really needed for NIOC v3) and does have detailed vCenter (AutoDeploy, Content Library, Resource Pools) and Security (cert and local user) tasks
HOL-SDC-1627 - VVol, Virtual SAN & Storage Policy-Based Management (you can extend one hour 8 times) . This one can take a long time to complete but it's worth it, especially since it explains the whole framework that makes VSAN work.
HOL-CHG-1695 vSphere 6 Challenge Lab . Very light for VCAP but good to do some troubleshooting in the HOL interface.
HOL-SDC-1402 - vSphere Distributed Switch from A to Z . This is a 5.5 lab but goes over advanced DVS settings and does a LACP example.
Labs I couldn't do but seem valuable:
HOL-SDC-1604 vSphere Performance Optimization
HOL-SDC-1607 From Beginner to Advanced Features with PowerCLI
This post is based on the 3V0-623 v1.2 Beta blueprint from 12/4/2015. I've summarized what each section is about, and as I study I'll update with particular page numbers or links.
What to focus on if you already did vcap5:
1.1 Auto Deploy
this is similar to v5 - lab it out on 6.0.0, but there isn't much that has changed, except some of the AutoDeploy options
1.2 PSC and vCenter
PSC is all new. Pratice the PSC repoint commands, enhanced linked mode
Know SSO with AD very well
vCenter options, some new like integrated syslog and dump collector
1.3 Update Manager
Know VUM advanced options, upgrades and troubleshooting
1.4 Advanced VM options
VM options like disk controllers, .vmx edits, hot-add, deployment issues
2.1 Storage
RDMs, VMFS resignaturing, PSA commands, iSCSI, VFRC, datastore clusters, VVOLs
VSAN deploy and configure
VMFS locking - ATS-Only and ATS_SCSI
SIOC, multipathing
2.2 Manage storage
tag SSDs, VAAI commands
lots of VSAN managemeent: storage policies, maintenance, scale up and out VSAN
datastore alarms including VSAN
2.3 Troubleshoot storage
multi-pathing, failover, connectivity,
VSAN, iSCSI, NFS, RDMs
3.1 vSS
vmkernels, tcp/ip stack, create another stack, use cli tools
3.2 vDS
LAG migration to LACP
vSS to hybrid or full vDS
analyze vDS using CLI
discovery protocol per hardware vendor (new?)
VLANs/PVLANs, traffic marking and filtering
3.3 advanced switch settings
NIC teaming failover
NIOC v3
vDS port binding
3.4 Troubleshooting
vDS Health Check
CLI and DCUI to correct network settings
4.1 Availability
HA, custom isolation response, VMCP, configure alarms, the classic isolation IP address, new APD, PDL settings
FT with multi-vCPU
4.2 DRS
DPM, EVC, alarms, power management settings
DRS optimal load distribution
Storage DRS
Affinity and anti-affinity
vMotion and storage vMotion config
Resource pools
4.3 Troubleshooting clusters
DRS/HA faults and config issues
VSAN/HA settings
FT and vMotion / svMotion issues
5.1 PowerCLI
install, configure, use, analyze and modify scripts
AutoDeploy steps (know them well)
Create reports
5.2 Host Profiles
Profile Editor edit and disable, create and apply, import and export policies
deploy vDS and vStorage policies with host profiles
answer files
stateful caching and installation on host deployment
5.3 Log files
Generate log bundles, centralized logging, logging levels
Analyze for config, identify issues, including inside esxi cli
5.4 Content Library
Create a global user, CL, subscribe to existing
CL space efficiency, synchronization
6.1 Monitoring
esxtop / resxtop custom profiles, interactive, batch and replay modes, collect data and export to file
vscsistats use
analyze from a collected sample
6.2 Optimize VM
Troubleshoot VM performance, latency sensitive
TPS and large memory page
Flash Read Cache reservations
7.1 vReplication
Config (isolate network traffic, data compression), VM settings, configure replication, alerts
Troubleshoot storage, multiple snapshots, enable/disable
7.2 vDP
create, edit, clone backup jobs
backup and restore (file-level and full VM)
backup verification
7.3 Backup and Recover vSphere config settings
vDS, resource pool, also using host profile
export VMs to OVA/OVFs
8.1 Permissions
manage users, roles, AD integration
analyze logs for security messages
ESXi pass phrase, disable MOB (maybe other hardening settings?)
8.2 SSL
CA, VECS, generate ESXi certificates
enable/disable cert checking
replace deffault cert with CA
configure SSL timeouts
8.3 Hardening
Lockdown modes, including exception lists
SSH settings
Password policies and strong passwords
VM hardening
And finally sage advice from @sostech_wp for when you are in the exam:
Make sure you have addressed each point for a scenario before moving on.
Don't stop for ones you need to reference documentation on, write a note about the item and come back.
Don't do anything that isn't asked. Don't worry about anything that isn't mentioned