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VMware 2V0-81.20 (Professional VMware Security) exam dumps vce, practice test questions, study guide & video training course to study and pass quickly and easily. VMware 2V0-81.20 Professional VMware Security exam dumps & practice test questions and answers. You need avanset vce exam simulator in order to study the VMware 2V0-81.20 certification exam dumps & VMware 2V0-81.20 practice test questions in vce format.

Succeeding in the 2V0-81.20 Exam: Architecture and Foundational Concepts

The 2V0-81.20 Exam, officially known as the Professional VMware vSphere 7.x exam, represents a critical milestone for IT professionals specializing in virtualization. Passing this exam is the primary requirement for achieving the highly respected VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) certification. This credential validates an individual's ability to implement, manage, and troubleshoot a vSphere infrastructure, leveraging key features to create a resilient, scalable, and secure virtual environment. It signifies a deep understanding of vSphere 7.x, the foundation for the software-defined data center and modern hybrid cloud strategies.

Preparing for the 2V0-81.20 Exam demands a comprehensive study approach, covering a broad range of topics from core architecture to advanced resource management and lifecycle control. The exam is not merely a test of memorization but a measure of your ability to apply knowledge in practical scenarios. This five-part series will systematically deconstruct the exam objectives, providing a structured path for your learning. We will begin with the foundational pillars of vSphere architecture, ensuring you have a solid understanding of the core components before moving on to more complex topics covered in the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

The Value of VCP-DCV Certification

In the modern IT landscape, virtualization is a fundamental technology, and VMware vSphere remains the dominant platform. Earning the VCP-DCV certification by passing the 2V0-81.20 Exam provides a clear and verifiable credential that is recognized globally. For individuals, this certification enhances professional credibility, opens doors to new career opportunities, and can lead to increased earning potential. It demonstrates a commitment to professional development and proves to employers that you possess the skills necessary to manage their critical virtual infrastructure effectively and efficiently.

For organizations, employing VCP-DCV certified professionals is a strategic advantage. It ensures that their vSphere environments are managed according to best practices, leading to improved stability, performance, and security. Certified staff are better equipped to leverage the full suite of vSphere features, troubleshoot issues more effectively, and plan for future growth and upgrades. This level of expertise maximizes the return on investment in VMware technologies and minimizes the risks associated with infrastructure downtime or misconfiguration. The knowledge gained while studying for the 2V0-81.20 Exam directly translates to tangible business benefits.

Understanding the vSphere Architecture

At the heart of the 2V0-81.20 Exam is a deep understanding of the vSphere architecture. vSphere is not a single product but a suite of software components that work together to deliver a complete virtualization platform. The two most fundamental components are VMware ESXi and VMware vCenter Server. ESXi is the hypervisor, the virtualization layer that is installed directly onto the physical server hardware. It is responsible for abstracting the server's physical resources—CPU, memory, storage, and networking—and allocating them to multiple virtual machines.

vCenter Server, on the other hand, is the centralized management platform. It provides a single point of control for all the ESXi hosts and virtual machines in the environment. While you can manage a standalone ESXi host, it is vCenter Server that unlocks the powerful enterprise features of vSphere, such as vMotion, High Availability (HA), and Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS). A significant portion of the 2V0-81.20 Exam will focus on your ability to configure, manage, and troubleshoot the environment through the vCenter Server interface, known as the vSphere Client.

Deep Dive into the ESXi Hypervisor

VMware ESXi is a type-1, or bare-metal, hypervisor. This means it runs directly on the server hardware without an underlying operating system, providing a highly efficient and secure virtualization layer. For the 2V0-81.20 Exam, you must understand its core architecture. ESXi has a compact footprint and consists of the VMkernel, which is the core of the hypervisor. The VMkernel is responsible for managing physical resources, scheduling CPU and memory for virtual machines, and providing essential services like storage and networking I/O.

Interaction with an ESXi host is primarily done through vCenter Server. However, for initial configuration or troubleshooting, you can access the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) directly from the server's physical console. The DCUI is a low-level, menu-driven interface that allows you to set the root password, configure management networking, and restart management agents. You can also enable services like the ESXi Shell and SSH for command-line access. Understanding the different ways to manage an ESXi host and their specific use cases is a key competency for the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

The Role of vCenter Server

vCenter Server is the essential management hub for any enterprise vSphere deployment, and its features and functions are a major focus of the 2V0-81.20 Exam. It provides a scalable platform for managing the entire virtual infrastructure from a single console. vCenter Server is deployed as a pre-configured virtual machine known as the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA). The VCSA is a Linux-based appliance that contains all the necessary services, including the vCenter Server application, the Platform Services Controller (PSC), and a built-in PostgreSQL database.

The Platform Services Controller, which is now embedded within the VCSA in vSphere 7, handles critical infrastructure services like Single Sign-On (SSO), licensing, and certificate management. SSO allows administrators to log in once and access all vCenter instances without needing to re-authenticate. vCenter Server also provides the APIs that allow for integration with other VMware and third-party solutions, making it the central point of integration for the software-defined data center. Your ability to manage and troubleshoot the VCSA is critical for the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

Installing and Configuring ESXi Hosts

While much of the 2V0-81.20 Exam focuses on management, you still need to understand the installation process for ESXi. ESXi can be installed on a physical server using an interactive process from a bootable CD/DVD or USB drive. The process is relatively straightforward, involving accepting the license agreement, selecting a target disk for the installation, and setting a root password. The target disk can be a local hard drive, a USB flash drive, an SD card, or a SAN LUN.

After the installation is complete, the crucial next step is the initial configuration, which is performed through the DCUI. You must configure the management network by assigning a static IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway to a VMkernel adapter. This allows the host to communicate on the network so that you can connect to it with the vSphere Client and add it to a vCenter Server inventory. Configuring DNS and NTP (Network Time Protocol) is also a critical best practice to ensure proper name resolution and time synchronization across the entire vSphere environment.

Deploying the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)

Deploying the VCSA is a core task that is thoroughly covered in the 2V0-81.20 Exam objectives. The deployment is a two-stage process that is initiated by mounting the VCSA ISO file on a workstation and running the installer. Stage one involves deploying the appliance itself as a new virtual machine onto an existing ESXi host or vCenter Server. During this stage, you will specify the deployment size (e.g., Tiny, Small, Large), the network settings for the appliance, and the root password.

Stage two begins after the appliance has been powered on. In this stage, you configure the services running inside the VCSA. This includes setting up the SSO domain, configuring the time synchronization settings, and deciding whether to join an existing SSO domain for linked-mode operation. The entire process is wizard-driven, but you must understand the implications of the choices you make, such as the deployment size which dictates the resources allocated to the VCSA and the number of hosts and VMs it can manage.

Navigating the vSphere Client

The vSphere Client is the HTML5-based web interface used to connect to and manage your vCenter Server. Your proficiency with this client is implicitly tested throughout the 2V0-81.20 Exam, as all management tasks are performed through it. The client provides a hierarchical inventory view, allowing you to navigate through datacenters, clusters, hosts, and virtual machines. The main workspace displays information about the selected object, with tabs for monitoring, configuration, permissions, and more.

Key areas to be familiar with include the "Hosts and Clusters" view for managing your compute resources, the "VMs and Templates" view for virtual machine management, the "Storage" view for datastore and storage device configuration, and the "Networking" view for managing virtual switches. The client also features a powerful search function, task and event monitoring, and access to advanced settings. Being able to efficiently locate specific settings and perform configuration tasks is essential for success in both the real world and on the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

Understanding vSphere Licensing

Properly licensing your vSphere environment is a fundamental administrative task and a topic you should be prepared for on the 2V0-81.20 Exam. vSphere is typically licensed on a per-CPU socket basis for the ESXi hosts. Each physical CPU on a host requires a license. The specific features available to you depend on the license edition you purchase, such as vSphere Standard, Enterprise Plus, or the newer vSphere with Tanzu editions. vCenter Server is licensed separately on a per-instance basis.

You manage all your licenses centrally through the vSphere Client. You enter your license keys into vCenter Server, and it creates a pool of available licenses. You then assign these licenses to your ESXi hosts and other assets. vCenter Server will monitor license usage and compliance, issuing alerts if you are in violation of the licensing agreement, for example, by adding a host with more CPUs than you have licenses available. Understanding the different editions and how to apply licenses is a key part of vSphere administration.

Core Concepts of Virtual Machine Management

The fundamental purpose of a vSphere infrastructure is to run virtual machines (VMs). Therefore, a significant portion of the 2V0-81.20 Exam is dedicated to your ability to create, manage, and troubleshoot VMs. A virtual machine is a software-based computer that, like a physical computer, runs an operating system and applications. Each VM has its own virtual hardware, including a virtual CPU, memory, network adapters, and storage controllers. This virtual hardware is provided by the ESXi hypervisor, which maps it to the physical hardware of the host.

Managing the entire lifecycle of a VM, from its creation to its eventual decommissioning, is a core responsibility of a vSphere administrator. This includes tasks such as deploying VMs from templates, modifying their virtual hardware configurations, installing guest operating systems and VMware Tools, and managing their power state. The vSphere Client provides a rich set of tools and wizards to perform all these tasks, and a deep familiarity with them is essential for success on the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines

The 2V0-81.20 Exam will test your knowledge of the process of creating a new virtual machine. This is typically done using the "New Virtual Machine" wizard in the vSphere Client. The wizard guides you through a series of decisions. You will need to select a name for the VM, a location in the vCenter inventory, the ESXi host or cluster where it will run, and the datastore where its files will be stored. You must also choose the guest operating system family and version, which allows vSphere to present the optimal virtual hardware.

The most critical step is configuring the virtual hardware. Here you will define the number of virtual CPUs (vCPUs), the amount of memory, the size of the virtual disk, and the virtual network to which the VM will connect. You can also add other devices like CD/DVD drives or USB controllers. Understanding the different virtual hardware options and their implications for performance and compatibility is a key skill. For example, knowing the difference between a thin and a thick provisioned virtual disk is a common topic on the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

Understanding Virtual Machine Files

Every virtual machine is composed of a set of files stored on a datastore. For the 2V0-81.20 Exam, it is crucial to know the purpose of the most important VM files. The configuration file, which has a .vmx extension, is a text file that defines the VM's hardware and settings. It is essentially the "blueprint" of the virtual machine. The virtual disk file, with a .vmdk extension, stores the contents of the VM's hard drive. This file is typically the largest and contains the guest operating system, applications, and data.

Other important files include the BIOS/EFI settings file (.nvram), log files (.log), and files related to snapshots. When a VM is powered on, a swap file (.vswp) is created, which is equal in size to the configured memory of the VM. This file is used by the ESXi host as a last resort if it runs out of physical memory. Understanding what these files are and why they exist is important for storage management and troubleshooting.

Managing VM Snapshots

A VM snapshot captures the entire state of a virtual machine at a specific point in time. This includes the state of its memory, its settings, and the state of its virtual disks. Snapshots are a powerful tool for creating a short-term rollback point before performing a risky operation, such as a software upgrade or a configuration change inside the guest OS. The 2V0-81.20 Exam will expect you to understand how snapshots work and the best practices for using them.

When you take a snapshot, the original .vmdk file is made read-only, and a new "delta" disk file is created. All subsequent writes to the virtual disk are directed to this delta file. While snapshots are incredibly useful, they are not a backup solution and should not be kept for long periods. Having many snapshots, or large snapshots, can degrade the performance of a VM and can make the process of deleting the snapshot (committing the changes back to the base disk) very time-consuming.

VM Templates and Cloning

For rapid and consistent deployment of new virtual machines, templates and clones are essential tools. The 2V0-81.20 Exam requires you to know the difference between these two methods and when to use each. A clone is an exact copy of an existing virtual machine. You can create a clone of a VM while it is powered on or off. This is useful for creating a quick copy of a server for testing purposes.

A template, on the other hand, is a master copy of a virtual machine that cannot be powered on or edited directly. It is used as a baseline for deploying new VMs. The typical process is to create a "golden image" VM, install and configure the operating system and standard applications, and then convert it into a template. When you need to deploy a new server, you deploy a new VM from this template. This ensures that all your new servers are built to a consistent standard, which is a critical operational best practice.

Introduction to vSphere Storage

Storage is a foundational pillar of any vSphere environment, and a deep understanding of vSphere storage technologies is a major part of the 2V0-81.20 Exam. vSphere abstracts the physical storage hardware and presents it to the virtual machines as logical storage units called datastores. A datastore is a logical container, analogous to a file system, where you store all the files related to your virtual machines. ESXi hosts can access storage using several different technologies.

The primary types of storage you need to be familiar with are block-based storage, accessed via protocols like Fibre Channel, iSCSI, and FCoE, and file-based storage, accessed via the NFS protocol. vSphere also has its own hyper-converged storage solution called vSAN, which aggregates the local disks of the ESXi hosts into a distributed, shared datastore. The 2V0-81.20 Exam will test your ability to configure, manage, and troubleshoot these different storage types.

Configuring and Managing VMFS Datastores

VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) is VMware's high-performance, clustered file system designed specifically for virtual environments. It is used on block-based storage devices. When you present a LUN (Logical Unit Number) from a SAN to your ESXi hosts, you can format it with VMFS to create a datastore. A key feature of VMFS is that it allows multiple ESXi hosts to read and write to the same shared storage simultaneously. This is the enabling technology for features like vMotion and vSphere HA.

For the 2V0-81.20 Exam, you must know how to create and manage VMFS datastores. This includes tasks such as scanning for new storage devices, creating a new datastore, and extending an existing datastore. You can extend a VMFS datastore by either growing the underlying LUN or by adding another LUN to the datastore to form an extent. Understanding the properties of a VMFS datastore, such as its block size and space reclamation features, is also important.

Using NFS Datastores

Network File System (NFS) is a file-based storage protocol that is also fully supported by vSphere. Instead of using LUNs, an NFS server exports a share, which the ESXi hosts can then mount to create an NFS datastore. This is often simpler to configure and manage than block-based storage, as you do not need to deal with LUN masking or multipathing at the host level. The 2V0-81.20 Exam will expect you to know how to configure access to NFS datastores.

The process involves configuring a VMkernel port group for NFS traffic on your ESXi hosts and then using the "New Datastore" wizard in the vSphere Client to mount the NFS share. You will need to provide the IP address or hostname of the NFS server and the path to the exported share. vSphere supports both NFS version 3 and version 4.1, and you should be aware of the key differences and features of each, such as the security and multipathing capabilities available with NFS 4.1.

Introduction to VMware vSAN

VMware vSAN is a software-defined, hyper-converged storage solution that is built directly into the ESXi hypervisor. It aggregates the local storage devices (SSDs and/or HDDs) from a cluster of ESXi hosts and presents them as a single, distributed, shared datastore. This eliminates the need for a traditional external storage array (SAN or NAS), simplifying the infrastructure stack. An introduction to vSAN is a key topic for the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

vSAN is configured at the cluster level. When you enable vSAN on a cluster, you must configure the disk groups on each host. A disk group consists of at least one flash device for caching and one or more flash or magnetic disks for capacity. The performance and availability of the vSAN datastore are managed through storage policies. These policies allow you to define requirements, such as the number of failures to tolerate, on a per-VM basis. This policy-based management is a fundamental concept of vSAN.

Fundamentals of vSphere Networking

Virtual networking is the backbone of communication for virtual machines and for the vSphere infrastructure services themselves. A solid grasp of vSphere networking concepts is absolutely essential for passing the 2V0-81.20 Exam. vSphere networking is built around the concept of a virtual switch (vSwitch). A vSwitch operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model and performs a similar function to a physical Ethernet switch. It forwards traffic between virtual machines on the same host and links them to the physical network through physical network adapters, known as uplinks.

There are two types of virtual switches in vSphere: the vSphere Standard Switch (VSS) and the vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS). Both types use the concept of port groups to connect VMs and VMkernel adapters to the switch. A port group is a template for a set of ports that defines configuration settings such as VLAN tagging, security policies, and traffic shaping. Understanding the building blocks of vSwitches, uplinks, and port groups is the first step toward mastering vSphere networking for the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

Configuring vSphere Standard Switches (VSS)

The vSphere Standard Switch is the simpler of the two vSwitch types, and you must be proficient in its configuration for the 2V0-81.20 Exam. A VSS is configured independently on each ESXi host. This means that if you have a cluster of ten hosts, you must create and configure the same standard switch and port groups on all ten hosts individually to ensure consistent network configuration. While this can be managed manually, it can become cumbersome in larger environments.

A standard switch is connected to the physical network via one or more physical NICs (uplinks). You can team multiple uplinks together to provide network redundancy and increased bandwidth. On the VSS, you will create two types of port groups: Virtual Machine Port Groups, which are used to connect the virtual NICs of your VMs, and VMkernel Port Groups (vmk). VMkernel ports are used for infrastructure traffic, such as management, vMotion, iSCSI storage, and vSAN traffic.

Understanding vSphere Distributed Switches (VDS)

The vSphere Distributed Switch is a more advanced and scalable networking solution, and its features are a major focus of the 2V0-81.20 Exam. Unlike a VSS, a VDS is configured centrally at the vCenter Server level and spans across all the ESXi hosts that are associated with it. This provides a single, consistent point of management for the networking configuration of an entire cluster or even a whole datacenter. When you make a change to a distributed port group on the VDS, that change is automatically pushed down to all connected hosts.

This centralized management eliminates the risk of configuration drift between hosts and dramatically simplifies network administration in large environments. A VDS provides a much richer feature set than a VSS, including advanced capabilities like Network I/O Control, Private VLANs, and port mirroring. A VDS requires a vSphere Enterprise Plus license, and understanding its architecture and benefits is a key differentiator for a vSphere professional.

Advanced VDS Features and Policies

The 2V0-81.20 Exam will expect you to be familiar with the advanced features that are exclusive to the vSphere Distributed Switch. Network I/O Control (NIOC) is one such feature. It allows you to prioritize different types of network traffic by allocating bandwidth shares. For example, you can guarantee a certain amount of bandwidth for critical vMotion traffic to ensure that VM migrations are not slowed down by less important network traffic.

The VDS also offers more sophisticated security policies at the port group level, such as the ability to block promiscuous mode and forged transmits. It supports advanced networking technologies like LACP (Link Aggregation Control Protocol) for creating high-bandwidth, resilient uplink groups. Another powerful feature is the ability to back up and restore the VDS configuration, which is crucial for disaster recovery. Furthermore, the VDS is the foundation for more advanced networking solutions like VMware NSX.

Securing the vSphere Environment

Infrastructure security is a critical responsibility for any administrator, and the 2V0-81.20 Exam includes a domain specifically dedicated to vSphere security. A multi-layered approach is required to secure a vSphere environment. This begins with securing the management interfaces. Access to vCenter Server, the ESXi hosts (via DCUI, SSH, and the ESXi Shell), and other management components should be tightly controlled and monitored. Using strong, complex passwords and integrating vCenter with a centralized authentication source like Active Directory is a fundamental best practice.

The principle of least privilege should be applied to all administrative access. This means that users and service accounts should only be granted the minimum level of permissions required to perform their jobs. vSphere provides a granular, role-based access control system to enforce this principle. Beyond access control, you must also consider securing the ESXi hosts themselves, the virtual machines, and the underlying storage and network infrastructure.

Managing Roles and Permissions

The vSphere role-based access control (RBAC) model is a key topic for the 2V0-81.20 Exam. The model is built on three components: privileges, roles, and permissions. A privilege is a specific right to perform an action, such as "Power on virtual machine." A role is a collection of privileges. vSphere comes with several default roles, such as Administrator, Read-only, and VM User, but you can also create custom roles with a very specific set of privileges.

A permission is created by taking a user or group, assigning them a role, and applying that assignment to an object in the vCenter inventory (like a VM, a folder, or a host). The permission can also be set to propagate down the inventory hierarchy. For example, you can grant a team of developers the "VM User" role on a specific folder of development VMs. This would allow them to manage their own VMs within that folder but would prevent them from affecting any other part of the vSphere environment.

ESXi Host Security and Firewall

Securing the ESXi hypervisor itself is a critical layer of defense, and its features are tested on the 2V0-81.20 Exam. One of the key security features of ESXi is its lockdown mode. When lockdown mode is enabled, all management of the host must be performed through vCenter Server. It prevents direct access to the host via the DCUI and disables the ESXi Shell and SSH services. This is a powerful feature for preventing unauthorized changes to a host's configuration.

ESXi also includes a built-in, service-oriented firewall. The firewall is configured to block incoming and outgoing traffic by default, and you must explicitly open ports for the services you need, such as management traffic, vMotion, or iSCSI. The firewall rules are managed as rule sets associated with specific services. For example, when you enable the SSH service, the corresponding firewall rule set is automatically enabled to allow traffic on port 22. Understanding how to manage these firewall rules is an important security skill.

vCenter Server Security Best Practices

As the central point of management, securing the vCenter Server Appliance is paramount. The 2V0-81.20 Exam will expect you to know the best practices for this. This starts with using a strong root password for the appliance and managing access to the VCSA shell. The VCSA includes a built-in firewall that should be properly configured. For authentication, integrating vCenter SSO with an enterprise identity source like Microsoft Active Directory is highly recommended. This allows you to manage vSphere permissions for your existing AD users and groups.

Another critical security feature is certificate management. vSphere uses TLS/SSL certificates to secure communication between components. While vCenter comes with self-signed certificates, a best practice in a production environment is to replace them with certificates signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA). The VCSA provides tools to manage these certificates. Finally, regular patching and updating of the VCSA through the vCenter Server Management Interface (VAMI) is essential to protect against known vulnerabilities.

Introduction to vSphere Resource Management

A key benefit of virtualization is the ability to consolidate multiple workloads onto fewer physical servers, which improves hardware utilization. However, this also introduces the challenge of resource contention, where multiple virtual machines compete for the same physical CPU, memory, storage, and network resources. The 2V0-81.20 Exam places a strong emphasis on your ability to manage these resources effectively. vSphere provides a sophisticated set of tools and features to control how resources are allocated to ensure that business-critical applications receive the performance they need.

The core of vSphere resource management is the VMkernel, which schedules access to the physical hardware for all running virtual machines. As an administrator, you can influence this scheduling process by using controls such as shares, limits, and reservations. These controls can be applied to individual VMs or to groups of VMs organized into resource pools. Mastering these concepts is fundamental to building a well-performing and stable virtual infrastructure and is a major topic on the 2V0-81.20 Exam.

Understanding CPU and Memory Virtualization

To manage resources effectively, you must first understand how vSphere virtualizes CPU and memory. This is a foundational concept for the 2V0-81.20 Exam. The ESXi CPU scheduler allocates physical CPU cores to virtual CPUs (vCPUs). This allows a host with a small number of physical cores to run many VMs with a much larger total number of vCPUs. The scheduler ensures that each VM gets a fair share of CPU time, creating the illusion that it has its own dedicated processor.

Memory virtualization is more complex. ESXi uses several advanced memory management techniques to overcommit physical memory, meaning the total configured memory of all running VMs can exceed the physical RAM in the host. These techniques include transparent page sharing, memory ballooning, and memory compression. While these features are powerful, it is critical to understand how they work and how to monitor memory usage to prevent performance degradation due to excessive memory contention.

Using Resource Pools and Shares

Resource pools are a powerful mechanism for delegating and managing resources within a cluster, and their configuration is a key skill for the 2V0-81.20 Exam. A resource pool is a logical container into which you can group virtual machines. You can then apply resource controls—shares, limits, and reservations—to the pool as a whole. This is particularly useful for partitioning the resources of a cluster among different business units, applications, or environments (e.g., production vs. development).

Shares are the most flexible control. They are used to specify the relative priority of a VM or a resource pool. If there is resource contention, a pool with "High" shares will receive twice as many resources as a pool with "Normal" shares, and four times as many as a pool with "Low" shares. Limits set a hard upper cap on the amount of resources a VM can consume, while reservations guarantee a minimum amount of resources will be available, even if the host is under heavy load.

Configuring vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)

vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) is a critical feature for automating load balancing across a cluster. A deep understanding of DRS is a major requirement for the 2V0-81.20 Exam. DRS monitors the CPU and memory utilization of all the ESXi hosts in a cluster. If it detects an imbalance, where some hosts are heavily loaded and others are lightly loaded, it can automatically migrate virtual machines from one host to another using vMotion to balance the workload.

When you configure DRS on a cluster, you can set its automation level. In fully automated mode, DRS will move VMs without any administrator intervention. In partially automated mode, it will recommend migrations, but an administrator must approve them. You can also set a migration threshold, which controls how aggressively DRS will work to balance the cluster. A more aggressive setting will result in a more balanced cluster but will also generate more vMotion activity.

Introduction to vSphere High Availability (HA)

While DRS provides load balancing, vSphere High Availability (HA) provides automated restart capabilities for business continuity. Understanding HA is non-negotiable for passing the 2V0-81.20 Exam. vSphere HA protects against physical server failures. The hosts in an HA-enabled cluster communicate with each other via a network heartbeat. If one host stops sending heartbeats—for example, due to a power outage or a hardware failure—the other hosts in the cluster will detect the failure.

Once the failure is detected, vSphere HA will automatically restart the virtual machines that were running on the failed host on the other healthy hosts in the cluster. This process happens without any manual intervention, dramatically reducing the downtime for the affected applications. HA is a cornerstone of building a resilient vSphere infrastructure, and you must understand its architecture, requirements, and configuration options.

Configuring and Managing a vSphere HA Cluster

Configuring vSphere HA is a core task tested on the 2V0-81.20 Exam. You enable and configure HA at the cluster level. The configuration options allow you to fine-tune the behavior of the cluster. For example, you must configure host failure response settings, which determine what HA does when a failure is detected. You can also configure VM restart priority, allowing you to specify that your most critical virtual machines should be restarted first after a host failure.

A key part of HA configuration is admission control. Admission control is the policy HA uses to ensure that there are enough spare resources in the cluster to be able to restart all the VMs from a failed host. You can configure this based on a percentage of cluster resources, by dedicating specific hosts as failover targets, or by using slot policies. A misconfigured admission control policy could prevent HA from restarting VMs, so understanding how it works is critical.

Understanding vSphere Fault Tolerance (FT)

For the most critical applications that cannot tolerate even the few minutes of downtime incurred during an HA restart, vSphere provides Fault Tolerance (FT). This is an advanced topic on the 2V0-81.20 Exam. FT provides a higher level of availability than HA by creating a live, secondary copy of a virtual machine that runs in lockstep with the primary VM on a different ESXi host.

All operations performed on the primary VM are instantly replicated to the secondary VM over a dedicated FT logging network. If the host running the primary VM fails, the secondary VM immediately takes over with no downtime and no loss of data. This provides continuous availability. However, FT has stricter requirements and a higher resource overhead than HA, so it is typically only used for a small number of mission-critical workloads.

Using vMotion and Storage vMotion

vMotion and Storage vMotion are the foundational migration technologies that enable features like DRS and allow for non-disruptive maintenance of the infrastructure. A thorough understanding of how they work is required for the 2V0-81.20 Exam. vMotion allows you to move a running virtual machine from one ESXi host to another with zero downtime. This is accomplished by copying the VM's active memory over the network to the destination host. This is the technology that DRS uses to balance workloads.

Storage vMotion allows you to move the virtual disk files of a running virtual machine from one datastore to another, again with no downtime. This is incredibly useful for performing maintenance on storage arrays or for migrating VMs to a new tier of storage. You can also perform a "shared-nothing" vMotion, which combines both a compute and a storage migration in a single operation, allowing you to move a running VM between hosts that do not share the same storage.

Conclusion

A major new feature introduced in vSphere 7 is the vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM), and it is a significant topic on the 2V0-81.20 Exam. vLCM is the next generation of lifecycle management for vSphere, replacing the older vSphere Update Manager (VUM). vLCM provides a powerful, image-based approach to managing the ESXi hosts in a cluster. Instead of managing individual patches and updates (baselines), you define a desired state image for the entire cluster.

This image consists of the base ESXi version, a vendor add-on (which includes drivers and other hardware-specific software), and firmware and driver updates from the hardware vendor. Once you have defined this desired state image, vLCM is responsible for ensuring that all hosts in the cluster conform to it. This provides a much more consistent and reliable method for patching and upgrading your vSphere infrastructure, reducing configuration drift and simplifying administration.

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