TheSaffaGeek

Seeing as the VCAP5-DCA and DCD certifications are due to be released in the coming months I thought I’d create this page in preparation for the exams and start listing the resources I’ll be using for the exams.

VCAP-DCA

• The exams will still require you to have passed the VCP5 as a pre-requisite so if you haven’t got this yet then maybe a have a look at my VCP5 page for all the resources I personally used and recommend.
• The beta for the VCAP5-DCA hasn’t been announced as yet but seeing as the DCD Beta dates have been released the beta for the DCA should be within the next two months if it is done like it was for the VCAP4.

• One of the best resources in my studying for my VCP4 was Scott Lowes Mastering VMware vSphere 4 book. Scott’s Mastering VMware vSphere 5 book is now available in both the US and the rest of the world via Amazon in both paperback and kindle versions. I was fortunate enough to win a signed copy at VMworld Europe and have already started browsing through it and yet again it look amazing.  Also for those people out there who will be doing the VCP5 I would highly recommend this book.
• Next is the vSphere 5 Clustering Tech Deepdive book by Frank Denneman and Duncan Epping. The book is available for purchase right now and is geekily available for the kindle also. For those of us that have already read Frank and Duncan’s vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive book,this book is a much-anticipated addition to our study materials as the 4.1 book was and still is proving very helpful in my gaining a solid understanding of HA and DRS. With all the new features around HA and DRS in vSphere 5 the new book is a must to gain a good understanding of it all from the masters themselves.
• David Davis and Elias Khnaser have now released their VMware vSphere 5 Training. Personally I love these training videos as it’s like being on the courses for it but you can watch whenever you want and via your iPad and laptop with the online training option. Even though it is more aimed at the VCP5 level it gives you a great understanding of all the new technologies and features in vSphere5 and how they all work.

VCAP-DCD

• The VCAP5-DCD Beta Period has been announced and Andrea Mauro was the first person I saw blog about it so check out the dates on his blog here. I’ve heard that people have already started receiving their DCD beta invites so good luck to all of those who get them and decide on doing it.
• There is no pre-requisite exam/s for the VCAP-DCD but it is highly recommended you do the VMware vSphere: Design Workshop [V5.0] course to better understand the design processes and considerations.
• The blueprint hasn’t been officially released to the public but Ray Heffer has done a blog posting giving the overview of the blueprint that he received as part of his beta invite here
• A number of the beta test takers have blogged about their experiences. Obviously they are under NDA but they are still really helpful in getting an idea of how different the exam is to the VCAP4-DCD. Tom Fojta has posted his experiences here: http://fojta.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/vcap-dcd-5-exam/ and Dave Convery has posted his here: http://www.tech-tap.com/2012/02/21/my-vmware-vcap5-dcd-beta-exam-experience/.
• As mentioned in my All Things Virtual 25 ,Scott Vessey (@vmtraining) has blogged about the upgrade path for people who are VCAP4 to VCP5 and VCAP5-DCA. Although not fully confirmed by VMware education as yet it also means that it saves people already VCAP certified having to do the VCP5.
• Next is one that may be a bit of a soft one but one that I have found invaluable during my VCAP4 studies is the VMware Community for the VCAP exams. The communities are always buzzing with questions and tips for the exams and once they are announced I’m sure they’ll be filled with people who are preparing and who have written the exams advice.
• One of the best resources in my studying for my VCP4 was Scott Lowes Mastering VMware vSphere 4 book. Scott’s Mastering VMware vSphere 5 book is now available in both the US and the rest of the world via Amazon in both paperback and kindle versions. I was fortunate enough to win a signed copy at VMworld Europe and have already started browsing through it and yet again it look amazing.  Also for those people out there who will be doing the VCP5 I would highly recommend this book.
• Next is the vSphere 5 Clustering Tech Deepdive book by Frank Denneman and Duncan Epping. The book is available for purchase right now and is geekily available for the kindle also. For those of us that have already read Frank and Duncan’s vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive book,this book is a much-anticipated addition to our study materials as the 4.1 book was and still is proving very helpful in my gaining a solid understanding of HA and DRS. With all the new features around HA and DRS in vSphere 5 the new book is a must to gain a good understanding of it all from the masters themselves.
• David Davis and Elias Khnaser have now released their VMware vSphere 5 Training. Personally I love these training videos as it’s like being on the courses for it but you can watch whenever you want and via your iPad and laptop with the online training option. Even though it is more aimed at the VCP5 level it gives you a great understanding of all the new technologies and features in vSphere5 and how they all work.

If you know of any other resources out there please do leave a comment or drop me a tweet on twitter on @greggrobertson5 as this is really all about helping everyone find the best resources for the exams.

Gregg

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