2019 vcdx workshop - vmware · 2019 vcdx workshop presenter. agenda confidential │©2018 vmware,...

Confidential │ ©2018 VMware, Inc.

2019 VCDX Workshop

Presenter

Agenda

5Confidential │ ©2018 VMware, Inc.

Part 1 – Program Updates

Part 2 – Program and Process

Part 3 – Design Scenario

Part 4 – Mock Panels

Next Steps


VCDX Program Updates


In 2016 several methods of how to handle additional VCDX’s were piloted

Final policy is as follows:• Submit design for review. Upon a successful review, a defense will be scheduled• It is still a defense, condensed to 1 hour without scenario

– Treat the panel Q&A as similar to your first defense– This is to show us you know the track applied for

• Still requires presentation, should only be 5-10 mins long– Executive level overview– Focus on track and design defending

• In person no longer available, remote only defenses only– Scalability of the program– Pilot proved in person has no benefit to candidate

• More scheduling options• Lower T&E for candidate

VCDX process for additional VCDX beyond first


Program and Process


What is the VCDX certification?

VCDX is the highest tier of VMware®

technical certification.

• To validate your capability to plan and design on VMware Technologies

• To increase your value to customers and employers

• Provides competitive advantage in marketplace

• Community recognition

• VCDX focuses on architectural design skills– Beyond VMware Certified Associate (VCA)

certification– Beyond VMware Certified Professional (VCP)

certification– Beyond VMware Certified Advanced Professional

(VCAP/VCIX) certifications

• We now offer four tracks for VCDX:– Datacenter Virtualization (VMware vSphere based)– Desktop (VMware Horizon based…can also support

Workspace ONE designs)– Cloud (VMware vCloud Director OR vRealize

Automation based)– Network Virtualization (VMware NSX)

Why should you pursue VCDX certification?


Now all VCDX’s are also vExperts! If you apply!

DESIGN EXPERT vEXPERT


Certification program structure

VCA6-DCV VCP6-DCV

VCAP6-DCV Design

VCIX6-DCVEarned by achieving

both VCAPsVCDX6-DCV

VMware Certified Associate (VCA)

VMware Certified Professional (VCP)

VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP)

VMware Certified Implementation Expert (VCIX)

VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX)

LEVEL

EXPERTASSOCIATE

DATA CENTER VIRTUALIZATION (DCV)

VCAP6-DCV Deploy

VCAP6-CMA Deploy

VCA6-CMA

VCP6-CMA

VCAP6-CMA Design

VCIX6-CMAEarned by achieving

both VCAPsVCDX6-CMA






LEVEL

EXPERTASSOCIATE

CLOUD MANAGEMENT AND AUTOMATION (CMA)

VCA6-HC


Certification program structure

VCA6-DTM VCP6-DTM

VCAP6-DTM Design

VCIX6-DTMEarned by achieving

both VCAPsVCDX6-DTM






LEVEL

EXPERTASSOCIATE

DESKTOP AND MOBILITY (DTM)

VCAP6-DTM Deploy

VCAP6-NV Deploy

VCA6-NV VCP6-NV

VCAP6-NV Design

VCIX6-NVEarned by achieving

both VCAPsVCDX6-NV






LEVEL

EXPERTASSOCIATE

NETWORK VIRTUALIZATION (NV)


“Bolt On” or build the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors onto the foundation• Desktop/EUC• Automation / Cloud• Network Virtualization

Grow the design from the base foundation• Maintain version consistency• Over long period foundation design might need

updates

Submit original design with changes for add-ons• Clearly show new documentation• Follow multiple process without re-defense

Why do 4 completely different designs from scratch?

How do I achieve multiple VCDX’s?Start with DCV Design as foundation and defend on DCV for base infrastructure

Ground floor

FLOORS OF A HOUSE

First floor

British English

American English

First floor Second floor

basement

roof


Multiple VCDX attainment workflow

VCDX-DCVVCDX-DTMVCDX-CMAVCDX-NV

VCDX-DCVVCDX-DTMVCDX-CMAVCDX-NV

TOSubmit Design

Granted Additional

VCDX

Phone InterviewDefensePass/Fail


The Road to your VCDX

* Your mileage may vary

Review/Study Blueprint and Handbook ~2-5 Hours

Attend the VCDX Defense Prep Training ~3 Days (N/A for now)

Prepare/Practice your VCDX Interview ~20 Hours

Application accepted

Prepare/Submit application & design~90 to 150 Hours

Attend Design Defense~3-4 Hours


The DNA of a successful VCDX candidate

“The VMware Certified Design Architect”

• Self-motivated and driven• Applies critical thinking• Organized and methodical• Process oriented• Confident and adaptable

Traits• Innovative and Insightful• Inquisitive and proactive• Customer focused• Continuous learner• Shows clarity of thought

Does not ask what needs to be done, they actively seek out solutions when problems present themselves

Some real world experience in designing, architecting, presenting, and implementing solutions


The S.M.A.R.T goal method

Specific

State exactly what you want to achieve such as who, what, where, why

How will you demonstrate when the goal is met?

Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-Bound

Stretch and challenge yourself within ability to achieve the outcome

Does the goal tie into your key responsibilities?

Set one or more target dates to guide you to your goal

S M A R T



Specific

S

State exactly what you want to achieve such as who, what, where, why

1. Ask yourself “Why do I want to get my VCDX?” The answers may surprise you

2. What’s your long term specific goal for the VCDX tracks?

• VCDX-DCV?

• VCDX-DTM?

• VCDX-CMA?

• VCDX-NV

• All of the above?!

3. Who are you going to ask for help in your journey?4. What specific actions and resources are you going

to leverage?



Achievable

A

Stretch and challenge yourself within ability to achieve the outcome

1. Be honest with yourself about your expertise and state of mind

2. Leverage some kind of skills assessment to help guide you

3. You are here because you already achieved your goal of VCIX

4. It’s okay, this may not be for everyone, but it is for many



Time-Bound

T

Set one or more target dates to guide you to your goal

1. This is the source for all upcoming dates…..pick one!

2. Know the submission deadline for the defense week you pick

3. Attend a VCDX workshop, those will be listed here too

4. Set reminders for yourself at certain date intervals

http://vcdx.vmware.com/calendar

http://vcdx.vmware.com/calendar

27Confidential │ ©2018 VMware, Inc. 27Confidential │ ©2018 VMware, Inc.

This is not a bad problem to have. You are ahead of the game!

Best to start with an existing design if possible

Ask yourself:• Is this interesting to talk about for 2 hours?

• Did this have unique aspects to it?

• Was there anything innovative done?

• Were there odd use cases and requirements?

• Did we have to customize a lot of things?

If you answer yes to one or more, it might be a good choice

Start checking skill gaps from the blueprint• Figure out what you will need to work on

I have so many designs to choose from!


VMware validated designs

The VVD cannot be used as a submission for a VCDX!

• This means you cannot download the VVD and submit as is

• You may only submit a design were the VVD architecture was used for reference only

• You must note that you used the VVD as a reference

VMware Validated Designs (VVD) are designs to be used to help build a foundational level of the SDDC

• Download and information on the VVD at http://bit.ly/2micGEV

• Excellent example for format and content of a VCDX document

http://bit.ly/2micGEV


Complexity is arbitrary• Number of pages does

not matter

• It could be both…– Too small

– Too big

• Focus on the business requirements

Design complexity and privacy

Your design is never shared outside the program

• If it’s a real customer check with them first

• Scrub sensitive information and change names

Only Panelists and program team will see documents

• If you have a concern…..ask


Break time


Demonstrating Design Experience & VCDX Tips


What demonstrates design expertise?

Demonstrate mastery of design considerations and rationales by:

• Identifying and understanding business requirements• Identifying constraints and risks• Understanding different architecture strategies• Making and justifying sound decisions• Understanding design choice impact• Understanding all design aspects, including inherent risks

During your design defense you should be able:• To provide a complete solution that addresses all requirements,

constraints, and risks• To answer all questions about your design and defend your design

decisions• To effectively manage your time

– Demonstrate your ability to work effectively in customer design meetings


What demonstrates a lack of design expertise

Insufficient mastery of design skills is demonstrated by:

• A design primarily focused on delivery from templates without addressing business requirements or design rationale

• A candidate that cannot articulate design strategies

– The candidate cannot understand or consider major aspects of a design

– The candidate cannot logically defend questions pertaining to a design decision

• A candidate that cannot start a design process in front of a customer


The design you submit must be for an infrastructure… • Where business requirements drive design and implementation decisions • Suited for mission-critical applications

The design you submit may be partially fictitious• You must defend fictitious components as if they were real• Designs are assumed to be either implemented or implementable.• If your design was not implemented it still needs to meet all the

requirements.

If your design is based on an actual project, you must have played an architect role in that project

• But not necessarily the sole architect

The primary design component will be based on the VCDX path chosen

VCDX application – selection of a design


Out of scope or next phase

In the real world it is common for a piece of a design to be out of scope or in the next phase

There is nothing wrong with a portion of a design to be missing due to this

• If this is the case, include how you would have done it

• If you do not include it, expect for it to be asked

• During the defense, this does waste time for other lines of questioning

All points of the blueprint need to be addressed in a design

• Saying backup was not in scope and not including just means you missed a scoring opportunity

Do not use something out of scope of next phase as a crutch

• Treat it as you would in a real design• Design and plan it out, understanding

what impact it has on the rest of the design


The VCDX design components

Architectural Design

Functional Technical

RequirementsConstraints

AssumptionsRisks

Out-of-scope

Conceptual DesignLogical DesignPhysical Design

Design ConsiderationsDiagrams and Tables


Architectural design feeds supporting documents

Architectural Design

Installation Guide

Implementation Plan

Validation Plan

Operating Procedures

42Confidential │ ©2018 VMware, Inc. 42

• Collect customer requirements/constraints/assumptions

• Map the above into one or more infrastructure design qualities

– Availability– Manageability– Performance– Recoverability– Security– Risk Management

• Map decisions back to requirements and constraints

– Show how decisions were specifically affected by certain conceptual aspects

VCDX design – what we’re looking forFrom conceptual requirements to logical mode


• Propose detailed specifications for the technology stack

• Show the components mapping to the entities in the logical design.

– Virtual Machines• Including backup/recovery

– Compute Resources• Including hosts and clusters

– Storage Resources• Considerations of backup/recovery or replication

methods of VMs and hosts– Network Resources– Virtual Infrastructure Management

VCDX design – what we’re looking forFrom logical design to physical design

43


VCDX design – what we’re looking forCandidate characteristics

At all times, show a mastery of:

1. Implementation Guidance

2.Risk identification and risk mitigation

3.Complete, clear, organized technical communication

44


Ensure that your submission is

free of technical inconsistencies!

Ensure that your submission is in

PDF format!

Suggestion: Separate

documentation

• Submit everything as one single package− ZIP file or other using the submission link

• Point out the places where information is kept− Use a document map if needed

• Always Remember…− Completed Application Form− Signed Attestation and Statement of Conduct− Can the receiver build this with what’s supplied− Registration Fee

• Measure Twice and Cut Once− Check, double-check, check again before you hit submit− Have someone else check your submission package

Your final submission package


VCDX process

Candidate submits application

Candidate passes Candidate doesn’t passApplication is rejected

Complete and well formed?

Candidate pays application fee

VMware performs technical review

Candidate defends

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

All work by others in application credited?

Material chance of success at defense?

Candidate fully knows and understands application?

Candidate can explain pros/cons and tradeoffs?

Candidate’s technical understanding matches

application?

Candidate reveals skills in all blueprint areas?

Candidate invited to defend and pays fees

http://bit.ly/1Am6xaF


Timeline

Application Results Notice of defense time

Defense Results

~6 weeks

~1 week

3-4weeks

Tuesday following defenses


• 3 strikes requires new design

• Submission = Defense

• Different than design submissions

• 3 defenses on same design

• Submit at the same time for the same track or risk refusal

• Maximum 3 people

Submission retries and group submissions

Maximum Number of Design Submissions

Maximum Number of Re-Defenses

Shared Design Submission


Defense Day


The VCDX Defense (75 minutes)– Deliver a short (~10 minute) presentation that introduces your design

– Answer questions from panelists about the design you submitted

– Provide further insight into your design decisions and rationales

The Design Scenario (45 minutes)– Demonstrate that you can begin to work through design issues in a

methodical and logical manner

– Answer questions or respond to design parameters introduced by the panel– Additional opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the required areas

Approved applicants are invited to interviewThe interview is an on-site meeting with a panel of VCDX certified architects

The interview process consists of two parts

VCDX interview day


Environment• Room with whiteboard, 1-2

projectors, and presentation laptop– Personal laptops or PDAs not

permitted in room– Bags stored in secured area

• Timer (only pauses between sections)

Panel• 3 Panelists – VCDX certified,

interact with candidate, record scores

• 1 Facilitator – ensures rules and timelines are adhered to

• Observers – VCDX certified, learning how to conduct defense, no interaction with candidate

The VCDX defense – format


Room Setup


Format is up to you

PPT 101• This is intended to be high level• “Executive level overview”

Example Deck• You• Project overview• Requirements, constraints, assumptions

– List Key ones only• Risk management• Compute• Storage• Networking

Presentation deck


At any time during Design Defense and Design Scenario:• Structure your thoughts, giving clear and concise answers

– When answering a question, nothing wrong with taking a moment to contemplate an answer

• Respect time constraints– Keep answers clear and to the point

– If you clearly understand a concept, be succinct in your explanations– Listen to the panelists and answer the questions they ask

• Think critically about your design– Don’t assume if a panelist asks a question on your design you are

wrong, justify it to them

• Treat at as a conversation with your peers– We are here to discuss your design, educate us on why you did things

the way you did them

• Show your understanding of risks and impact of various decisions– Every decision carries some level of impact and potential risk, show your

mastery of thinking on that level

• Show your passion and your confidence

VCDX defense tips – what panelists look for


You should not do any of these during a defense:• Don’t bring props (like posters)

• Don’t bring gifts for the panelists

• Don’t “Name Drop”

• Don’t swoon over your panelists if you know them from the community

• Don’t quote blogs– If you are going to quote one, be able to justify it

• Don’t say “We used it because it was a cool feature”– Every decision should have a reason for it being done against one or more

requirements

• Don’t make stuff up– If you don’t know, just say ”I don’t know”

• Don’t be cocky or argumentative

• Don’t dominate the room

– Panelists need time to ask questions

• Don’t think or act as if our questions are malicious in intent

VCDX defense tips – what not to do


Before your defense session…• Make a commitment and budget prep time (total time can be in

the hundreds of hours)

• Practice your presentation, be able to start and stop without issue

– Display your confidence about your design and how well you know it

– Practice explaining your design in English

• Know your design thoroughly!

– Review your design beforehand so that it is fresh on your mind

During your defense session…• Use your time wisely and allow for time in all design areas

• Listen carefully to your panelists questions

• Describe why you did things the way you did them

VCDX defense – final tips

Talk and think out loud

Use diagrams frequently

Have fun with it!!!


Break time


Design Scenario


Understand the business goals and use cases. What is the problem we are trying to solve?

Think about the following for design scenario

1. Identify requirements and constraints

2. Prioritize requirements− Which on is the most important? − How do they relate to or impact our goals?

3. Ask questions to clarify gaps− LISTEN TO AND USE THE ANSWERS!− Take notes

4. Diagram proposed solutions for design− Validate and adapt proposed solutions

5. Use the whiteboard and think out loud


Design exercise role play• You will be given a situation/scenario that requires

you to begin to architect a design• During the scenario, the panelists are your customers• The focus is on the journey to the solution, not the finished

design− Think out-loud. Talk through the process to let the panelists see

you work the problem− Ask questions to gather additional information for consideration− LISTEN to the responses and use the information given!− Go through the steps to demonstrate your strategy and thought

process− Follow a thread to build your design on and Use diagrams− You are NOT expected to complete the design in the allotted

time

VCDX design scenario – format

Duration

45minutes


Walk through the topology for the design on a whiteboard.

• What is your strategy?• What information do you need? What clarification?• Is risk mitigation required due to some of the business requirements?

• Do I have all the information needed? • What are the requirements, constraints, assumptions, and risks? • Am I meeting all the business requirements?

Don’t be silent as you work on the design.

VCDX design scenario – tips

Sketch your ideas

Do: Ask questions!

Think

Don’t: Be silent


VCDX design scenario – sample

The following slides consist of a sample design scenario

• Your actual design scenario will be different

• Not all information is automatically provided

– You must ask questions

This will be a role play for attendees

• You will participate as a VCDX candidate

• We will ask you what you might think a VCDX panelist might do

• You can ask questions on any aspect of the Design Scenario


Design Scenario #1VCDX-DCV Example


• Service Provider with multiple sites is looking for a vSphere Design, for their management systems (vCenter, DNS, AD, monitoring, etc).

• Due to past experiences with mixed environments, they have requested for a 100% virtualized design.

• This design will focus on one data center currently, but should be easily scaled to other locations with minimal changes.

Scenario 1

YOUR TASK:Provide a logical design that meets customer requirements and addresses their application concerns


• 99.9% uptime for critical monitoring applications

• Minimize software license costs

• Easily replicated at other sites

• Machine to machine traffic should be limited to those machines requiring such traffic

Scenario 1 additional information

The application team has some requirements that must be met:


• Ask initial qualifying questions that can have bearing on any design

– Determine budget and time frame requirements.

• Determine additional needs for topics not listed that should be addressed

– Are there any security requirements?– What are the recoverability needs?

RTO/RPO?– What are the performance expectations?

Determine Additional Requirements / Constraints

Further Define Existing Requirements / Constraints

Scenario 1 question examples

• What were the past experiences that are driving the 100% virtualization requirement

– Further defining the listed requirements could potentially yield usable and/or the motive for the requirement. Allowing you to possibly suggest a different solution.

• What are the ”critical monitoring applications”

– Uptime requirement for other applications


• Management cluster and hosts

• Applications

• Networking

• Storage

• Any risks noted over session, with potential mitigations

• Any assumptions made

• Address scalability of design over other sites

Scenario 1 logical topology

What to include in logical drawing Additional items to note Other areas to cover


Design Scenario #2VCDX-NV Example


• Air Airlines is operating Datacenters in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Miami. Virtualization ratio is 60%. The company is looking for a solution to virtualize the backend servers hosting their check in and baggage claim applications.

• Due to past experiences with mixed environments, they have requested for a 100% virtualized design.

• Availability is absolute top priority for Air Airlines. Downtimes must be reduced as much as possible (planned and unplanned).

• Two datacenters in the Bay area have been chosen for housing the backend servers. Distance is approx. 10km / 6 miles. During the first phase only a single data center will house the new virtualized environment.

• The two applications share a single web front end. Each application has its own application tier and database tier.

Scenario 2

YOUR TASK:Provide a logical design that meets customer requirements and addresses their application concerns


• 99.9% uptime for the backend service, even in case of a disaster

• Applications must scale easily

• Due to air traffic security restrictions, access to the infrastructure must be very restricted and secured

• Reduce network hardware costs at next hardware refresh

• Design needs to be server and network vendor agnostic

Scenario 2 additional information

The backend service team has some requirements that must be met:


• Ask initial qualifying questions that can have bearing on any design

– Determine budget and time frame requirements.

• Determine additional needs for topics not listed that should be addressed

– What are the recoverability needs? RTO/RPO?

– What are the performance expectations?

– Latency between the data centers?

• Questions on applications– Details of architecture of the application

and how it functions• What are the uptime expectations

– What is current? What is the expectation? Application or Infrastructure, or both? Planned and unplanned

• Refine security requirements as stated to detailed requirements

– Certain standard that must be followed?

Determine Additional Requirements / Constraints

Further Define Existing Requirements / Constraints

Scenario 2 question examples


• Clusters and hosts

• Applications

• Physical Networking with VXLAN

• Virtual Networking

• Load balancers

• Any risks noted over session, with potential mitigations

• Any assumptions made

• Address scalability of design over other sites

Scenario 2 logical topology

What to include in logical drawing Additional items to note Other areas to cover


Mock Defenses and Study Sessions


Community based volunteer program• Listed in the VCDX Directory

It’s up to you to reach out and ask for help

Some Rules of Engagement• Panelists cannot be mentors• Mentors should be

– Helping with the overall process– Giving honest feedback– Help develop communication skills

• Mentors should NOT be– Helping build the design– Adding/removing specifics to the design– Over committing

• Twitter HashTag #VCDX

Find a community mentor

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ASyZuuQRxsVAGGaju1dzqEBSiQw9ZP3sHTbCLS6EPvg/edit


Study Sessions• Identify other candidates• Study sessions focus on design content,

design defense, and scenario– Review designs for alignment with VCDX

blueprints– Candidates present the defense

presentation– Q&A on design areas

• Note: VCDX panelists are not permitted to review or comment on designs outside of VCDX defense reviews or as part of their work assignments

Planning study sessions and a mock defense

Mock defense• Use similar environment (white board and

projector) and timing• Have one person manage the clock and

simulate the moderator• Have three people (if possible) act as

panelists– Ask open ended questions, don’t just

hammer technology, Force Critical Thought– Ask people from other professions to be

your panelists, knowing to ask the question of “why”

• No time extensions. Focus on questions tied to design and VCDX blueprint


Review & Resources


VMware Certification Site on VCDX• https://vcdx.vmware.com/ - Handbook & Application, Program

Overview, VCDX Process Flowchart for Candidates, Design Defense Blueprint, VCDX Candidate Tips, VCDX Application & Defense Process, VCDX Boot Camp Slide Deck, VCDX Community, VCDX Study Guides & Books, VCDX Boot Camp Book, VCDX Boot Camp Videos, Exam Language Options

VCDX Boot Camp series and other prep videos• https://www.youtube.com/user/VMwareLearning/

1. VCDX Bootcamp – Part 1: Defending your design2. VCDX Bootcamp – Part 2: Design Scenario3. VCDX Bootcamp – Part 3: Troubleshooting Scenario4. VCDX Defense Preparation: Defending your Design5. VCDX Defense Preparation: Design Scenario Examples6. VCDX Defense Preparation: Troubleshooting Scenario Examples7. VCDX Defense Preparation: What Not to Say!

Supporting material

Books• VCDX Boot Camp: Preparing

for the VCDX Defense -http://bit.ly/10rg0gZ

Community Mentoring• Find and reach out to mentors• vcdxprepgroup.slack.com

https://vcdx.vmware.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/VMwareLearning/search?query=vcdx

http://bit.ly/10rg0gZ

http://vcdxprepgroup.slack.com/


VMware Press book (2013)• VCDX Panel Defense, A Virtual Boot Camp• Based on this VCDX boot camp including:

– Sample Scenarios (VCDX-DCV, VCDX-DT, VCDX-Cloud) w/analysis

vCloud Architecture Toolkit (vCAT)• Reference Architecture material for cloud design• Created by team of >40% VCDX• Learn the VCDX approach by reviewing the Implementation Examples• Sample design under the vCAT 2.0.1 release section• Available at www.vmware.com/go/vcat

VMware Design Classes

ITAS: Foundation in the Art of Infrastructure Design• http://itaseries.com/books-in-ita-series/itas-foundation-in-the-art-of-

infrastructure-design/

Resources

http://www.vmware.com/go/vcat

http://itaseries.com/books-in-ita-series/itas-foundation-in-the-art-of-infrastructure-design/


Resources


The VCDX Podcasthttp://www.simonlong.co.uk/blog/category/vcdxpodcast/

http://www.simonlong.co.uk/blog/category/vcdxpodcast/


Next Steps

Read the blueprint(s)

Prepare your design

Find a community mentor

Get into a study group

Prepare your application

Prepare your presentation deck

Run a mock defense

2019 vcdx workshop - vmware · 2019 vcdx workshop presenter. agenda confidential │©2018 vmware,...

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