Top 44 Scenario-Based VMware Interview Questions and Answers of 2024

VMware is the leader in virtualization and cloud technology, offering solutions that revolutionize data center management and operations. Understanding VMware’s functionalities and features is crucial for IT professionals aiming to excel in virtualized environments.

In this article, we’ll provide a list of 44 VMware scenario-based interview questions and answers that you might encounter in a VMware interview and exam in 2024, with a focus on VMware vSphere 8 and its configuration maximums.

If you’re interested in vSphere certification, check out this Clear and Simple vSphere 8 Professional – VMware VCP DCV course; it will help you pass the exam.

What is VMware?

VMware is a global leader in virtualization cloud infrastructure, and digital workspace technology, accelerating digital transformation by enabling unprecedented freedom and flexibility in how our customers build and evolve IT environments. VMware was recently acquired by Broadcom, providing the best-in-class solution for VMware customers and other businesses.

The Importance of VMware Interview Questions

For professionals seeking roles in system administration, network management, or data center operations, mastering VMware interview questions is very important for them. They not only test your knowledge but also gauge your ability to apply concepts in practical scenarios.

Also Read: Top 50 VMware Interview Questions and Answers of 2023

Who Should Consider These Questions?

Aspiring VMware professionals
System Administrators
Network Engineers
Data Center Managers
IT students specializing in virtualization

Top 44 Scenario-Based VMware Interview Questions and Answers

The following is a list of 44 scenario-based VMware interview questions that might help you to crack VMware interview and exam in 2024.

1. In a vSphere cluster with ESXi hosts and a critical application running on esx01, what steps should an administrator take to maintain VM1’s operation when placing esx01 into maintenance mode, considering that vSphere HA and DRS are not enabled?

To maintain the operation of VM1 during the maintenance of esx01, the VMware administrator should manually migrate VM1 to another host in the cluster using vSphere vMotion. This can be done in two ways:

Cold Migration: Shutting down VM1 and moving it to another host in the cluster. This method interrupts the service, but it’s simpler and doesn’t require live interaction.
Live Migration: Moving VM1 to another host while it’s still running. This method ensures continuous operation but requires careful coordination to prevent service disruption.

2. How can an administrator achieve better performance and near-zero CPU utilization for networking functions on ESXi hosts?

To enhance network performance with minimal CPU usage, the administrator should enable vSphere Network I/O Control on a newly created vSphere Distributed Switch. This feature allows for the efficient management of network resources, distributing bandwidth to where it’s needed most, and reducing CPU load by offloading network processing tasks.

3. What feature can a VMware administrator use to avoid using Storage vMotion for the vSphere Cluster Services (vCLS) VMs during datastore maintenance?

The VMware administrator should use vCLS Retreat Mode in this scenario. This feature temporarily relocates vCLS VMs without using Storage vMotion, allowing maintenance on the datastore while ensuring the continuous operation of vCLS VMs.

4. Which option should a VMware Engineer choose to implement tag-based placement rules for virtual machine disks in VMware vCenter?

The administrator should use Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) to achieve this. SPBM allows tagging and categorizing storage resources, enabling automated and efficient placement of virtual machine disks based on predefined criteria.

5. In a two-node vSphere cluster with two domain controller VMs, how can an administrator ensure the VMs run on separate hosts without interfering with normal maintenance?

The administrator should configure the Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) by creating a ‘Should run Virtual Machines to Hosts’ anti-affinity rule. This rule will ensure that the domain controller VMs are always running on separate hosts, providing redundancy and reliability.

6. When performing hardware maintenance on the host running the vCenter Server Appliance, which vSphere feature should be configured to minimize downtime for vCenter users?

The administrator should configure vCenter Server High Availability (HA). This feature ensures that if the primary vCenter Server Appliance becomes unavailable due to maintenance or other issues, a standby replica can take over with minimal disruption. vCenter Server HA creates a cluster of vCenter Server instances to provide failover capabilities, thus reducing downtime and ensuring continuous availability of the vCenter services.

7. To manage VM templates and ISO images for a remote office, requiring storage in a single repository and version management, what is the best solution for an administrator to deploy?

The administrator should deploy a local content library for this purpose. A content library is a repository where VM templates, ISO images, and other types of vSphere content can be stored and managed centrally. It supports versioning and makes it easy to manage and deploy templates across different vCenter Server instances, which is especially useful for handling resources in remote offices.

8. In a vSphere cluster with a VM group named DB and host groups named PROD1 and PROD2, how can an administrator ensure VMs in the DB group run on hosts in PROD1, but switch to PROD2 if PROD1 hosts are offline?

The administrator should create a VM/Host affinity rule specifying that VMs in the DB group are required to run on hosts in the PROD1 group. This rule ensures that the VMs will primarily operate on the PROD1 hosts. If these hosts go offline, the rule should be set to allow the VMs to run on the PROD2 hosts, providing a fallback option to maintain operations during maintenance or outages.

9. What is the role of the vSphere Distributed Services Engine?

The vSphere Distributed Services Engine is designed to provide hardware-accelerated data processing, enhancing the overall infrastructure performance. This engine facilitates efficient data handling and processing by offloading these tasks to dedicated hardware resources. This offloading leads to improved performance and efficiency, especially in environments with high data throughput requirements.

10. For configuring a security policy at the port group level of a standard switch that applies to all virtual machines on portgroup-1 and forwards all traffic, what setting should an administrator use?

The administrator should configure the security policy to set Promiscuous Mode to ‘Accept’ on the specified port group. Promiscuous Mode, when set to ‘Accept’, allows all network traffic to be seen by all virtual machines within the port group. This setting is crucial for scenarios where monitoring, traffic analysis, or similar functionalities are required, as it ensures no traffic is filtered or blocked based on destination addresses.

11. When consolidating multiple physical servers, which VMware solution is recommended for migrating workloads to a software-defined data center?

VMware vSphere is the ideal solution for this scenario. It provides a robust software-defined data center (SDDC) platform, enabling the migration of physical server workloads to virtual machines (VMs). This consolidation streamlines data center operations, reduces hardware dependency, and enhances scalability and manageability.

12. For configuring Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) over Converged Ethernet v2 (RoCE v2) in ESXi 7 or later, which two types of adapters should an administrator configure?

The administrator should configure two types of adapters:

RDMA Network Adapter: This hardware adapter is installed on the host to facilitate RDMA over Ethernet networks, providing high-throughput, low-latency networking.
Software NVMe over RDMA Storage Adapter: This software adapter enables efficient storage operations over RDMA networks, leveraging the NVMe protocol for enhanced performance.

These adapters work together to enable efficient, high-performance networking and storage operations in virtualized environments.

13. How can an administrator apply only the storage configuration settings from a host profile named Standard-Config to other host profiles?

The administrator should copy the storage settings from the Standard-Config host profile to the other host profiles. This method allows for the selective application of specific settings (in this case, storage configuration) from one host profile to others, ensuring consistency across the environment without affecting other configuration aspects of the target host profiles.

14. Which two datastore types store the components of a virtual machine as a set of objects?

The two datastore types that store virtual machine components as objects are:

VMware vSAN: vSAN operates by aggregating local or direct-attached storage devices of a host cluster and creating a single datastore shared across the cluster. It stores VM components as objects for efficient management and scalability.
vSphere Virtual Volume (vVols): vVols represent a more advanced storage framework that enables array-based operations at the VM level. They allow for finer control and management of storage resources by treating VM components as unique objects.

Both vSAN and vVols provide enhanced storage capabilities, enabling more flexible and efficient management of VM storage resources.

15. What approach should an administrator take to provide log bundles for the ESXi hosts in an environment when requested by VMware Support?

The administrator has two options for generating log bundles:

Generate Separate Log Bundles: Use the vSphere Host Client to generate individual log bundles for each ESXi host. This approach is suitable when specific host logs are required.
Generate Combined Log Bundle: Use the vSphere Client to create a combined log bundle for all ESXi hosts. This is efficient when a comprehensive view of the environment is needed.

Both methods ensure that detailed logs are provided to VMware Support for troubleshooting and analysis.

16. What trigger should an administrator use to identify and resolve issues quickly when a Fibre Channel adapter in an ESXi host experiences inconsistent connectivity?

Answer Explanation: The administrator should use the “Lost Storage Connectivity” trigger. This alert is designed to notify administrators when a storage device, such as a Fibre Channel adapter, loses connectivity. It helps in quickly identifying connectivity issues, allowing for prompt investigation and resolution, thereby minimizing potential disruptions caused by storage connectivity problems.

17. For a software-defined data center (SDDC) requiring disaster recovery (DR) that meets specific criteria, including protection of VMs to a secondary site with manageable costs, how can an administrator achieve this?

The administrator should configure VMware Site Recovery Manager in combination with vSphere Replication. Site Recovery Manager provides a disaster recovery solution that integrates with the underlying vSphere infrastructure. It allows for the replication and failover of VMs to a secondary site, ensuring they remain online until failover and managing the process from the vSphere Client. This setup meets the requirement of keeping costs low while ensuring effective DR capabilities.

18. What steps should an administrator follow to update a VMware vCenter instance to a newer minor release version when there is no Internet access?

The administrator should first download the required update onto a machine with Internet access. Then, the steps are:

Mount the ISO update file to the CD-ROM drive of the vCenter instance. This involves transferring the update file to a medium accessible by the vCenter Server.

Use the vCenter Management Interface to select the mounted CD-ROM as the source for the update. This step initiates the update process using the files on the ISO, bypassing the need for direct Internet access.

19. How can an administrator ensure a uniform and compliant update of vSphere clusters running vSAN?

The administrator should use vSphere Lifecycle Manager. The process involves:

Configuring vSphere Lifecycle Manager with an image for the cluster, ensuring all hosts are updated with the same software.

Downloading firmware updates from the hardware vendor’s website.

Running a hardware compatibility check using Lifecycle Manager to ensure the new software versions comply with the vSAN Hardware Compatibility List.

This approach ensures that both the software and firmware across the cluster are uniformly and compliantly updated.

20. To segregate VM traffic by VLAN on a vSphere standard switch, with a VLAN ID of 4095 and VLAN tagging at the VM level, what tagging mode is needed?

The required tagging mode is Virtual Guest Tagging (VGT). In this mode, the VLAN tagging is handled directly by the virtual machine, allowing the VM to manage multiple VLANs. The switch port group must be set to VLAN ID 4095, which is a special configuration enabling the passing of all VLAN traffic to the VMs, leaving the responsibility of VLAN tagging to the guest operating system or VM.

21. How can an administrator implement tag-based placement rules for virtual machine disks in VMware vCenter?

The administrator should use Storage Policy-Based Management (SPBM) to achieve this. SPBM allows the creation and application of storage policies that can include tag-based rules. These policies help in categorizing and allocating storage resources based on specific criteria, enabling more efficient and tailored storage management for virtual machine disks.

22. What are two tasks that can be completed using vSphere Lifecycle Manager?

vSphere Lifecycle Manager can be used to:

Check ESXi Host Compliance: Ensure that ESXi hosts are compliant with recommended baselines, which includes verifying that the hosts are running the intended versions of software and configurations.
Manage Firmware Lifecycle: Handle the firmware lifecycle for ESXi hosts as part of a managed cluster. This involves updating and maintaining firmware versions in line with software updates and baselines, ensuring harmonized and secure host operation.

23. What are two use cases for VMware vSphere+?

VMware vSphere+ can be used to:

Enhance On-Premises Workloads: Manage on-premises workloads through the VMware Cloud Console, providing a unified and cloud-enhanced management experience.
Simplify vCenter Lifecycle Management: Utilize cloud-enabled automation to streamline vCenter lifecycle management, which includes updating, patching, and configuring vCenter instances more efficiently.

24. Which two components of the software-defined data center (SDDC) are responsible for the initial abstraction and subsequent management of CPU, memory, disk, and network resources?

The two key components are:

VMware ESXi: This is a hypervisor that abstracts and allocates the physical hardware resources like CPU, memory, and network resources to create virtual machines.
VMware vCenter Server: This server manages the ESXi hosts and VMs, providing centralized management, resource distribution, and operational insight into the virtual infrastructure.

25. For managing VM templates and ISO images in a remote office, requiring a single repository and version management, what solution should an administrator deploy?

The administrator should deploy a local content library. This feature in VMware allows for centralized storage and management of VM templates, ISO images, and other content. It supports version control and streamlined deployment across different locations, making it ideal for managing resources in a remote office setting.

Also Read: An Ultimate Guide on VMware VCP-DCV 2023 Certification Exam

26. To improve the performance of a virtual machine with 20 outdated snapshots, what action should an administrator take?

The administrator should consolidate all the snapshots into the base virtual machine. Snapshots can impact VM performance, especially when they are numerous and old. Consolidating them into the base VM will remove the overhead caused by these snapshots and is likely to improve the VM’s overall performance.

27. When performing hardware maintenance on the host running the vCenter Server Appliance, which vSphere feature should be configured to minimize downtime for vCenter users?

The administrator should configure vCenter Server High Availability (HA). This feature ensures a minimal downtime experience by providing a failover mechanism for the vCenter Server Appliance, allowing a secondary (standby) appliance to take over operations if the primary appliance becomes unavailable.

28. Which VMware solution is recommended for consolidating multiple physical servers into a software-defined data center?

VMware vSphere is recommended for this purpose. It allows for the creation of a software-defined data center by enabling the migration of workloads from physical servers to virtual machines. This consolidation enhances flexibility, scalability, and manageability of the data center infrastructure.

29. When configuring RDMA over Converged Ethernet v2 (RoCE v2), which two types of adapters must an administrator configure?

The administrator needs to configure two types of adapters:

Paravirtual RDMA Adapter: This software adapter allows virtual machines to directly access RDMA-capable network devices, providing high-throughput and low-latency networking.
RDMA Network Adapter: A hardware adapter that facilitates RDMA communication over Ethernet networks, enabling efficient data transfer with minimal CPU overhead.

Together, these adapters enable virtual machines to efficiently utilize RDMA technology over Ethernet networks.

30. How can an administrator apply only the storage configuration settings from a host profile named Standard-Config to other host profiles?

The administrator should copy the storage settings from the Standard-Config host profile to the other host profiles. This action allows the selective application of storage configuration from one host profile to others, ensuring consistent storage settings across the hosts without altering other configuration aspects.

31. What action should an administrator take to gracefully restart a VM through the vSphere Client when the option is greyed out?

The administrator should migrate the VM to another host. This can often resolve issues that cause certain options to be unavailable or greyed out in the vSphere Client. Migrating the VM can refresh its state and potentially restore the functionality of the restart option.

32. Which two datastore types store the components of a virtual machine as a set of objects?

The two datastore types are:

VMware Virtual Machine File System (VMFS): VMFS is a high-performance file system that provides storage virtualization optimized for virtual machines.
vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols): vVols create a more dynamic and flexible approach to storage management, treating storage as a set of objects, each corresponding to a virtual machine component.

Both VMFS and vVols offer a modern approach to storage, facilitating efficient and flexible management of VM storage components.

33. To prepare a virtual machine with company-approved software for deployment as full clones for multiple users, which two tasks should an administrator complete?

The administrator should:

Set Appropriate Permissions on the Virtual Machine: Ensure the VM has the correct permissions set for users and groups within the organization.
Create a Virtual Machine Customization Specification: This specification includes all the necessary configurations, such as network settings and licensing information, ensuring that each clone of the VM is correctly configured for deployment.

34. What action should an administrator take in the vCenter Management Interface to continue the staging of a patch after encountering an error?

The administrator should use the “Resume” option in the vCenter Management Interface to continue the patch staging process. This option allows the staging to pick up from where the error occurred, rather than starting over from the beginning.

35. If an administrator is unable to use the Cluster Quickstart workflow to add and configure a new ESXi host to an existing vSphere cluster, what could be the cause?

The likely cause is that the administrator must first manually add the host to the cluster. Once the host is added manually, the Cluster Quickstart workflow can be used to complete the configuration and integration of the host into the cluster.

36. To manage VMware vCenter inventories at two different sites from a single vSphere Client session, which vCenter feature must be configured?

The administrator should configure Enhanced Linked Mode. This feature allows multiple vCenter Server instances to be linked together, enabling centralized management of multiple sites through a single vSphere Client session.

37. Before updating the Supervisor cluster, what action must an administrator take if some Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters are running an incompatible version?

The administrator must update the incompatible Tanzu Kubernetes Grid clusters prior to proceeding with the Supervisor cluster update. This ensures compatibility and smooth functioning post-update, avoiding potential conflicts or issues that could arise from version mismatches.

38. What vSphere features remain supported for Windows-based virtual machines when enabling vSphere’s virtualization-based security feature?

When vSphere’s virtualization-based security feature is enabled, the following features remain supported for Windows-based VMs:

vSphere vMotion: Allows for the live migration of VMs from one host to another without downtime.
vSphere High Availability (HA): Provides automatic restart of VMs on other hosts in the event of a host failure.
vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS): Automatically balances VMs across hosts in a cluster to optimize performance.

These features ensure continued operational efficiency and reliability of Windows-based VMs, even with virtualization-based security enabled.

39. How can an administrator create an image of a guest OS and application from a physical server to move to a software-defined data center (SDDC) in a remote secure location with no external network connectivity?

The administrator should use VMware vCenter Converter to create a cold clone of the physical server. This process involves shutting down the physical server and then creating an exact copy or image of it. The image includes both the guest OS and the application, which can then be transferred to the remote SDDC, even without network connectivity.

40. What Single Sign-On (SSO) solution should an administrator configure for VMware vCenter based on specific criteria, including support for Enhanced Link Mode groups and integration with a single Active Directory domain?

The administrator should choose vCenter Single Sign-On with Active Directory (Windows Integrated Authentication) as the identity source. This solution supports Enhanced Link Mode groups, allows integration with a single Active Directory domain, and adheres to the domain’s password and account lockout policies. It also supports token-based authentication, meeting all the specified criteria.

41. For protecting a database server using VMware vSphere Replication with specific requirements, including the use of VM snapshots in the replication process, what step must an administrator complete?

The administrator should enable guest OS VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) quiescing for the virtual machine. This allows the VM’s snapshots to be used effectively as part of the replication process, ensuring consistent and reliable replication of the database server.

42. What minimum resources must be allocated to a VMware vCenter Server Appliance to support an environment with 400 hosts and 4000 virtual machines?

The vCenter Server Appliance should be allocated a minimum of 30 GB of memory and 8 vCPUs. This resource allocation is necessary to manage and maintain performance in an environment of this scale, with 400 hosts and 4000 VMs.

43. Which feature allows for the non-disruptive migration of a virtual machine between two clusters in a single VMware vCenter instance?

Answer Explanation: vSphere vMotion is used for this purpose. It enables the live migration of VMs from one cluster to another within the same vCenter instance without any service interruption, ensuring seamless and continuous operations.

44. In a distributed switch using the “Route based on physical NIC load” load balancing algorithm, what is the threshold for send or receive utilization on an uplink for traffic to be moved to a second uplink?

The threshold is 60 percent of the capacity over 30 seconds. If the send or receive utilization of an uplink exceeds this threshold, the load balancing algorithm will move some of the traffic to another uplink to balance the load and maintain optimal network performance.

Also Read: An Ultimate Guide on VMware VCP-NV 2023 Certification Exam

Conclusion

As we reach the end of our exploration of these 44 scenario-based VMware interview questions, it’s evident that the depth and breadth of VMware’s technology present both a challenge and an opportunity for IT professionals. These questions not only represent common scenarios you encounter in a VMware environment but also reflect the evolving landscape of virtualization and cloud computing. Understanding these concepts is not just about passing interviews or exams; it’s about equipping you with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate, manage, and optimize modern IT infrastructures.

The scenarios discussed here span a wide range of topics, from managing virtual machine migrations and configuring network settings to implementing disaster recovery plans and optimizing data center operations. This diversity underscores the multifaceted nature of VMware’s solutions and the importance of a comprehensive understanding of its ecosystem. For IT professionals looking to excel in their roles, continual learning and staying updated with the latest VMware advancements are crucial.

If you found this compilation insightful and wish to delve deeper into the world of VMware or have specific queries, don’t hesitate to reach out. Share your thoughts, experiences, or questions in the comments below, and let’s keep the conversation going. If you’re interested in vSphere certification, check out this Clear and Simple vSphere 8 Professional – VMware VCP DCV course, it will help you pass the exam.

Nisar Ahmad

Nisar is a founder of Techwrix, Sr. Systems Engineer, double VCP6 (DCV & NV), 7 x vExpert 2017-23, with 12 years of experience in administering and managing data center environments using VMware and Microsoft technologies. He is a passionate technology writer and loves to write on virtualization, cloud computing, hyper-convergence (HCI), cybersecurity, and backup & recovery solutions.

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View Comments

Giovanni says:

9 January 2024 at 1:07 PM

Double check the answer 44 because the threshold value is wrong:

The distributed switch calculates uplinks for virtual machines by taking their port ID and the number of uplinks in the NIC team. The distributed switch tests the uplinks every 30 seconds, and if their load exceeds 75 percent of usage, the port ID of the virtual machine with the highest I/O is moved to a different uplink.

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/com.vmware.vsphere.networking.doc/GUID-E356DCBF-913B-4FD1-BDB1-C5E63A891B14.html

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