2V0-13.24 Questions Bank

This scenario involves a VCF multi-AZ design where AZs must operate independently (no shared dependencies) and achieve a 99.9% availability SLA (allowing ~8.76 hours of downtime annually). The design decisions must ensure resilience, fault isolation, and recovery capabilities across AZs.

Requirement Analysis:

Independent AZ operation:Each AZ must function standalone, with no single point of failure or dependency across AZs.

99.9% availability:The design must minimize downtime through redundancy, replication, and recovery mechanisms.

Option Analysis:

A. Configure array-based replication between the selected AZ(s) for the management domain:Array-based replication (e.g., vSphere Replication or SAN replication) for the management domain (vCenter, NSX Manager, SDDC Manager) ensures that critical management VMs are duplicated across AZs. If one AZ fails, the other can take over with minimal downtime, supporting independent operation and high availability. The VCF 5.2 Design Guide recommends replication for multi-AZ deployments to meet SLAs, as it provides a recovery point objective (RPO) near zero. This option enhances availability and is correct.

B. Make sure all configuration backups are replicated between the selected AZ(s):Replicating configuration backups (e.g., SDDC Manager backups, NSX configurations) ensures that each AZ has access to recovery data. If an AZ’s management components fail, the other AZ can restore operations independently using its local backup copy. This supports the independence requirement and reduces downtime (contributing to 99.9% SLA) by enabling quick recovery. The VCF Administration Guide emphasizes backup replication for multi-AZ resilience, making this option correct.

C. Make sure the recovery VLAN for the infrastructure management components has access to both AZ(s):A recovery VLAN spanning both AZs implies a shared network dependency. If this VLAN fails (e.g., due to a network outage), both AZs could be impacted, violating the independence requirement. Multi-AZ designs in VCF favor isolated networks per AZ to avoid cross-AZ single points of failure. The VCF Design Guide advises against shared VLANs for critical components in independent AZ setups. This option undermines the requirements and is incorrect.

D. Choose two distant AZ(s) and consider each AZ the DR for the other:Distant AZs (e.g., separate data centers) with mutual DR (disaster recovery) roles enhance geographic fault tolerance. However, “operate independently” in VCF typically means each AZ can run workloads standalone, not that one is a passive DR site. Distant AZs introduce latency, complicating synchronous replication needed for 99.9% availability, and may rely on shared management, conflicting with independence. The VCF Multi-AZ Guide focuses on active-active AZs, not DR-centric designs, making this less suitable.

E. Choose two close proximity AZ(s) and configure a stretched management workload domain:A stretched management domain (e.g., using vSAN stretched cluster) spans AZs with synchronous replication, ensuring high availability. However, this creates a dependency: both AZs share the same vCenter and management stack, so a failure (e.g., vCenter outage) could affect both, violating independence. The VCF 5.2 Design Guide notes stretched clusters are for single logical domains, not independent AZs. This option contradicts the requirement and is incorrect.

F. Configure a non-routable separate recovery VLAN for the infrastructure management components within each AZ:A non-routable, AZ-specific recovery VLAN isolates management recovery traffic (e.g., for vMotion, backups) within each AZ. This ensures that each AZ’s management components operate independently, with no cross-AZ network reliance. If one AZ’s network fails, the other remains unaffected, supporting the SLA through fault isolation. The VCF Multi-AZ Design Guide recommends separate, isolated networks per AZ for resilience, making this option correct.

Conclusion:The three design decisions areConfigure array-based replication between the selected AZ(s) for the management domain (A),Make sure all configuration backups are replicated between the selected AZ(s) (B), andConfigure a non-routable separate recovery VLAN for the infrastructure management components within each AZ (F). These ensure independent operation and meet the 99.9% SLA through replication and isolation.

References:

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 Design Guide (Section: Multi-AZ Design)

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 Administration Guide (Section: Backup and Recovery)

VMware Cloud Foundation Multi-AZ Deployment Guide (Section: Networking)

VMware vSphere 8.0 Update 3 Documentation (Section: vSAN Stretched Clusters)

In VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 5.2, Aria Automation (formerly vRealize Automation) manages resource provisioning and access control. The requirements involve role-based access, environment isolation, and workload placement flexibility. Let’s analyze each option:

Option A: Separate tenants will be configured for Development and ProductionAria Automation in VCF 5.2 operates as a single-tenant application by default, integrated with SDDC Manager and vCenter. Multi-tenancy (separate tenants) is an advanced configuration typically used for service providers, not standard VCF private cloud designs. TheVMware Aria Automation Installation Guidenotes that multi-tenancy adds complexity and isn’t required for environment segregation within a single organization. Instead, projects and cloud zones handle these needs, making this unnecessary.

Option B: Users’ access to resources will be controlled by tenant membershipTenant membership applies in multi-tenant setups, where users are assigned to distinct tenants (e.g., Dev vs. Prod). Since VCF 5.2 typically uses a single tenant, and the requirements can be met with projects (group-based access), this isn’t a must-have decision. TheVCF 5.2 Architectural Guidefavors project-based access over tenant separation for organizational control, rendering this optional.

Option C: Users’ access to resources will be controlled by project membershipProjects in Aria Automation group users and define their access to resources (e.g., cloud zones, policies). To meet the first requirement (access based on company organization) and the second (developers provisioning only to Development), projects can restrict developers to a “Dev” project linked to a Development cloud zone, while other teams (e.g., ops) access Production/DMZ via separate projects. TheVMware Aria Automation Administration Guideconfirms projects as the primary mechanism for role-based access in VCF, making this a required decision.

Option D: Separate cloud zones will be configured for Development and ProductionCloud zones in Aria Automation map to vSphere clusters or resource pools (e.g., Development, Production, DMZ clusters). To satisfy the second requirement (developers limited to Development) and the third (Production workloads on DMZ or Production clusters), separate cloud zones ensure environment isolation and placement flexibility. TheVCF 5.2 Architectural Guidemandates cloud zones for workload segregation, tying them to projects for access control, making this essential.

Conclusion:

C: Project membership enforces user access per organization and restricts developers to Development, meeting the first two requirements.

D: Separate cloud zones isolate Development from Production/DMZ, enabling precise workload placement per the third requirement.These decisions align with Aria Automation’s design in VCF 5.2.References:

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 Architectural Guide(docs.vmware.com): Aria Automation Design and Cloud Zones.

VMware Aria Automation Administration Guide(docs.vmware.com): Projects and Access Control.

VMware Aria Automation Installation Guide(docs.vmware.com): Tenancy Options in VCF.

The task involves adding four vSAN ESA (Express Storage Architecture) ready nodes to an existing VCF 5.2 deployment for application workloads. The current setup includes a vSAN-based Management Domain and a workload domain (A) using iSCSI storage. In VCF, workload domains are logical units with consistent storage and lifecycle management via vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM). Let’s analyze each option:

Option A: Commission the four new nodes into the existing workload domain A clusterWorkload domain A uses iSCSI storage, while the new nodes are vSAN ESA ready. VCF 5.2 doesn’t support mixing principal storage types (e.g., iSCSI and vSAN) within a single cluster, as per theVCF 5.2 Architectural Guide. Commissioning vSAN nodes into an iSCSI cluster would require converting the entire cluster to vSAN, which isn’t feasible with existing workloads and violates storage consistency, making this impractical.

Option B: Create a new vLCM image workload domain with the four new nodesThis phrasing is ambiguous. vLCM manages ESXi images and baselines, but “vLCM image workload domain” isn’t a standard VCF term. It might imply a new workload domain with a custom vLCM image,but lacks clarity compared to standard options (C, D). TheVCF 5.2 Administration Guideuses “baseline” or “image-based” distinctly, so this is less precise.

Option C: Create a new vLCM baseline cluster in the existing workload domain with the four new nodesAdding a new cluster to an existing workload domain is possible in VCF, but clusters within a domain must share the same principal storage (iSCSI in workload domain A). TheVCF 5.2 Administration Guidestates that vSAN ESA requires a dedicated cluster and can’t coexist with iSCSI in the same domain configuration, rendering this option invalid.

Option D: Create a new vLCM baseline workload domain with the four new nodesA new workload domain with vSAN ESA as the principal storage aligns with VCF 5.2 design principles. vLCM baselines ensure consistent ESXi versioning and firmware for the new nodes. TheVCF 5.2 Architectural Guiderecommends separate workload domains for different storage types or workload purposes (e.g., application capacity). This leverages the vSAN ESA nodes effectively, isolates them from the iSCSI-based domain A, and supports application workloads seamlessly.

Conclusion:Option D is the best recommendation, creating a new vSAN ESA-based workload domain managed by vLCM, meeting capacity needs while adhering to VCF 5.2 storage and domain consistency rules.References:

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 Architectural Guide(docs.vmware.com): Workload Domain Design and vSAN ESA.

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 Administration Guide(docs.vmware.com): vLCM and Cluster Expansion.

vSAN ESA Planning and Deployment Guide(docs.vmware.com): Storage Requirements.