VCDX Journey – Part 1 – Lessons Learned

May 10, 2018 Manny Sidhu 0

There’re a lot of blog posts and videos out there of people describing their path to the VCDX. They’re all good reads/views and you can glean some valuable information out of them. What hasn’t been done enough of is how you shouldn’t do this, where people tripped and what they learned from the process. After all, it’s the “I did it..” posts that make music. This post describes some bits of my journey towards this credential and more importantly, I’ll make an attempt at telling you what I did wrong or not enough of or too much of. Given the VCDX is about real world designs too, this post might be helpful in everyday jobs. Before anything else, I’ve got […]

VCDX Journey – Part 3 – Design Scenario

May 10, 2018 Manny Sidhu 2

Part 3 of this series will go over the oft overlooked design scenario. My advice with scenario is to (while keeping in mind I haven’t achieved the number yet): Listen carefully and keep prying out information from the panelists. They’re playing the role of customers, sometimes difficult customers. Maybe one of them won’t speak at all only to throw that wrench in when you’re about to clinch it. Watch out for that silent panelist 😉 If that wrench is thrown, tell them you’re going to erase a certain section of the whiteboard because the information you wrote on there is now irrelevant because of a changed requirement or a new constraint you’ve discovered as a result of that wrench. Make […]

VCDX Journey – Part 2 – Where I Messed It Up

May 10, 2018 Manny Sidhu 0

This post will cover those bits where I messed it up. In case you missed Part 1 of this series, check it out here. So in no particular order: Insufficient technical depth This might be a strange one to some, especially the people just starting out on this path. You’ll likely hear – keep your presentation at the logical level – by a lot of people. This is true for the most part and you should absolutely avoid getting tangled in a time-wasting explanation of say how multi-NIC vMotion works. Instead focus on how this decision fulfilled a business need (things like minimizing maintenance windows etc..). But.. I realized after the first two attempts the panelists were prodding me for […]

My VCAP6.5-Design Experience

April 27, 2018 Manny Sidhu 1

This past weekend I sat for and successfully passed the VCAP6.5-Design exam. It was great to finally pass an exam on the first go (I’ve had a torrid run recently, that’s going to be another post on its own). Here’re some details about the exam environment, my experience and suggestions for future takers. Exam center: When booking the exam I needed to find a center that offered exams on the weekend. Turns out Aviation Training Service Victoria in Airport West was the only one that offered Saturdays and Sundays. I booked an 8am appointment for the exam, I thought I rocked up nice and early at about 7.40, lo and behold the parking was full as. The center also offers […]