VMware Updated 3V0-21.23 Exam Questions and Answers by maddie

To meet the requirement of maximum tolerable downtime (MTD) of one hour per month, the system must ensure that in the event of a host failure, the production applications (virtual machines) are restarted as quickly as possible. Configuring vSphere HA Host Failure Response to Restart VMs ensures that VMs are automatically restarted on available hosts in the cluster if a host failure occurs. This setup minimizes downtime and ensures that the system can recover within the specified MTD of one hour per month.

Fibre Channel is the Recommended Storage Technology for the Brownfield vSphere Deployment

Given the constraints of the brownfield site, the existing infrastructure, and the approved budget, the architect should recommend leveraging the existing Fibre Channel storage technology.

Here's the reasoning based on the provided requirements:

Utilize Existing Storage Array:The crucial constraint is that the budget is only for new server and network hardware, explicitly excluding the purchase of a new storage array. The solutionmustutilize the existing storage array.

Existing Fibre Channel Connectivity:The current storage array is already connected via Fibre Channel with a dedicated SAN fabric (2 x 8 Gbps interfaces). This existing infrastructure can be directly leveraged with new servers equipped with Fibre Channel HBAs.

Budget Alignment:Reusing the existing Fibre Channel SAN aligns with the budget approval for only new server and network hardware (to connect the servers to the existing SAN). Introducing a different storage technology like iSCSI or NFS as the primary method would likely require significant network infrastructure changes or additions beyond standard server networking, which may not be covered by the approved budget for "new server and network hardware only." While the arraycansupport NFS, the existing high-speed, dedicated storage connectivity is Fibre Channel.

Incompatibility with vVols:The existing storage array does not support vSphere API for Storage Awareness (VASA), which is a mandatory requirement for implementing vSphere Virtual Volumes (vVols). Therefore, vVols is not a viable option with the current storage hardware.

vSAN Not Applicable to Existing Array:VMware vSAN is a software-defined storage solution that pools local storage from ESXi hosts. It does not directly utilize external Fibre Channel SAN arrays as its primary storage pool in the standard configuration. Implementing vSAN would require a significant investment in server local storage, which falls outside the scope of using theexisting storage array.

Manageability:The existing vSphere administration team is responsible for operational management. Fibre Channel storage is a mature and commonly used storage technology in vSphere environments, meaning the existing team is likely to have the necessary skills to manage it.

While the existing arraycanbe configured for NFS, leveraging the existing Fibre Channel connectivity is the most direct and budget-aligned approach given that the SAN fabric and FC interfaces are already in place and the budget is restricted to server and network hardware for connectivity.

This strategy meets the requirements because:

Keeps data locally: By selecting a partner with a global data center presence, data can remain local to each specific location, meeting the geographical data residency requirement.

Quick scalability: The partner already has data centers in place, enabling the company to scale quickly and be functional within one month, which meets the timeline requirement.

Utilizes current processes: The existing processes around vSphere can still be leveraged since the partner can deploy compatible company architecture that aligns with the company's current infrastructure and processes.

VMware licensing costs: VMware licenses would be managed as part of the partnership arrangement, ensuring costs are aligned with the company's existing VMware infrastructure.

The customer's requirements include the following:

Carry over existing VLANs for workloads: This can be easily achieved with a vSphere distributed switch (VDS), as it supports the configuration of VLANs and ensures that they can be applied to multiple ESXi hosts across the data center.

Networking for storage must not share the data path with workload traffic: By using aggregated uplinks in the VDS configuration, the architect can easily separate workload traffic and storage traffic by using different uplinks or VLANs. Aggregated uplinks ensure that there is sufficient bandwidth for both workloads and storage, while keeping them logically separated in terms of traffic management.

Add additional VLANs: A VDS supports the dynamic addition of VLANs. New VLANs can be added and managed centrally, reducing the complexity and management overhead when scaling the network.

Reduce management overhead: The use of a single VDS significantly reduces management complexity compared to managing multiple vSphere standard switches (VSS). With VDS, network configuration and management are centralized and simplified across all ESXi hosts.

Given that the new replacement servers have two 100 GB network cards, the aggregated uplinks in a VDS configuration will provide the required network capacity while ensuring that traffic is properly segmented and scalable.