Passing the VMware Cloud on AWS Software Defined Data Center 2019 exam

I’m a huge fan of VMware’s coupling with Amazon, and so with a number of my customers moving workloads to VMware Cloud on AWS, I have today passed the VMware Cloud on AWS Software Defined Data Center 2019 exam, which is a 45 minute online exam with 30 questions.

This is a new badge from VMware that will test you on all aspects of the SDDC offering, its management and its connections to your on-premise Data Center.  You can sit the exam from home by registering with Pearson VUE here:https://www.vmware.com/education-services/certification/vmware-cloud-on-aws-management-exam-2019.html

There are no course requirements for this exam, but unless you’ve worked with VMConAWS, you may find this exam quite difficult.  Those with VMware and specifically VMware Cloud Foundation skills (eg the whole SDDC stack of vSAN, vSphere and NSX) will fare well.

Here is what I did to pass:

• Download and read the Exam Guide here:  https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/certification/vmware-cloud-on-aws-management-exam-2019-epg.pdf
• Do the VMware Hands on Lab here: https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/evalcenter?p=vmc-aws-18-hol
• Familiarise yourself with the minimums and maximums as they stand today!  You will likely read things like a 4 host minimum, perhaps even in my earlier posts.  This is now a 3 host minimum for a VMConAWS cluster, plus the new single node POC edition which I have blogged about.  Other facts remain the same, 32 hosts max host number per cluster but in the cloud world everything changes a lot faster than your traditional on prem private cloud so don’t get caught out.  https://cloud.vmware.com/vmc-aws
• Play with the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator… I can’t say much more than this…. just trust me and do it! https://cloud.vmware.com/vmc-aws-pricing
• Read the free white-papers and ebooks supplied by VMware.  Skim these to boost overall knowledge.  https://cloud.vmware.com/vmc-aws/resources#whitepapers https://cloud.vmware.com/vmc-aws/resources#guidese-books
• I completed the VMware Cloud on AWS: Deploy and Manage – On Demand course in the VMware Learning Zone.  This is not a free course so you can pay for it, ask your employer or see if you have an Enterprise Learning Subscription (ELS) with VMware.  If you are unsure, reach out to your VMware Account Team or register online.   https://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=87811
• If you do have an ELS you get issued an exam voucher when complete. If not you can register for the 5V0-31.19: VMware Cloud on AWS Management 2019 exam here.  You need the VMware standard 300 or above out of 500 to pass:  https://wsr.pearsonvue.com/testtaker/registration/ExamSeriesDetailPage/VMWAREINC?conversationId=2069939

You don’t have to be an existing VCP to pass this exam and in terms of difficulty, its definitely easier than a VCP, but as there isn’t a lot of material about, and there are a few nuances to what is effectively VMware Cloud Foundation in AWS, it’s not as easy as it sounds.  Lastly I gave a short talk on it at my local VMUG last year, so put yourself under pressure, volunteer to present on the subject and you’ll definitely be motivated to learn as much as you can!

Good luck, let me know how you get on!

James