VCDX – Page 7 – vcdx133.com

The Next Elite Architecture Certification

The current Elite Architecture Design Certifications are: VMware Certified Design eXpert (VCDX) and Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr).

At VMworld 2014 US, there was a lot of speculation about the integrity and future of the VCDX program with Mark Brunstad and John Arrasjid moving to greener pastures. With Chris Colotti taking over as Principal Architect and VCDX Evangelist, I think the VCDX Program is in good hands. This will be further reinforced once the new VCDX Program Manager is announced.

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VUPaaS – start listening to it!

I was lucky enough to be on VUPaaS recently. It is hosted by GS Khalsa, Josh Atwell and Chris Wahl. I have found it very useful for hearing about how other customers are using virtualisation and cloud automation technologies to solve their operational issues and then applying those lessons within my own organisation. This series of podcasts was also a very important part of my VCDX preparation, particularly in developing use-cases and alternate design scenarios for my defence.

So if you have not subscribed to the show on iTunes, then you should do yourself a favour and give it a go!

VMworld 2014 – LaaS (Labs-as-a-Service)

On the latest VMware Communities Roundtable Podcast (iTunes) podcast (Episode #290), Dave Rollins announced updates to the Hands-On-Lab program:

2013 HOL Catalog – Still available on the Internet.
2014 HOL Catalog – Third round of Beta testing has been completed in readiness for VMworld 2014.
“Labs-in-a-Box” – The name is a misnomer, it is NOT a set of HOL binaries for you to setup your own HOL environment. It is the connection service for volunteer HOL experts in your area to provide “Intstructor Led” services for your HOL event (eg. VMUG); also included is the planning and documentation for co-ordinating the pre-staging of the LaaS services within the HOL backend. It also includes recommendations for the EUC infrastructure and the Internet bandwidth required for a large group of people, ensuring that your HOL event will be a success.
“Lightning Labs” – 15 to 30 minute labs that give you the “fast-track” on that particular product. This means you do not have to complete the entire 60-90 minute lab.
“Instructor Led Labs” – Two rooms (increased from 12 to 20 people each) during VMworld will have Instructor Led HOL. They are fully booked out, but a lot of people do not show up. So turn up 10 minutes before the session begins and you may be able to take the place of a “no-show”.
“Partner Labs” – The number of partner labs has increased this year: IBM, Puppet, Infoblox, Cisco, NetApp, CatBird, Liquidware Labs, etc.
“Self-paced Labs” – Same as last year, EUC endpoints where you can complete a Lab at your own pace.
“Hot Spots” – Same as last year, dedicated areas for “Bring Your Own Device” to access HOL.
“HOL” tours – Same as last year, there will be organised tours of the HOL environment by the HOL team.

The expectation is that on the second and third days, the queues for HOL will thin out, so if you have some free time, sign up! See you at VMworld.

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VMworld 2014 – VCDX Academy, Game On!

UPDATE: Official name is “VCDX Fast Track”. Today John Arrasjid officially announced the “VCDX Academy” (aka “AcademyX”) in a series of tweets:

First VCDX Academy “Beta” will be held in Palo Alto on the 15th of September 2014.
First VCDX Academy “Beta” will host 40 students.
Course will be available from MyLearn next week.
It is a paid 5 day class, led by VCDXs and specialists for each track (DCV, Cloud, Desktop & NV).
Includes Discovery Phase Questions, Design Decision Workbook, Design Review Readiness Assessment, Mock Defences and Design/Troubleshooting scenarios.
Built upon material used within the VCDX Mentoring Program, Boot Camps, PEX Sessions and his new book.
Depending upon success, VMware Education expects to offer this course quarterly in multiple regions.
Prerequisite for students: MUST have a design.

So if you are a VCDX Candidate who wants to maximise their chances of success, sign up! I also recently blogged about other VCDX Program announcements.

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VMware Education – VCDX-NV, but no VCAPs

In a previous post I have talked about the expected VCDX program announcements at VMworld 2014. There is now a very strong rumour that the first VCDX-NV candidates will be defending their designs next week. The first batch of newly minted VCDX-NVs will likely be celebrated at the VMworld US – VCDX/vExpert party. This was intimated by the “VCDX-NV” option present in the VCDX/vExpert party registration.

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VMworld 2014 – VCDX Program Announcements

With John Arrasjid’s permission, I talked about this during the “VCDX Prep” vBrownbag EMEA Podcast in May 2014. Following on from that podcast, be expecting more information on the following during VMworld 2014:

VCAP/VCDX Boot Camps – 8 hours, will include NV track (NSX), launch by VMworld 2014 (Free)
New book -> “Art of Infrastructure Design, A Practical Guide for IT Architects” – Q4 2014 (By John Arrasjid & co.)
VCDX Mentor Program – 3 month program, 4 hours per month (Free – 32 VCDX Volunteers)
Update to Design Workshops – 3-4 Hours, now using VCDX design methodology (Conferences & Events – Cloud, vSphere, SRM etc.)
Infrastructure Design Workshop – 1-2 Days, offered at VMworld 2014 (Fee based) – Professional Level Class
Infrastructure Design Course – 4-5 days, similar to AcademyX, but without the design requirement (Fee based) – Advanced Level Class
AcademyX – 4-5 days, for candidates with a design, launch by VMworld 2014 (Fee based) – Masters-Level Class

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