VCP-DCV Configure and Manage vSphere Storage Practice Question
A company is designing a vSphere environment for a critical database application. The storage array supports both Fibre Channel (FC) and iSCSI. The application requires low latency and high IOPS. Which storage protocol and path policy should be recommended?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume MRU is the default for FC or that Fixed is sufficient, but the VCP-DCV exam tests the understanding that Round Robin is the recommended path policy for active-active arrays to achieve load balancing and high IOPS, especially for performance-sensitive workloads like databases.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
FC with Round Robin path policy.
FC provides lower latency and higher IOPS than iSCSI due to dedicated hardware and lower protocol overhead, making it ideal for critical database workloads. The Round Robin path policy is recommended for FC with active-active storage arrays because it distributes I/O across all available paths, maximizing throughput and load balancing, which aligns with the requirement for high IOPS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
FC with Fixed path policy.
Why it's wrong here
Fixed uses a single preferred path per LUN and does not fail over or load-balance across the fabric, so it cannot deliver the required IOPS. It is tempting because FC satisfies the latency requirement, and Fixed would be correct for arrays where only one path is active per LUN.
- ✗
FC with Most Recently Used (MRU) path policy.
Why it's wrong here
MRU uses only one active path until it fails, so it cannot aggregate bandwidth or balance load across multiple FC paths, failing the high-IOPS requirement. It is tempting because FC itself is correct, and MRU would be appropriate for active-passive arrays that do not support concurrent paths.
- ✗
iSCSI with Round Robin path policy.
Why it's wrong here
iSCSI traverses Ethernet and TCP/IP, adding stack overhead and latency compared with FC, so it cannot meet the low-latency, high-IOPS requirement; Round Robin is the correct policy for FC or iSCSI alike. It is tempting as a lower-cost option, and would suit environments where cost and existing Ethernet infrastructure outweigh latency.
- ✓
FC with Round Robin path policy.
Why this is correct
Fibre Channel provides dedicated, lossless transport with lower latency and higher sustained IOPS than iSCSI over Ethernet. Round Robin spreads I/O across all active paths, maximising throughput and balancing load, which satisfies the database's low-latency, high-IOPS requirement.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This VCP-DCV practice question is part of Courseiva's free VMware certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the VCP-DCV exam.