The answer is that the ESXi hosts must be joined to an Active Directory domain. This is the minimum requirement because vMotion encryption in vSphere 7.0 leverages Kerberos authentication (RFC 4120) to establish a secure, encrypted channel between hosts, and Active Directory provides the necessary trust and key exchange mechanism without needing a separate Key Management Server. On the VCP-DCV exam, this question tests your understanding that vMotion encryption does not require a KMS or certificates when using Kerberos, which is a common trap—many candidates mistakenly think a KMS is mandatory. Remember, if the cluster uses no other encryption features, the domain join alone satisfies the requirement for both 'Opportunistic' and 'Required' policies. Memory tip: “vMotion needs a domain, not a KMS, for Kerberos to kiss and encrypt.”
VCP-DCV vSphere Security Practice Question
This VCP-DCV practice question tests your understanding of vsphere security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is implementing vSphere 7.0 and wants to encrypt all vMotion traffic between ESXi hosts in a cluster. The cluster is not using any other encryption features. What is the minimum requirement to enable vMotion encryption?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The ESXi hosts must be joined to an Active Directory domain.
In vSphere 7.0, vMotion encryption can be enabled without any additional infrastructure by setting the vMotion encryption policy to 'Required' or 'Opportunistic' on the ESXi host's advanced system settings. The minimum requirement is that the ESXi hosts must be joined to an Active Directory domain, because vMotion encryption relies on Kerberos authentication (RFC 4120) to establish a secure channel between hosts. This eliminates the need for a separate Key Management Server (KMS) for vMotion traffic alone, as the domain provides the necessary trust and key exchange mechanism.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
A VM Encryption Key Management Server must be configured.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: VM Encryption requires a KMS, but vMotion encryption does not.
✓
The ESXi hosts must be joined to an Active Directory domain.
Why this is correct
Correct: vMotion encryption uses certificates from the domain to establish encrypted tunnels.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The ESXi hosts must have a host profile applied with encryption enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Host profiles are not required for vMotion encryption.
✗
The cluster must be configured with Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC).
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: EVC is unrelated to vMotion encryption.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume vMotion encryption requires a Key Management Server (KMS) because they conflate it with VM-level encryption, but vMotion encryption is a separate feature that leverages Active Directory Kerberos instead.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, vMotion encryption uses the VMkernel's implementation of TLS 1.2 with cipher suites negotiated via Kerberos tickets obtained from Active Directory. When a vMotion operation is initiated, the source host requests a Kerberos service ticket for the destination host, which is then used to establish a mutually authenticated TLS session. A real-world scenario where this matters is in multi-tenant or high-security environments where network segments are untrusted; enabling 'Required' encryption ensures that vMotion traffic is never sent in plaintext, even if the physical network is compromised.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
vSphere Security — This question tests vSphere Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The ESXi hosts must be joined to an Active Directory domain. — In vSphere 7.0, vMotion encryption can be enabled without any additional infrastructure by setting the vMotion encryption policy to 'Required' or 'Opportunistic' on the ESXi host's advanced system settings. The minimum requirement is that the ESXi hosts must be joined to an Active Directory domain, because vMotion encryption relies on Kerberos authentication (RFC 4120) to establish a secure channel between hosts. This eliminates the need for a separate Key Management Server (KMS) for vMotion traffic alone, as the domain provides the necessary trust and key exchange mechanism.
What should I do if I get this VCP-DCV question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO of the following are required to configure vMotion encryption for a VM? (Choose two.)
medium
A.The source and destination hosts must be from the same vendor.
✓ B.The source and destination ESXi hosts must be version 6.5 or later.
C.A Key Management Server (KMS) must be configured in vCenter.
✓ D.The virtual hardware version of the VM must be 11 or later.
E.The VM must have encryption enabled at the VM level.
Why B: Options A and D are correct. Option A: The host must support vMotion encryption (ESXi 6.5+). Option D: The VM must have virtual hardware version 11 or later. Option B is incorrect because VM encryption is separate; vMotion encryption can be enabled independently. Option C is incorrect because both sides need not be identical; they just need to support encryption. Option E is incorrect because a KMS is not required for vMotion encryption; only for VM encryption.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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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.
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