VCP-DCV Configure and Manage vSphere Networking Practice Question
This VCP-DCV practice question tests your understanding of configure and manage vsphere networking. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 operates a three-node vSphere cluster for a critical application. Each ESXi host has two 10GbE physical NICs (vmnic0 and vmnic1) connected to two separate physical switches (Switch A and Switch B) for redundancy. The cluster uses a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) with two uplinks per host: uplink1 (vmnic0) connected to Switch A, and uplink2 (vmnic1) connected to Switch B. The teaming policy is set to 'Route based on originating virtual port' with both uplinks active. The physical switches are configured in a multi-chassis link aggregation group (MLAG) that bundles the ports from both switches into a single LAG interface. The LAG is configured with mode 'active' (802.3ad). Recently, the cluster experienced a network outage when one of the physical switch uplinks failed. The VMs on the affected host lost connectivity for several seconds before recovering. The administrator wants to prevent such outages in the future. Which action should the administrator take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure the vDS with LACP support and set the teaming policy to 'Route based on IP hash'.
Option D is correct because the current configuration uses a static LAG (MLAG) on the physical switches with 802.3ad active mode, but the vDS is not configured for LACP. This mismatch causes the vDS to send frames based on originating virtual port, which does not coordinate with the physical LAG's hashing algorithm. When a physical uplink fails, the MLAG may not properly redistribute traffic because the vDS is unaware of the LAG state, leading to connectivity loss. Configuring the vDS with LACP support and setting the teaming policy to 'Route based on IP hash' aligns the virtual and physical LAG configurations, ensuring proper load balancing and failover behavior.
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.
✗
Disable LACP on the physical switches and configure the vDS with 'Route based on originating virtual port' only.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates assume 'Route based on originating virtual port' with two active uplinks provides adequate failover, but they overlook the critical requirement for LACP coordination when the physical switches are configured with an active-mode LAG (802.3ad), leading to a mismatch that causes delayed failover.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
When using a static LAG (MLAG) with 802.3ad active mode, the physical switches expect LACP PDUs from the endpoints to negotiate the aggregation. Without LACP configured on the vDS, the vDS sends frames using its own hashing algorithm (e.g., originating virtual port), which may not distribute traffic evenly across the LAG members. During a link failure, the MLAG relies on LACP to update the port channel membership; without LACP, the vDS may continue sending traffic to the failed uplink until a timeout occurs (typically 3-5 seconds), causing the observed outage. Configuring LACP on the vDS with 'Route based on IP hash' ensures that both sides use the same hashing algorithm and that failover is immediate via LACP fast timeout (1 second).
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.
Configure and Manage vSphere Networking — This question tests Configure and Manage vSphere Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure the vDS with LACP support and set the teaming policy to 'Route based on IP hash'. — Option D is correct because the current configuration uses a static LAG (MLAG) on the physical switches with 802.3ad active mode, but the vDS is not configured for LACP. This mismatch causes the vDS to send frames based on originating virtual port, which does not coordinate with the physical LAG's hashing algorithm. When a physical uplink fails, the MLAG may not properly redistribute traffic because the vDS is unaware of the LAG state, leading to connectivity loss. Configuring the vDS with LACP support and setting the teaming policy to 'Route based on IP hash' aligns the virtual and physical LAG configurations, ensuring proper load balancing and failover behavior.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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