VCP-DCV Configure and Manage vSphere Networking Practice Question
A company runs a three-tier application on vSphere 7.0. The web tier uses VLAN 100, app tier VLAN 200, and database tier VLAN 300. Each tier is on a separate port group on a vSphere distributed switch. The environment uses Network I/O Control (NIOC) with shares set to: Web (50), App (30), Database (20). The physical uplinks are two 10 GbE NICs in a team. Recently, the database team reports slow performance during peak hours. The network team checks the physical switches and finds no congestion. The ESXi host shows the two uplinks are heavily utilized with many dropped packets on the database port group. The administrator suspects that the database traffic is being starved by other traffic. Which action should the administrator take to resolve the issue?
A. Increase the number of physical uplinks to four 10 GbE NICs. B. Change the NIOC shares to Web (10), App (30), Database (60). C. Create a separate vSphere standard switch for the database tier. D. Enable SR-IOV on the physical NICs and assign virtual functions to database VMs.
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume adding more physical uplinks or isolating traffic on a separate switch will solve performance issues, but they overlook that NIOC shares directly control bandwidth allocation during congestion, and adjusting them is the most efficient and cost-effective solution.
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
✓
Change the NIOC shares to Web (10), App (30), Database (60).
The database traffic is being starved due to low NIOC shares relative to the web and app tiers. By increasing the database shares to 60 and reducing web to 10, the database port group will receive a higher proportion of the available bandwidth during congestion, alleviating the dropped packets and slow performance. NIOC shares are relative and only take effect when there is contention, so adjusting them directly addresses the starvation without requiring additional hardware.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a separate vSphere standard switch for the database tier.
Why it's wrong here
Unnecessary; NIOC applies at the distributed switch level.
- ✗
Enable SR-IOV on the physical NICs and assign virtual functions to database VMs.
Why it's wrong here
Complex and not for bandwidth prioritization.
- ✗
Increase the number of physical uplinks to four 10 GbE NICs.
Why it's wrong here
Does not address prioritization; may still result in starvation.
- ✓
Change the NIOC shares to Web (10), App (30), Database (60).
Why this is correct
Increases database shares, giving it higher priority.
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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.