This VCP-DCV practice question tests your understanding of configure and manage vsphere networking. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 vSphere administrator is deploying a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) version 7.0. The environment has ESXi hosts with hardware version 7.0. The administrator needs to ensure that the vDS supports Network I/O Control version 3 (NIOCv3). What must be true for NIOCv3 to function correctly?
All hosts must be running ESXi 7.0 or later.
NIOCv3 requires ESXi 7.0 or later.
The vDS must be configured with Route based on IP hash teaming.
Why wrong: Teaming policy does not affect NIOC.
All hosts must have the vDS in Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) mode.
Why wrong: NIOC does not require LACP.
The vDS must have a Network Resource Pool configured.
Why wrong: NIOC can be used without a Resource Pool.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
All hosts must be running ESXi 7.0 or later.
NIOCv3 is a feature introduced with vSphere 7.0 that provides granular bandwidth allocation and reservation for network traffic. For NIOCv3 to function correctly, all ESXi hosts attached to the vDS must be running ESXi 7.0 or later because the feature relies on kernel-level enhancements and the vSphere Network Resource Management (vNRM) agent that are only present in that version. Hosts on earlier versions lack the necessary drivers and scheduling capabilities, causing NIOCv3 to be unavailable or non-functional.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
All hosts must be running ESXi 7.0 or later.
Why this is correct
NIOCv3 requires ESXi 7.0 or later.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
The vDS must be configured with Route based on IP hash teaming.
Why it's wrong here
Teaming policy does not affect NIOC.
All hosts must have the vDS in Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) mode.
Why it's wrong here
NIOC does not require LACP.
The vDS must have a Network Resource Pool configured.
Why it's wrong here
NIOC can be used without a Resource Pool.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often assume upgrading the vDS version alone is sufficient to enable NIOCv3, overlooking the critical requirement that every host in the cluster must also be running ESXi 7.0 or later for the feature to function.
Detailed technical explanation
NIOCv3 uses the vSphere Network Resource Management (vNRM) daemon to enforce per-traffic-type bandwidth limits and shares at the VMkernel level, leveraging the NetQueue and VMXNET3 adapter capabilities. A common real-world scenario is when an administrator upgrades the vDS to version 7.0 but forgets to upgrade all ESXi hosts to 7.0; NIOCv3 will appear in the UI but will not apply policies to hosts running older ESXi versions, leading to silent policy failures. The vDS version and ESXi host version are independent — a vDS 7.0 can be created even if some hosts are on ESXi 6.7, but NIOCv3 will only be active on hosts that meet the minimum ESXi version.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the VCP-DCV exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Configure and Manage vSphere Networking — This question tests Configure and Manage vSphere Networking — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: All hosts must be running ESXi 7.0 or later. — NIOCv3 is a feature introduced with vSphere 7.0 that provides granular bandwidth allocation and reservation for network traffic. For NIOCv3 to function correctly, all ESXi hosts attached to the vDS must be running ESXi 7.0 or later because the feature relies on kernel-level enhancements and the vSphere Network Resource Management (vNRM) agent that are only present in that version. Hosts on earlier versions lack the necessary drivers and scheduling capabilities, causing NIOCv3 to be unavailable or non-functional.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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