VCP-DCV Configure and Manage vSphere Networking Practice Question
A vSphere administrator is troubleshooting connectivity issues for a virtual machine that is unable to communicate with other VMs on the same VLAN. The VM is connected to a distributed port group on a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS). The administrator verifies that the VM's IP configuration is correct and that the port group is configured with the correct VLAN ID. However, the VM can only communicate with other VMs on the same ESXi host. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
VCP-DCV often tests whether candidates blame the vDS configuration when the real fault is upstream on the physical switch — remember that intra-host success with inter-host failure points to the physical uplink/trunk, not the virtual switch.
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
✓
The physical switch ports connecting the ESXi hosts are not configured as trunk ports for the VLAN.
If the VM can communicate with other VMs on the same ESXi host but not with VMs on other hosts in the same VLAN, the issue is almost certainly that the physical switch ports connecting the ESXi hosts are not configured as trunk ports carrying that VLAN. The vDS and port group are correctly configured, so the failure is at the physical uplink layer where VLAN tags must be allowed to pass between hosts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The vDS is not configured with a VLAN trunking policy.
Why it's wrong here
VLAN trunking governs how multiple VLANs traverse uplinks; the port group already carries the correct VLAN ID, so trunking is irrelevant. Trunking would be the right answer if VMs on several VLANs needed to cross a single physical uplink to other hosts.
- ✗
The VM's network adapter is configured with the wrong MAC address.
Why it's wrong here
A wrong MAC address would break all communication, including with VMs on the same host, yet those work. MAC configuration matters when resolving duplicate address or static assignment faults, but the pattern here — same-host success, cross-host failure — indicates the uplink path.
- ✗
The distributed port group has forging transmits set to reject.
Why it's wrong here
Forging transmits blocks frames whose source MAC differs from the port's assigned MAC; it does not stop same-VLAN delivery across hosts. It is the correct control when preventing MAC spoofing, but here the symptom points to the vDS uplink or teaming configuration.
- ✓
The physical switch ports connecting the ESXi hosts are not configured as trunk ports for the VLAN.
Why this is correct
A distributed port group carries its VLAN tag to the physical switch, which must trunk that VLAN to reach VMs on other hosts. Without trunking, frames stay confined to the local host's uplink, matching the symptom of same-host-only communication despite correct VM and port group settings.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official VMware exam blueprint
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.