VCP-DCV vSphere Performance and Scaling Practice Question
An administrator has a vSphere 7 cluster with vMotion enabled. They need to perform a vMotion of a VM from host1 to host2 while preserving the VM's memory state. The VM has a PCIe passthrough device assigned (NVMe controller). What should the administrator do before initiating the vMotion?
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
✓
Remove the PCIe passthrough device from the VM
vMotion does not support VMs with PCIe passthrough devices because the device is tied to the physical host. The device must be removed or the VM must be powered off.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use shared storage for the VM
Why it's wrong here
Shared storage addresses datastore accessibility, not the PCIe passthrough device, which is bound to host1's physical hardware and cannot migrate with the VM's memory state. It tempts because shared storage is normally the prerequisite for vMotion, and would be correct for a VM without passthrough devices.
- ✓
Remove the PCIe passthrough device from the VM
Why this is correct
vMotion cannot preserve memory state when a PCIe passthrough device is attached, because direct device assignment pins the VM to host1's hardware. Removing the passthrough device first makes the VM migratable, allowing memory-state vMotion to host2.
- ✗
Enable Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) on the cluster
Why it's wrong here
EVC masks CPU instruction-set differences between hosts, which is irrelevant here: a PCIe passthrough device is bound to host1's physical hardware, so the VM cannot be migrated with memory state at all. EVC would be the right preparation only for vMotion between hosts with mismatched CPU generations.
- ✗
Upgrade to vSphere 8
Why it's wrong here
Upgrading to vSphere 8 changes neither the passthrough binding nor the requirement to remove the NVMe controller before migrating. It tempts because newer releases add vMotion capabilities, and would be relevant where a feature genuinely depends on a later version rather than on device detachment.
About these practice questions
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JA
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.