VCP-DCV Configure and Manage vSphere Networking Practice Question
An administrator is creating a new vSphere Standard Switch on an ESXi host. The host has two physical NICs: vmnic0 and vmnic1. The administrator wants to use vmnic0 for VM traffic and vmnic1 for management traffic. How should the administrator configure the switch?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume a single standard switch with multiple uplinks and separate port groups is sufficient for traffic separation, but they overlook that physical NIC assignment is per-switch, not per-port-group, so both traffic types could still share the same NICs via teaming or failover unless explicit NIC binding is configured.
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
✓
Create two standard switches: one with vmnic0 and a VM port group, and another with vmnic1 and a VMkernel port group.
The requirement is to use separate physical NICs for different traffic types (VM traffic on vmnic0 and management traffic on vmnic1). In vSphere, a standard switch is a per-host virtual switch that connects virtual machines and VMkernel interfaces to physical NICs. To isolate traffic at the physical NIC level, you must create two distinct standard switches: one with vmnic0 and a VM port group for VM traffic, and another with vmnic1 and a VMkernel port group for management traffic. This ensures that management traffic never traverses vmnic0 and VM traffic never traverses vmnic1, providing physical separation and avoiding contention.
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 one standard switch with vmnic0 only and use VLANs for separation.
Why it's wrong here
No NIC for management.
- ✗
Create one standard switch with both vmnics and separate port groups for VM and VMkernel.
Why it's wrong here
This would not dedicate NICs.
- ✓
Create two standard switches: one with vmnic0 and a VM port group, and another with vmnic1 and a VMkernel port group.
Why this is correct
Separation of traffic types.
- ✗
Create a vSphere Distributed Switch with both vmnics.
Why it's wrong here
Not necessary for two NICs.
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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.