VCP-DCV vSphere Performance and Scaling Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting a VM that is running slowly. Esxtop shows the VM has high %SWPWV (swap wait). Which three conditions could cause this? (Choose three.)
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 host is overcommitted on memory
Swap wait (%SWPWV) indicates the VM is waiting for memory pages that have been swapped out. Three conditions can cause this: (A) The host is overcommitted on memory, forcing the hypervisor to reclaim memory by swapping. (B) The VM has a memory limit lower than its active memory, causing the VM to exceed its limit and resulting in swapping. (C) The vswap file is stored on slow storage, increasing the latency of swapping operations. Option D is incorrect because a memory reservation equal to the configured size prevents swapping. Option E is incorrect because CPU overcommitment does not directly cause memory swap wait.
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 host is overcommitted on memory
Why this is correct
Host memory overcommitment leads to VM swapping when physical memory is exhausted.
- ✓
The VM has a memory limit that is lower than its active memory
Why this is correct
A memory limit below active memory forces the VM to swap pages to disk.
- ✓
The VM's vswap file is stored on slow storage
Why this is correct
Slow storage increases the time to complete swap operations, leading to swap wait.
- ✗
The VM has a memory reservation equal to its configured size
Why it's wrong here
A reservation equal to configured size prevents swapping because memory is fully reserved.
- ✗
The host is overcommitted on CPU
Why it's wrong here
CPU overcommitment causes CPU ready time, not memory swap wait.
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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.