VCP-DCV vSphere Architecture, Products and Solutions Practice Question
An administrator wants to replicate a critical VM to a remote site with a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 15 minutes. Which vSphere feature should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
VCP-DCV often tests the difference between vSphere Replication and Site Recovery Manager, where candidates may choose SRM for replication, but SRM is for orchestration and requires a replication mechanism.
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
✓
vSphere Replication
vSphere Replication is the correct feature because it provides asynchronous replication of VMs to a remote site with an RPO as low as 15 minutes. It operates at the VM level and is included with vSphere, making it suitable for this requirement without additional licensing for SRM.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Storage vMotion
Why it's wrong here
Storage vMotion relocates a VM's virtual disks between datastores, typically within one site, and produces no periodic remote replica to satisfy a 15-minute RPO. It is tempting because it moves data non-disruptively, but that suits datastore migrations or storage tiering, not disaster recovery replication.
- ✓
vSphere Replication
Why this is correct
vSphere Replication performs asynchronous, hypervisor-based replication with configurable recovery points as low as five minutes, satisfying the 15-minute RPO constraint. Unlike array-based replication, it needs no shared storage or identical arrays at the remote site, so it works with any supported datastore and replicates at the VM level.
- ✗
vSphere vMotion
Why it's wrong here
vMotion migrates a running VM's compute state between hosts within one vCenter, not to a remote site, and creates no replica or RPO. It is tempting because it moves live workloads without downtime, but that suits planned host maintenance or DRS balancing, not cross-site replication.
- ✗
Site Recovery Manager (SRM)
Why it's wrong here
SRM orchestrates recovery using array-based or vSphere Replication, but it is the automation and runbook layer, not the replication engine that meets a 15-minute RPO. It is tempting because it delivers site failover, yet that suits orchestrating tested recovery plans once replication is already configured.
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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
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