- A
Increase 'Object space reservation' to 200%?
Why wrong: Space reservation does not affect replication or distribution.
- B
Change the policy to 'RAID-5/6 (Erasure Coding)' to reduce capacity overhead
Why wrong: Erasure coding reduces capacity overhead but may not even distribution if failures to tolerate are set incorrectly.
- C
Enable deduplication and compression on the vSAN datastore
Why wrong: Dedup and compression reduce overall capacity but do not directly distribute existing data evenly.
- D
Set 'Number of failures to tolerate' to 1 (mirroring)
Mirroring creates a second replica on another host, distributing capacity more evenly.
Question 494 of 521
VCP-DCV vSAN Storage Policies Practice Question
This VCP-DCV practice question tests your understanding of vsphere architecture, products and solutions. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. A key principle to apply: vSAN Storage Policies. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A managed service provider manages multiple vSphere environments for various customers. One customer's cluster consists of 6 ESXi hosts (3 pairs of identical hardware) and uses vSAN as shared storage. The cluster runs over 100 VMs with varying workloads. The administrator notices that a specific host (Host-C) is using significantly more storage capacity than its peers, even though it hosts a similar number of VMs. The administrator suspects the vSAN storage policies are not configured optimally. Upon investigation, the administrator finds that all VMs use the default vSAN policy with 'RAID-0 (Striping) - No failure tolerance' and 'Object space reservation' set to 100%. Which change would most evenly distribute storage consumption across all hosts?
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
✓
Set 'Number of failures to tolerate' to 1 (mirroring)
The current default policy ('RAID-0 (Striping) - No failure tolerance') with Object space reservation at 100% implies a failure tolerance of 0, meaning each VM's objects are stored on a single host. This can lead to uneven capacity distribution if many VMs are placed on Host-C. Setting 'Number of failures to tolerate' to 1 (Option D) enables RAID-1 mirroring, which creates two copies of each object on different hosts. This forces the data to be distributed across at least two hosts, balancing storage consumption. Option A (increasing reservation) does not affect placement. Option B (RAID-5/6) reduces overhead but still uses a single copy per stripe, not ensuring distribution. Option C (deduplication/compression) reduces total capacity used but does not change where data is stored; the uneven distribution remains.
Key principle: vSAN Storage Policies
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase 'Object space reservation' to 200%?
Why it's wrong here
Space reservation does not affect replication or distribution.
- ✗
Change the policy to 'RAID-5/6 (Erasure Coding)' to reduce capacity overhead
Why it's wrong here
Erasure coding reduces capacity overhead but may not even distribution if failures to tolerate are set incorrectly.
- ✗
Enable deduplication and compression on the vSAN datastore
Why it's wrong here
Dedup and compression reduce overall capacity but do not directly distribute existing data evenly.
- ✓
Set 'Number of failures to tolerate' to 1 (mirroring)
Why this is correct
Mirroring creates a second replica on another host, distributing capacity more evenly.
Related concept
vSAN Storage Policies
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- vSAN Storage Policies
- Number of failures to tolerate
- Object space reservation
- Storage consumption balancing
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
vSAN Storage Policies
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the VCP-DCV exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. vSAN Storage Policies Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review vSAN Storage Policies, then practise related VCP-DCV questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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vSphere Architecture, Products and Solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this VCP-DCV question test?
vSphere Architecture, Products and Solutions — This question tests vSphere Architecture, Products and Solutions — vSAN Storage Policies.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set 'Number of failures to tolerate' to 1 (mirroring) — The current default policy ('RAID-0 (Striping) - No failure tolerance') with Object space reservation at 100% implies a failure tolerance of 0, meaning each VM's objects are stored on a single host. This can lead to uneven capacity distribution if many VMs are placed on Host-C. Setting 'Number of failures to tolerate' to 1 (Option D) enables RAID-1 mirroring, which creates two copies of each object on different hosts. This forces the data to be distributed across at least two hosts, balancing storage consumption. Option A (increasing reservation) does not affect placement. Option B (RAID-5/6) reduces overhead but still uses a single copy per stripe, not ensuring distribution. Option C (deduplication/compression) reduces total capacity used but does not change where data is stored; the uneven distribution remains.
What should I do if I get this VCP-DCV question wrong?
Review vSAN Storage Policies, then practise related VCP-DCV questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
vSAN Storage Policies
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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