VCP-VVF Troubleshoot And Optimize Practice Question
An administrator is troubleshooting a memory overcommitment issue on an ESXi 9.0 host. When host memory is fully utilized, ESXi reclaims memory using ballooning, transparent page sharing (TPS), and memory compression. In what order does ESXi typically attempt these memory reclamation techniques?
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
✓
TPS (Transparent Page Sharing), followed by Ballooning (vmmemctl), Memory Compression, and finally Swapping.
ESXi first attempts Transparent Page Sharing (TPS), then ballooning (MCTLSZ), then memory compression, and finally swapping if pressure persists.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Memory Compression, Swapping, Ballooning, and then TPS.
Why it's wrong here
This order is incorrect and does not reflect ESXi memory management architecture.
- ✗
Ballooning first, followed instantly by powering off idle virtual machines.
Why it's wrong here
ESXi never automatically powers off VMs due to memory pressure unless HA admission control or explicit resource policies dictate placement.
- ✓
TPS (Transparent Page Sharing), followed by Ballooning (vmmemctl), Memory Compression, and finally Swapping.
Why this is correct
ESXi attempts non-intrusive methods like TPS first, then asks the guest via ballooning to free memory, compresses pages, and lastly swaps memory to disk if necessary.
- ✗
Swapping immediately, followed by Ballooning, TPS, and Memory Compression.
Why it's wrong here
Swapping impacts performance significantly and is always the last resort before out-of-memory errors.
About these practice questions
This VCP-VVF question is part of Courseiva's 517-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official VMware exam blueprint
This VCP-VVF 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-VVF exam.