1. Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives

1. VMware Cloud Foundation Overview

• Describe the VMware Cloud Foundation solution
• Describe VMware Cloud Foundation components and architecture
• Describe vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation licensing options

1. Day Zero Tasks

• Describe the process for planning and preparing a VMware Cloud Foundation design
• Identify the information required for the Planning and Preparation Workbook
• Describe the fully automated deployment process of VMware SDDC components

1. Post-Deployment Operations

• Use the VMware Cloud Foundation onboarding wizard to complete preliminary SDDC Manager setup tasks.
• Configure user access to VMware Cloud Foundation
• Manage passwords in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe password management with SDDC Manager APIs

1. VMware Cloud Foundation Networking with NSX

• Describe NSX management and control planes
• Explain virtual IP addressing
• Describe logical switching
• Identify NSX Edge functions
• Describe NSX deployment in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Explain how logical routing works in NSX
• Identify NSX Edge functions
• Recognize Tier-0 and Tier-1 gateway topologies
• Describe the spine-and-leaf design
• Describe the multi-NIC design
• Describe NSX Edge node design
• Discuss BGP and OSPF peering with the physical network
• Describe cluster design and rack design
• Define application virtual networks
• Recognize management domain rack options
• Recognize NSX Edge cluster placement considerations
• Use SDDC Manager to deploy an application virtual network

1.  Managing Workload Domains

• Define the concept of workload domain
• Identify use cases for multiple clusters in a workload domain
• Describe the SSO domain architecture
• Define the concept of a network pool
• Explain how to create, edit, and delete a network pool
• Use SDDC Manager to commission hosts
• Describe workload domain design considerations
• Describe ESXi design considerations for a VI workload domain
• Describe vSphere design considerations for a VI workload domain
• Describe software-defined networking design considerations for a VI workload domain
• Describe shared storage design considerations for a VI workload domain
• Describe how to make workload domain design decisions
• Expand the workload domain
• Perform simultaneous cluster operations

1. VMware Cloud Foundation Storage Management

• Describe storage options in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Recognize vSAN design considerations
• Identify sizing and performance considerations that impact the storage design
• Recognize vSAN design principles
• Identify components in the vSAN architecture
• Recognize vSAN requirements for the management domain and workload domains
• Define the concepts of deduplication and compression
• Describe how to scale vSAN clusters in VMware Cloud Foundation

1. Availability and Business Continuity

• Explain the importance of external service availability
• Identify the steps in the SDDC Manager backup and restore process
• Identify the steps in the NSX backup and restore process
• Describe native vSphere availability options
• Describe the stretched cluster architecture and use cases
• List the stretched cluster requirements in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe the stretched cluster architecture and use cases
• List the stretched cluster requirements in VMware Cloud Foundation

1. VMware Cloud Foundation Certificate Management

• Describe public key infrastructure (PKI)
• Explain the purpose of certificate signing requests (CSRs)
• List the available certificate authority (CA) options in SDDC Manager
• Manage certificates in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Integrate SDDC Manager with Microsoft CA and OpenSSL CA
• Install certificates issued by Microsoft CA, OpenSSL CA, or third-party CAs

1. VMware Cloud Foundation Life Cycle Management

• Describe life cycle management in VMware Cloud Foundation and the software components it supports
• Describe the role of vSphere Lifecycle Manager and ESXi host images in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe the role of NSX Upgrade Coordinator in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe VMware® Aria Suite Lifecycle™ and its supported products
• Describe the types of bundles and download options available in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Configure SDDC Manager to download VCF online bundles
• Configure a proxy server to download VCF bundles
• Download VMware Cloud Foundation bundles using the Bundle Transfer utility
• Explain the workflow for using vSphere Lifecycle Manager Images in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Create a vSphere Lifecycle Manager image
• Make a vSphere Lifecycle Manager image available in VMware Cloud Foundation
• Configure custom ESXi ISO images and perform firmware upgrades using vSphere Lifecycle Manager
• Explain the upgrade considerations for VMware Cloud Foundation components
• Outline the upgrade precheck process
• Monitor VMware Cloud Foundation updates
• Use the Async Patch Tool to apply patches between BOM releases

1. VMware Aria Suite on VMware Cloud Foundation

• Describe the VMware Aria Suite architecture running on VMware Cloud Foundation
• Explain the networking prerequisites for deploying VMware Aria Suite on VMware Cloud Foundation
• Describe the steps to install and configure VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle and VMware Workspace ONE®
• Explain the common operational tasks in VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle
• Identify the VMware validated solutions for VMware Aria Suite products
• Describe how to use VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle to deploy and manage VMware Aria Suite products

1. VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA

• Describe the Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA solution
• Describe the Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA architecture
• Identify Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA components
• Describe VMware Cloud Foundation use cases for machine learning

1. VMware Cloud Foundation Troubleshooting

• Use the Support and Serviceability (SoS) command-line tool to create log bundles, perform health checks, and check password validity
• List the VMware Cloud Foundation services
• Identify the VMware Cloud Foundation log files
• Use token IDs to troubleshoot failed workflows