Tag CCNP

Some of you may have read my original post back in November, The VCP-NV is your ticket to escaping the VCP “Class requirement” for VCP-DCV! which had basically stated that until February 28, 2015 you’d be able to get your Cisco CCNA/CCNP and then take the VMware VCP Network Virtualization with no course requirement, and that made you eligible for taking ANY other VCP (Such as Data Center Virtualization (DCV) or Cloud) without having to pay for the Course requirement applicable to those other certifications.

Then within the last week, an Asterisk appeared OUT OF NOWHERE, LIKE WTF?! Which prompted this blog post #AsteriskGate VMware feels the ‘pinch’ and “invalidates” the VCP-NV as a “valid VCP Certification” #AsteriskGate – And the general gist was, all of a sudden the stance appeared that the VCP-NX wasn’t as valuable as the other VCP Certifications (This prompted outrage from the community, to where people were being told by VMware Education that no, the VCP-NV did not ‘count’ basically) among other things.

Well, the latest on this trend of things is… This is no longer the case! I don’t want to say our community outreach and outrage respectively was the  ‘cause’ of this resolution but it likely was. :)

Here is an email I received from VMware Education when I contacted them on this matter;

As I understand, you need to know if  a VCP-NV certification taken through Cisco credential, can take certification in different track.

I would like to inform you that, yes, you could take VCP certifications in any track based on the VCP-NV certification taken through Cisco credential. There in no course requirement.

So there we go! Mission Accomplished. Oh and might I add an update from my original blog post which mentioned that the CCNA/CCNP route would expire 28FEB2015…

You can go this path until 31JAN2016!!!

So my dear friends, colleagues, network junkies and other industry brouhaha’s… Go out there, Get Certified! Whether that be by getting your CCNA R&S / CCNA DC, then getting your VCP-NV and on to VCP-DCV or you choose another path, the power is in your hands… Don’t let it pass you by! <3

#Update# This is no longer valid – Please check out my #AsteriskGate post for details;

VMware feels the ‘pinch’ and “invalidates” the VCP-NV as a “valid VCP Certification” #AsteriskGate

#SadEndUpdate#

So you’re a long time virtualization user. You’ve worked with the systems, you love VMware! (You might even have a bumper sticker on your laptop stating as such) Yet… You never got your VCP.

What?! Why aren’t you a VCP?

This is a problem which plagues many an Admin who will often be multi-skilled and can justify the $225 price-tag to take the exam but whose employer will NOT pay for you to be away from the office, nor the hefty price tag often associated with the VCP course itself.  Yea, we get that, so what?!

The VCP-NV will be your savior! (Until 28FEB2015)

So for those of you who are familiar, VMware has introduced the VCP Network Virtualization an exam which is focused heavily on the Nicira product (Named NSX, and occasionally vCNS related stuff for you vCloudy’s out there!)  Also for a limited time they have introduced a unique ‘program’ with this which is…

If you have a Valid CCNA Data Center or CCNA Routing & Switching or CCNP Data Center or CCNP Routing & Switching certification you are eligible to take the VCP-NX without having to have a classroom requirement! Full details can be found at VMware’s site here on the VCP-NV.

Wait, how does this help me with my VCP-DCV?!

I knew you were going to ask that question.  Well, take a journey with me, shall we?

1. Earn your CCNA Routing and Switching (It’s the cheapest of the options available)
   1. (Unless you already have a CCNA R&S then you’re on the way!)
2. Submit verification of Cisco Certification to VMware (Details here)
3. Study for and pass the VCP-NX
4. Now you’re officially a VCP, which grandfathers you into the ability to pass ANY VCP Exam and earn the VCP designation without classroom requirement!
5. Schedule and pass the VCP-DCV (and/or VCP-DT, VCP-Cloud)
   1. If you schedule your exam BEFORE 1JAN2015 you can use VCPRECERT25 for 25% off! (See link)
   2. If you schedule your exam BEFORE 19DEC2014 and are located in APJ/APAC get 50% off! (See Link)
6. BOOM YOU’RE CERTIFIED!

Some of you might feel this is a lot of work. I don’t think any of us didn’t say it WAS, however it is also NOT having to take the classroom requirement and get around this little issue which quite frankly is awesome! :)  For a lot of us, it is really about principle and anything we can do to avoid an arbitrary classroom will work, that and in many cases it is quite cheaper AND expands your possible horizons! <3