From all that I can gather, Install and Configure is all that's covered by the test; although I need to know all the products.
The VCP exam asks you to understand the differences among VMware products, and then drills down into operational, hands-on detail on ESX and VirtualCenter. The best way to know exactly what's covered is to consult the VCP exam blueprint.
Does Install and configure practically cover what the certification covers?
As a practical matter, you'll find that VCP exam blueprint quite reminiscent of the contents of Install and Configure. However, there's no substitute for hands-on experience and studying. For the topics in the blueprint that call for comparing VMware products, you'll find the VMware Web site helpful.
We already use ESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5 in production. I have sufficient hardware available; will I have the software available to me to create a test environment for practice? I cannot tinker with production.
Unless I am mistaken, the installers for ESX 3.5 and VC 2.5 are essentially bundled with a 60-day (90-day?) evaluation. So if you have spare hardware and the binaries your company used to build the production instances, you should be ready to go.
Can I assume some kit comes before the class? I need 1 month to play.
Regrettably, no, you will not receive your student materials before class starts. But you can certainly use your time profitably before class. I would suggest trying to perform the tasks outlined in the exam blueprint, using the documentation.
You can also get ideas over in the certification forum.
Good luck!
Message was edited by: brianriceca because I accidentally omitted one of the questions
