Top 50 Windows Vmware Interview Questions You Must Prepare 19.Mar.2024

DAS is Direct Attached Storage. DAS is available with many vendors. When a server has exhausted all its storage resource, we can connect a DAS solution to it. DAS can be connected to a server using SAS cable.

It is a hypervisor-converged storage solution built by aggregating the local storage attached to the ESXi hosts managed by a vCenter. 

  • NMP is Native Multipath Plugin
  • It is the default multipath plugin in VMware
  • Manages physical path claiming and unclaiming
  • Registers and de-registers logical devices
  • Associates physical paths with logical devices
  • Processes I/O requests to logical devices

VMCP is VMware Component Protection

This new feature in 6.0 ensures that VMs are rebooted in other servers during APD or PDL situations

  • PSC is Platform Service Controller
  • This is an extended SSO model which was there in pre 6.0 versions
  • It takes care of authentication,licensing,certificates etc..

  • Using vmkftools
  • Copy the vmdk file and attach to a new VM
  • Using VMware converter

  • Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS)
  • Forefront Identity Manager (FIM)

Port binding is used in iSCSI when multiple VMkernel ports for iSCSI reside in the same broadcast domain and IP subnet, to allow multiple paths to an iSCSI array that broadcasts a single IP address.

These adapters will only become Active if the defined Active adapters have failed.

  • Path selection policies in ESXi
  • Most Recently Used (MRU)
  • Fixed
  • Round Robin

When the guest OS is first installed in the VM

Check datastore and confirm if it supports Hardware Acceleration

The client waits for 60 seconds before which it assigns automatic private ip address

Scratch partition stores the logs and other details of ESXi which helps in troubleshooting

  • In addition to the normal vmx file, from vSphere 6.0 onwards there is an additional file vmx~
  • vmx~ first takes any configuration changes and then writes to the actual vmx file
  • This ensures that the actual vmx file do not get corrupted

This depends on the type of controller used. If you are using modern RAID controllers and are trying to replace with the same model, then the RAID should work without any issues as the RAID configuration or metadata is stored in the disk array. But you should ensure that you are using the same model from vendor or a model which is compatible with the failed controller.

Embedded & External

  • Embedded if PSC is installed in vCenter box
  • External if PSC is installed outside vCenter in separate box

  • IP helper-address helps to implement DHCP relay agent in Cisco routers
  • This is configured at the network interface of the router containing the DHCP client
  • The IP helper-address intercepts the DHCP discover message from the client and unicasts it to the DHCP server after adding 'Option 82'.
  • With the help of Option 82, the DHCP server identifies the client network and assigns an IP from that network.

Global Catalog

  • Global catalog (GC) is a role handled by domain controllers in an Active directory model. 
  • The global catalog stores a full copy of all objects in the directory for its host domain and a partial copy of all objects for all other domains in the forest. 
  • ‘Partial copy’ refers to the set of attributes that are most used for searching every object in every domain.
  • All domain controllers can be promoted as a GC. 
  • GC helps in faster search of AD objects.  
  • The replicas that are replicated to the global catalog also include the access permissions for each object and attribute. 
  • If you are searching for an object that you do not have permission to access, you do not see the object in the list of search results. Users can find only objects to which they are allowed access.
  • Global catalog server clients depend on DNS to provide the IP address of global catalog servers. DNS is required to advertise global catalog servers for domain controller location.
  • By default, first DC of in a forest will be a global catalog server

  • To manage storage multipathing, ESX/ESXi uses a special VMkernel layer called Pluggable Storage Architecture (PSA)
  • Handles I/O queueing to the logical devices. Handles physical path discovery and removal

  • First, stop the Active Directory Domain Services
  • Open Command Prompt with Admin privilege
  • Run ntdsutil tool
  • In the ntdsutil prompt, type Activate instance ntds
  • Then type files
  • In the next prompt (file maintenance), type move db to D:AD
  • Once the database is moved, move the logs using the command move logs to D:AD
  • Once completed, start the Active Directory Domain Services

 Users assigned with the 'No Access' role for an object, cannot view or change the object in any way

Some of the main uses of ntdsutil tool:

  • Authoritative Restore - Authoritatively restores the Active Directory database or AD LDS instance
  • ifm  - Create installation media for writable and RODC setups (Offline DC provisioning)
  • metadata cleanup - Cleans up objects of decommissioned servers
  • roles - Transfers and seizes operations master roles
  • set DSRM password - Resets DSRM administrator password
  • snapshot - Manages snapshots of the volumes that contain the Active Directory database and log files

  • Array Target iSCSI ports must reside in the same broadcast domain and IP subnet as the VMkernel port.
  • All VMkernel ports used for iSCSI connectivity must reside in the same broadcast domain and IP subnet.
  • All VMkernel ports used for iSCSI connectivity must reside in the same vSwitch.
  • Currently, port binding does not support network routing.

Dell Server E-Support Tool (DSET) provides the ability to collect hardware, storage and operating system information from Dell PowerEdge server.

A separate vSwitch, and a separate network other than VMtraffic network for iSCSI traffic. Dedicated physical NICs should be connected to vSwitch configured for iSCSI traffic.

IPAM is IP Address Management server in Windows Server 201@It enables central management of both DHCP and DNS servers. It can also be used to discover, monitor, and audit DHCP and DNS servers.

  • Authenticated Users - Include all Users and Computers whose identities have been authenticated.
  • Everyone - For Windows 2003 and above, 'Everyone' includes all Authenticated Users including Guest accounts. Before Windows 2003, 'Everyone' includes all Authenticated Users , Guest accounts and Anonymous account.

  • SATP and PSP are the two sub plugins of NMP
  • SATP or Storage Array Type Plugins take care of the fail over mechanism of datastore and keeps track of paths available to a LUN or datastore
  • PSP or Path Selection Plugins determines which physical path should be used to issue I/O requests to a storage device

  • 2 NICs for VM traffic
  • 2 NICs for iSCSI traffic
  • 1 NIC for vMotion
  • 1 NIC for management network
  • Post conversion steps in P2V
  • Adjust the virtual hardware settings as required
  • Remove non present device drivers
  • Remove all unnecessary devices such as serial ports, USB controllers, floppy drives etc..
  • Install VMware tools

An iscsi device can be connected using the iqn number.

Allows or denies moving through a restricted folder to reach files and folders beneath the restricted folder in the folder hierarchy. 

Traverse folder takes effect only when the group or user is not granted the "Bypass traverse checking user" right in the Group Policy snap-in. This permission does not automatically allow running program files.

You need to shutdown all running VMs in that cluster to change the EVC mode

The Netlogon services help the client servers to connect to the Domain

  • Using vSphere update manager
  • Upgrade interactively using the ESXi installer ISO image on CD/DVD or Flash drive
  • Using vSphere Auto Deploy
  • Using esxcli command-line interface

Backup types:

  • Full backup - Will take the backup of all selected files and reset the archive bit
  • Copy backup - Will take the backup of all selected files but does not reset the archive bit
  • Incremental backup - Will take the backup of files whose archive bits are set and resets it after backup
  • Differential backup - Will take the backup of files whose archive bits are set but does not reset it after backup 

  • Make a note of the VM folders
  • Remove the ESXi host from the inventory
  • Add the ESXi host directly to the vCenter outside the EVC cluster
  • Now move the server to the EVC cluster
  • Add the VMs back to the folders

  •  RAID 1 - Mirroring - This RAID configuration gives you maximum redundancy as the same data is written into two disks at a time. But this solution will be costly as you always need to have disks double of what you actually require. Minimum 2 disks required.
  • RAID 5 - This RAID is the most popular RAID configuration. This works on the parity principle. Minimum 3 disks required. Even if one disk fail, the data of the failed disk can be calculated from the parity stored in the other 2 disks.