The Apache CloudStack® Certification Exam Preparation
by ShapeBlue
*By clicking the Schedule an Exam button, you will be redirected to the ExamOnline.in portal to register for the exam and book a slot for it.
Why Become CloudStack Certified Professional?
Validate your expertise in deploying and managing Apache CloudStack environments.
The Apache CloudStack Certification, independently issued by ShapeBlue, proves your ability to architect, implement, and operate Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) using Apache CloudStack. Whether you’re beginning your open-source journey or looking to solidify your advanced knowledge, this certification is a trusted benchmark for technical proficiency.
About the Exam
Exam Format
The CloudStack Certification exam by ShapeBlue is taken remotely. A proctor will monitor you during the exam via your webcam in order to ensure a high level of integrity and fairness.
Booking a Slot
Once you are confident in your knowledge, you can proceed to book an exam slot. Slots are 90 minutes long, are offered to cover most time-zones, and must be booked at least 5 days in advance
Requirements
You are required to be alone in a quiet room. You should have a stable internet connection and a computer that meets the exam requirements Before your exam, you will need to complete an automated system compatibility check and an ID check with your proctor.
Exam Results & Certificate
Immediately after completing the exam, you'll see whether you passed or failed the exam. If you pass, you’ll receive your CloudStack Professional certificate and digital badge by ShapeBlue via email shortly after.
Price
$100 Payment by credit card when booking the exam or via a coupon pre-purchased from ShapeBlue.
Language
English
Exam Duration
90 minutes
Delivery
The exam is delivered by an independent certification authority - ExamOnline.
You must use Google Chrome to take this exam. Using other browsers (e.g., Safari, Firefox, Edge) may result in the exam not launching properly. Before the exam disable all pop-up blockers, both in Chrome settings and any third-party tools. The exam opens in a new pop-up window, and blockers will prevent it from launching
GET APACHE CLOUDSTACK CERTIFIED
How to Prepare for the Exam
Get hands-on training designed to give you the practical skills and understanding needed to pass the certification exam with confidence.
The CloudStack Bootcamps are comprehensive courses that offer an initial introduction to CloudStack and its features. We will also focus on delivering a hands-on experience in administering and operating CloudStack.
Explore the official documentation to build a solid foundation in CloudStack’s architecture, components, and core concepts.
Dive deep into advanced technical topics, real-world use cases, and expert insights that expand your CloudStack capabilities.
Guide on Required Knowledge Level
In order to increase your likelihood of success in the exam, we recommend preparing & studying for it. We recommend consulting the Exam Subject Areas below to ensure you have familiarity in as many of the subject areas as possible. Even if you have strong hands-on experience with Apache CloudStack, you may find some subject areas that are not part of your experience.
The following is a guide to the study time required by a typical candidate:
- Candidates with multiple years working with Apache CloudStack may need to study for 8–12 hours in order to pass the exam.
- Candidates new to Apache CloudStack, who have recently attended training (such as Apache CloudStack Bootcamp), may need to study for 12–20 hours in order to pass the exam.
- Candidates with no hands-on experience with, or training on, Apache CloudStack would find it difficult to pass the exam, but should expect to study for at least 80 hours.
Exam Subject Areas
In order to be successful in the exam, you should have knowledge in the following Apache CloudStack subject areas. This list can be used as a study or revision guide for the exam.
• Understand the characteristics and use cases of CloudStack.
• Understand the brief history of CloudStack.
• Understand the different Compute and Storage options available in CloudStack.
• Differentiate between the types of Zones in CloudStack
• Understand and describe the Logical Elements in CloudStack’s hierarchical structure.
• Describe different CloudStack Deployment Architectures and explain their relevance.
• Understand logical Networking Models in CloudStack and their relation to types of Zones.
• Describe the different types of Zones in CloudStack and Network Isolation Methods, including Tenant isolation differences between Basic and Advanced Zones
• Identify different Network Traffic types within a Zone.
• Understand the Physical connectivity in a CloudStack installation.
• Understand Guest Networking in a Basic Zone in detail.
• Describe how Security Groups are used in CloudStack to implement Tenant isolation.
• Understand Guest Networking in a Basic Zone with an example IP schema across two Pods.
• Understand the features and flexibility of Guest Networks in an Advanced Zone.
• Explain Guest Networking in an Advanced Zone with an example IP schema.
• Understand the role of the Virtual Router and its services, along with other Network Service Providers.
• Understand and describe Primary Storage in CloudStack, including its use cases.
• List the types and Protocols of Primary Storage and describe their characteristics.
• Understand and describe Secondary Storage, including its characteristics and use cases.
• Understand and describe how XenServer is integrated into CloudStack.
• Describe the deployment of XenServer for use with CloudStack.
• Identify key considerations when using XenServer with CloudStack.
• Understand and describe KVM integration with CloudStack.
• Describe the capabilities of KVM when integrated with CloudStack.
• Understand VMware integration with CloudStack, including an example deployment with vCenter.
• Explain the deployment of vSphere for integration with CloudStack.
• Identify key considerations when using VMware with CloudStack.
• Understand Hypervisor support for CloudStack features.
• Understand the process of adding a Zone in CloudStack.
• Explain how to add logical elements such as a Pod, Cluster, and Host, and map Traffic Types to Physical Networks.
• Understand the role and types of System VMs in CloudStack, and their purposes.
• Describe network connectivity and key components of System VMs.
• Understand the services provided by each System VM.
• Identify the Communication Ports used in CloudStack.
• Understand the role and significance of Service Offerings in CloudStack, and differentiate between Compute, Disk, System, and Network Offerings.
• Describe how Service Offerings relate to Cloud Resource Management and their impact on Instance allocation and Resource placement.
• Describe how to configure and customize Compute and Disk Offerings to meet different workload and Storage requirements.
• Understand System Offerings and their role in defining Resources for System VMs, as well as Network Offerings for configuring Network Resources across Instances.
• Describe how to modify Service Offerings for Virtual Resources to ensure optimal placement, allocation, and performance management in CloudStack.
• Understand the role of Domains, Accounts, and Users in CloudStack for organizing and managing user relationships and access.
• Describe the hierarchy of Domains and Accounts, and how resources are owned and assigned within CloudStack.
• Understand Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and the Built-in Roles available in CloudStack.
• Describe how UI access and functionality vary based on different user access levels.
• Understand how to create roles, add rules, and manage resource dedication for Domains, Accounts, or Projects.
• Understand the concept of Projects.
• Describe the Role of the Project Administrator.
• Demonstrate how to navigate and use the Project Dashboard.
Understand how to use Resource Limits in CloudStack to control Resource consumption by setting limits for Accounts, Projects, or Domains.
Understand how to configure disable and Notification Thresholds in CloudStack and set up Notification Configurations.
• Understand the role of the Deployment Planner and VM Allocation Algorithm in placing an Instance and Volume in a suitable Host and Primary Storage.
• Understand the differences between various Deployment Planners and VM Allocation Algorithms in CloudStack.
• Understand how to use tagging to control instance deployment in CloudStack.
• Deploy an Instance in CloudStack and understand the available options.
• Understand the deployment process behind the scenes when initiating Instance creation.
• Describe and perform operations on Running and Stopped Instances, including recovery of destroyed Instances.
• Identify the internal naming conventions for System VMs and User VMs.
• Differentiate between Root and Data Volumes and their roles in CloudStack.
• Explain Volume migration processes, including stopped and live Instance migrations across different Hypervisors.
• Describe the creation, attachment, and management of Data Volumes, including hot plug/unplug and Storage migration.
• Understand Volume placement strategies on Primary and Local Storage based on deployment choices.
• Understand the role and types of Templates in CloudStack.
• Describe the available options for creating and importing Templates.
• Understand the various characteristics of Templates and how to manage them.
• Learn the process of creating both Linux and Windows Templates.
• Understand and differentiate between VM Snapshots and Volume Snapshots in CloudStack.
• Identify the use cases, limitations, and implementation of each Snapshot type across different Hypervisors.
• Understand VPC, its use cases, and the various features within a VPC.
• Identify the components of a VPC.
• Understand how to connect a VPC to another VPC or remote sites using Site-to-Site VPN, and how to use a Private Gateway to connect to External Networks.
• Understand API, its characteristics, and structure.
• Learn about the security and authentication in API.
• Understand the benefits of using API instead of GUI with some examples.
Understand CloudMonkey, its characteristics, use cases, and its role in managing CloudStack.
• Understand CloudStack Logs and their role in troubleshooting.
• Describe the methods for troubleshooting System VMs.
• Understand how monitoring works in CloudStack.
• Understand the CloudStack Database Schema and query the Database to retrieve information.
• Perform Database manipulation tasks and backup the Database.
• Understand the CloudStack Usage Service and its functionality.
• Describe how Usage Records are generated through Usage Events.
• Differentiate between different types of Usage in CloudStack.
• Describe how to query and analyze Usage data, and understand the Quota plugin and billing in CloudStack.
• Understand & describe the different roles in the Apache CloudStack community and how people progress through those roles.
• Understand the type and frequency of CloudStack in-person and online events.
• Understand where to get help using the different online resources available for Apache CloudStack.
• Understand the different mailing lists and the importance of those lists in the community.
CloudStack and the CloudStack logo are trademarks of the Apache Software Foundation. The Apache CloudStack® Certification by ShapeBlue is a certification program delivered by ShapeBlue and is not affiliated in any way with the Apache Software Foundation.
