2V0-13.25 Exam Dumps : VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Architect

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation from VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Documentation:

According to VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Design Guide (Table 59, “Certificate Management Design Recommendations”), VMware explicitly mandates that “Use a SHA-2 algorithm or higher for signed certificates. The SHA-1 algorithm is considered less secure and has been deprecated.” This recommendation (VCF-SEC-RCMD-CERT-002) is a foundational part of securing communication between management components and workload domains across the VCF environment.

The use of SHA-2 or higher ensures that all certificates used for SSL/TLS communication within the SDDC ecosystem (including vCenter, NSX Manager, and SDDC Manager) meet modern cryptographic standards to prevent vulnerabilities such as collision attacks. VMware Cloud Foundation enforces certificate management policies that require replacement of default VMCA-signed certificates with CA-signed certificates, and the SHA-2 algorithm ensures cryptographic integrity, authenticity, and resistance to tampering or impersonation.

This configuration directly satisfies the customer’s requirement for secure communication in the logical design of the workload domain. It ensures data in transit between components—such as management clusters, workload domains, and external systems—remains encrypted and trustworthy, aligning with VMware’s zero-trust and compliance-focused architectural principles.

References (VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Architecture Guide):

Table 59: Certificate Management Design Recommendations — “VCF-SEC-RCMD-CERT-002 Use a SHA-2 algorithm or higher for signed certificates.”

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 PDF, pp. 306–308, 376, and 592 (Certificate Management Design Recommendations Sections).

VMware Cloud Foundation Security Governance and Compliance Design Section (VCF-SEC-RCMD-CERT-002).

In VMware’s Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Design and Architecture Guide, design inputs are categorized into four classifications — requirements, constraints, assumptions, and risks. A constraint is defined as “a limiting factor that restricts the architect’s design choices or available options.”

The stakeholder statement dictates that “all new host server hardware must be deployed using our selected hardware vendor and server model,” which limits the architect’s ability to choose alternative hardware configurations. This statement explicitly restricts design flexibility and hardware options — hence, it is classified as a constraint.

VMware emphasizes that constraints are often based on corporate standards, vendor contracts, or compliance policies and must be adhered to during solution design. The architect must document such constraints clearly, as they directly influence hardware compatibility, procurement, and lifecycle management decisions.

References (VMware Cloud Foundation documents):

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Design Guide — “Design Inputs: Requirements, Constraints, Assumptions, and Risks”

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.1 Architecture Overview — “Hardware Vendor and Compatibility Constraints”

The VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.4 Documentation explicitly defines the four key component areas provided by a VKS cluster:

“The components that run in a VKS cluster span four areas: Authentication and authorization, storage integration, pod networking, and load balancing.”

These components are implemented as follows:

Authentication webhook: validates user access tokens.

Container Storage Interface (CSI): integrates with VMware Cloud Native Storage (CNS).

Container Network Interface (CNI): provides pod-level networking (Antrea or Calico).

Cloud Provider Implementation: enables Kubernetes LoadBalancer service creation.

This holistic integration ensures secure, scalable, and production-grade operation of Kubernetes workloads within vSphere Supervisor.

References (VMware Cloud Foundation documents):

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.4 Architecture Guide — “VKS Cluster Components.” (pp. 5637–5639)

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.4 Workload Management Overview — “VKS Functional Architecture and Services.”