VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) Practice Exam

What configuration can potentially cause poor virtual machine performance related to power management settings?

1. The active power policy is set to Low Power

2. The host has active Sleep States configured in the BIOS

3. The active power policy is set to High Performance

4. The host has active Power States configured in the BIOS

The correct answer is: The active power policy is set to Low Power

Setting the active power policy to Low Power can lead to poor virtual machine performance because this mode prioritizes energy savings over performance. In Low Power mode, the CPU and other hardware components reduce their power consumption, which can result in slower performance when the virtual machines require more processing power. This configuration may limit the resources available to the virtual machines, causing latency and reducing overall responsiveness. Choosing a Low Power setting can throttle the CPU speeds, delay instruction execution, and potentially degrade the experience for applications running on those virtual machines. In high-demand situations where performance is critical, this power policy is not conducive to maintaining optimal operation. The other configurations, such as High Performance, are designed to ensure that the virtual machines have access to their maximum resources, allowing for optimal performance. Similarly, while Sleep States and Power States configured in the BIOS may save energy, they are typically not as directly associated with immediate performance degradation as a proactive power policy that directly limits resource availability.