Important 2026 update: VMware vSAN Specialist exam 5V0-22.21 is retired and is no longer available to new candidates. Broadcom’s retired-exams documentation lists the exam’s retirement date as July 31, 2023. The later VMware Certified Specialist – vSAN exam, 5V0-22.23, was also retired on December 15, 2025. If you found this page while searching for 5V0-22.21, do not rely on old exam dumps, leaked questions, or outdated registration instructions. This guide explains what the old certification covered and where VMware by Broadcom candidates should look in 2026.
What was VMware vSAN Specialist 5V0-22.21?
5V0-22.21 was a VMware specialist exam focused on vSAN, VMware’s software-defined storage technology for vSphere environments. The certification path validated knowledge of vSAN concepts, design principles, storage, networking and security fundamentals, installation and configuration, management, monitoring, and basic troubleshooting.
The exam belonged to an earlier VMware certification structure. VMware’s certification portfolio has since changed following Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, so the old exam code should be treated as historical information rather than a current certification target.
Why the old exam is no longer a 2026 study target
Broadcom’s official retired-exams list identifies VMware vSAN Specialist Exam (5V0-22.21) as retired on July 31, 2023. Broadcom also states that the later VMware Certified Specialist – vSAN (5V0-22.23) retired on December 15, 2025.
That matters because older articles and training pages can still contain exam objectives, registration links, pricing, or preparation advice that no longer applies. Candidates should verify every exam code and certification requirement on Broadcom’s current certification pages before purchasing training or an exam voucher.
What vSAN knowledge still matters?
Although the exam is retired, the underlying technical knowledge remains useful for professionals working with VMware environments. A strong vSAN foundation includes:
- Architecture: understand how vSAN integrates with vSphere and how hosts contribute compute and storage resources to a cluster.
- Storage policies: understand how policy-based configuration affects availability, performance, capacity, and data placement.
- Networking: understand the network requirements and dependencies that affect vSAN performance and reliability.
- Capacity and performance: plan usable capacity, resilience, growth, hardware resources, and workload requirements instead of sizing only for raw disk capacity.
- Operations: monitor cluster health, capacity, performance, alerts, and configuration changes.
- Troubleshooting: isolate storage, network, host, policy, and configuration issues before changing production systems.
- Data protection: understand the difference between availability within a cluster and a separate backup or disaster-recovery strategy.
What certification should you consider in 2026?
There is no direct replacement that should be assumed to be equivalent to the retired 5V0-22.21 exam. In 2026, VMware by Broadcom’s certification portfolio places vSphere and vSAN knowledge within broader VMware Cloud Foundation and VMware vSphere Foundation roles.
VCP – VMware vSphere Foundation Administrator
The VCP-VVF Administrator certification focuses on deploying, managing, and supporting private-cloud environments built on VMware vSphere Foundation. The current certification includes the wider platform context in which vSphere and vSAN operate. Broadcom lists the required VMware vSphere Foundation 9.0 Administrator exam as 2V0-16.25.
VCP – VMware vSphere Foundation Support
For support and troubleshooting roles, the VCP-VVF Support path covers troubleshooting across VMware vSphere Foundation components, including vCenter, ESX, vSAN, VCF Operations, and related operational tooling. Broadcom lists the VMware vSphere Foundation 9.0 Support exam as 2V0-18.25.
Broader VMware Cloud Foundation paths
Professionals working across private-cloud architecture, administration, or support may also need a VMware Cloud Foundation certification rather than a storage-only specialist credential. The appropriate path depends on your job role and the VMware products used by your organization.
How to prepare for a current VMware certification
- Start with the official certification page. Confirm the current exam code, version, prerequisites, exam objectives, delivery method, and retirement status.
- Read the official exam guide. Use the published blueprint to identify the skills that are actually assessed.
- Build hands-on knowledge. Practice administration, monitoring, troubleshooting, storage policies, networking, and lifecycle tasks in an appropriate lab environment.
- Learn the surrounding platform. vSAN does not operate in isolation. Understanding vSphere Foundation or Cloud Foundation concepts can be important for current role-based certifications.
- Avoid exam dumps. Unofficial question banks and leaked exam content can be inaccurate, outdated, or contrary to certification-provider rules. They are not a substitute for product knowledge.
- Recheck the certification page before booking. VMware certification codes, product versions, and retirement dates can change, so verify the official source immediately before registering.
Is vSAN still relevant if the old specialist exam is retired?
Yes. Retirement of a certification exam does not mean the technology itself has disappeared. vSAN remains part of VMware’s virtualization and private-cloud technology stack, and current Broadcom certification material continues to include vSAN within broader VMware platform knowledge.
The important distinction is between learning vSAN and pursuing a retired vSAN-only exam. If your career goal is VMware infrastructure administration or support, focus on the current certification path that matches your role and learn vSAN as part of that broader environment.
Final takeaway
VMware vSAN Specialist 5V0-22.21 is a retired certification exam and should not be presented as a current 2026 exam. The old exam remains useful as historical context for vSAN skills, but candidates should use Broadcom’s current certification catalog and exam guides when choosing a certification. For current professionals, vSphere Foundation and VMware Cloud Foundation paths are more relevant starting points, with the exact choice depending on whether the role is administration, support, architecture, or another specialization.
Editorial note: Certification information can change. Always verify the current exam code, eligibility requirements, objectives, pricing, and retirement status on Broadcom’s official VMware certification pages before registering.
