Citrix CC-VAD-CC study plan

List the four core components of a Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops site (Delivery Controller, VDA, StoreFront, Director) and state the role and default port of each.

Draw a three-tier site architecture (resource, control, access) and label which components sit in each tier and why.

Sequence the prerequisites for installing a Delivery Controller, including SQL Server, .NET, and Windows features.

Compare on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment models and identify one scenario where each is appropriate.

Install a Delivery Controller and create a new site, capturing every screen and decision in a build log.

Install a VDA in Master Image mode and register it to the Controller, verifying registration with Get-BrokerMachine.

Explain how MCS provisions a catalog from a snapshot and list the identity, network, and storage resources it creates.

Compare PVS vDisk streaming with MCS full-clone and fast-clone, stating when each is the better choice.

Create a machine catalog for single-session and multi-session OS and explain the difference in image and assignment behavior.

Configure a delivery group with a published desktop and two published applications, then verify with a test user.

Describe how MCS handles machine identity (AD accounts, SID) and how PVS handles write-back cache and vDisk versioning.

Use PowerShell (New-BrokerCatalog, New-BrokerDesktopGroup) to rebuild the week's catalog and delivery group from script.

Install StoreFront, create a store, and add a Controller as a delivery controller target.

Configure authentication (domain, multifactor, or SAML) and explain the difference between StoreFront and Workspace authentication flows.

Create a Citrix policy that applies a filter by delivery group and verify the filter with a test user.

Describe Citrix Profile Management and configure a basic profile store with a policy.

Configure Profile Management folder redirection and streaming and test behavior with two users on the same machine.

Set up an authentication policy in Workspace or StoreFront and test a failed-login path.

Explain the role of Citrix Gateway and how it fronts StoreFront for external access.

Apply role-based administration in Citrix Studio (help desk, read-only) and verify a restricted administrator cannot modify a catalog.

Use Director to find a failed machine registration and trace the failure to a specific log or event.

Run a Citrix Diagnostic Facility (CDF) trace on a VDA and interpret one captured failure.

Explain how Citrix Analytics or Director monitoring surfaces session and logon performance data.

Harden a VDA and Controller with recommended security settings and document the change and its verification.

Design a site for a stated scenario (500 users, two data centers) and justify Controller placement, SQL high availability, and StoreFront redundancy.

Explain how zone preference and home zones affect session launch in a multi-zone site.

Review the monitoring and supportability implications of the design, including log locations and alerting.

Present the design to a peer and incorporate one round of feedback.

Complete a timed 60-question practice set weighted to the domain percentages and score each domain.

Re-teach the two weakest domains from notes without referring to documentation.

Re-run the lab build end to end from your own checklist to confirm retention.

Write a one-page exam-day reference of commands, ports, and decision rules you must recall.