An administrator has created a resource pool named Marketing HTTP with a Memory Limit of 24 GB and a CPU Limit of 10,000 MHz. The Marketing HTTP resource pool contains three virtual machines: -Mktg-SQ

Memory contention applies when VMs compete for resources above their reservations, but here the 24 GB hard limit prevents all three VMs from powering on at all, not merely from experiencing contention.

The total reservations (26 GB) exceed the 24 GB pool limit, so all three VMs cannot power on simultaneously regardless of contention state.

The three VMs have combined memory reservations of 26 GB (16 + 6 + 4), which exceeds the pool's 24 GB Memory Limit. vSphere cannot satisfy all reservations simultaneously because the limit acts as a hard cap on total resources available to the pool. As a result, only two VMs - whose combined reservations do not exceed 24 GB - can power on at the same time.

Two VMs whose combined reservations do not exceed 24 GB can successfully power on together, so the pool is not restricted to just one VM.