Building a VCF 9.1 Upgrade Runbook: Testing, Fallback, and Readiness Gates

Scenario The VCF 9.1 upgrade path has been selected. The planning tool has been reviewed. The target version is understood. The team has a maintenance window on the calendar. That does not mean the environment is ready. A VCF 9.1 upgrade runbook needs to prove more than task order. It needs to prove that the … Read more

The VCF 9.1 Upgrade Is an Operating Model Project, Not a Patch Window

TL;DR A VCF 9.1 upgrade should not be treated like a normal maintenance window where each team updates its component, checks a dashboard, and leaves. The sequence matters. The ownership model matters. The readiness evidence matters. For VCF 9.1, VCF Operations is not a side task after the platform upgrade. Existing Aria Operations instances must … Read more

VCF 9.1 Management Services and Aria: Turning the Upgrade into an Operating Model

TL;DR VCF 9.1 changes the upgrade conversation because the management layer is no longer just a collection of adjacent appliances. VCF Operations, VCF Automation, VCF Management Services, license services, software depot, identity, logging, and lifecycle workflows become part of a more unified private cloud operating model. That means the VCF 5.2.x to 9.1 upgrade should … Read more

VCF 5.2.x to 9.1: The Fleet vs Instance Ownership Model

TL;DR The VCF 5.2.x to 9.1 upgrade is not just a component upgrade. It changes how teams should think about ownership. In VCF 5.2.x, many operational responsibilities were still organized around product lanes and appliances: SDDC Manager, Aria Operations, Aria Suite Lifecycle, Aria Automation, Log Insight, Identity Manager, vCenter, NSX, and ESXi. VCF 9.1 pushes … Read more

The VCF Upgrade Readiness Review: Decisions Before You Open the Planner

Broadcom’s VCF Upgrade Planner is a useful starting point, but it should not be the first planning activity. The planner can help generate a tailored upgrade path from your current deployment and version inputs. It asks for the current deployment type, selected products, product versions, and target VCF 9.1 version, including inputs for vCenter, ESX, … Read more

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 Upgrade Planning Tool: Why Customers Should Start Now

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 is not the kind of upgrade you should treat as a last-minute lifecycle task. For many customers, the move to VCF 9.1 is also a shift in operating model, lifecycle sequencing, management services, resource planning, and cross-team readiness. That is why the new VCF 9.1 Upgrade Planning Tool matters. VMware’s announcement … Read more