vCF (Cloud Foundation)

Introductory visual for How to Deploy VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA on VCF 9.1.

How to Deploy VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA on VCF 9.1

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TL;DR Deploying VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA on VCF 9.1 is not a single-product installation. It is an integrated platform deployment spanning the VCF workload domain, GPU-enabled ESXi hosts, NVIDIA drivers and licensing, vSphere Supervisor, namespaces, Private AI Services, Harbor, identity, networking, certificates, and the AI consumption model. The most important design decision happens … Explore: How to Deploy VMware Private AI Foundation with…

Introductory visual for Green Hardware Does Not Mean a Ready AI Platform: Commissioning VCF Private AI Services.

Green Hardware Does Not Mean a Ready AI Platform: Commissioning VCF Private AI Services

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TL;DR A rack of healthy GPU servers is not a production-ready VCF Private AI platform. Production acceptance should prove the complete service chain: supported hardware, aligned ESXi and NVIDIA software, a healthy VCF 9.1 workload domain, stable NSX and shared infrastructure services, a ready Supervisor and VKS layer, functioning tenant controls, trusted Harbor and model … Explore: Green Hardware Does Not Mean a Ready AI…

Diagram illustrating Private AI Is Not Model Hosting.

Private AI Is Not Model Hosting

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A VCF 9.1 reference architecture for sovereignty, identity, GPU capacity, and operations. TL;DR Private AI needs an operating model for sovereignty, identity, GPU capacity, data access, and recovery. Use this reference architecture to identify the controls and owners around the model endpoint before treating a local deployment as a production platform. Get new guides by … Explore: Private AI Is Not Model Hosting

Introductory visual for VCF 5.2.x to 9.1 Upgrade Runbook: Exact Sequence, Dependencies, Downtime, and Validation.

VCF 5.2.x to 9.1 Upgrade Runbook: Exact Sequence, Dependencies, Downtime, and Validation

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TL;DR A VCF 5.2.x to 9.1 upgrade is not a single SDDC Manager update followed by routine infrastructure patching. It is a dependency-controlled platform transition that begins with the Operations layer, introduces mandatory VCF Management Services, and then moves through NSX, vCenter, ESX, and NSX Edge finalization. The first gate is source-release eligibility. Current Broadcom … Explore: VCF 5.2.x to 9.1 Upgrade Runbook: Exact Sequence,…

Introductory visual for Automating VCF 9.1 VPC Networking with PowerCLI.

Automating VCF 9.1 VPC Networking with PowerCLI: IP Blocks, Subnets, NAT, and External IPs

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TL;DR VCF 9.1 expands the VMware.VimAutomation.Vpc module so PowerCLI can build much more of the VPC networking foundation, including IP blocks, external connections, transit gateways, connectivity profiles, VPCs, subnets, and external-IP assignments. The practical automation pattern is to build provider-owned connectivity first, create application-owned VPC objects second, and publish selected private workloads by assigning an … Explore: Automating VCF 9.1 VPC Networking with PowerCLI: IP…

Introductory visual for VCF 9.1 VPC Networking: Distributed vs. Centralized Transit Gateway Designs.

VCF 9.1 VPC Networking: Distributed vs. Centralized Transit Gateway Designs

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TL;DR VCF 9.1 supports two distinct approaches for connecting Virtual Private Clouds to the physical data center network. A Distributed Transit Gateway removes NSX Edge nodes, the Tier-0 gateway, and BGP from the north-south forwarding path. Traffic can leave directly from the ESXi host through a VLAN shared by every participating host. The design reduces … Explore: VCF 9.1 VPC Networking: Distributed vs. Centralized Transit…

Introductory visual for Deploy Linux VMs on vSphere with cloud-init and GuestInfo: A Complete PowerCLI Guide.

Deploy Linux VMs on vSphere with cloud-init and GuestInfo: A Complete PowerCLI Guide

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TL;DR PowerCLI can clone a Linux template, write cloud-init metadata and user data into vSphere GuestInfo settings, and power on a fully initialized virtual machine without attaching a seed ISO or maintaining a traditional guest customization specification. The reliable deployment sequence is: The reusable PowerCLI script in this guide implements that workflow for Ubuntu, Rocky … Explore: Deploy Linux VMs on vSphere with cloud-init and…

Introductory visual for VCF 9.1 API with Postman.

VCF 9.1 API with Postman: Generate a Collection from OpenAPI and Automate Your First Workflow

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TL;DR VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 provides an OpenAPI definition for SDDC Manager that can be imported into Postman to generate a structured collection of API requests. The generated collection is not immediately ready for use. The specification defines a localhost server value, so the requests must be updated to use a variable that points to … Explore: VCF 9.1 API with Postman: Generate a Collection…

Introductory visual for HCX 9.1 Migration Runbook.

HCX 9.1 Migration Runbook: Network Profiles, Compute Profiles, Service Mesh, and First VM Move

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TL;DR An HCX 9.1 migration should not begin with the Migrate Virtual Machines button. It should begin with a dependency-ordered runbook that proves routing, firewall policy, IP pools, site pairing, Network Profiles, Compute Profiles, Service Mesh health, and Network Extension behavior before a production workload is touched. The practical sequence is: Introduction HCX failures often … Explore: HCX 9.1 Migration Runbook: Network Profiles, Compute Profiles,…

Introductory visual for How to Install and Update VCF PowerCLI 9.1 on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

How to Install and Update VCF PowerCLI 9.1 on Windows, macOS, and Linux

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TL;DR PowerCLI is now distributed through the VCF.PowerCLI package. The older VMware.PowerCLI package is deprecated, although many familiar cmdlets and underlying VMware.* modules remain in use. For a new installation, use: For an existing VMware.PowerCLI installation, audit scripts for explicit Import-Module VMware.PowerCLI statements, prefer a clean migration where practical, and use -AllowClobber and -SkipPublisherCheck only … Explore: How to Install and Update VCF PowerCLI 9.1…

Introductory visual for VCF Express Patches: A Practical Runbook for Planning, Applying, and Validating Updates.

VCF Express Patches: A Practical Runbook for Planning, Applying, and Validating Updates

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TL;DR VCF Express Patches should be handled through a repeatable runbook, not an improvised maintenance window. The practical workflow is to confirm the current VCF and component baseline, synchronize depot metadata, review release-note applicability, validate backups and platform health, patch lifecycle and management services where needed, apply component updates through VCF Operations, and capture enough … Explore: VCF Express Patches: A Practical Runbook for Planning,…

Introductory visual for VCF Express Patches: The Operating Model Shift Behind Faster Security Response.

VCF Express Patches: The Operating Model Shift Behind Faster Security Response

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TL;DR VCF Express Patches are not just smaller updates with a faster name. They represent a more active Day-2 lifecycle model for VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 environments. Instead of waiting for every fix to arrive in a larger scheduled maintenance release, teams now need a repeatable process for tracking component applicability, synchronizing depot metadata, validating … Explore: VCF Express Patches: The Operating Model Shift Behind…

Overview of the VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 Upgrade Planner workflow.

VCF Upgrade Planner: Build Your VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 Plan

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The VCF Upgrade Planner converts your current vSphere or VMware Cloud Foundation deployment into a tailored VCF 9.1 upgrade workflow. Select the products and versions you run today, choose the target destination, and use the generated phases as the starting point for engineering review. VCF Upgrade Planner quick start Important: The planner is a planning … Explore: VCF Upgrade Planner: Build Your VMware Cloud Foundation…

Architecture diagram illustrating VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 6: Topology and Identity Boundaries for Single Site, Dual.

VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 6: Topology and Identity Boundaries for Single Site, Dual Site, and Multi-Region

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TL;DR Architecture Diagram Table of Contents Scope and terminology guardrails You will move faster as an organization if you treat these as non-negotiable guardrails: For topology conversations, you also need consistent physical vocabulary: Assumptions Decision criteria Use these criteria to keep topology and identity debates grounded in operational outcomes: Challenge You need a topology and … Explore: VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 6: Topology…

Architecture diagram illustrating VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 5: Topology Patterns for Single Site, Two Sites, and.

VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 5: Topology Patterns for Single Site, Two Sites, and Multi-Region

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TL;DR If you want architects, operators, and leadership aligned, you need a topology mental model that starts with VCF objects and only then maps to your physical sites. Architecture Diagram Table of Contents Scenario You are about to deploy VCF 9.0 GA greenfield and you need a shared language for: Scope and version alignment This … Explore: VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 5: Topology…

Architecture diagram illustrating VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 4: Fleet Topologies and SSO Boundaries (Single Site, Dual.

VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 4: Fleet Topologies and SSO Boundaries (Single Site, Dual Site, Multi-Region)

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TL;DR Architecture Diagram Table of Contents Scope and Code Levels This article is written against VCF 9.0 GA terminology and design guidance. Version Compatibility Matrix Use this as your “shared truth” when people ask “what exactly are we talking about?” Component Version Build VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 24755599 VCF Installer 9.0.1.0 24962180 ESX 9.0.0.0 24755229 … Explore: VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 4: Fleet…

Architecture diagram illustrating After You Migrate: Cleanup, Governance, and Preventing Unmanaged Disks from Coming Back.

After You Migrate: Cleanup, Governance, and Preventing Unmanaged Disks from Coming Back

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TL;DR Architecture Diagram Table of Contents Scenario You’ve migrated your VMs to managed disks. The outage risk is reduced. Then the quiet problems show up: This post is about making “managed disks everywhere” the default, not a one-time project. What “Done” Looks Like You are done when: Operational Runbook Snapshot Roles: Runbook stages: Cleanup Workflow … Explore: After You Migrate: Cleanup, Governance, and Preventing Unmanaged…

Architecture diagram illustrating Convert Azure VMs from Unmanaged to Managed Disks: A Production-Ready Runbook.

Convert Azure VMs from Unmanaged to Managed Disks: A Production-Ready Runbook

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TL;DR Architecture Diagram Table of Contents Scenario You’ve identified one or more production VMs still using unmanaged disks. You need a runbook you can hand to an operations team that: Core Concepts Prerequisites Operational prerequisites: Technical prerequisites: Version Compatibility Matrix Component What you need How you verify Azure CLI Azure CLI with az vm convert … Explore: Convert Azure VMs from Unmanaged to Managed Disks:…

Architecture diagram illustrating Azure Unmanaged Disks Retirement: How to Tell If You’re at Risk Before End of March 2026.

Azure Unmanaged Disks Retirement: How to Tell If You’re at Risk Before End of March 2026

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TL;DR Architecture Diagram Table of Contents Scenario You have Azure IaaS VMs that were built years ago. Some of them were created when unmanaged disks were still common, and the underlying VHDs live in storage accounts as page blobs. Everything looks “fine” until it isn’t. You discover this retirement late, you miss the window, and … Explore: Azure Unmanaged Disks Retirement: How to Tell If…

Architecture diagram illustrating VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 3: Day-0 to Day-2 Ownership Across Fleets, Instances, and.

VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 3: Day-0 to Day-2 Ownership Across Fleets, Instances, and Domains

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TL;DR If you want clean accountability in VCF 9.0, anchor your operating model to the official hierarchy: VCF private cloud -> VCF fleet -> VCF instance -> VCF domain -> vSphere clusters. This post translates that hierarchy into an operating model: who owns what, where day-0/day-1/day-2 work happens, and how topology (single site vs two … Explore: VCF 9.0 GA Mental Model Part 3: Day-0…