This part covers how to deploy VCF management services and the license server in a VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 environment. You run this step after the management domain is built and after VCF Operations and SDDC Manager are both at version 9.1. VCF management services is the container cluster that hosts fleet lifecycle, SDDC lifecycle, the software depot, the identity broker, and the Salt services, and the same workflow deploys the license server that every product in your fleet reports to. Plan for one free /27 management block and five host records before you begin, because the installer validates all of them up front.

You drive the whole task from the VCF Operations user interface. You will open the Install Components workflow, connect to the VCF Operations instance, enter one CIDR block and five fully qualified domain names, set a password, and start the install. Deployment is a single guided flow, so most of your effort goes into getting DNS and IP reservations correct beforehand. Complete every row in the prerequisites below before you click Install.

VCF management services replaces several standalone appliances from earlier releases. Fleet lifecycle and SDDC lifecycle take over the work that the standalone Fleet Management Appliance handled in VCF 9.0, and they now run as containers on the management cluster rather than as separate virtual appliances. Software depot holds the install and upgrade bundles for the fleet, the identity broker handles single sign on, and the Salt master and Salt RaaS services support configuration and remote task execution. Grouping these services into one runtime is why the deployment asks for a single CIDR block and a small set of host records rather than a separate address plan for each appliance.

License server is deployed by the same workflow but stays a distinct component with its own FQDN. It becomes the single license authority for every product in the fleet, which is why it needs a dedicated host record and accepts IPv4 addressing only. Record the license server FQDN in your address plan first, because the precheck rejects the whole submission if that record is missing or points inside the runtime block.

Prerequisites

Confirm each item below before you start. A single missing reverse DNS record or a wrongly placed IP address stops the deployment at the precheck stage.

Plan your addresses next. Reserve one free /27 block for the runtime, then reserve five more addresses outside that block for the five FQDNs. Create both a forward record and a reverse record for every one of the five host names, as described in Part 3, VCF 9.1 network, DNS and NTP setup.

Deployment steps

Step 1 confirm the management components are at 9.1

Install Components appears only after both management components report 9.1.

1. Log in to VCF Operations with an administrator account.
2. Click Build in the top navigation bar.
3. Click Lifecycle in the left pane.
4. Expand VCF Instances and select the instance that hosts VCF Operations.
5. Confirm that VCF Operations and SDDC Manager both report version 9.1.

Step 2 reserve the /27 block and create DNS records

Address planning is where most deployments succeed or fail. Get it right before you touch the wizard.

1. Reserve one free /27 CIDR block on the management network, for example 10.0.10.0/27.
2. Pick five more IP addresses that sit outside that block, one for each component FQDN.
3. Create a forward A record for each of the five FQDNs.
4. Create a matching reverse PTR record for each of the five IP addresses.
5. Use lowercase letters only in every FQDN.
6. Confirm the license server FQDN maps to an IPv4 address.

Step 3 stage the install binaries in the software depot

All nine bundles must be present, or the install stops partway.

1. Open the depot configuration in VCF Operations.
2. Download or upload the bundles for VCF services runtime, fleet lifecycle, SDDC lifecycle, software depot, identity broker, Salt RaaS, Salt master, telemetry, and license server.
3. For an offline site, use the VCF Download Tool to pull the bundles to an offline depot first.
4. Confirm each bundle shows as available before you continue.

Step 4 open the Install Components workflow

This is the guided flow that stages every management service.

1. In VCF Operations, click Build.
2. Click Lifecycle in the left pane.
3. Expand VCF Instances and select the instance that hosts VCF Operations.
4. Click the SDDC Manager Updates tab.
5. Click the Available Upgrades tab.
6. In the Next steps section, click Install Components.

If you want to script the network configuration instead of using the wizard, the SDDC Manager API offers more control. Request an API token first, then drive the install programmatically.

curl -k -X POST https://sddc-manager.corp.local/v1/tokens \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"username":"administrator@vsphere.local","password":"YourPassword"}'

Step 5 connect to the VCF Operations instance

Register the new components against your running VCF Operations.

1. In the Components Installation dialog, enter the VCF Operations FQDN.
2. Enter the administrator username.
3. Enter the administrator password.
4. Click Connect.

Step 6 enter the network and FQDN settings

Fill each field from your planning table. Values are case sensitive, so keep every FQDN lowercase.

1. In the VCF services runtime CIDR block field, enter your free /27, for example 10.0.10.0/27.
2. In the VCF services runtime FQDN field, enter the lowercase runtime host name.
3. In the Fleet component FQDN field, enter the fleet host name.
4. In the Instance component FQDN field, enter the instance host name.
5. If prompted, enter the Identity broker FQDN.
6. In the License server FQDN field, enter the license host name, which must map to IPv4.

Step 7 set the password and start the install

Review everything once, then commit. Deployment can take a while, so leave the flow running.

1. In the VCF services runtime password field, set a strong password for the local admin account.
2. Check every field against your planning table.
3. Click Install.
4. Leave the dialog open and let the workflow run to completion.
5. Do not move the new VMs to a different resource pool or folder after deployment, because later patching and scale out operations would fail.

Deployment flow at a glance

flowchart TD
  A[Confirm VCF Operations 9.1 and SDDC Manager 9.1] --> B[Reserve free /27 block]
  B --> C[Create five forward and reverse DNS records]
  C --> D[Stage nine install binaries in the depot]
  D --> E[Open Install Components in VCF Operations]
  E --> F[Connect to the VCF Operations instance]
  F --> G[Enter CIDR block and five FQDNs]
  G --> H[Set password and click Install]
  H --> I[Verify components and license server]

Verify the deployment

Confirm the result from VCF Operations. Open Build, then Lifecycle, and select the instance that hosts VCF Operations. Each installed component, VCF services runtime, fleet lifecycle, SDDC lifecycle, software depot, identity broker, Salt RaaS, Salt master, telemetry, and the license server, should report a healthy state. Browse to fleet management and confirm that fleet lifecycle and SDDC lifecycle are listed. Check that each of the five FQDNs resolves and answers, and that the license server FQDN answers on its IPv4 address. To read a system managed service account password later, follow the VCF management services password retrieval procedure in the Broadcom documentation. Once the software depot shows as configured, you are ready to upgrade or add the remaining components. For more on how the license server and its dependency components fit into a fleet, see the related walkthrough.

Watch the progress while the install runs. Deployment brings up the VCF services runtime nodes, joins the container services, and registers each component with VCF Operations, so the flow can run for a while on a first instance. If a task stalls, open the upgrade monitoring view in VCF Operations to read the current step and any error detail before you cancel or retry.

Record where the new VMs landed and leave them there. Keep the VCF management services VMs in their original resource pool and folder, because moving them breaks later patching, deployment, and scale out operations. Set a note on the folder so a routine cleanup does not relocate them by mistake.

Common errors and fixes

A failed precheck usually points at DNS or an address that sits inside the runtime block. Work through the failures below before you retry.

Common questions

Is VCF management services optional in VCF 9.1?

No. It is mandatory. It hosts fleet lifecycle, SDDC lifecycle, the software depot, and the Salt services, and it deploys the license server your fleet depends on.

How many addresses does the /27 block provide?

A /27 gives 30 usable addresses, which cover the VCF management services nodes and the runtime virtual IP.

Can the license server use IPv6?

No. License server supports IPv4 only, so its FQDN must resolve to an IPv4 address.

Do the five FQDNs go inside the runtime CIDR block?

No. All five FQDNs must resolve to unique IP addresses that sit outside the /27 block reserved for the VCF services runtime.

References

• Deploy VCF Management Services and License Server, Broadcom TechDocs
• VCF Components FQDNs and IP Addresses, Broadcom TechDocs
• Fleet Management, Broadcom TechDocs
• Binary Management for VMware Cloud Foundation, Broadcom TechDocs

About The Author

Dr. Pranay Jha

Dr. Pranay Jha is a Cloud and AI Consultant with 18+ years of experience in hybrid cloud, virtualization, and enterprise infrastructure transformation. He specializes in VMware technologies, multi-cloud strategy, and Generative AI solutions. He holds a PhD in Computer Applications with research focused on Cloud and AI, has published multiple research papers, and has been a VMware vExpert since 2016 and a VMUG Community Leader.

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