Dr. Pranay Jha

Everything you need to understand, deploy, secure, operate and master vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) on VMware Cloud Foundation 9, in one complete, sequential series. All 17 parts are now published. Start at Part 1, or jump to the part you need.

1. 01What VKS Is and Why It Replaced TKGThe rename from Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service, where VKS sits in VCF 9, and who it is for.
2. 02VKS Architecture: Supervisor, Namespaces and Workload ClustersThe three layers, the Supervisor control plane, tenancy in namespaces, and ClusterClass-based clusters.

1. 03Enabling vSphere Supervisor and the VKS RuntimePrerequisites, the Supervisor workflow, content libraries, and the enablement blockers that bite.
2. 04Provisioning VKS Clusters: ClusterClass and the Cluster APIThe v1beta1 Cluster API workflow, manifests, and reading cluster lifecycle states honestly.
3. 05VKS Cluster Sizing: VM Classes, Node Pools and TopologyVM classes, node pools, one-or-three control plane, and a sizing reference to start from.

1. 06VKS Networking: NSX, VPCs and the CNI OptionsAntrea vs Calico, NSX VPCs vs VDS, and CIDR planning you will not regret.
2. 07Load Balancing and Ingress: NSX Native vs AviHow Service type LoadBalancer works, ingress, and choosing NSX native or Avi with AKO.
3. 08VKS Storage: vSphere CSI, Storage Policies and PVspvCSI to CNS, StorageClass to SPBM, PV/PVC lifecycle and multi-zone late binding.

1. 09Autoscaling VKS: Cluster Autoscaler and Node PoolsMin/max node pool sizing, scale-up and scale-down behavior, and what to watch in production.
2. 10Securing VKS Clusters: RBAC, Pod Security and IsolationThe two access layers, token auth, Pod Security Admission, and what real isolation requires.
3. 11Observability: Metrics, Logs and VCF OperationsCloud-native metrics and logs plus the VCF Operations view that correlates clusters with infrastructure.

1. 12Upgrading VKS: Versions and Rolling Node ReplacementDecoupled VKr releases, the rolling replacement model, version skew and prechecks.
2. 13Deploying Applications with GitOps: Argo CD, Flux, HelmStandard Kubernetes delivery, plus the VKS-specific wiring: registries, ingress, RBAC, storage.

1. 14Running GPU and AI Workloads on VKSvGPU and passthrough VM classes, the NVIDIA GPU Operator, and VKS as the Private AI substrate.
2. 15Troubleshooting VKS: The Failure Modes That BiteProvisioning, networking and upgrade failures, diagnosed from the Cluster and Machine objects.
3. 16Day-2 Operations: Backup, Multi-Tenancy and CapacityVelero and cluster-level backup, multi-tenancy models, and capacity through quotas and headroom.

1. 17VKS: The Verdict and When to Use It vs AlternativesAn honest assessment versus OpenShift and hyperscaler managed Kubernetes, and where VKS earns its place.

1. ↗vSphere Supervisor & VKS Architecture (VCF 9 Series, Part 24)The platform-level reference design for the Supervisor and VKS within the wider VCF 9 series.
2. ↗VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA: The Complete GuideWhere the GPU/AI story continues, built on the VKS clusters described in Part 14.