Category: Tech Notes
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Upgrade VCF Operations to 9.1 with the PAK File and Software Update (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 8)
Upgrade VCF Operations to 9.1 first with the PAK file and Software Update, then let the fleet management migration fold the old 9.0 appliance into your new instance.
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The VCF 9.1 Upgrade Sequence End to End and Why the Order Matters (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 7)
The full VCF 9.1 upgrade sequence in the order the platform enforces: VCF Operations first, then the depot, VCF Management Services, SDDC Manager, and the NSX, vCenter and ESX domain core, with rough timings and why each step sits where it does.
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VCF 9.1 Upgrade Backups and Rollback Plan Before You Touch Anything (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 6)
How to back up and plan rollback before a VCF 9.1 upgrade: what to back up and in what order, file-based backups versus snapshots, and the rollback boundary for each component.
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VCF 9.1 Upgrade Prechecks and Readiness: Fixing What They Flag (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 5)
How to run the VCF 9.1 upgrade prechecks, what each one validates across the stack, and how to fix the failures they flag before your maintenance window.
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VCF Upgrade Planning Tool: Build a Tailored 9.1 Upgrade Plan (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 4)
A walk through the free, browser-based VCF 9.1 Upgrade Planning Tool: what to feed it, the phased plan it generates, and where it fits before the prechecks.
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Prerequisites and the Planning and Preparation Workbook for VCF 9.1 (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 3)
Before you upgrade to VCF 9.1, get the prep right: the Planning and Preparation Workbook, minimum component versions like VCF Operations 8.18, temporary IPs, certificates, the vSAN HCL, and a clean SDDC Manager precheck.
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Supported Upgrade Paths to VCF 9.1: From 9.0.x, Skip-Level and vSphere Foundation (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 2)
Which supported path to VCF 9.1 you take depends on where you start. A clear map of the 9.0.x direct hop, the VCF 5.2.x route, the two-stage 4.x climb and the three vSphere Foundation shapes, with the version floors that block the run.
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What Is New in VCF 9.1 and the Case for Upgrading (VCF 9.1 Upgrade Series, Part 1)
VCF 9.1 adds a mandatory VCF Management Services cluster and reshuffles the management plane. Here is what changed, why to upgrade from 9.0.x, and the order the upgrade runs in.
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Configuration Compliance and Drift in VCF Operations: Catching Drift Before the Auditor Does (VCF 9 Operations Series, Part 10)
How VCF Operations scores configuration compliance, why a green cluster can still drift, and the honest line between what base Operations shows and what the Advanced Cyber Compliance add-on enforces.
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VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 vs 9.1: What Actually Changed
A plain comparison of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 and 9.1: what changed, which features matter (vCenter quick patch, VKS Fast Deploy, vSAN object storage, VCF Management Services), and whether to upgrade.
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Rightsizing and Reclamation in VCF Operations (VCF 9 Operations Series, Part 9)
Reclaim capacity in VCF Operations from snapshots, orphaned disks, dead VMs and oversized VMs. Rightsize CPU freely, memory carefully, and record realized savings.
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Set Up Cost Visibility and Showback in VCF Operations (VCF 9 Operations Series, Part 8)
VCF Operations Cost Management turns invisible infrastructure spend into per-workload cost. Showback vs chargeback, cost drivers, rate cards, and why to show before you bill.
Architect’s Toolkit
PJ’s Tools
VMware Cloud Foundation
- VCF Documentation
- VCF 9 Planning & Preparation Workbook
- VCF Bill of Materials (BoM)
- VMware Compatibility Guide
- VMware Interoperability Matrix
- VMware Configuration Maximums
- VMware Ports & Protocols
- VMware Hands-on Labs
- RVTools Download
Nutanix
AI & Cloud-Native Platform
- NVIDIA Build (Model Catalog)
- NVIDIA AI Enterprise Reference Architecture
- NVIDIA NIM Performance Benchmarking
- NVIDIA NGC Catalog
- NeMo Microservices Helm Chart
- Helm Charts Repository
- Hugging Face Models
Architecture & Design
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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