Category: Tech Notes
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VKS Cluster Sizing: VM Classes, Node Pools and Control-Plane Topology (VKS Series, Part 5)
Node size in VKS comes from a VM class, not a free-form number. Here is how VM classes, node pools and the one-or-three control plane decision actually shape a cluster.
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VKS Networking: NSX, VPCs and the CNI Options (VKS Series, Part 6)
Antrea by default, NSX VPCs or VDS on 9.1, and CIDRs that must not collide. Here is the VKS networking design that keeps clusters reachable instead of stuck.
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Enabling vSphere Supervisor and the VKS Runtime in VCF 9 (VKS Series, Part 3)
Two gates stand between a workload domain and a running VKS cluster: a healthy Supervisor and a content library. Here are the prerequisites, and the blockers that actually bite.
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What vSphere Kubernetes Service Is and Why It Replaced TKG (VKS Series, Part 1)
VKS is Tanzu Kubernetes Grid Service renamed, not a new product. Here is what actually changed under the rename, where VKS sits in VCF 9, and who it is really for.
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VKS Architecture: Supervisor, Namespaces and Workload Clusters (VKS Series, Part 2)
The Supervisor, vSphere Namespaces and workload clusters look alike and behave nothing alike. Here is how the three layers fit together, and where tenancy actually lives.
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VCF 9 Bundle Download Failed in SDDC Manager: Causes and Fixes
VCF 9 bundle downloads showing Failed in SDDC Manager or VCF Operations are almost always a depot authorization or configuration issue, not your network. Diagnose by HTTP code and fix each root cause: token, entitlement (403), HTTPS-disabled depot, proxy, and Product Version Catalog corruption.
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VCF 9 Login Accounts: Which User ID for Which Component, and What For
One of the most common sources of confusion in VMware Cloud Foundation is simply: which user ID do I log in with, and to what? Is it vcf, root, admin, or administrator@vsphere.local? Every VCF 9 component ships its own built-in accounts, each meant for a different job — UI, API, SSH/OS, or a service account VCF…
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VCF 9 Interactive Walkthroughs
A set of interactive, click-through walkthroughs for deploying, upgrading and operating VMware Cloud Foundation 9 and its components. Pick one below — each opens a full-screen, step-by-step navigator you can follow on a second screen, with a Full plan / print export. VCF 9 Deployment WalkthroughGreenfield bring-up of the management domain via the VCF Installer…
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NVIDIA AI Enterprise Explained: What’s in the Suite, How It’s Licensed, and Whether It’s Worth It
A practitioner’s breakdown of what NVIDIA AI Enterprise actually bundles, how its per-GPU licensing lands on VMware vSphere, and when the subscription earns its keep versus when you can skip it.
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VMware Private AI vs Red Hat OpenShift AI vs Hyperscaler Managed AI: An Honest Verdict (Private AI Series, Part 30)
Three ways to run enterprise inference, three very different trade-offs. A straight comparison of VMware Private AI Foundation, Red Hat OpenShift AI and hyperscaler managed AI, ending in a clear verdict.
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Disaster Recovery and Multi-Tenancy for VMware Private AI: What to Protect and How to Share (Private AI Series, Part 29)
Most of your AI platform is reproducible, a small part is not. Here is a reference design for backing up the stateful pieces of VMware Private AI and sharing GPU clusters across teams without a free-for-all.
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Guardrails and Responsible AI on VMware Private AI: What NeMo Guardrails Actually Stops (Private AI Series, Part 28)
Private does not mean safe. Here is how NeMo Guardrails wraps your models on VMware Private AI, the five rail types, and an honest line on what guardrails catch and what they do not.
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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