What it does, it brings up the first cluster of VCF 9.1, a three or four host vSAN cluster that runs vCenter, NSX, SDDC Manager and the VCF management services. Every workload domain and management component you deploy later attaches to this management domain.

Depends on, a deployed VCF Installer appliance, working forward and reverse DNS, a reachable NTP source, and the reserved management IP block from your planning workbook.

• Prerequisites, a running VCF Installer appliance with its binary depot downloaded, three or four ESXi 9.1 hosts prepared with NTP, DNS and SSH, plus a reserved management IP block.
• Reserve a minimum of 12 consecutive IP addresses for VCF Management Services and 5 consecutive addresses for VCF Automation on the management network.
• Component sizes in the Simple model, all appliances deploy as Small except NSX Manager, which deploys as Medium.
• Host floor, 3 hosts with vSAN ESA or OSA, or 2 hosts with external storage. Four hosts give you headroom.
• Key steps, start the deployment wizard, pick a model, set networks and storage, add hosts, enter FQDNs, run the precheck, then click Deploy.
• VCF 9.1 generates all component passwords for you and lets you export them as JSON or CSV.

This part shows you how to deploy the VCF 9.1 management domain, the foundation cluster that every other product in the series depends on. You will run the VCF Installer deployment wizard end to end, add your prepared ESXi hosts, and let the installer build vCenter, an NSX Manager cluster, SDDC Manager and the VCF management services on a single vSAN cluster.

Before you start, confirm three things from earlier parts. You need a running VCF Installer appliance with its depot binaries downloaded, you need the network, DNS and NTP setup in place with forward and reverse records for every appliance, and you should have worked through the prerequisites and readiness checklist. Deploy in a maintenance window, because bring-up runs for roughly two to four hours depending on host speed and depot location.

Gather every value below before you open the wizard. A single missing DNS record or an NTP source that drifts will stop the precheck, so validate each item first.

Open the VCF Installer UI and check that the depot shows every management domain bundle as downloaded. A partial depot causes the deploy to fail late.

1. Browse to https://your-vcf-installer-fqdn and sign in with the admin@local account.
2. Open Depot Settings, then Binary Management.
3. Confirm the Online Depot shows Authenticated, or that your offline depot bundle is imported.
4. Select all bundles and click Download, then wait until each row reads Downloaded.
5. Ping each ESXi host by FQDN and confirm NTP, SSH and the regenerated certificate are in place.

Launch the wizard and choose the Cloud Foundation path. This same installer can deploy vSphere Foundation, so pick the correct product first.

1. From the installer home, click Deployment Wizard.
2. Select Cloud Foundation, then click Next.
3. On the target screen, select Deploy a new VCF fleet.
4. Leave the existing components options deselected, because you are building a clean management domain, then click Next.

Pick Simple for a standard management domain. Simple locks every appliance to Small except NSX Manager, which deploys as Medium, and it keeps the footprint predictable.

1. Select the Simple deployment model.
2. Review the size summary and confirm NSX Manager reads Medium while the rest read Small.
3. Click Next to move to the network options.

Choose Customize so you control the port group layout, then decide how the management VMs and the ESXi management VMkernel share networking. Pick the transit gateway model that matches your plan.

1. Select Customize on the network options screen.
2. Decide whether management VMs share the ESXi management network or use a separate port group, then set that option.
3. Leave the defer option deselected if you want VCF Operations and VCF Automation deployed now, rather than as a Day 2 task.
4. For transit gateway type, select Centralized connectivity for a simpler bring-up, or Distributed connectivity if you will supply a dedicated subnet now.
5. Click Next.

Select vSAN ESA for a modern all flash cluster. VCF 9.1 lets you turn on vSAN data in transit encryption here without a separate key management server.

1. Select vSAN ESA, or vSAN OSA if your hardware is not ESA ready.
2. If you want encryption on the cluster network, tick Enable vSAN data in transit encryption.
3. Click Next to reach the requirements review.

Read the requirements review for your chosen model, which lists resource, VLAN and FQDN needs. Use the FQDN generator to save typing if you have not created records yet, then name the instance and domain.

1. Review the Resource Requirements, VLAN Requirements, and FQDNs and IP Addresses Requirements panels.
2. Optionally click PRE-FILL GENERATED FQDNS IN WIZARD, enter a prefix, suffix and domain, then Validate the generated records.
3. Enter the VCF instance name and the management domain name.
4. Set the CEIP option to opt in or opt out.
5. Confirm the DNS and NTP fields, which pre-populate from the installer configuration, then click Next.

Add each management host by FQDN and root credentials, then accept the fingerprints together. A resource warning is normal in small labs and can be acknowledged, though production sites should keep the recommended headroom.

1. Enter the FQDN, root user and password for the first host, then repeat for all 3 or 4 hosts.
2. Click Confirm All Fingerprints to accept the SSH thumbprints.
3. Read any resource availability warning, for example the recommended 20 percent headroom notice, and acknowledge it if this is a lab.
4. Click Next.

Enter the VLAN, subnet, gateway and MTU for each traffic type, then supply the two IP ranges. Set the overlay and storage MTU to 9000 to avoid fragmentation.

1. Fill in the Management network VLAN, subnet, gateway and MTU.
2. Fill in the vMotion network values.
3. Fill in the vSAN network values with MTU 9000.
4. Fill in the NSX host overlay values with MTU 9000.
5. Enter the VCF Management Services IP range with at least 12 consecutive addresses.
6. Enter the VCF Automation IP range with at least 5 consecutive addresses, then click Next.

Supply the FQDNs for vCenter, the NSX Manager node and cluster VIP, and SDDC Manager. Most names pre-populate from the management domain name, so you often only type the vCenter and datastore names. Then choose the vDS layout for your NIC count.

1. Type the vCenter FQDN, then confirm the pre-populated datacenter and cluster names.
2. Enter the datastore name, which pre-populates from the domain name.
3. Select the vDS profile that fits your NICs, for example Default for 2 or more NICs, or a separation profile for 4 or 6 NICs.
4. Keep MTU 9000 and the pre-populated vDS name, and leave Enhanced Data Path Standard enabled for the NSX vDS.
5. Enter the NSX Manager appliance FQDN and the NSX cluster VIP FQDN.
6. Enter the SDDC Manager FQDN, then click Next.

Review the summary, download the JSON spec for your records, then let the precheck validate DNS, NTP, NIC speed, disk eligibility and IP availability. Clear every error before you deploy.

1. Review the deployment details and click Download JSON to save the spec.
2. Start the precheck and wait for it to finish.
3. Resolve any errors, then acknowledge warnings you accept.
4. Click Deploy to begin bring-up.
5. Monitor progress in the installer until it reports the management domain as deployed.

VCF 9.1 generates passwords for every component rather than asking you to set them. Export the list right away and store it in your password manager.

1. Open the password panel shown at the end of bring-up.
2. Click Export and choose JSON or CSV.
3. Save the file to a secure vault, then remove it from the download location.

Confirm each component is up before you move on. A green bring-up in the installer is the start, not the end of verification.

1. Sign in to SDDC Manager and confirm the management domain shows as Active with all hosts assigned.
2. Open vCenter and check that the vSAN cluster reports all hosts healthy and the datastore mounted.
3. Run the vSAN Skyline Health check and confirm no red findings.
4. Sign in to the NSX Manager VIP and confirm the cluster shows three stable nodes and a Stable control status.
5. Open VCF Operations and confirm it is collecting from the new vCenter.

For the NSX side, the detailed node and cluster checks in the NSX 9 Manager deployment and cluster bring-up walkthrough tell you what a healthy cluster looks like.

Most bring-up failures trace back to a handful of causes. Work through these before you open a support case.

How many hosts do I need for the management domain
Plan for 3 hosts with vSAN, or 2 hosts with supported external storage. Four hosts give you maintenance headroom and are the practical choice for production.

Can I skip VCF Operations during bring-up
You can defer VCF Operations and VCF Automation using the defer option, then deploy them later with Deploy Deferred Components. VCF Operations is still mandatory in 9.x, so plan to deploy it.

Where do I set component passwords
You do not set them in 9.1. The installer generates every password and lets you export the set as JSON or CSV at the end of bring-up.

What is the difference between Centralized and Distributed connectivity
Centralized connectivity finishes the wizard without extra input and you configure transit later. Distributed connectivity asks for a dedicated subnet during the wizard.

Previous, Part 4, How to Deploy the VCF Installer Appliance
Complete Guide, all 17 parts
Next, Part 6, VCF Management Services and the License Server