Upgrading VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0.2 to 9.1: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Runbook Phase 1

The release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1 brings massive architectural shifts to Broadcom’s flagship private cloud platform. If you are currently running VCF 9.0.2, moving to 9.1 isn't just a simple patch; it's a transition to a highly consolidated, unified VCF Management Services layer.

VCF 9.1 is an architectural game-changer. It transitions the lifecycle management of key management components—such as VCF Operations, VCF Operations for logs, VCF Operations for networks, VCF Automation, and VCF Identity Broker—into a unified fleet lifecycle and SDDC lifecycle model. This eliminates the old VCF Operations Fleet Management Appliance, automatically decommissioning it during the upgrade.

Additionally, VCF 9.1 introduces a mandatory, centralized License Server component and migrates binary downloads from the VCF Installer directly to a Software Depot model.

Before you touch your production environment, here is the exact operational sequence and technical guardrails you need to successfully navigate the upgrade.

🛑 Crucial Pre-Upgrade Guardrails

VCF 9.1 enforces strict programmatic validation and is highly unforgiving of environmental drift. Before staging any binaries, verify these four criteria:  

• DNS Hygiene (Case Sensitivity): VCF 9.1 strictly requires lower-case FQDNs for all components. Ensure forward and reverse lookup records are pristine.

• VCF Identity Broker Network: If your existing VCF Identity Broker 9.0.x is sitting on a non-management network, move it to the VM Management network beforehand.

• Backups: Take file-based and image-based backups/snapshots of your active 9.0.2 appliances (vCenter, SDDC Manager, VCF Operations).

• Verify all the Certificate for all components valid , Certificates with incomplete SANs are no longer supported .

• Check VMware Interoperbility Matrix , do select the option of Hide patch releases

• You can now use VCF Upgrade Planner tool to navigate the upgrading process .

• Download all the Binaries as part of VCF 9.1 BOM

VCF Components

Before version 9, VCF always included the following core components:

• SDDC Manager

• NSX Manager

• vCenter

• ESX

Starting with VCF 9, the management components are part of the VCF fleet

• VCF Operations

• Cloud proxy

• VCF Automation

• VCF management services (introduced in 9.1)

• License server (introduced in 9.1)

Detailed Step-by-Step Upgrade Steps

Phase 1 : Upgrading VCF Operations 9.0.2 to 9.1 :

Your upgrade path officially begins at VCF Operations. In VCF 9.1, binary management is decoupled, meaning VCF 9.1 binaries will not show up in your VCF Operations 9.0.x UI initially. Instead, you must kick off the upgrade manually.

1. Obtain the VCF Operations 9.1 upgrade PAK file from the Broadcom Support Portal.

2. Log in to the VCF Operations Administrator interface at https://<primary-node-FQDN-or-IP-address>/admin , On the System Status Page , Take the cluster offline and Take a snaphots

3. Bring the Cluster back online before we start proceeding with the upgrade .

4. Log in to the VCF Operations Administration Interface (https://<vcf-ops-fqdn>/admin).

5. Navigate to Software Update  browse to upload the PAK file which we downloaded for VCF OPS 9.1 and click Next ( this took 20min for me to upload )

4. Once the Upload is completed Click Next

5. Now Start the Upgrade by Clicking INTALL

6. You might see the Page unable status like below , which is normal as part of the upgrade.

7. During the upgrade the process will take multiple reboots for me it took more than 60mins+ along with Cloud Proxy Server . By default it will upgrade all the Cloud Proxy servers.

   
   

8. Each cloud proxy can be monitor from the VM console in my case we had 6 proxy server it all got upgrade 9.1

   

   Finally after the upgrade VCF OPS version and Cloud Proxy Version should be 9.1

   

In Phase 2 I'll walk you through the VCF SDDC Manager upgrade , Happy Learning !!!!!!