Upgrading Your vSphere Environment to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0

 

Modern IT organizations are increasingly looking to move from traditional vSphere deployments to a fully integrated private cloud model. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 brings a simplified architecture, improved governance, and support for modern workloads—including AI and ML—while reducing operational complexity.

If you’re running an existing vSphere environment, upgrading to VCF 9.0 is a natural next step. This blog walks you through the high-level upgrade process, supported by a flowchart to visualize the journey.

High-Level Upgrade Steps to VCF 9.0

1. Design Consideration for VCF 9.0

Before you start, assess your current environment and plan for the target VCF 9.0 architecture.
Key actions:

• Validate hardware compatibility against the VCF 9.0 HCL.
• Review licensing needs—VCF 9.0 introduces simplified licensing.
• Identify which workloads will move first.
• Define network, storage, and security policies for the new foundation.

2. Complete All Prerequisites

Prepare your vSphere environment so it’s fully aligned for the upgrade:

• Upgrade supporting components (vSAN, NSX if applicable).
• Take full backups of vCenter, ESXi, and critical configs.
• Validate DNS, NTP, and network reachability.
• Ensure compliance with the minimum vSphere versions required by VCF 9.0.

3. Upgrade vCenter Server

The vCenter Server must be upgraded first since it is the central management plane.

• Upgrade to vCenter 9.0.
• Validate API and plugin compatibility.
• Test connectivity with ESXi hosts post-upgrade.

4. Upgrade ESXi Hosts

Once vCenter is running at the target version:

• Place hosts into maintenance mode (use vMotion to evacuate workloads).
• Upgrade ESXi to version 9.0.
• Validate host profiles, storage adapters, and networking after upgrade.

5. Deploy VCF Installer

The VCF installer orchestrates the private cloud buildout.

• Deploy it into the upgraded vSphere environment.
• Connect it to your management network.
• Validate access to the depot for downloading bundles.

6. Configure Depot and Download Bundle

The installer needs the VCF software bundle:

• Configure connectivity to the VCF depot (online or offline mode).
• Download the VCF 9.0 bundle.
• Ensure checksum validation before proceeding.

7. Deploy VCF 9.0 Using vCenter 9.0

With the installer ready:

• Deploy VCF 9.0 on top of your existing vCenter 9.0.
• This integrates your vSphere environment into a fully managed VCF framework.
• Deploy the Management Domain as the foundation for workload domains.

8. Configure Licensing in VCF Operations

VCF 9.0 introduces unified licensing:

• Apply the single license file in VCF Operations.
• Validate license compliance across vCenter, ESXi, and NSX.

9. Import Workload Domains (Optional)

If you have existing workload clusters/domains:

• Use the Import functionality to bring them under VCF governance.
• Align policies with the management domain.

Why Upgrade to VCF 9.0?

• Unified Operations → Manage vSphere, vSAN, and NSX under a single cloud operating model.
• Modern Workload Support → Run VMs, containers, and AI workloads natively.
• Simplified Licensing → Single license file for the entire platform.
• Fleet Management → Manage multiple VCF instances at scale.

This upgrade path ensures a structured transition from vSphere to VCF 9.0, allowing you to modernize operations while protecting existing workloads.