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VCF 9.1 - July Express Patch is more than Security Fixes

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As I discussed in my previous blog post, Understanding VCF Express Patches (EPs), Express Patches are designed to deliver security fixes as soon as they become available. As a by-product of this faster release cadence, important product fixes can also be delivered much sooner, rather than waiting months for the next scheduled release.

For a quick refresher, Express Patches (EPs) are released, versioned, and applied on a per-component basis as needed and do not require a specific installation sequence. The latest version of each component is always cumulative and includes all previously released fixes.

Earlier this week, we released several VCF component Express Patches, ranging from 9.1.0.0200 through 9.1.0.0400. Internally, we refer to this coordinated set of component updates as EP2 or the July EP, even though each Express Patch is released, versioned, and applied independently.

EP2 demonstrates exactly why a faster software release cadence matters. It includes a number of important product fixes that address issues that have prevented some customers from successfully upgrading, along with a few UI enhancements that I think many customers will appreciate as they begin their VCF 9.1 journey.

While rolling out EP2 into my lab and reviewing the release notes, I wanted to share a few of the highlights that stood out to me.

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VCF 9.1 - VCF Instance & Fleet Consolidation/Relocation

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An interesting set of deployment scenarios has been coming up as customers begin planning their upgrade to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1. Customers' existing deployments are often the result of years of organic growth, evolving operational requirements, and infrastructure constraints. Whether driven by available hardware, project timelines, or changing business priorities, today's deployment topology is not always the one customers would choose if they were starting from scratch.

For some customers, rather than performing a like-for-like upgrade, customers is using the transition to VCF 9.1 as a natural opportunity to consolidate and/or relocate some of their existing deployments, better aligning their architecture with current operational and infrastructure requirements.

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VCF 9.1 - Understanding VCF Express Patches

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AI has fundamentally changed the software industry through its ability to discover software vulnerabilities at an unprecedented pace. This has driven software vendors to adopt faster release cadences, making more frequent software updates the new industry norm.

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) is no exception. With the unified versioning introduced in VCF 9, several release types are available to deliver updates, each serving a specific purpose.

The following diagram summarizes the VCF unified versioning model, showing whether each release type is synchronized across the VCF software stack or delivered independently, along with its installation method.


Rather than bundling security fixes into the next scheduled maintenance release, Express Patches allow them to be delivered as soon as they are available. Unlike upgrades, which must be applied in a specific order, Express Patches can be applied in any order, reducing some of the overhead in rolling out the fixes.

As a result of this faster release cadence, product fixes can also be delivered much sooner, rather than waiting for the next maintenance or minor release.

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