The latest release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Download Tool (VCFDT), which ships as part of VCF 9.1, includes a number of enhancements for downloading VVF and VCF installation and upgrade binaries.
For new users of VMware Cloud Foundation Download Tool (VCFDT), I thought it would be useful to put together a quick cheat sheet covering some of the most common workflows, ranging from configuring an activation code and downloading the required VCF 9.1 binaries for initial deployments and upgrades, to the new workflow for downloading ESX patches and updates.
I have even found myself repeatedly using the --help command just to locate a specific option or workflow, so hopefully this serves as a useful reference for both new and existing users, including myself! 😅
Download Token and Activation Code
While download tokens can still be used to download VVF/VCF 9.1 binaries using either the VCF Installer UI or VCFDT, activation codes will eventually become the preferred mechanism and replace the existing download token workflow.
The one caveat is when downloading ESX updates and patches using VCFDT, which introduces a new “esx” namespace and replaces the need for a UMDS installation, as this new workflow only supports the use of an activation code.
Step 1 - Generate VCFDT Software ID
vcf-download-tool configuration generate --software-depot-id
Step 2 - Either copy the registration URL to your browser or login to VCF Broadcom Service Console (BSC) and go to Software Depot Registration to register your VCFDT instance. You can have multiple registration for different VCFDT deployments (e.g. development vs production).
Once you have successfully registered your VCFDT instance, you will be provided with an activation code.
Note: If you need to download ESX updates/patches, you should switch to using activation code as all VVF/VCF downloads support both download token and activation codes.
Offline Depot with multiple VCF versions
When downloading binaries for a specific VVF or VCF version, you can have several releases, all within a single VCF Offline Depot, simply provide the same destination folder and VCFDT will do the rest.
VVF/VCF 9.1 Installation Binaries for VCF Installer
To see the available binaries that are required for the initial installation, use the following command:
vcf-download-tool binaries list --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --automated-install --type=INSTALL
To download the VCF binaries for initial installation, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VCF910 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --automated-install --type=INSTALL
To download the VVF binaries for initial installation, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF910 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VVF --automated-install --type=INSTALL
VVF/VCF 9.1 Upgrade Binaries for VCF Installer
To see the available binaries that are required for an upgrade, use the following command:
vcf-download-tool binaries list --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --automated-install --type=UPGRADE
To download the VCF binaries for upgrade, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VCF910 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE
To download the VVF binaries for upgrade, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF910 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VVF --type=UPGRADE
VVF/VCF 9.1 Patch Binaries for VCF Upgrades using SDDC Manager
To see the available upgrade/patch binaries for an upgrade, use the following command:
vcf-download-tool binaries list --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE --patches-only
Note: VCF 9.1.0.0100 is an express patch (EP01) release and is part of the VCF 9.1.0.0 release, this is why you will not see results if you specify the EP version number.
To download the VCF upgrade binaries, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF9100100 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE --upgrades-only
To download VCF 9.1 EP01 (9.1.0.0100) patch binaries, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF9100100 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE --patches-only --component-version=9.1.0.0100
To download VCF 9.1 EP02 (9.1.0.0200) patch binaries, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF9100200 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE --patches-only --component-version=9.1.0.0200
To download VCF 9.1 EP03 (9.1.0.0300) patch binaries, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF9100300 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE --patches-only --component-version=9.1.0.0300
To download VCF 9.1 EP04 (9.1.0.0400) patch binaries, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VVF9100400 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=UPGRADE --patches-only --component-version=9.1.0.0400
Note: If you wish to download ONLY the installation binaries for latest EP, simply replace --type=INSTALL from the above commands. If you wish to download the latest versions for each component for a new VCF installation or upgrade, please refer to this blog post that will provide a script to generate the required VCFDT commands.
VCF 5.x Installation Binaries for VCF Offline Depot
You can use the latest VCFDT to see the available binaries for 5.x installation, but only vCenter and NSX binaries will be available.
vcf-download-tool binaries list --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --vcf-version=5.2.0 --type=INSTALL
To download the VCF binaries for installation, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VCF520 --vcf-version=5.2.0 --type=INSTALL
VCF 5.x Upgrade Binaries for VCF Offline Depot
You can use the latest VCFDT to see the available binaries for 5.x upgrade, but only vCenter, ESX and NSX binaries will be available.
To download the VCF binaries for upgrade, use following:
vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VCF520 --vcf-version=5.2.0 --type=UPGRADE
ESX Binaries
The latest version of VCFDT provides a much better user experience for downloading ESX patches and updates.
The following command will list all the ESX depot URLs that it will source the downloads from as well as the specific ESX versions that are available.
vcf-download-tool esx configuration -G
Not sure about you, but I do NOT need or want ESXi 6.7 patches! 😅
We can disable specific versions that we do not need to require, which will also help reduce the amount of storage needed to store only patches you intend to use.
The following command will disable the "embeddedEsx-6.7-INTL" version and you may also want to disable anything starting with esxio (used by vSphere Distributed Service Engine formally DPU) and armESx (if you do not have plans for ESX 9.1 for Arm)
vcf-download-tool esx configuration -D embeddedEsx-6.7-INTL
Thanks to a reader, you can also exclude multiple version on a single line by using the following:
vcf-download-tool esx configuration -D esxio-9.1-INTL -D armEsx-9.1-INTL -D embeddedEsx-8.0-INTL -D embeddedEsx-7.0-INTL -D embeddedEsx-9.0-INTL -D esxio-8.0-INTL -D esxio-9.0-INTL
One trick that I have found to be useful is to update the esxUserConfig.json configuration file (e.g. /Users/lamw/vcf-download-tool-9.1.0.0.25371089/conf/esxUserConfig.json) which is how VCFDT excludes specific ESX versions rather than having to both with running the exclude command as it still takes awhile.
{
"disabledPlatforms": [
"embeddedEsx-6.7-INTL",
"esxio-9.1-INTL",
"armEsx-9.1-INTL",
"embeddedEsx-8.0-INTL",
"embeddedEsx-7.0-INTL",
"embeddedEsx-9.0-INTL",
"esxio-8.0-INTL",
"esxio-9.0-INTL"
]
}
As mentioned earlier, to download ESX patches and updates using the latest VCFDT, you will need to provide an activation code instead of download token.
Once you have saved your configuration, to download the desired ESX patches and updates, use the following:
vcf-download-tool esx download --depot-download-activation-code-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_activation_code.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VCF910
Day-N Optional Components
There are additional VCF components that can be deployed after your initial VCF Fleet installation which can include Log Management, Real-time Metrics and VCF Operations for Networks.
To see the available binaries post-VCF Fleet installation, use the following command:
vcf-download-tool binaries list --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=INSTALL
To download the specific VCF binaries, use following:
binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Volumes/Storage/Software/VCF910 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --type=INSTALL --component=VRLI
Here is a list of the Day N components and their IDs, which you can use to quickly download and deploy using VCF Operations:
| Component | Id |
|---|---|
| Real-time metrics | VCF_OBSERVABILITY_DATA_PLATFORM |
| Real-time metrics store | VCFMS_METRICS_STORE |
| Log management | VRLI |
| VCF Operations for networks | VRNI |
Customer Improvement Experience Program (CIEP)
When you first run the VCFDT tool, you will be prompted to confirm your Customer Improvement Experience Program (CIEP) choice. For those that wish to automate this configuration change, you can simple run the following and use either the "ENABLE" or "DISABLE" for the value.
echo "obtu.telemetry.config=DISABLE" > /Users/lamw/vcf-download-tool-9.1.0.0.25371089/conf/telemetry/telemetry.flag
Broadcom really needs to advertise the esxUserConfig.json configuration file.
Thanks for sharing.
RE: ESX Binaries
You can also add multiple "-D" arguments to disable versions, e.g.
./vcf-download-tool esx configuration -D esxio-9.1-INTL -D armEsx-9.1-INTL -D embeddedEsx-8.0-INTL -D embeddedEsx-7.0-INTL -D embeddedEsx-9.0-INTL -D esxio-8.0-INTL -D esxio-9.0-INTL
Great tip Dominik!
Can I safely use the same depot store path for both VCF and ESX patches?
Yes, in fact it assumes it’ll be in same if you want to source from single VCF Depot 🙂
Is there a way to download the newest available version of each 9.X components? vcf-download-tool binaries download --depot-download-token-file=/Users/lamw/vcf_download_token.txt --depot-store=/Users/lamw/Desktop/VCF910 --vcf-version=9.1.0 --sku=VCF --automated-install --type=INSTALL <-- Example by running this command, this will download vCenter version 9.1.0.0 & 9.1.0.0100 & 9.1.0.0200. I only want the 9.1.0.0200 latest binaries.
See https://williamlam.com/2026/07/quick-tip-automatically-generate-vcf-download-tool-commands-with-express-patches-for-vcf-9-0-2-and-9-1-0.html
Amazing! This is exactly what I am looking for.
Hi William,
The vcf-download-tool allows for a proxy (--proxy-server=xx.xxx.xx.xxx) when used to download VCF binaries/patches but it seems that the same option does not exist when listing or downloading ESX patches (ie "esx download") is that something the devs are aware of, by chance ? or am I missing something ?
Joffrey,
I'm looking at the latest VCFDT 9.1.1 and I see following when you do --help
Usage:] -(d=) (DEPOT) [PROXY] (--force)
vcf-download-tool esx download [-h] [--ceip=
Description:
Downloads the ESX binaries and metadata from the specified sources.
--ceip=
Enable or disable the Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) within the VCF Download Tool. When the tool is used for the first time, if not provided, the user will be prompted to make a
choice about whether to participate in CEIP. After the initial selection, the value will be stored, making the parameter optional in future runs. To change the persisted value pass the
parameter with the new value. Valid values: ENABLE, DISABLE
* -D, --depot-store=
Directory where all binaries and metadata downloaded by the VCF Download Tool will be stored. This directory serves as the local repository for all downloaded artifacts, maintaining the
necessary structure for easy access and management.
-f, --force Option to clean up existing content and then download from the specified sources.
-h, --help Displays a help message that provides information about the command and its available options, and then exits the tool.
[DEPOT] Depot authentication settings:
* --depot-download-activation-code-file=
Path to text file containing single line with depot activation code. Activation code can be generated at Broadcom download portal and used for authentication.
[PROXY] Proxy configuration settings:
Path to a text file containing the password for the provided --proxy-user. The file should contain the password on a single line. If this parameter is not provided, the user will be prompted to
Username required to authenticate to the proxy server. If the proxy server enforces authentication, this parameter allows you to provide the necessary credentials for accessing the proxy.
Host name of the proxy server that the VCF Download Tool will use for internet access. The required format is . The proxy server must be reachable from the machine where the tool is
--proxy-https Specifies whether the proxy server is configured to be used with HTTPS connections.
--proxy-user-password-file=
enter the password manually.
* -r, --proxy-user=
* -s, --proxy-server=
running.
Thanks for answering this fast!
I thought I was going insane 😀
It seems that only the 'esx configuration' that lacks the proxy config option (only needed with the -G command of course ?)
# /opt/vcfdt/bin/vcf-download-tool esx configuration -G --proxy-server=xx.xxx.xxx.xx:XXXX
*********Welcome to VCF Download Tool***********
Version: 9.1.1.0200.25801073
Unknown option: '--proxy-server=xx.xxx.xxx.xx:XXXX'
Usage:
vcf-download-tool esx configuration [-h] (-g=) (--add-url=URL) (--remove-url=URL) (--enable-host=HOST_PLATFORMS) (--disable-host=HOST_PLATFORMS)
Description:
Manages the ESX download and related configurations
-h, --help Displays a help message that provides information about the command and its available options, and then exits the tool.
ESX depot configuration:
* --add-url=
Add a custom/third-party online depot source for content download.
* -D, --disable-host=
Disables download/export for the specified host platforms.
* -E, --enable-host=
Enables download/export for the specified host platforms.
* -G, --get Fetches the ESX download and related configurations
* --remove-url=
Removes a custom/third-party online depot source for content download.
I'd say give it a try with what I had suggested since I think it should work without needing to do esx configuration (since that was calling into old OBTU tooling) and this should natively use the global proxy configuration you pass via command-line