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Playing with Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) in vSphere 9.1 using an ASUS NUC

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Introduced in VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1, Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) is the next evolution of Auto Deploy. Like Auto Deploy, it automates both ESX installation and host configuration. Instead of relying on the traditional PXE/TFTP boot process and Host Profiles, ZTP uses modern UEFI HTTP Boot along with vSphere Configuration Profiles (VCP) to provision a fully configured ESX host that automatically registers itself into the desired vSphere Cluster.

While ESX has supported UEFI HTTP Boot for some time, adoption has been gradual as organizations continue to rely on existing PXE/TFTP-based deployment infrastructure. At the same time, the hardware ecosystem has steadily transitioned from legacy BIOS firmware to UEFI, making UEFI HTTP Boot more broadly available. Auto Deploy's iPXE implementation was a nice bridge to support traditional PXE/TFTP infrastructure while still getting the benefits of HTTP boot, especially when it comes to installing ESX over the network compared to a TFTP-based approach.

While cleaning out some old lab hardware, I came across a spare ASUS NUC 15 Pro that I was no longer using and wondered whether it supported UEFI HTTP Boot and could be repurposed for ZTP testing? 🤔

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Quick Tip: Automating PAK Upload & Installation for VCF Operations

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While testing an update workflow, I needed to update VCF Operations directly, which can be performed through the /admin UI and by uploading and then installing the PAK file. Although the process itself is straightforward, the two-step workflow and the waiting between each step make it feel longer than the actual update.


I figured there had to be a way to automate the process, but I was not able to quickly find anything online. After browsing both the VCF Operations API and the VCF Operations Cluster and Slice Administration (CASA) API, I found the APIs needed to automate both the PAK upload and installation.

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Password, Certificate & Backup Management UI/API for VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9.1 

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When it comes to VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) capabilities such as the new unified Fleet Management, it is important to distinguish between the deployment type and the deployment entitlement.

Deployment Type

Deployment Entitlement

  • VVF
  • VCF

Although related, these are two distinct concepts, and conflating them can lead to confusion about which capabilities are available in a given deployment.


To add to the confusion, the VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) deployment type includes a non-VCF Installer deployment workflow, officially referred to as VVF without VCF Management Services.  This workflow deploys the standalone VVF components, including vCenter Server, ESX, VCF Operations, and VCF License Server, rather than a VCF Management Services-based deployment. As a result, capabilities such as Log Management, which rely on VCF Management Services, are not available in this deployment model.

Customers have the flexibility to choose the deployment type that best meets the requirements of a given environment, independent of their VVF or VCF entitlement. While this flexibility is intentional, it can also lead to questions about where core management capabilities, such as password, certificate, and backup management, are exposed.

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