WilliamLam.com

Quick Tip - Automatically Generate VCF Download Tool Commands with Express Patches for VCF 9.0.2 and 9.1.0

by // Leave a Comment

The VCF Download Tool (VCFDT) is the recommended utility for downloading binaries for VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) deployments and upgrades. However, because Express Patches (EPs) are versioned and released independently for each VCF component, determining the latest installation or upgrade binaries for a specific VCF release currently requires additional effort when using VCFDT.

The VCF Installer UI currently provides the best user experience by automatically determining the latest supported version of each component for a given VCF release (for example, 9.0.2 or 9.1.0) by parsing the productVersionCatalog.json manifest.


Using a similar approach, I created a small script called Get-VCFLatestComponents.ps1 with the assistance of AI that allows you to specify the target VCF release and whether you are performing an installation or upgrade. The script then generates the appropriate VCFDT commands to download the latest supported binaries.

The script requires the productVersionCatalog.json which can be downloaded using VCFDT (e.g. vcf-download-tool metadata download) or from the Broadcom Support Portal (BSP) and then specify the following:

  • DepotStore - The full path to where you want the binaries to be download to
  • CredentialType - Either ActivationCode or DownloadCode
  • CredentialFile - The full path to either the activation or download code file
  • BaseVersion - 9.0.2 or 9.1.0
  • Type - Either INSTALL or UPGRADE

Here is an example of running the script to generate the download binary commands for the latest VCF 9.1.0 release with latest EPs:

./Get-VCFLatestComponents.ps1 -PVC /Users/lamw/productVersionCatalog.json -DepotStore /Volumes/Storage/Software/VCF-LATEST -CredentialType ActivationCode -CredentialFile /Users/lamw/vcf_activation_code.txt -BaseVersion 9.1.0  -Type INSTALL


You can now copy the generated VCFDT commands and run them sequentially or placed them inside of a PowerShell or Shell script and have it run in the background 😎

An enhancement has already been planned for VCFDT, where a future maintenance release will support downloading the latest install/upgrade binaries for a VCF release, including all applicable Express Patches, using a single command. Until then, I hope this script saves you a few minutes and removes some of the guesswork when downloading VCF binaries.

VCF 9.1 - Understanding VCF Express Patches

by // Leave a Comment

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.

[Read more...]

What Host Lifecycle Operations Are Available after Importing vCenter into VCF 9.x Fleet?

by // 3 Comments

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) first introduced the Brownfield Import capability in VCF 5.2, making it easy for customers to onboard their existing vSphere environments into a VCF deployment. While the Brownfield Import capability had some limitations in earlier releases, it has seen significant enhancements since VCF 9.0 and now provides a native onboarding experience using either the VCF Installer or as a Day-N operation within VCF Operations.

While some customers may have the opportunity to deploy a brand new VCF 9.1 Fleet as part of a hardware refresh initiative, the vast majority will start by converting an existing vSphere environment into their initial VCF Management Domain and then import their remaining vSphere environments as VCF Workload Domains.

In addition to providing centralized visibility and lifecycle management (patching and upgrades) for imported environments, one of the most common question is around what host lifecycle operations can be performed after an environment has been imported into VCF.

[Read more...]