Upgrading VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 to 9.0: Webinar Takeaways

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 represents a significant leap forward in architectural unification and operational management. While the upgrade from 5.x is designed to be streamlined, it introduces mandatory changes in management methodologies and requires careful, phased execution. 

I’ve previously shared the typical process that VCF Professional Services uses to perform upgrades to VCF 9.0. In my recent webinar with Brent Douglas, I walked through the process (with demos!) of upgrading VCF 5.2 to VCF 9.0. You can find the full webinar replay at the end of this blog, but here are some of the highlights.

Webinar Highlights

The webinar starts with an overview of VCF 9.0. This release introduces a unified platform designed to manage both traditional VMs and modern container-based Kubernetes workloads from a single foundation. The new “fleet” construct fundamentally changes how multiple VCF instances are managed, enabling centralized automation and operations across geographically dispersed or logically grouped private clouds. Expanded multi-site, multi-rack, and stretched cluster topologies are now officially supported and documented.

VMware SDDC Manager, although currently still available, is being deprecated. Its functions, such as licensing, certificates, and password management, have been migrated to VMware Cloud Foundation Operations which is now a mandatory component in VCF 9.0.

The primary upgrade path to VCF 9.0 is from VCF 5.x. Older versions will require additional steps. VCF 4.x environments must first upgrade to VCF 5.x before proceeding to VCF 9.0. Environments on VCF 3.x face the most complex path. They require upgrading to 4.x (including VMware NSX-V to VMware NSX-T migrations), then 5.x, and finally 9.0.0.

Upgrading from VCF 5.2 to 9.0 has many critical considerations and prerequisites. For example, all VMware ESX clusters must be converted from baseline management to VMware vSphere Lifecycle Manager (vLCM) images before the ESX host upgrade phase as baselines are no longer supported in VCF 9.0. VCF orchestrates a reduced downtime upgrade (RDU) for VMware vCenter, which requires a temporary IP address during the transition. Careful planning and prechecks are essential for success.

The entire upgrade is managed and orchestrated through VMware SDDC Manager. The process involves a sequential update of SDDC Manager, VMware NSX, VMware vCenter, ESX hosts, and VCF Operations deployment/upgrade. There are specific planning, precheck, and execution steps required for each.

Once the VCF core components are upgraded, several additional tasks are recommended to complete the deployment. For example, upgrading or deploying additional VCF components (e.g., VMware Cloud Foundation Automation, VCF Operations for Networks, VCF Operations for Logs), configuring the VMware Identity Broker (VIDB) to provide single sign-on (SSO) across all platform components, updating VMware vSphere Distributed Switch and VMware vSAN on-disk format versions, and ensuring third-party solutions (e.g., backup software) are compatible with or updated for VCF 9.0.

Key Takeaways

• VCF 9.0.0 is a major architectural shift, not just an update.
• VCF Operations is mandatory and is central to VCF 9.0.
• The primary upgrade path is from VCF 5.x; older versions face a multi-step journey.
• Prechecks are crucial to a successful upgrade.
• The upgrade process is managed and orchestrated through SDDC Manager.
• Once the core VCF 9.0 upgrade is complete, there are several post-deployment tasks that are recommended.
• VCF Professional Services can help with complex remediations and configurations.

On-Demand Replay

If you missed the webinar, you can watch the replay below. Discussion and demo timestamps are provided if you would like to jump directly to specific sections.

Need Help?

Upgrading VCF 5.x to VCF 9.0 requires careful planning and execution for a successful transition. If you need assistance with your upgrade, VCF Professional Services can help. Contact your account director for more information.