<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" ><generator uri="https://jekyllrb.com/" version="3.10.0">Jekyll</generator><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" /><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" /><updated>2026-08-07T20:17:51+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/feed.xml</id><title type="html">VCF Insider</title><subtitle>Real-world VMware Cloud Foundation stories and solutions covering VCF, NSX, Avi, automation, homelab, lifecycle, and lessons learned.</subtitle><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name><email>Chris@VCFInsider.com</email></author><entry><title type="html">VCF Management Services Would Not Deployâ€”and Neither the Error nor the Logs Explained Why</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/08/07/vcf-management-services-deployment-failure/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="VCF Management Services Would Not Deployâ€”and Neither the Error nor the Logs Explained Why" /><published>2026-08-07T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-08-07T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/08/07/vcf-management-services-deployment-failure</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF 9.1" /><category term="VCF Management Services" /><category term="VCF Operations" /><category term="SDDC Manager" /><category term="Cloud Proxy" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A VCF 9.1 Management Services deployment failed with a generic Invalid input message. The actual cause was a password requirement, and the next failure was a Cloud Proxy assignment issue.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-08-07-vcf-management-services-deployment-failure/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-08-07-vcf-management-services-deployment-failure/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">VCF Upgrades Are Still a Pain. This Tool Actually Helps.</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/24/vcf-upgrade-planner/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="VCF Upgrades Are Still a Pain. This Tool Actually Helps." /><published>2026-06-24T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-06-24T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/24/vcf-upgrade-planner</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF 9.1" /><category term="VVF" /><category term="vSphere" /><category term="SDDC Manager" /><category term="Upgrade" /><category term="Lifecycle" /><category term="Upgrade Planning" /><category term="Automation" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[VMware's new VCF Upgrade Planner organizes upgrade paths, requirements, warnings, sequencing, and documentation without forcing engineers to research the entire plan from scratch.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-24-vcf-upgrade-planner/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-24-vcf-upgrade-planner/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">The Matrix Did Not Show the Full Story</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/12/when-your-version-is-not-even-in-the-matrix/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="The Matrix Did Not Show the Full Story" /><published>2026-06-12T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-06-12T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/12/when-your-version-is-not-even-in-the-matrix</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="SDDC Manager" /><category term="Avi" /><category term="Avi Load Balancer" /><category term="NSX" /><category term="NSX ALB" /><category term="Interoperability Matrix" /><category term="Upgrade" /><category term="Lifecycle" /><category term="GSS" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[After Avi / NSX ALB 22.1.6 blocked the VCF 9.0.2 management domain upgrade plan, the Broadcom Interoperability Matrix did not show the full upgrade path.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-12-when-your-version-is-not-even-in-the-matrix/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-12-when-your-version-is-not-even-in-the-matrix/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">The Upgrade Plan Was Ready. Avi Was Not.</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/10/the-upgrade-plan-was-ready-avi-was-not/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="The Upgrade Plan Was Ready. Avi Was Not." /><published>2026-06-10T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-06-10T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/10/the-upgrade-plan-was-ready-avi-was-not</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="SDDC Manager" /><category term="Avi" /><category term="Avi Load Balancer" /><category term="NSX" /><category term="NSX ALB" /><category term="Upgrade" /><category term="Lifecycle" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A VCF 9.0.2 management domain upgrade plan was blocked when SDDC Manager detected that NSX ALB / Avi 22.1.6 was not interoperable with the target component stack.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-10-the-upgrade-plan-was-ready-avi-was-not/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-10-the-upgrade-plan-was-ready-avi-was-not/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Introducing the VCF Insider Community</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/09/introducing-the-vcf-insider-community/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Introducing the VCF Insider Community" /><published>2026-06-09T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-06-09T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/06/09/introducing-the-vcf-insider-community</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="Community" /><category term="NSX" /><category term="Automation" /><category term="Homelab" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[VCF Insider now has a community forum for VMware Cloud Foundation engineers, homelab builders, and anyone working through real-world VCF deployments, troubleshooting, automation, and lessons learned.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-09-introducing-the-vcf-insider-community/vcf-insider-community.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-06-09-introducing-the-vcf-insider-community/vcf-insider-community.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">SRM, vSphere Replication, and VLR: Untangling the 9.0.4 Upgrade Path</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/29/srm-vsphere-replication-and-vlr-untangling-the-9-0-4-upgrade-path/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="SRM, vSphere Replication, and VLR: Untangling the 9.0.4 Upgrade Path" /><published>2026-05-29T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-05-29T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/29/srm-vsphere-replication-and-vlr-untangling-the-9-0-4-upgrade-path</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VMware Live Recovery" /><category term="Site Recovery Manager" /><category term="vSphere Replication" /><category term="SRM" /><category term="VLR" /><category term="Disaster Recovery" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="Upgrade" /><category term="Convergence" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Field notes from converging Site Recovery Manager and vSphere Replication into VMware Live Recovery 9.0.4, including naming confusion, build numbers, ISO/OVF media, certificates, and post-convergence plugin validation.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-29-srm-vsphere-replication-and-vlr-untangling-the-9-0-4-upgrade-path/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-29-srm-vsphere-replication-and-vlr-untangling-the-9-0-4-upgrade-path/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">VCF 9.1 and the Cost of Complexity: When Unified Operations Stops Feeling Unified</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/opinion/2026/05/15/vcf-9-1-cost-of-complexity/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="VCF 9.1 and the Cost of Complexity: When Unified Operations Stops Feeling Unified" /><published>2026-05-15T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-05-15T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/opinion/2026/05/15/vcf-9-1-cost-of-complexity</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Opinion" /><category term="VCF 9.1" /><category term="VCF Operations" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="Broadcom" /><category term="VCF Management Services" /><category term="VCF License Server" /><category term="Home Lab" /><category term="vExpert" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[VCF 9.1 may simplify the platform experience at enterprise scale, but the growing management-plane footprint raises real questions for practitioners, home labs, vExperts, and anyone trying to learn the platform hands-on.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-15-vcf-9-1-cost-of-complexity/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-15-vcf-9-1-cost-of-complexity/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Broadcom Announces VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1: A Private Cloud Release Built Around AI, Efficiency, and Resilience</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/05/broadcom-announces-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-1/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Broadcom Announces VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1: A Private Cloud Release Built Around AI, Efficiency, and Resilience" /><published>2026-05-05T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-05-05T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/05/broadcom-announces-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-1</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF 9.1" /><category term="Private AI" /><category term="vSphere Kubernetes Service" /><category term="vSAN" /><category term="VCF Operations" /><category term="Broadcom" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Broadcom announced VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1 with a focus on production AI, infrastructure efficiency, Kubernetes scale, cyber resilience, and private cloud operations. Here is my quick field-focused take on what matters.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-05-broadcom-announces-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-1/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-05-broadcom-announces-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-1/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Deploying VCF Automation in the Lab: The Primary VIP Lesson That Tripped Me Up</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/05/deploying-vcf-automation-in-the-lab/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Deploying VCF Automation in the Lab: The Primary VIP Lesson That Tripped Me Up" /><published>2026-05-05T13:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-05-05T13:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/05/deploying-vcf-automation-in-the-lab</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF Automation" /><category term="VCF 9" /><category term="Aria Automation" /><category term="Kubernetes" /><category term="Load Balancer" /><category term="Primary VIP" /><category term="Lab" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A field-notes style walkthrough of deploying VCF Automation in a home lab, including the Primary VIP, native load balancer, Kubernetes-backed architecture, and the lessons learned during deployment.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-05-deploying-vcf-automation-in-the-lab/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-05-deploying-vcf-automation-in-the-lab/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">I Passed the VCP-VCF Administrator Exam — Why I Took It</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/certification/2026/05/01/i-passed-the-vcp-vcf-administrator-exam-why-i-took-it/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="I Passed the VCP-VCF Administrator Exam — Why I Took It" /><published>2026-05-01T16:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-05-01T16:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/certification/2026/05/01/i-passed-the-vcp-vcf-administrator-exam-why-i-took-it</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Certification" /><category term="VCP" /><category term="VCP-VCF Administrator" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="Certification" /><category term="Career" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Why I decided to pursue and pass the VCP-VCF Administrator exam, and why it mattered for my lab, my work, and where VMware is heading.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-01-i-passed-the-vcp-vcf-administrator-exam-why-i-took-it/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-01-i-passed-the-vcp-vcf-administrator-exam-why-i-took-it/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Breaking ELM Between Two VCF Instances to Restore a Supported Upgrade Path</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/01/breaking-elm-between-two-vcf-instances-to-restore-a-supported-upgrade-path/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Breaking ELM Between Two VCF Instances to Restore a Supported Upgrade Path" /><published>2026-05-01T14:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-05-01T14:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/05/01/breaking-elm-between-two-vcf-instances-to-restore-a-supported-upgrade-path</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="vCenter" /><category term="Enhanced Linked Mode" /><category term="ELM" /><category term="SSO" /><category term="Upgrade" /><category term="vmdir" /><category term="CMS" /><category term="Field Notes" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A real-world VMware Cloud Foundation field note on breaking a cross-instance Enhanced Linked Mode topology.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-01-breaking-elm-between-two-vcf-instances-to-restore-a-supported-upgrade-path/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-05-01-breaking-elm-between-two-vcf-instances-to-restore-a-supported-upgrade-path/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Planning a VCF 9 Upgrade: Why We Broke It Into Phases</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/04/01/planning-a-vcf-9-upgrade-why-we-broke-it-into-phases/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Planning a VCF 9 Upgrade: Why We Broke It Into Phases" /><published>2026-04-01T16:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-04-01T16:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/04/01/planning-a-vcf-9-upgrade-why-we-broke-it-into-phases</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF 9" /><category term="Upgrade Planning" /><category term="Lifecycle Management" /><category term="SDDC Manager" /><category term="Aria" /><category term="vCenter" /><category term="Enterprise IT" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A practical look at why we are approaching our VCF 9 upgrade in phases, and how change windows, approvals, and platform complexity influenced the plan.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-04-01-planning-a-vcf-9-upgrade-why-we-broke-it-into-phases/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-04-01-planning-a-vcf-9-upgrade-why-we-broke-it-into-phases/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Distributed Power Management: The VMware Feature Most Enterprises Never Used</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/automation/2026/03/12/distributed-power-management-the-vmware-feature-most-enterprises-never-used/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Distributed Power Management: The VMware Feature Most Enterprises Never Used" /><published>2026-03-12T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-03-12T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/automation/2026/03/12/distributed-power-management-the-vmware-feature-most-enterprises-never-used</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Automation" /><category term="vSphere" /><category term="VCF" /><category term="Automation" /><category term="Power Management" /><category term="DRS" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Distributed Power Management (DPM) automatically powers hosts on and off based on demand, yet most enterprises never enabled it. Here's why—and how to make it work in modern VMware Cloud Foundation environments.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-03-14-distributed-power-management-the-vmware-feature-most-enterprises-never-used/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-03-14-distributed-power-management-the-vmware-feature-most-enterprises-never-used/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Aria Operations 8.18.5 Upgrade to VCF Operations 9.0.2 (Lab Field Notes)</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/02/03/aria-ops-8-18-5-upgrade-to-vcf-operations-9-0-2/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Aria Operations 8.18.5 Upgrade to VCF Operations 9.0.2 (Lab Field Notes)" /><published>2026-02-03T14:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-02-03T14:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2026/02/03/aria-ops-8-18-5-upgrade-to-vcf-operations-9-0-2</id><author><name>Chris</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="vcf" /><category term="vcf-operations" /><category term="aria-operations" /><category term="upgrade" /><category term="lifecycle-manager" /><category term="dns" /><category term="field-notes" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Field notes from upgrading Aria Operations 8.18.5 to VCF Operations 9.0.2, including a vCenter/cluster dropdown issue in Fleet Management and a DNS hostname typo that blocked progress.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-02-03-aria-ops-8-18-5-upgrade-to-vcf-operations-9-0-2/hero.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-02-03-aria-ops-8-18-5-upgrade-to-vcf-operations-9-0-2/hero.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">NSX Deployments Failing Due to Expired OVF Certificate</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/security/2026/01/05/nsx-deployments-failing-due-to-expired-ovf-certificate/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="NSX Deployments Failing Due to Expired OVF Certificate" /><published>2026-01-05T14:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2026-01-05T14:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/security/2026/01/05/nsx-deployments-failing-due-to-expired-ovf-certificate</id><author><name>Chris</name></author><category term="Security" /><category term="nsx" /><category term="security" /><category term="vcf" /><category term="certificates" /><category term="operations" /><category term="incident-advisory" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[An operational advisory on NSX Manager and Edge deployment failures caused by an expired OVF signing certificate, including impacted versions, risks, and recommended workarounds.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-01-07-nsx-expired-ovf-cert/nsx-expired-ovf-cert_1920x1080.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2026-01-07-nsx-expired-ovf-cert/nsx-expired-ovf-cert_1920x1080.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Mastering CIS Remediation at Scale: Inside My ESXi Hardening Script</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/security/2025/12/29/master-cis-remediation-at-scale/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Mastering CIS Remediation at Scale: Inside My ESXi Hardening Script" /><published>2025-12-29T14:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-12-29T14:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/security/2025/12/29/master-cis-remediation-at-scale</id><author><name>Chris</name></author><category term="Security" /><category term="esxi" /><category term="cis" /><category term="compliance" /><category term="hardening" /><category term="powercli" /><category term="automation" /><category term="vcenter" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A field-tested look at how my Master_CIS_Remediation v5.8.6 script safely enforces CIS-aligned ESXi settings across selected vCenters—complete with dry-run and backout support.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-12-29-master-cis-remediation/master-cis-remediation_1920x1080.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-12-29-master-cis-remediation/master-cis-remediation_1920x1080.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Upgrading from VCF 5.2 to VCF 9.x</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2025/12/29/upgrading-from-vcf-52-to-vcf-9x-field-notes/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Upgrading from VCF 5.2 to VCF 9.x" /><published>2025-12-29T14:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-12-29T14:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2025/12/29/upgrading-from-vcf-52-to-vcf-9x-field-notes</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="vcf" /><category term="vcf9" /><category term="upgrade" /><category term="lifecycle" /><category term="field-notes" /><category term="aria" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Field notes from a live lab upgrade documenting the real-world gap between supported VCF 5.2 to 9.x upgrade paths and operational reality.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-vcf9-field-notes/vcf9-field-notes_1920x1080.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-vcf9-field-notes/vcf9-field-notes_1920x1080.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">NSX-T Segment Automation: Policy API Patterns That Don’t Break</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/nsx-t/2025/12/03/nsxt-segment-automation-policy-api-patterns/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="NSX-T Segment Automation: Policy API Patterns That Don’t Break" /><published>2025-12-03T14:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-12-03T14:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/nsx-t/2025/12/03/nsxt-segment-automation-policy-api-patterns</id><author><name>Chris</name></author><category term="NSX-T" /><category term="nsx-t" /><category term="policy-api" /><category term="segments" /><category term="automation" /><category term="tier-1" /><category term="tier-0" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[My production-safe pattern for creating NSX-T segments via the Policy API: request shape, transport-zone path, T1/T0 connectivity, validation, rollback, and real troubleshooting.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-11-13-nsxt-segment-automation-policy-api-patterns/nsxt-segment-automation-policy-api-patterns_1920x1080.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-11-13-nsxt-segment-automation-policy-api-patterns/nsxt-segment-automation-policy-api-patterns_1920x1080.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">VCF 9 Part 1 — Design Considerations: Instances, Fleets, Private Clouds, Fault Domains &amp;amp; DR</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2025/10/31/vcf9-part1/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="VCF 9 Part 1 — Design Considerations: Instances, Fleets, Private Clouds, Fault Domains &amp;amp; DR" /><published>2025-10-31T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-10-31T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2025/10/31/vcf9-part1</id><author><name>Chris Kitchens</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="VCF 9" /><category term="VMware Cloud Foundation" /><category term="Fleet" /><category term="Instance" /><category term="Private Cloud" /><category term="Site-HA" /><category term="DR" /><category term="SRM" /><category term="vSphere Replication" /><category term="vSAN" /><category term="vMSC" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[A practical primer on VMware Cloud Foundation 9 concepts and deployment patterns—covering instances, fleets, private clouds, fault domains (Site-HA), and cross-region Disaster Recovery.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-10-31-vcf9-part1/vcf9_hierarchy_1920x1080.webp" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/2025-10-31-vcf9-part1/vcf9_hierarchy_1920x1080.webp" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry><entry><title type="html">Aria Operations 8.18.5 — Pre-Req Upgrade Process (KB)</title><link href="https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2025/10/21/aria-ops-8185-pre-req-upgrade-process-kb/" rel="alternate" type="text/html" title="Aria Operations 8.18.5 — Pre-Req Upgrade Process (KB)" /><published>2025-10-21T00:00:00+00:00</published><updated>2025-10-21T00:00:00+00:00</updated><id>https://www.vcfinsider.com/cloud%20foundation/2025/10/21/aria-ops-8185-pre-req-upgrade-process-kb</id><author><name>Chris</name></author><category term="Cloud Foundation" /><category term="aria-operations" /><category term="vcf" /><category term="lcm" /><category term="vidm" /><summary type="html"><![CDATA[Operations L1 runbook: vIDM ➜ LCM (Patch 5) ➜ Aria Operations 8.18.5, with pitfalls, KB references, and backout.]]></summary><media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/aria-ops-8185/vRops_8.18.5_upgrade_KB.png" /><media:content medium="image" url="https://www.vcfinsider.com/assets/images/posts/aria-ops-8185/vRops_8.18.5_upgrade_KB.png" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" /></entry></feed>