VCF Upgrade Path Planner v1.1 Architecture Release Types
Planning Tool

VMware Cloud Foundation
Upgrade Path Planner

Generate a complete, step-by-step upgrade roadmap from your current vSphere or VCF version to VCF 9.x — with prerequisites, KB references, and timeline estimates.

6
Source Versions
8+
Upgrade Paths
50+
KB References

Configure Your Path

Set source, target & environment

🖥
vSphere
Standalone
☁️
VCF
Already on VCF
🗺️

Configure your upgrade path

Select your current environment, version, and storage type on the left, then click "Generate Upgrade Path" to see your complete upgrade roadmap.

Private Cloud Constructs within Cloud Foundation

Hierarchical architecture — Private Cloud → Fleet → Instance → Domains

Core Components
Operations Layer
Management Domain
Workload Domain
Private Cloud
VCF Fleet
Fleet Management Components
VCF Automation
VCF Operations
Fleet Management Ops for Logs Ops for Networks Identity Broker
VCF Instance
Management Domain Core Components
vCenter
NSX Manager
SDDC Manager
ESX Hosts
Clusters
Additional Workload Domains
vCenter
NSX
Clusters
Additional VCF Instances
VCF Fleet
VCF Automation
VCF Operations
VCF Instance
Management Domain
vCenter
NSX
SDDC Manager
Clusters
Additional Workload Domains
vCenter
NSX
Clusters
Additional VCF Instances
VCF Fleet
VCF Automation
VCF Operations
VCF Instance
Management Domain
vCenter
NSX
SDDC Manager
Clusters
Additional Workload Domains
vCenter
NSX
Clusters
Additional VCF Instances
VCF Instance
  • Management Domain
  • Workload Domains
VCF Fleet
  • One or more VCF Instances
  • Common VCF Operations instance
  • Common VCF Automation instance
Private Cloud
  • One or more VCF Fleets
Component Scope
Fleet
VCF Operations VCF Automation Ops Fleet Mgmt Ops for Logs Ops for Networks Identity Broker
Instance
SDDC Manager vCenter NSX Manager ESX Hosts

VCF Release Policy & Lifecycle Management

Four distinct release types — each with different scope, upgrade rules, and consumption patterns

Official Docs
🔄
Unified Consumption
All VCF components updated in lockstep as part of a single release. Applies to Major and Minor releases.
☑️
Selective Consumption
Pick and choose which components to apply based on operational impact. Applies to Maintenance and Patch releases.
e.g. 9.0.0.0 → 10.0.0.0
Major

The most significant platform evolution. Primary vehicle for major features and breaking changes. Governed by a strict deprecation policy — a feature must be announced for deprecation in a prior major release before it can be removed.

Full-stack synchronized
Can introduce breaking changes
Unified consumption — all components
Cannot skip components
This upgrade planner handles Major release upgrades (VCF 4.x / 5.x → 9.0)
e.g. 9.0 → 9.1, 9.1 → 9.2
Minor

Primary mechanism for delivering new features and enhancements within a major version. Functionally additive and designed to be non-disruptive from a compatibility and API perspective.

Full-stack synchronized
Unified consumption — all components
No breaking changes / removals
Cannot skip components
Same upgrade sequence as Major: fleet management components first, then instance core components
e.g. 9.1.0 → 9.1.1, 9.1.2
Maintenance

Scheduled, cumulative update for stability and support. Provides bug fixes, security patches, hardware enablement, driver updates, guest OS support, and backward-compatible features. Synchronized among VCF components with a new Bill of Materials (BOM).

New Bill of Materials (BOM)
Pick-and-choose per component
Hardware enablement & driver updates
No new major features
Maintenance Upgrade Order
1
VCF Operations Fleet Management appliance
↓
2
VCF Operations instance
↓
3
Remaining fleet management components (in preferred order)
↓
4
SDDC Manager → NSX → vCenter → ESX → vSAN
e.g. 9.1.1.0 → 9.1.1.0100
Patch

Time-sensitive fixes for security vulnerabilities and catastrophic issues impacting business operations, released between scheduled releases. Not synchronized among all components — no BOM update required.

Pick-and-choose per component
Emergency / security focused
No new BOM synchronization
Not synchronized across all components
Apply only to affected components. Monitor Broadcom Security Advisories (VMSA) for critical patches.

LCM Tools & Key Operational Notes

VCF Download Tool
For dark-site / air-gapped environments with no internet access on SDDC Manager. Run the Download Tool on an internet-connected machine, download upgrade bundles, then upload them manually to SDDC Manager. Supports both core component binaries and management component binaries.
VCF 9.0.2 — Latest Release 20 JAN 2026
Maintenance release. Key fix: NSX Edge OVF signing certificates expired Jan 3 2026 — any new Edge deployment/resize on 9.0.0 or 9.0.1 fails. Resolved in NSX 9.0.2 (KB 424034, KB 424036). Also fixes NSX DNS forwarder failures, VPN core dumps, BGP alarm issues, and 40+ other resolved issues. Upgrade Fleet Management first, then SDDC Manager, then core components.
Two Separate Depots
Fleet depot (on VCF Operations fleet management appliance): manages management component binaries — VCF Operations, Automation, Ops for Logs, Ops for Networks, Identity Broker. Core depot (on SDDC Manager): manages core component binaries — vCenter, NSX Manager, ESX, SDDC Manager. Both must be configured independently.
Flexible BOM Upgrade Planner
Built into VCF Operations — lets you select specific target versions for each core component individually rather than upgrading everything in lockstep. Available for Maintenance releases. Access via: VCF Operations → Lifecycle Management → Upgrade or Update the Core Components in your VCF Domain.
SDDC Manager Independent Patching
SDDC Manager can be patched independently without upgrading the entire VCF Instance. A patch release changes the 4th digit of the version number (e.g. SDDC Manager 9.0.0.0100). Use VCF Operations to apply SDDC Manager patches independently without touching vCenter, NSX, or ESX hosts.
SDDC Manager UI — Deprecated
The SDDC Manager UI is being deprecated and will be removed in a future VCF release. You can still use it to upgrade workload domains in VCF 9.0 (alongside VCF Operations), but Broadcom recommends migrating all lifecycle management workflows to VCF Operations going forward.
Workload Domain Upgrade Sequence
Workload domains must be at VCF 5.0+ before upgrading to 9.0. Upgrade sequence mirrors management domain: Core upgrade order: NSX → vCenter → ESXi. The following are common post-upgrade tasks that apply where relevant to your environment: vLCM cluster image transition (where Baselines were in use), vSphere Supervisor upgrade (if Tanzu is deployed), VDS version update, vSAN on-disk format upgrade, NFS static route (if using NFS storage). Not all tasks apply to every workload domain — verify applicability before execution.