VMware Cloud Foundation 9 Lab: My Deployment Journey

By Justin RaleyVMware Cloud Foundation
HOMELAB JOURNAL

VMware Cloud Foundation 9 Lab: My Deployment Journey

Follow a VMware Cloud Foundation 9 lab journey covering deployment, SSO, certificates, backups, networking, upgrades and day-to-day configuration.

Start here: the VCF 9.1.1 lab

  1. Plan the lab: September 2026 architecture — hardware roles, shared services and network layout.
  2. Deploy the VCF 9.1.1 management environment — four MS-A2 hosts, NFS storage and custom networking.
  3. Commission the workload hosts — prepare the hosts for domain creation.
  4. Create the VCF 9.1.1 workload domain — three hosts, NFS storage and deployment validation.

These 9.1.1 walkthroughs use NFS. The earlier VCF 9.0 guides below include a separate vSAN ESA path. Follow the version and storage model that match your environment.

Browse all guides by topic: hardware, deployment, identity, backups, networking and management packs.

Overview

This VMware Cloud Foundation 9 lab journal brings together my deployment and configuration walkthroughs. It follows a rebuilt lab with a fresh deployment and an imported cluster, then links to the identity, certificate, backup, networking and upgrade work I documented along the way.

Earlier VCF 9.0 architecture and deployment phases

Shared lab services: DNS / NTP / Active Directory / CA / SFTP
           |
VCF fleet: Operations + Fleet Management + Identity Broker
           |
           +-- Fresh management domain
           |      +-- SDDC Manager / vCenter / NSX
           |      +-- Three-host ESA workload domain
           |             +-- Edge / VPC / Supervisor / Automation
           |
           +-- Imported infrastructure cluster
                  +-- Existing vCenter, new supporting components

Logical reading map assembled from the published walkthroughs, not a physical cabling or current-state inventory diagram. Some posts use a single-host or nested lab instead of the three-host path; do not combine those assumptions.

PhaseWhat to prepare or verifyGuide
1. FoundationsHardware, address/VLAN plan, DNS, NTP and ESXi readiness.Host preparation
2. Build or importChoose a fresh deployment or preserve an existing vCenter through import.Existing-cluster import
3. Identity and trustConfigure Identity Broker/SSO, roles and CA connections; retain recovery access.SSO overview
4. Protect the platformSet component backups and verify recovery before expanding the environment.Backup coverage
5. Workload servicesCommission hosts, create the workload domain, then Edge/VPC and Supervisor.Workload deployment
6. Consume and observeConfigure Automation organizations, Logs/Networks and collection.Automation initial setup
7. MaintainReview release-specific prechecks, backups and upgrade order.Historical 9.0.1 upgrade

Here is what is listed in VCF Operations:

VCF Operations integrations list shows both management and infrastructure VCF accounts, plus two application-monitoring adapters, all with Collecting status.

This journal includes a fresh VCF management environment and an imported infrastructure cluster. The screenshot captures an earlier stage; Automation and the follow-on configuration now have published walkthroughs linked below.

Earlier VCF 9.0 deployment and configuration

These earlier walkthroughs document the VCF 9.0 lab and its follow-on configuration. Use the VCF 9.1.1 starting path above for the newer management and NFS workload-domain deployment.

Explore the lab by topic

Hardware and network planning

Host preparation and provisioning

Physical and nested deployments

Identity and single sign-on

Certificates and backups

Networking and Automation

Operations, upgrades and troubleshooting

Custom management packs

Other projects and background

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