The Architect’s Edge: VMware News and VCF Insights – June 2025
The Architect’s Edge: VMware News and VCF Insights
From the desk of Christopher Kusek, Principal Cloud Architect
Welcome to the June edition of The Architect’s Edge! You’re getting this at the end of the month—and that’s intentional. We held off just long enough to bring you the full scope of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 updates, announced on June 17. From smarter deployment models and memory tiering to Private AI and next-gen automation, this release is packed—and so is this issue.
Speaking of things you won’t want to miss:
Register now for our next Architect’s Edge Live session on June 25 @ 10AM PST – VCF Unplugged: Favorite Demos That Deliver Real Value. We’re showcasing what’s actually working, what customers are loving, and how to replicate the success in your own environment.
We’re also excited to share that our YouTube channel has been rebranded to match the Architects Edge experience. You’ll now find walkthroughs, deep dives, and replay content designed to meet you where you are. Give us a follow and subscribe—new content drops are coming fast.
And if that wasn’t enough—we’re proud to launch Architect’s Edge Insights, our new series of in-depth blogs and field perspectives that go beyond the newsletter to unpack the strategy, architecture, and nuance behind major announcements.
So whether you’re deploying, upgrading, or just trying to make sense of it all, this issue is your guide to navigating what’s new—and what’s next.
Architect’s Edge Insights
- Navigating VxRail and VCF 9—What Greenfield, Brownfield, and Wait Really Mean
- VCF 9.0 Licensing. Simplified.
- What’s Inside a VCF 9 License File?
Architect’s Edge Live Recordings
- Architect’s Edge Live now on YouTube
- Architect’s Edge Live: March into Real-World Automation
- Architect’s Edge Live: March into Real-World Automation (Gallery View)
- Architect’s Edge Live: Over 375 Reasons to Update VCF & Aria Operations
- Architect’s Edge Live: Modern VKS: Unlocking What’s Already Inside Your vSphere Kubernetes Service
Webinars in June and July — REGISTER TODAY!
June
- VMUG Global VCF 9 Event — June 24
- Architect’s Edge Live: VCF Unplugged Favorite Demos That Deliver Real Value — June 25 @ 10AM PST
- Making Kubernetes Accessible: Simplifying K8s using VCF — June 26 @ 10AM PST
July
- Learn What’s New with VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA — July 9th @ 10AM PST
- Unlocking the Power of VMware Cloud Foundation 9: Unified Deployment, Management, and Modern Infrastructure (PART 1) — July 16 @ 10AM PST
- VMware Cloud Foundation: The Best Platform for Running Modern Workloads — July 23 @ 10AM PST
- Unlocking the Power of VMware Cloud Foundation 9: Operate, Secure, and Automate Your Private Cloud (PART 2) — July 30 @ 10AM PST
VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)
- VMware Avi Load Balancer Integrations with VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: Simplification through the One Platform Approach
- Run Modern, AI, and Traditional Apps Better with vSphere in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- DBaaS for Private Cloud: VMware Data Services Manager for VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Preserve Data Sovereignty and Deepen Protection against Cyberattacks with VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Kubernetes on VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: A Single Platform to Run Workloads Securely with Simplified Operations
- Operations in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: The Modern Way to Build and Manage Your Private Cloud
- VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA: Unlock AI with VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: Modernize Infrastructure, Accelerate App Delivery, and Strengthen Security and Resiliency
- Announcing VMware vSphere Foundation 9.0 – Smarter Operations, Better Performance, Stronger Security
- Introducing VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service 3.4: Extended Kubernetes Support, Istio Service Mesh, and Enhanced Multi-Cluster Management
- VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Networking Re-imagines the Cloud Operating Model for Private Clouds
- VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 – What’s in it for the VCSPs
- VCF 9 – NSX VPC Part 1
- Preserve Data Sovereignty and Deepen Protection against Cyberattacks with VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Crowdsourced Lab Hardware for ESXi 9.0 Dashboard
- Deploying the VMware Cloud Foundation Installer appliance Step-by-step instructions
- Data Services Manager 9.0 Announced
- VCF / VVF 9 Deprecation Notices
- Minimal resources for deploying VCF 9.0 in a Lab
- Use Cases for VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Viewing Usage Capacity for Virtual GPUs in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Guest OS Support in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Smarter Infrastructure Starts Here: Drive Cost Savings and Consolidation with Memory Tiering
- Advanced Memory Tiering Now Available with VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Streamline Administrative Access with VMware Cloud Foundation Single Sign-On
- Group and Link Your vCenter Servers to Simplify Workload Management
- Network Traffic Separation in vSAN Storage Clusters for VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Enhanced vMotion for vGPU VMs in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Stretched Topologies using vSAN Storage Clusters in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Private AI Services: New in VMware Private AI Foundation with NVIDIA in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- Global Deduplication in vSAN ESA for VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
- VCF 9.0 Installer workaround for ESXi hosts with different vendor
- NVMe Tiering with AMD Ryzen CPU workaround for VCF 9.0
- vSAN ESA Disk & HCL Workaround for VCF 9.0
- Disable 10GbE NIC Pre-Check in the VCF 9.0 Installer
- vSphere and VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Core Storage – What’s New
- End Finger Pointing and Shorten Mean Time to Network Innocence with VMware Avi Load Balancer
- VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 Hands-on Labs: Dive in and Unlock Your Potential
Brock Peterson’s Blog
- How to Make Diagnostics Visible in Aria Operations for ReadOnly Users
- Aria Operations Super Metric attaching Datastore Metrics to Clusters
- Aria Operations for Logs Export Events and Charts
Cosmin Trif’s Blog
VMware Explore
- Plan. Filter. Favorite. The Content Catalog Is Live
- The People’s Choice Awards Are Back
- VMware Explore 2025 Content Catalog
- Register for VMware Explore 2025 in Las Vegas August 25–28
Product Releases/Updates/Documentation/Release Notes
VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0
Component release notes and technical documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Installer 9.0 Release Notes
- VMware vSphere 9.0 Documentation
- VMware vSAN 9.0 Documentation
- VMware NSX 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Identity Broker 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Automation 9.0 Release Notes
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations HCX 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations Collector 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations for Logs 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations Fleet Management 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations Orchestrator 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations for Networks 9.0 Documentation
- VMware Tools 13.0.0 Release Notes
- VMware Remote Console 13.0 Release Notes
- VMware Cloud Foundation Operations for Integrations 9.0 Documentation
Act Now: vSphere 7 End-of-Support October 2, 2025
Despite all eyes being on VCF 9, don’t overlook the fact that vSphere 7.x (including ESXi 7.0 U3) will reach End of General Support on October 2, 2025. After that date, you’ll no longer receive patches, updates, or technical support—leaving your environment exposed to potential security vulnerabilities and compliance risks.
Broadcom is explicitly recommending that all customers plan and execute an upgrade to vSphere 8.x before that deadline. Upgrading ensures you remain in support, continue receiving critical security fixes, and align with current best practices.
What this means for you:
- If you’re still on vSphere 7 (including 7.0 U3): Start your upgrade planning now—check hardware compatibility with vSphere 8, validate with Lifecycle Manager, and evaluate any possible hardware refresh needs.
- If you’re running a mixed environment: Prioritize upgrading older hosts to ESXi/vCenter 8.0 to stay supported—and strategically plan any broader migrations or modernizations after that.
- Need help? Check out the vSphere 7 to 8 Upgrade Checklist, and revisit past issues of The Architect’s Edge for walkthroughs, checklists, and field-tested strategies we’ve covered along the way.
Waiting past October 2, 2025 means operating outside of support—no new fixes, no patches, and limited help. Let this be your final reminder: upgrade now to protect your investment and keep your infrastructure secure and compliant.
Final Thoughts: So Much to Explore—Start with Insights
This month’s edition was heavy—packed with releases, updates, blogs, webinars, and field-tested recommendations. Whether you’re skimming for quick wins or deep-diving into architectural shifts, we hope you found value across the board.
We know it’s a lot to take in. That’s why we launched Architect’s Edge Insights—a new blog series dedicated to unpacking what we usually don’t have room for in the newsletter. If you haven’t explored those entries yet, we especially encourage it. Each post tackles real questions from real customers, with honest answers and context that cuts through the noise.
So bookmark this issue, revisit when you need to, and don’t hesitate to reach out with your feedback. We’re building this community together.
Have questions or feedback? We’d love to hear from you! Simply reply to this email, or connect on LinkedIn.
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LinkedIn original: June 22, 2025. The long resource roundup has been staged with original item names. Link destinations still require source reconciliation; this is NOT publication-ready.
