Daily VCF

From the Shadows to Visibility: How the vExpert Program Became a Turning Point in My Career

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 03:33:22 +0000

For many years, I worked closely with VMware products. I supported customers, solved complex technical problems, and became a trusted reference within my team. From the outside, it looked like I was already where I needed to be. Yet, when I first considered applying to the vExpert Program, I...

Ready for 2026? Why the vExpert Program Should Be Part of Your New Year Goals

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 00:32:45 +0000

As 2025 quickly comes to an end, it feels like the perfect moment to look back on everything we’ve worked on this year as specialists or simply as people passionate about VMware technologies. And one meaningful way to wrap up the year is by highlighting the vExpert Program. For me, the value of...

VMware Cloud Foundation Architect (2V0-13.25) Exam Experience

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 11:05:33 +0000

Introduction I recently took (and passed) the VMware Cloud Foundation 9 Architect (2V0-13.25) exam, and I wanted to share my exam experience while it’s still fresh. This certification marks an important milestone for anyone working with VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF9) , especially for those moving...

Thinking About Applying for vExpert?

Tue, 27 May 2025 22:02:35 +0000

Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Wait Another Year If you’ve ever spent nights troubleshooting strange alerts, architected elegant solutions under pressure, or helped a teammate fix a production issue at the last minute — guess what? You’ve already got what it takes to be a vExpert. But here’s the thing:...

How to Resolve “Invalid CSRF Token” Issue in VMware SDDC Manager

Tue, 05 Nov 2024 04:23:01 +0000

Have you ever encountered the “Got bad CSRF token: invalid CSRF token” error in VMware SDDC Manager when trying to disconnect a VMware Depot? This short post offers a quick fix that worked for me and might save you some troubleshooting time. The Issue When trying to disconnect a VMware...

VCF Operations and Operations for Logs Integrations

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:38:49 +0000

In VCF Operations 9 we've made the integration between VCF Operations and Operations for Logs even more robust. There are several different places you can view logs in VCF Operations, Infrastructure Operations - Analyze is the first. This provides the general logs viewing experience: y ou can...

VCF Operations Alerts using Dynamic Thresholds

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 14:41:58 +0000

We've discussed VCF Operations Dynamic Thresholds (DTs) a few times, mostly going into the details of what DTs are and how they are calculated. Aria Operations Dynamic Thresholds VMware Aria Operations Dynamic Thresholding The New Way of Evaluating Dynamic Thresholds in Aria Operations In this blog...

Detecting vSphere VM OS Mis-Matches with VCF Operations

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:39:52 +0000

As you've likely noticed, there are times your vSphere VMs won't have the same value for Guest OS from vCenter and Guest OS from Tools . Guest OS from vCenter is set at build/deployment time and won't change. Guest OS from Tools is updated as the OS changes, is upgraded, etc. I wanted to know which...

VM Downtime with VCF Operations Super Metrics

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 21:26:09 +0000

We blogged about VM downtime a while back. That blog introduced a Super Metric that calculated VM downtime in minutes based on a 5m collection interval. I'd like to do something similar for VM downtime in hours and days, but I don't want to show those metrics with decimal values, but rather as...

Deploy VMs via the VCF Automation API

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 22:03:44 +0000

We've discussed the VCF Operations API and the Operations for Logs API several times over the years here, but haven't touched on the VCF Automation API. Today we're going to explore it. All screenshots here are taking from VCF Automation 8.18.1 Update 4 . First off, the VCF Automation 8.18.1 API...

Upgrade issue of Standalone VCF Orchestrator to 9.0.2

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:20:33 +0000

Upgrade issue of Standalone VCF Orchestrator to 9.0.2

VCF Orchestrator Datagrid

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 16:40:41 +0000

Learn about VCF Orchestrator Datagrid

How to re-run a Workflow with the same input parameters in VCF Orchestrator

Sat, 27 Sep 2025 13:04:27 +0000

How to re-run a Workflow with the same input parameters in VCF Orchestrator

Managing vCenter datastores cluster with VCF Orchestrator

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 14:24:25 +0000

How to manage vCenter DRS cluster with VCF Orchestrator

VCF Operations Orchestrator 9.0 - First Insight

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 08:06:24 +0000

VCF Operations Orchestrator 9.0 overview

VMware TAM Services – Data Services Manager 9.0.2 Update (Video)

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:30:22 +0000

A very quick message to let you know that I was recently invited to present on VMware Data Services Manager (DSM) by our VMware TAM (Technical Account Manager) Services team. In the video, I provide an update to our TAM customers on our current DSM version 9.0.2, and give some insight into our...

DSM 9.0.2 – Aria Automation plugin changes to support new RBAC features

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 14:00:40 +0000

VMware Data Service Manager 9.0.2.0 has achieved General Availability (GA) status, and is now readily accessible from the Broadcom Download Portal. You can see the full DSM 9.0.2 release notes here. In this post, I want to revisit our efforts to integrate DSM with Aria Automation. It is true to say...

DSM 9.0.2 – New Microsoft SQL Server Enhancements – SQL Server Agent Support

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 14:00:48 +0000

Velero Revisited – Manually backing up VKS clusters using Velero

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 14:00:19 +0000

It’s been some time since I looked at how to use the Velero CLI to backup and restore some modern applications running in a Kubernetes cluster. However, after publishing how to use the new VKS Manager (VKSM) Data Protection (DP) earlier this week, it was mentioned that many customers who are...

A first look at VKSM Data Protection (VKSM DP)

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:00:57 +0000

One of the new features in VCF Automation version 9.0.1 is a feature called vSphere Kubernetes Service Management, or VKSM for short. This gives users access to many additional capabilities, such as Data Protection, Policy Management and Add-on Management to improve the resiliency, security, and...

DataCore Puls8 vs OpenEBS: Comparison for Kubernetes Persistent Storage

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:37:30 +0000

With DataCore Puls8 officially launched on January 26, 2026 (GA release notes dated January 21, 2026), the obvious question for anyone running OpenEBS is whether the commercial version justifies a subscription. The answer depends entirely on where you sit on the operational complexity spectrum...

A Community Study Guide VMware vSphere Foundation Administrator (VCP-VVF) – Free Download

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:18:07 +0000

Finally, I can announce the availability of our Study Guide as PDF. The VMware Certified Professional – VMware vSphere Foundation (VCP-VVF) Administrator exam (code 2V0-16.25) is the current certification for VVF, replacing the older 2V0-12.24 exam. You can learn and pass your exam with the help of...

SysInternals Suite: Still the #1 Must-Have Toolkit for Every Windows (and Now macOS/Linux) IT Admin in 2026

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 08:27:27 +0000

SysInternals Suite – This is very old (and very popular) utility suite from Mark Russinovich got an update recently where you'll find some new tools and also, you'll be now able to download all tools in a single package. Hello everyone, Vladan here. If you’ve been reading ESX Virtualization...

Windows 11 Installation Assistant 25H2 – upgrade your W10 or W11 with the help of this new tool from Microsoft

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:05:16 +0000

If you still want to stay on Windows, there is a tool that facilitates the migrations. It's just been released from Microsfot. And another good news, Microsfot will reduce some of the AI copilot bloat. In fact, the company is reducing Copilot's presence in apps like Notepad, Snipping Tool, Photos,...

ResOps in Action – Commvault’s Big Moves at RSAC 2026: Okta Support, Satori-Powered Risk Analysis, ThreatScan Evolution & Sentinel Automation

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:36:51 +0000

If you've been following my blog over the years, you know I write a lot about virtualisation and data protection, and also about recovery, cyber resilience, and especially how these things play out in real enterprise environments – whether it's VMware, Hyper-V, cloud workloads, or now...

Topology-Aware Multi-GPU VM Placement

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding Multi-GPU Topologies Within a Single Host

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding Unified Memory on DGX Spark Running NemoClaw and Nemotron

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 08:00:00 +0000

Why Multi GPU Requires Topology Awareness

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Durable Agentic AI Sessions in GPU Memory

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

How agentic AI workloads accumulate KV cache across reasoning steps and tool calls and why this changes GPU memory planning for on prem infrastructure.

VCF Operations 9 Management Pack Builder Configuration Guide

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:46:35 +0000

In this article we will be exploring how to use the Management Pack Builder within VCF Operations to get metrics from applications that VCF Operations has no native support for, into the platform, where we can create dashboards and really start to centralise our IT monitoring So how does it work...

VCF 9 Ultimate Patching Guide

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:55:58 +0000

In this article we will go through patching the base VCF 9 product stack and all its products ensuring you are kept all up to date and dont have issues doing it There is a best practices order to all of this, and everything needs to be done within VCF Operations to avoid issues, but […] The...

Hyundai I30 2006-2011 CarPlay Stereo Replacement

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 16:55:54 +0000

I recently had a play with Apple CarPlay in a friends car and being able to wirelessly stream my phone to the car with music and sat nav on a large screen was a LOT better than I expected it to be Now.. Sadly, my 2011 Hyundai I30 is very far away from that with […] The post Hyundai I30...

Veeam Data Platform 13 Ultimate Deployment Guide

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 15:54:15 +0000

In this article we will be going over setting up the full Veeam Data Platform suite ready for configuration of each of the services it offers in the new version 13, but what services are these So what do you get with the different subscription levels of VDP Veeam have information on the feature...

VCF 9 Ultimate Deployment Guide

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:37:10 +0000

In this guide we will be taking a look through the deployment of the full VCF 9 suite, using the new easy installerWe will go through installing and configuring ESX for the management network and setting the certificates up, I will give a very rough overview of the networking, but this varies per...

From RAI Amsterdam to Minneapolis: VCF 9 Troubleshooting on Tour

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 10:04:00 +0000

What an incredible week it has been! This past Thursday, I had the pleasure of presenting at VMUG Connect Amsterdam, held at the iconic RAI Amsterdam. The energy in the room was fantastic, and it was truly invigorating to connect with so many engaged professionals from the VMware community. My...

Demystifying VMware vSAN: Key Insights from the Latest FAQs

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 09:07:00 +0000

VMware vSAN stands as a cornerstone of the modern Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC), offering robust, high-performance, and scalable storage solutions integrated directly into the hypervisor. As the technology evolves, keeping up with the latest advancements is crucial for architects,...

Introducing the VMware Certified Distinguished Expert (VCDX)

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:33:00 +0000

#vExpert Eric Sloof takes us through the a new era for elite private cloud professionals with the VMware Certified Distinguished Expert (VCDX) offerings: the very best certification that marks you as a "Distinguished Private Cloud" Expert.

VCF Operations for Logs 9.0: A New Era of Log Management for VMware Cloud Foundation

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 10:13:00 +0000

With the release of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0, Broadcom has taken a significant step forward in simplifying log management and troubleshooting for private cloud environments. VCF Operations for Logs 9.0 introduces a deeply integrated logging solution that brings log analytics directly into the...

18 Years a VMware vExpert: Still Learning, Still Sharing

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:01:00 +0000

Some milestones make you stop and think. receiving the VMware vExpert 2026 award — for the eighteenth consecutive year — is one of them. Eighteen years. That's a long time in any industry, but in the world of enterprise virtualization and cloud infrastructure, eighteen years feels like several...

Memory Tiering with VCF9

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:33:39 +0000

One of the standout enhancements in VMware Cloud Foundation 9 (VCF9) is Advanced Memory Tiering with NVMe. This a feature that fundamentally changes how we think about host memory capacity and cost efficiency. Rather than relying solely on traditional DRAM, VCF9 lets you leverage NVMe SSDs as a...

Nutanix NC2 Node Types – AWS and Azure

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 17:23:07 +0000

I wanted to summarize all the Nutanix NC2 node types available between both, AWS and Azure today (01-15-26).Do you need high core count, memory or storage?This should simplify the host type selection process by seeing all the options available in a single table. Hope you found this useful too! The...

Skyrocketing Memory Prices

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 13:14:01 +0000

Memory has quietly become one of the most expensive and least optimized components in modern infrastructure and most environments are still sizing it the same way they did years ago…But what are the options available for organizations leveraging VMware today? Option 1: Pay Current Memory...

HA Is Not DR – How to Avoid Extended Outages

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 20:57:30 +0000

A common misconception I see out there is that High Availability and Disaster Recovery are not the same yet I still see them sometimes designed as if they are and confusing the two is one of the most common architectural mistakes I still see in modern VMware environments. Most organizations believe...

Nutanix with Pure Storage is now GA

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:19:02 +0000

Nutanix and Pure Storage partnership solution is finally generally available as of December 10th, 2026.What does that mean exactly? Why should anyone care? I will try my best to break it down below. Benefits of the solution (Pros) Drawbacks of the solution (Cons) Best fit for:Organizations with...

Owning the Platform on VCF 9

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 06:53:53 +0000

In my previous article, I reflected on what I would design differently if I were building an NSX platform today. That piece focused on architectural choices — fewer abstractions, clearer boundaries, stronger defaults. But design decisions are only part of the story. What ultimately matters is who...

Things I Would Do Differently If I Designed an NSX Platform Today

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 08:51:20 +0000

When I started designing large NSX platforms, most of the hard problems were technical. How far could we push microsegmentation?How much overlay networking could we introduce?How flexible could we make the design so it would survive future requirements? At the time, that made a lot of sense. Today,...

Avi Load Balancer Metrics with Prometheus and Grafana

Sat, 04 Jan 2025 00:31:02 +0000

Avi Load Balancer offers a wealth of valuable metrics that can be accessed directly via the Avi Controller’s UI or API. However, there are various reasons why you might want to make these metrics available outside of its native platform. For instance, you might wish to avoid granting users or...

Network Visibility for TKG Service Clusters

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:04:22 +0000

TKG Service Clusters using the default Antrea CNI, can be easily configured for enhanced network visibility through flow visualization and monitoring. The ability to monitor network traffic within your Kubernetes clusters, as well as between your Kubernetes constructs and the outside world, is...

Integrating TKG Service Clusters with NSX Security

Sat, 23 Nov 2024 20:45:44 +0000

Organizations aiming to leverage NSX for securing their TKG Service Clusters (Kubernetes clusters) can now achieve this with relative ease. In this guide, I’ll walk you through configuring the integration between a TKG Service Cluster and NSX—a required step for centrally managing security policies...