Upgrade guides for vRealize Operations / Aria Operations / VCF Operations — from vROps 8.6 through 9.x, via Lifecycle Manager and PAK files.
Upgrade guides for the product now called VCF Operations — formerly VMware Aria Operations, formerly vRealize Operations (vROps). Both upgrade methods are covered where they exist: through Lifecycle Manager (vRSLCM/Aria Suite Lifecycle) and directly with a .pak file.
How to use this series: guides run oldest to newest, from vROps 8.6 to the VCF Operations 9.x era. Each title names the target version and the method. If Lifecycle Manager manages your deployment, prefer that path; the PAK-file guides are for standalone deployments or when Lifecycle Manager itself is the problem.
Upgrading VCF Operations to 9.1.1 Using a .PAK File
With the release of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.1.1 on September 3, 2026, I wanted to get my VCF Operations lab upgraded. This is a maintenance release focused mostly on supportability improvements. The VCF 9.1.1 release notes can be found here, and the VCF Operations release notes are here.
In this post I will go over upgrading VCF Operations from 9.1.0.0400 to 9.1.1 using the upgrade PAK file. If you are still on an older release, I also covered upgrading VCF Operations to 9.0.1 using a PAK file. That is a separate walkthrough, not a required intermediate upgrade.
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Upgrading VCF Operations to 9.0.1 Using a .PAK File
Upgrading VCF Operations (formerly VMware Aria Operations) is a crucial task to ensure you’re using the latest features, security patches, and performance improvements. In this guide, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of upgrading VCF Operations using a .pak file.
If you are still on an older release, I covered the initial jump in Upgrading Aria Operations to 9.0 Using a .PAK File.
Before You Begin Prerequisites
Before starting the upgrade, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
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Upgrading Aria Operations to 9.0 via Aria Suite Lifecycle
In this post I will go over upgrading Aria Operations 8.18.x appliance to 9.0 using Aria Suite Lifecycle. As a pre requirement we do need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.18 Patch 2. Instructions can be found here.
Uploading the 9.0 Upgrade Binaries To get started we can go to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping.
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Upgrading Aria Operations to 9.0 Using a .PAK File
Upgrading Aria Operations (formerly VMware vRealize Operations) is a crucial task to ensure you’re using the latest features, security patches, and performance improvements. In this guide, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of upgrading Aria Operations using a .pak file.
Preparing for the Upgrade Prerequisites
Before starting the upgrade, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
Backup the Existing Deployment:
Take a snapshot of all nodes in the Aria Operations (Master, Cloud proxies, and any other nodes).
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Upgrading Aria Operations to 8.18.3 Using a .PAK File
Upgrading Aria Operations (formerly VMware vRealize Operations) is a crucial task to ensure you’re using the latest features, security patches, and performance improvements. In this guide, we’ll walk through the step-by-step process of upgrading Aria Operations using a .pak file. If you manage your environment with Lifecycle Manager instead, I covered upgrading Aria Operations to 8.18.3 via Aria Suite Lifecycle separately.
Preparing for the Upgrade Prerequisites
Before starting the upgrade, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
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Upgrading Aria Operations to 8.18.3 via Aria Suite Lifecycle
In this post I will go over upgrading Aria Operations 8.18.x appliance to 8.18.3 using Aria Suite Lifecycle. As a pre requirement we do need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.18. Instructions can be found here. The upgrade does not include the latest Product Support Pack. We can apply the latest Product Support Pack following the guide here.
Mapping the Upgrade Binaries To get started we can go to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping.
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Upgrading Aria Operations to 8.17.2 via Aria Suite Lifecycle
In this post I will go over upgrading my 8.x Aria Operations appliance to 8.17.2 using Aria Suite Lifecycle. As a pre requirement we do need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.16. Instructions can be found here. The upgrade does not include the latest Product Support Pack. We can apply the latest Product Support Pack following the instructions here.
Downloading the Upgrade Binaries To get started we can go to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)
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Upgrading Aria Operations to 8.17.1 via Aria Suite Lifecycle
In this post I will go over upgrading my 8.x Aria Operations appliance to 8.17.1 using Aria Suite Lifecycle. As a pre requirement we do need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.16. Instructions can be found here. The upgrade does not include the latest Product Support Pack. We can apply the latest Product Support Pack following the instructions here.
Downloading the 8.17.1 Upgrade Binaries To get started we can go to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to Aria Suite Lifecycle -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)
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Upgrading vROPS (vRealize Operations Manager) to 8.6.3 via vRSLCM
In this post I will go over upgrading my 8.x vROPS appliance to 8.6.3 using vRSLCM (vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager). As a pre requirement we do need to have vRSLCM (vRealize Lifecycle Manager) upgraded to 8.8 Instructions can be found here. The upgrade already includes the latest Product Support Pack so an update to the Product Support Pack is not required.
Downloading the 8.6.3 Upgrade Binaries To get started we can go to vRealize Lifecycle Manager -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to vRealize Lifecycle Manager -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)
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Upgrading vROPS (vRealize Operations Manager) to 8.6.2 via vRSLCM
In this post I will go over upgrading my 8.x vROPS appliance to 8.6.2 using vRSLCM (vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager). As a pre requirement we do need to have vRSLCM (vRealize Lifecycle Manager) upgraded to 8.6.2 or 8.7 Instructions can be found here. The upgrade already includes the latest Product Support Pack so an update to the Product Support Pack is not required.
Adding the Upgrade Binary in vRSLCM To get started we can go to vRealize Lifecycle Manager -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> Binary Mapping. (If you haven’t added your My VMware credentials you will need to do that first by going to vRealize Lifecycle Manager -> Lifecycle Operations -> Settings -> My VMware)
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