The image shows the vSphere Client interface with options for deploying an OVF template in the "mgmt-cluster-01" datacenter.

Deploying the VMware Cloud Foundation Installer appliance Step-by-step instructions

With the release of VCF 9 (Official What’s New blog can be found here) I wanted to get my lab environment upgraded so I can try out all of the new features. To get started we need to download the VMware Cloud Foundation Installer from the VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0.0.0 page found here. In this post we will cover only the deployment. The configuration is available in another post. Deploy the VMware Cloud Foundation Installer appliance Once the appliance is downloaded we need to get the ova deployed. ...

June 17, 2025 · Cosmin Trif

Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying Salt Open Source

Salt (SaltStack) is a powerful open-source configuration management and automation tool. Below is a step-by-step guide to deploying Salt Open Source for centralized configuration and management. Step 1: Update Your System Before installing Salt, update your package repositories and upgrade your system packages: sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade -y Step 2: Install Salt Master On your master server, install the Salt master package: sudo apt install salt-master -y Step 3: Configure Salt Master ...

April 9, 2025 · Cosmin Trif
The image shows a Broadcom portal with a menu for VMware Cloud Foundation, highlighting the "My Downloads" section and a step in upgrading Aria Operations.

Upgrading Aria Operations to 8.18.2 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. 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). ...

January 16, 2025 · Cosmin Trif
Settings page for VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle showing options for system administration and server accounts.

Upgrading Aria Automation to 8.18.1 Patch 1

In this post, I will cover upgrading my 8.x Aria Automation appliance to version 8.18.1 Patch 1. As a prerequisite, we need to have Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.18. Instructions can be found here. Note that the upgrade does not include the latest PSPACK containing the 8.18.1 Patch 1 Aria Automation release. Instructions for obtaining the PSPACK are available in here. Note: Following the VMware by Broadcom Day 2 transition on May 6, 2024, Customer Connect has been migrated to the Broadcom Support. This migration impacts the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle as follows: All Product Support Packs, along with product and patch binaries, will now need to be downloaded from the Broadcom Support Portal Users must then manually map these into the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle can be upgraded using “Check Online” method. Product Support Packs are cumulative, incorporating all updates from previous product support packs as well as patches into the latest version. The Aria Automation Patch 1 binaries can be downloaded from here. In my case, it was VMware Aria Automation 8.18.1 .patch file (vrlcm-vra-8.18.1-8.18.1.36859.patch). Once downloaded, LCM supports local mappings. In my case, I uploaded the patch in /data/temp ...

January 16, 2025 · Cosmin Trif
Screenshot shows a Broadcom portal with 'My Downloads' section, listing VMware products, highlighting 'VMware Aria Suite' for upgrade.

Step-by-Step Guide: Upgrading Aria Operations for Logs to 8.18.1 Using a .PAK File

Upgrading Aria Operations for Logs (formerly VMware vRealize Log Insight) 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 for Logs using a .pak file. 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 for Logs cluster (Master, Worker, and any nodes). ...

January 16, 2025 · Cosmin Trif
Settings page in VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle showing options for system administration and servers/accounts.

Upgrading Aria Operations for Logs to 8.18.1 via VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle

In this post, I will guide you through upgrading your 8.x vRLI appliance to Aria Operations for Logs 8.18.1 using VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle. Before proceeding, ensure that your VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle is upgraded to version 8.18. You can find the upgrade instructions here. Note that the upgrade does not include the latest PSPACK containing the 8.18.1 Aria Operations for Logs release. Instructions for obtaining the PSPACK are available in here. ...

January 16, 2025 · Cosmin Trif
VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle dashboard showing services like Lifecycle Operations, Locker, Identity Management, Content Management, Marketplace, VMware Aria Cloud, and Migration.

Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.18 Product Support Pack (PSPACK4) upgrade - manual version

In this guide i will go over the manual steps of getting an existing 8.x Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance to support the latest product releases available. Here is a great blog that goes in to the details about what the Product Support Pack is https://blogs.vmware.com/management/2019/01/vrslcm-pspak.html. Typically the newer Product Support Pack is included part of the upgrade for Aria Suite Lifecycle, however sometimes there are product releases in between releases where product support packs come in handy. As of 8.16.0 Product Support Pack 4 we can no longer automatically download the Product Support Pack files. The release notes can be found here. ...

January 16, 2025 · Cosmin Trif
Login screen for VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, showing local user and password fields.

Deploying vIDM Using Aria Lifecycle Manager in a VCF 5.2.1 Environment: Step-by-Step Guide

Deploying VMware Identity Manager (vIDM) in a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 5.2.1 environment has been simplified with VMware Aria Lifecycle Manager. This guide walks you through setting up vIDM using Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager, ensuring streamlined access control across the VMware suite in your VCF deployment. The official documentation can be found here. Let’s dive in. Prerequisites VCF 5.2.1 Environment: Ensure your VCF environment is running version 5.2.1. A upgrade Guide can be found here. Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager Appliance: Aria Lifecycle Manager must be configured within the VCF environment. A deployment guide can be found here. Network and DNS: Verify that DNS and network configurations are set up for Aria Lifecycle Manager and the vIDM instance. Download VMware Aria product binaries from the Broadcom Support Portal. After downloading, you can either map them locally or use NFS to make them available. Access Aria Lifecycle Manager Log in to the Aria Lifecycle Manager UI. Use the administrator credentials configured during the initial setup (typically vcfadmin@local). Ensure that the Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager version is compatible with VCF 5.2.1 to avoid compatibility issues. ...

October 15, 2024 · Cosmin Trif
VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle dashboard showing services like Lifecycle Operations, Locker, Identity Management, Content Management, Marketplace, Cloud, and Migration.

Aria Suite Lifecycle 8.18 Product Support Pack (PSPACK) upgrade - manual version

In this guide i will go over the manual steps of getting an existing 8.x Aria Suite Lifecycle appliance to support the latest product releases available. Here is a great blog that goes in to the details about what the Product Support Pack is https://blogs.vmware.com/management/2019/01/vrslcm-pspak.html. Typically the newer Product Support Pack is included part of the upgrade for Aria Suite Lifecycle, however sometimes there are product releases in between releases where product support packs come in handy. As of 8.16.0 Product Support Pack 4 we can no longer automatically download the Product Support Pack files. The release notes can be found here. I covered the newer PSPACK4 upgrade in a separate guide. ...

October 15, 2024 · Cosmin Trif
Settings page for VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle showing various system administration and server management options.

Upgrading VMware Aria Automation to 8.18

In this post, I will cover upgrading my 8.x Aria Automation appliance to version 8.18. As a prerequisite, we need to have VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle upgraded to 8.18. Instructions can be found here. Note: Following the VMware by Broadcom Day 2 transition on May 6, 2024, Customer Connect has been migrated to the Broadcom Support. This migration impacts the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle as follows: All Product Support Packs, along with product and patch binaries, will now need to be downloaded from the Broadcom Support Portal Users must then manually map these into the VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle can be upgraded using “Check Online” method. Product Support Packs are cumulative, incorporating all updates from previous product support packs as well as patches into the latest version. The Aria Automation binaries can be downloaded from here. In my case, it was VMware Aria Automation 8.18.0 Update Repository (Prelude_VA-8.18.0.35770-24024333-updaterepo.iso). Once downloaded, LCM supports local or NFS mappings. In my case, I uploaded the binary in /data ...

July 28, 2024 · Cosmin Trif