With VCF 9.1.1 released on September 3, 2026, I wanted to continue patching the management services in my lab. This post is a follow-up to my VCF 9.1 management services upgrade walkthrough and focuses on Real-Time Metrics through VCF Operations.
VCF 9.1.1 is a maintenance release focused mostly on improving product supportability. The VCF 9.1.1 release notes include the Bill of Materials, upgrade sequence, dependencies, known issues, and the component build numbers. The VCF Operations 9.1.1 release notes list Real-Time Metrics at build 25679622.
In VCF 9.1, Real-Time Metrics is a VCF management service hosted by the VCF services runtime. The supported lifecycle workflow is under Build -> Lifecycle -> VCF Management -> Upgrade. This walkthrough covers one 9.1.0.x management-component patch. An environment coming from an older VCF or Aria release should follow the applicable upgrade path in the VCF documentation first.
Versions in This Upgrade
These are the versions reported by the VCF Operations UI in my lab:
| Component | Current Version | Target Version |
|---|---|---|
| Real-Time Metrics | 9.1.0.0400.25544944 | 9.1.1.0.25679622 |
The target build matches the Real-Time Metrics entry in the VCF Operations 9.1.1 release notes.
The Real-Time Metrics Store is listed as a separate VCF management component with its own 9.1.1 build (25714471). This post covers the Real-Time Metrics component shown in the screenshots; patch the store separately when it is part of your maintenance plan.
Before You Begin
For a 9.1.0.x environment, patch Fleet Lifecycle to 9.1.1.0 before any other VCF component. Once Fleet Lifecycle is on 9.1.1.0, the release notes allow the remaining components to be patched according to their dependencies. My Fleet Lifecycle component was already on 9.1.1.0 when I ran this operation.
Before starting:
- Verify that the VCF management-services backup configuration is present and reachable under Build -> Lifecycle -> VCF Management -> Backup & Restore.
- Take an on-demand component backup and verify that it completed successfully before patching Real-Time Metrics. Keep the backup encryption passphrase available for a restore.
- Confirm that the lifecycle metadata is current and that the 9.1.1.0 binaries are available in the configured software depot. If the depot is offline, prepare the binaries with the VCF Download Tool.
- Make sure no other upgrade or patch operation is running. VCF Operations allows only one management-component patch operation at a time.
- Plan a maintenance window and note the Real-Time Metrics resources, dashboards, or queries you want to test afterward.
Selecting Real-Time Metrics
Log in to VCF Operations with an administrator account and go to Build -> Lifecycle -> VCF Management -> Upgrade.
Set the target VCF version to 9.1.1.* if it is not already selected. If the page shows that VCF Operations itself must be patched first, finish that operation and wait for it to complete before continuing.
Filter the component list for real or metrics and select Real-time metrics. In my lab the instance was instance-a. Expand Check Required Binaries and resolve any missing binary before continuing.
The upgrade path should read 9.1.0.0400.25544944 -> 9.1.1.0.25679622. The screenshot below shows Fleet Lifecycle already at 9.1.1, the 9.1.1 target, and Real-Time Metrics ready for upgrade.
Running the Prechecks
With only Real-Time Metrics selected, run the prechecks for that component. Open the task details and wait for the Real-time metrics Precheck Workflow to finish.
The precheck in my lab completed successfully. It checked the component package staging, vCenter, database upgrade, and single-component backup requirements.
Do not start the upgrade until the precheck result is Passed. If a check fails, open its details, fix the reported issue, and run the precheck again.
Starting the Upgrade
Return to the component list and click Upgrade on the Real-Time Metrics row. The row changes to Upgrade in progress. Open Upgrade details to follow the workflow.
The workflow runs through these subtasks:
- Set Real-Time Metrics upgrade context for the workflow.
- Stage the Real-Time Metrics plugin in the VCF services runtime.
- Run the Real-Time Metrics prechecks.
- Stage the Real-Time Metrics package in the VCF services runtime.
- Prepare Real-Time Metrics for upgrade.
- Perform the Real-Time Metrics upgrade.
- Run the inventory sync after the Real-Time Metrics upgrade.
The first part of the workflow runs the component prechecks and reports the result in the task panel.
The task in my lab started at 1:25 PM and completed at 2:12 PM, for a total workflow time of about 47 minutes. That is the duration shown by my task and is not a promise about service downtime in another environment. Wait for the final inventory sync and confirm that the overall task is Completed.
Verifying the New Version
Go to Build -> Lifecycle -> VCF Management -> Components and open the Real-Time Metrics component you upgraded.
Under Summary, verify that the status is Running and the version is 9.1.1.0.25679622. In my lab the deployment size was Small and the component was managed by the VCF services runtime.
After the component reports Running, validate the data path that matters in your environment:
- Open Operate -> Real-Time Metrics and query a known resource.
- Confirm that fresh samples are arriving and that the expected time range is available.
- Check the dashboards, saved views, Top-N views, custom PromQL queries, and any integrations that use the Real-Time Metrics data.
- Confirm that related vCenter, ESX, vSAN, and NSX resources still show current data where your environment collects those metrics.
The VCF Operations 9.1.1 release notes do not call out a Real-Time Metrics-specific UI change in this patch. Treat the component task result and the post-upgrade data check as separate validations: a completed lifecycle task confirms the package workflow, while fresh samples confirm that collection is working for your environment.
Once the component and data collection have been validated, keep or expire the backup artifacts according to your retention policy. I also recommend clearing the browser cache before using the updated VCF Operations interface.
Real-Time Metrics in my lab is now on 9.1.1.0.25679622. If this is part of a larger VCF 9.1.1 maintenance run, continue with the remaining components in the order and dependency boundaries documented in the VCF 9.1.1 release notes.