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 older SaltStack Config 8.12.1 guide and covers upgrading VCF Salt RaaS from 9.1.0.0100 to 9.1.1 through VCF Operations.
VCF Salt is the current product name for the Salt services that were previously presented as SaltStack Config or VMware Aria Automation Config. The VCF 9.1.1 release notes and the VCF Operations 9.1.1 release notes are the references I used for the target build and upgrade dependencies.
This walkthrough covers a 9.1.0.x maintenance upgrade of one Salt RaaS instance. If you are coming from an older VCF or Aria release, follow the applicable migration or major-version procedure before using these steps.
Versions in This Upgrade
These are the versions shown by the VCF Operations UI in my lab:
| Component | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Salt RaaS | 9.1.0.0100.25434834 | 9.1.1.0.25679895 |
Before You Begin
For an existing 9.1.0.x environment, upgrade Fleet Lifecycle to 9.1.1.0 before any other VCF component. Broadcom also requires the VCF services runtime that hosts Salt RaaS to be on 9.1.1 before upgrading the service. In my lab, Fleet Lifecycle and the services runtime were already updated before I started this operation.
Before starting:
- Verify that the external SFTP backup location is configured and reachable under Build -> Lifecycle -> VCF Management -> Backup & Restore. Keep the backup encryption passphrase available for a restore. The VCF management backup and restore documentation describes the supported workflow.
- Take an on-demand component backup and confirm that it completed successfully before patching. A backup configuration by itself does not prove that a recent restore point exists.
- Check the VCF services runtime and Salt health, including CPU, memory, and disk utilization. Salt services can restart during maintenance, so plan a maintenance window.
- Confirm that lifecycle metadata is current and that the 9.1.1 Salt RaaS binary is available in the assigned software depot. For a disconnected environment, prepare the binaries with the VCF Download Tool. Broadcom’s required-binaries guidance lists Salt RaaS and Salt Master among the binaries needed for the primary VCF instance.
- Make sure no other management-component operation is running. Follow the individual VCF management component upgrade procedure and resolve any missing binary before proceeding.
The VCF Operations page can also show a warning that VCF Operations must be patched independently. If that warning is present, finish that patch and wait for it to succeed before starting Salt RaaS.
Selecting Salt RaaS
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 the release is not listed, click Sync, wait for the lifecycle metadata task to complete, and check again. Setting the target only changes the available target; it does not start an upgrade.
Filter the component list for salt and select the Salt RaaS row for the VCF instance you want to patch. In my lab the instance is instance-a. Make sure only the intended component is selected, and expand Check Required Binaries to resolve any missing binary.
The upgrade path should read 9.1.0.0100.25434834 -> 9.1.1.0.25679895.
Running the Prechecks
With only Salt RaaS selected, click Run Prechecks (1). Open Precheck details and wait for the Salt RaaS Precheck Workflow to finish.
The first part of the workflow stages the precheck binaries. The task view reports the staging messages and the component stage precheck status while it runs.
The workflow then runs the Salt RaaS prechecks. Do not start the upgrade while this task is still running.
When the task completes, review the Prechecks tab and confirm that the overall result is Passed. In my run, the list included component package staging, package staging, Virtual Center, VMSP platform version, database upgrade, and single-component backup checks, all marked Passed.
Return to the component list and confirm that Salt RaaS is Ready for upgrade. If a check fails, open its details, fix the reported issue, and run the precheck again.
Starting the Upgrade
Click Upgrade on the Salt RaaS row. The status changes to Upgrade in progress. Open Upgrade details to follow the workflow.
The workflow runs through these subtasks:
- Set Salt RaaS upgrade context for the workflow.
- Stage the Salt RaaS plugin in the VCF services runtime.
- Run the Salt RaaS prechecks.
- Stage the Salt RaaS package in the VCF services runtime.
- Prepare Salt RaaS for upgrade.
- Perform the Salt RaaS upgrade.
- Run the inventory sync after the Salt RaaS upgrade.
While the upgrade prechecks are running, the task details show the component upgrade precheck messages. Wait for the workflow to move through package staging, preparation, and the upgrade itself.
When the final inventory sync completes, confirm that the overall task status is Completed. The supplied captures contain separate precheck and upgrade task timestamps from the lab, so I am not treating them as a single downtime measurement.
Verifying the New Version
Go to Build -> Lifecycle -> VCF Management -> Components and open Salt RaaS for the instance you upgraded.
Under Summary, verify that the status is Running, the version is 9.1.1.0.25679895, and the component is managed by the expected VCF services runtime. In my lab the deployment size is Small.
Before moving on, review VCF Management -> Tasks for failed or partially completed tasks, check the VCF services runtime and Salt health, and confirm that the management-services backup still works. Also verify the Salt Master separately if it is installed; the RaaS upgrade does not prove that every Salt component is on 9.1.1.
VCF Salt RaaS in my lab is now on 9.1.1.0.25679895. We can continue with the remaining management components by following the dependencies in the VCF 9.1.1 release notes.