Lab offline · Awaiting Parts... · 9.1.1 · 78 posts
The Small
Human Cloud
Blog articles, news and useful information on VMware Cloud Foundation, automation and PowerShell — all from the home lab, where everything gets broken and rebuilt first.
- Blog posts
- 78
- vExpert since
- 2020
- In IT since
- 2008
- Days since I broke the lab
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Deploying VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) 9.1 in a Lab
Guest post · James Tiffany
When it comes to installing your VVF environment you have two options available. The first, and most common, is to use the VCF Installer. Don't let the name faze you, the same installer that deploys VCF will also deploy VVF for you. The great thing about doing it this way is the level of automation you get, this process will deploy vCenter, VCFMS, VCF Operations and the License server...
Installing and Activating VMware Intelligent Assist in VCF Operations
So last week during VMware Explore in Las Vegas, a new feature was announced, VMware Intelligent Assist!
Latest News from the Web
Broadcom's advisory list shows 29 open VMware advisories, and five are exploited
- Patch vCenter, and go looking for the ones you've forgotten. CVE-2026-59310 (VMSA-2026-0006) is still the priority: 9.1.0.0300 or any later 9.1.x patch, 9.0.2.0100, or 8.0 U3k / U2f. None of those builds is exposed to VMSA-2024-0019, which Broadcom confirms was exploited, so the risk is really the vCenter nobody has touched in a year: a lab, a DR site or a VCF 4.x domain still on 7.0 needs 7.0 U3t or later.
- Close out the older exploited ESXi, Aria and Tools advisories while you're there. VMSA-2025-0004 (ESXi VMCI, exploited per Broadcom) is fixed from ESXi 8.0 U3d, 8.0 U2d and 7.0 U3s. Check VCF Operations is on 9.0.2.0 or later (VMSA-2026-0001) and VMware Tools on 13.0.5 or 12.5.4 (VMSA-2025-0015).
- Use vDefend and Avi to buy time on PHP2Shell, not to replace the PHP patch. Broadcom says VCF, vDefend and Avi themselves aren't affected (KB 459989, KB 460110, KB 460068). For PHP workloads on your VMs, the vDefend IDS/IPS signatures and Avi WAF rules in those KBs are a stopgap while you apply the 21 Oct PHP releases.
- Security No new VMSA
- Releases & KBs Four KBs worth reading
- Terraform & Packer All quiet
- Next deadline 7 days
Code Projects
VMware Explore 2024 Hackathon Winning team
Project and code from the Las Vegas hackathon at VMware Explore 2024.
Simplify VCF Deployment & Operations with Terraform
Session code with examples for deploying VCF and common post-bring-up tasks.
Automating VCF Day 1 Operations
Session code covering Day 1 actions via the API and PowerVCF.
Presentations
Every slide deck and demo from the events I've been lucky enough to present at.