Eric Sloof

The introduction of Memory Tiering in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 marks a new era for scalability and cost efficiency in modern datacenters. Traditionally, memory has been one of the most expensive components in a server. With workloads demanding more memory than ever, and performance-sensitive applications leaving little room for overcommitment, Memory Tiering provides a smarter, more economical approach.

So, what is Memory Tiering?

It combines two types of memory:

Tier 0 – DRAM: high-speed, expensive memory used for frequently accessed (“hot”) data.

Tier 1 – NVMe: slower, but more cost-effective memory used for infrequently accessed (“cold”) data.

VCF 9.0 dynamically places hot pages in DRAM and cold pages in NVMe, all completely transparent to the virtual machines. The default 1:1 ratio doubles the system’s available memory with a fraction of the cost increase, effectively increasing VM density while maintaining performance.

Testing across a wide range of enterprise workloads shows impressive results:

• Login Enterprise (VDI): up to 2x VM density with less than 6–8% performance loss

• VMmark (enterprise apps): 2x VMs with less than 5% drop in performance

• SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle (database workloads): up to 2x VM density with less than 10% performance degradation

• vMotion: slightly increased migration time, but no meaningful guest performance penalty

The key takeaway: Memory Tiering allows you to scale your workloads without doubling your DRAM investment. Monitoring remains important—keep active memory usage around 50% of DRAM and ensure NVMe read latency stays below 200 microseconds for optimal results.

For IT teams managing memory-constrained environments or facing budget limitations, Memory Tiering in VCF 9.0 offers a compelling way to reduce TCO by up to 40%, increase VM density, and maintain user experience across VDI, databases, and general enterprise workloads.

Want to learn how Memory Tiering can work in your environment or lab setup? Reach out via ntpro.nl for tailored VMware insights, real-world training, and hands-on expertise.

🚀 **VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0: Revolutionary Deployment Pathways Explained**

Discover the game-changing improvements in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 with our comprehensive deep-dive presentation! This video covers everything you need to know about the new VCF Installer appliance, flexible deployment pathways, and simplified infrastructure modernization.

**What You'll Learn:**
✅ Four powerful deployment pathways for every infrastructure scenario
✅ How the new VCF Installer replaces Cloud Builder with UI-driven workflows
✅ Simple vs High Availability deployment models comparison
✅ Convergence strategies for existing vSphere environments
✅ Complete SDDC stack integration and management
✅ Software distribution options and fleet management

**Perfect for:**
- VMware administrators and architects
- IT infrastructure professionals
- Cloud engineers planning VCF deployments
- Anyone modernizing their data center infrastructure

**Key Highlights:**
🔧 **New VCF Installer Appliance** - Say goodbye to Excel spreadsheets and hello to intuitive UI-driven deployment workflows

🛤️ **Four Deployment Pathways:**
- Deploy New VCF Instance
- Expand Existing VCF Fleet  
- Converge Existing vCenter
- Import vCenter Deployment

⚡ **Simplified Convergence** - Convert existing vSphere/vSAN clusters to fully functional VCF instances without complex import scripts

🏗️ **Flexible Architecture** - Choose between Simple (7 appliances) or High Availability (13 appliances) deployment models

📊 **Complete SDDC Stack** - Integrated vSphere, vCenter, NSX, VCF Operations, and VCF Automation in every deployment

## Video Timestamps

🕐 **Chapter Breakdown:**

00:00 - Title Slide & Introduction
00:20 - Introduction & Overview
00:40 - Current Infrastructure Challenges
01:00 - VCF 9.0 Solution Overview
01:20 - Four Deployment Pathways Explained
01:40 - Deploy New VCF Instance Pathway
02:00 - Expand Existing VCF Fleet Pathway
02:20 - Converge Existing vCenter Pathway
02:40 - Import vCenter Deployment Pathway
03:00 - Meet the VCF Installer Appliance
03:20 - Revolutionary Features & Capabilities
03:40 - Flexible Software Distribution Options
04:00 - UI-Driven vs JSON Deployment Methods
04:20 - VCF Fleet Architecture & Management
04:40 - Management Cluster Configuration
05:00 - Seamless Convergence Process
05:20 - Convergence Requirements & Considerations
05:40 - Simple Deployment Model (7 Appliances)
06:00 - High Availability Model (13 Appliances)
06:20 - Simple vs HA Model Comparison
06:40 - Complete SDDC Stack Integration
07:00 - Conclusion & Next Steps

## Technical Specifications Covered

**VCF Installer Appliance Features:**
- Lightweight replacement for Cloud Builder
- UI-driven workflow eliminates Excel spreadsheets
- Built-in convergence workflows
- No VCF Import scripts needed
- Flexible deployment options

**Deployment Models:**
- **Simple Model:** 7 required appliances (vCenter, SDDC Manager, NSX Manager, VCF Operations components)
- **High Availability Model:** 13 required appliances with 3x redundancy for production environments

**Software Distribution:**
- Online Depot: Direct connection to Broadcom Support Portal
- Offline Depot: Private depot for multiple VCF instances
- Download once, use multiple times approach

**Convergence Requirements:**
- vSphere environments must be updated to version 9
- Works with vSphere clusters with or without vSAN
- Converts first cluster within vCenter to VCF management cluster

See full post

Met de komst van VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9 is het VMware-landschap ingrijpend veranderd. Nieuwe versies van vSphere 9, vSAN 9, NSX 9 en de volledige automation- en operations-stacks worden voortaan alleen nog beschikbaar gesteld via de VCF-distributie. Voor veel organisaties betekent dit dat het traditionele beheer van losse clusters en afzonderlijke lifecycle management tools plaats moet maken voor een geïntegreerd platform.

Voor IT-teams die momenteel nog een standalone vSphere-infrastructuur beheren, is het essentieel om nu kennis te maken met de voordelen – én complexiteiten – van VCF 9. Of je nu net begint aan je VCF-reis of concrete migratieplannen hebt, goede voorbereiding is cruciaal.

🔍 Wat is er nieuw in VCF 9?
 

VCF 9 is geen simpele versie-upgrade. Het is een architecturale shift waarin alle componenten – compute, netwerk, storage, automation én monitoring – samenkomen in één beheerde lifecycle.

Enkele highlights:
 

• vSphere 9: moderne kernel, verbeterde AI workload ondersteuning, strakkere vTPM-integratie
• vSAN 9: geoptimaliseerde performance en compressie, uitgebreide disaggregatie
• NSX 9: security default-first, nieuwe segment- en policyarchitectuur, IPv6 & edge clusters
• VCF Automation 9: geavanceerde API’s, template-driven provisioning, integratie met Aria Automation
• VCF Operations 9: deep observability, NSX Intelligence, integratie met fysieke netwerken
   

Deze vernieuwingen zijn krachtig, maar vereisen ook een andere denkwijze qua ontwerp, beheer en governance.

🎓 Tweedaagse training: VCF 9 Highlights & Migration

Om jouw organisatie en team klaar te stomen, bied ik een tweedaagse on-site training aan. Deze praktische sessie is speciaal ontworpen voor IT-beheerders, netwerk-/security-engineers en architecten die betrokken zijn bij de overstap van vSphere naar VCF.
 

✔ Wat kun je verwachten?
 

• Overzicht van alle nieuwe features in VCF 9
• Labopstellingen met VCF 9 deployment & installer
• Migratiestrategieën vanaf bestaande vSphere-omgevingen
• Automation en network/security consumption in context
• Best practices uit het veld, inclusief real-world ervaringen
   

De training combineert theorie met hands-on labs. Na afloop ben je volledig op de hoogte van wat VCF 9 voor jouw organisatie betekent – én wat er nodig is om over te stappen.
 

🧠 Voor wie is deze training bedoeld?

Deze training is ideaal voor:

• IT-teams die overwegen te migreren naar VCF
• Beheerders die nog geen ervaring hebben met de VCF-stack
• Security, netwerk- of infra-architecten die betrokken zijn bij de roadmap
• Organisaties die recent Broadcom-licentiestructuren hebben herzien

📍 Praktisch
 

• Duur: 2 dagen (op locatie)

• Taal: Nederlands of Engels

• Trainer: Eric Sloof – VMware Certified Instructor of the Year (EMEA)
  Meer dan 15 jaar ervaring in training & real-world consultancy

• Materiaal: labs, slides, naslagwerk

• Kosten: op aanvraag
   

📩 Interesse?
 

Wil je deze training op locatie boeken voor jouw team, of eerst even sparren over de inhoud?
Stuur me gerust een bericht via LinkedIn, neem contact op via  What'sApp, of vraag het PDF-datasheet op.

🔄 VMware verandert. Zorg dat jouw team meebeweegt.
 

#VCF9 #vSphere9 #NSX9 #vSAN9 #Automation #VMwareTraining #Datacenter #HybridCloud #VCFMigration #EricSloof #NTPro

Broadcom's VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 introduces a comprehensive private cloud platform that integrates compute, storage, networking, security, and management. This latest release simplifies deployment, boosts operational efficiency, and offers built-in automation for full-stack infrastructure management. Alongside VCF, VMware also offers the vSphere Foundation 9.0 — a lighter, scalable platform for modern workloads that includes vSphere, vSAN, and Kubernetes runtime.
 

Key Differences

VMware Cloud Foundation includes everything in vSphere Foundation and adds advanced components like NSX, HCX, Aria Automation, and SDDC Manager. It’s targeted at organizations requiring full-stack infrastructure as a service (IaaS), end-to-end lifecycle automation, and enterprise-grade workload management.

vSphere Foundation is ideal for teams focused on core virtualization and container workloads. It provides vSphere, vCenter, vSAN, and basic operations management via Aria Operations.
 

Compute and Kubernetes

Both platforms support modern Kubernetes workloads through vSphere Kubernetes Service. However, only VCF offers advanced lifecycle management, workload domain management, and integration with Supervisor Services, GitOps, Terraform providers, and Private AI services.
 

Storage Capabilities

VCF delivers higher storage capacity per core, advanced compression and deduplication (especially with ESA), stretched clusters, and integrated Cloud Native Storage. It also supports VMware’s full range of storage integrations (vVols, VMFS, NFS, etc.) and features like immutable snapshots, replication, and QoS.
 

Networking and Security

Only VCF includes NSX for software-defined networking, L2–L7 capabilities, and advanced security services such as segmentation, firewall, NAT, VPN, and multi-tenancy. Networking visibility and assurance tools like Aria Operations for Networks are also part of VCF.
 

Automation and Management

VCF supports extensive automation with Aria Automation, including IaC with YAML and Terraform, Git integration, and full support for tenant provisioning, governance, extensibility, and orchestrated workflows. vSphere Foundation includes only basic lifecycle and operations management.
 

Operations Visibility

VCF offers deep operational insights with Aria Operations Enterprise, supporting monitoring, compliance, troubleshooting, cost management, and full-stack visibility (compute, storage, network, and applications). It includes advanced features like guided remediation, predictive analytics, and SecOps integration.
 

Upgrade Paths
 

VMware outlines clear upgrade paths from previous editions such as vSphere Enterprise Plus, vCloud Suite, and vSphere with Aria. Organizations can transition from legacy deployments to VCF or vSphere Foundation, depending on feature requirements and infrastructure goals.
 

Conclusion

VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 is designed for enterprises seeking a fully integrated, scalable, and automated private cloud environment. It supports the most demanding workloads with advanced features across compute, storage, networking, and automation. Meanwhile, vSphere Foundation 9.0 serves as a robust core platform for virtual infrastructure with Kubernetes support and essential management tools.

For organizations planning their modernization journey, understanding the differences and upgrade paths between these platforms is essential to align with strategic IT goals.

As containers revolutionize how applications are built and deployed, security challenges have grown just as quickly. The VMware Tanzu Platform offers a comprehensive, layered approach to container security—designed to protect applications throughout their entire lifecycle.

Why Container Security Matters

Containers are lightweight, fast, and efficient—but they come with unique risks. They share the host’s kernel and resources, making them more exposed than traditional virtual machines. Misconfigured containers, outdated images, and exposed secrets are just a few of the common vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.

Tanzu’s Approach to Container Isolation

Tanzu Platform enforces strong isolation by using Linux namespaces for each container. This includes separate IPC, PID, user, network, and mount namespaces, effectively shielding containers from one another and from the host system. Each container runs unprivileged by default, minimizing the risk of breakout attacks.

Filesystem and Resource Isolation

Using a combination of OverlayFS and XFS, Tanzu ensures each container has a read-only root filesystem and tightly controlled write access. It enforces disk quotas at the directory level and leverages cgroups to control CPU and memory usage. Tanzu also prevents fork-bomb attacks and restricts access to critical devices.

Reducing the Attack Surface

Tanzu eliminates unnecessary Linux capabilities to minimize privilege escalation opportunities. By default, capabilities like CAP_SYS_ADMIN, CAP_NET_ADMIN, and CAP_SYS_PTRACE are dropped. Tanzu also hardens its OS stemcells and root filesystem, removing unnecessary packages and disabling risky protocols.

Defense-in-Depth with AppArmor and Seccomp

Tanzu uses AppArmor to enforce access controls at the process level, blocking access to sensitive files like /proc/kcore and /proc/sysrq-trigger. In addition, Seccomp filters system calls, allowing only the ones explicitly needed by the container, further reducing the risk of kernel-level exploits.

Protecting Secrets and Communications

Tanzu integrates CredHub for secure credential management and rotates application identity certificates every 24 hours. It also includes built-in support for mTLS (mutual TLS), ensuring encrypted communication between containers and the platform’s routing layer.

Immutable Infrastructure and Automated Patching

By treating containers and VMs as disposable and replacing them from golden images, Tanzu avoids configuration drift and speeds up patching. The platform supports zero-downtime upgrades using BOSH, enabling security updates without disrupting application availability.

Secure by Default

From buildpacks that manage application dependencies to sidecar proxies that enforce TLS, Tanzu ensures that security is built-in—not bolted on. The platform is constantly scanned for vulnerabilities, and patches are released rapidly and deployed automatically.

Conclusion

VMware Tanzu Platform provides an enterprise-grade foundation for securely running containerized applications. With its defense-in-depth model, Tanzu reduces risk at every layer of the stack—giving InfoSec and platform teams peace of mind and developers the freedom to innovate.