Virtualization & Cloud Technology

From Aria Operations for Logs to VCF Operations Log Management: More Than a Name Change

2026-06-29T10:35:42.366+05:30

“The future of infrastructure operations isn’t about collecting more logs—it’s about making every log actionable.”

For years, VMware administrators relied on Aria Operations for Logs (formerly vRealize Log Insight) as the go-to platform for centralized log collection, troubleshooting, security investigations, and compliance reporting. It became an essential tool for every virtualization engineer.

With VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.1, however, something bigger has happened than a simple rebranding.

Aria Operations for Logs has evolved into VCF Operations Log Management, bringing logging capabilities directly into the VMware Cloud Foundation operational experience.

At first glance, this may seem like another product name change. In reality, it represents Broadcom’s vision of delivering a truly unified private cloud platform.

The biggest change isn’t the logging engine itself—it’s how it’s integrated into the overall VCF platform.

In earlier releases, monitoring, log management, lifecycle, and certificate management all felt like separate pieces of the puzzle. Each worked well, but managing them often meant jumping between different interfaces and handling separate upgrades.

With VCF 9.1, that experience is much more streamlined.

Log Management is now deployed as a VCF Management Service, running as containerized workloads (pods) on the VCF management platform. This means its deployment, upgrades, lifecycle, and overall management are handled natively by VCF Management Services instead of managing a dedicated standalone appliance.

See sample screenshot below:

Log Management is now part of the VCF Operations platform, bringing together log analytics, lifecycle management, certificate management, and fleet operations into a more unified experience. It’s a small change on paper, but one that can make day-to-day administration much simpler.

The good news is that everything administrators value is still there—fast log ingestion, powerful search, dashboards, alerts, content packs, and APIs. If you’ve used Aria Operations for Logs before, you’ll feel right at home.

One thing to keep in mind is that this isn’t an in-place upgrade. Existing Aria Operations for Logs deployments will need to be migrated to the new Log Management service, so it’s worth factoring that into your VCF 9.1 upgrade planning.

For me, this update reflects a broader direction for VCF. It’s not about introducing dozens of new features—it’s about reducing operational complexity and creating a more cohesive platform for managing private cloud infrastructure.

Sometimes the most valuable improvements aren’t the ones with the biggest headlines. They’re the ones that make everyday operations just a little easier.

Here is very good video on quick walkthrough on VCF 9.1 Log Management by VMware:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3QHoSnoces

My Experience with the VMware Certified Advanced Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Operations (3V0-22.25)

2026-06-07T00:29:59.845+05:30

Achieving the VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) – VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Operations certification was a rewarding experience that validated both my technical knowledge and hands-on operational skills within the VMware Cloud Foundation ecosystem.

Many professionals preparing for this certification often ask about the best preparation strategy. Based on my experience, I would like to share a few key recommendations that significantly contributed to my success.

1. Complete the Official VCF Operations Training (Recommended)

The first step is to thoroughly complete the recommended VMware Cloud Foundation Operations training courses. The training provides a strong foundation across VCF architecture, lifecycle management, troubleshooting, operations, monitoring, security, and automation concepts.

While training alone is not sufficient to pass the exam, it helps establish the core knowledge required for the advanced-level scenarios covered in the certification.

2. Follow the Exam Study Guide Carefully

The official exam guide should be your roadmap throughout the preparation journey.

I recommend reviewing every objective listed in the blueprint and ensuring that you can confidently explain and perform the associated tasks. Focus particularly on operational workflows, troubleshooting approaches, lifecycle management, and day-to-day administration activities within VMware Cloud Foundation.

The study guide helps identify areas where additional practice may be required before attempting the exam.

3. Build and Use a Full VCF 9.x Lab Environment

This was the most important factor in my preparation.

Having access to a complete VMware Cloud Foundation 9.x lab environment allows you to move beyond theoretical understanding and gain practical experience. Reading documentation and watching videos are useful, but nothing replaces hands-on practice.

A complete lab should ideally include:

SDDC Manager
vCenter Server
ESXi Hosts
vSAN
NSX
Aria Operations
Aria Operations for Logs
Other integrated VCF components

The more closely your lab resembles a real production environment, the better prepared you will be.

4. Visualize Everything in the VCF Operations UI

One preparation technique that helped me tremendously was visualizing every concept directly in the VCF user interface.

Whenever I studied a topic, I immediately opened the corresponding section within VCF and explored it hands-on. Whether it was lifecycle management, workload domains, certificate management, monitoring dashboards, NSX configurations, or operational workflows, I made sure to locate and understand where those functions existed in the platform.

This approach helped me:

Build muscle memory
Understand operational workflows
Connect theoretical concepts with actual product functionality
Gain confidence navigating the platform
Improve troubleshooting skills

Over time, this practical visualization made many exam scenarios feel familiar because I had already performed similar tasks in the lab.

5. Focus on Understanding Rather Than Memorization

The VCAP-VCF Operations exam is designed to test practical operational expertise rather than rote memorization.

Instead of trying to memorize facts, focus on understanding:

Why a feature exists
When it should be used
How it is configured
How it impacts operations
How to troubleshoot related issues

This mindset is much more valuable both for the exam and for real-world environments.

Final Thoughts

If I had to summarize my preparation strategy in one sentence:

Study the objectives, complete the training, and most importantly, validate every concept in a hands-on VCF 9.x lab environment.

The confidence required to clear the VCAP-VCF Operations exam comes from seeing and performing the tasks yourself rather than simply reading about them. Visualizing every topic in the VCF Operations UI bridges the gap between theory and practice and significantly improves exam readiness.

For anyone planning to pursue the VCAP-VCF Operations certification, my advice is simple: Build a lab, explore the platform daily, and let hands-on experience become your primary learning tool.

Good luck on your certification journey!

vCenter Management Evolved: Say Goodbye to ELM in VMware Cloud Foundation 9.x

2026-06-04T22:44:09.432+05:30

For years, vSphere administrators managing large-scale environments relied on Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM) to achieve a single pane of glass across multiple vCenter Servers. While ELM served us well, it carried architectural baggage: brittle replication rings, strict version locksteps, and complex recovery steps if a single vCenter database became corrupted.

With the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.x, VMware has officially deprecated ELM. In its place is a modernized, cloud-native architecture: vCenter Linking (also known as Linked vCenter Groups). Managed natively via VCF Operations, this new approach completely decouples multi-vCenter management from legacy database replication.

Here is a deep dive into why this change matters and how it works under the hood.

Why the Architecture Evolved: ELM vs. vCenter Linking

The shift to vCenter Linking solves the most painful lifecycle management (LCM) challenges of legacy vSphere designs.

1. Version Independence

The Old Way (ELM): All vCenters in an ELM ring had to run identical or highly compatible build versions. Upgrading one often meant upgrading all of them in a strict, coordinated window.
The New Way (VCF 9.x): vCenters are now decoupled. You can upgrade an individual workload domain vCenter to a newer patch without touching the others.

2. Zero Topology Downtime

The Old Way (ELM): Breaking, rebuilding, or recovering a failed node in an ELM replication ring required meticulous snapshot planning and risked breaking the entire SSO domain.
The New Way (VCF 9.x): Adding or removing vCenters from a group is an API-driven, non-disruptive task. If one vCenter goes offline, the remaining nodes continue to function seamlessly.

3. Modern Identity & Security

The Old Way (ELM): Relied on heavily synchronized, local single sign-on (SSO) databases across physical locations.
The New Way (VCF 9.x): Leverages standard token protocols (OIDC and SAML). It integrates cleanly with external Identity Providers (IdPs) like Okta, Microsoft Entra ID, and Ping Identity, eliminating the need to sync local credentials across sites.

Under the Hood: How vCenter Linking Works

Instead of peer-to-peer database synchronization, VCF 9.x introduces a brokered-identity and data-streaming framework orchestrated by VCF Operations.

The 4-Step Connection Process:

Validation: The VCF Adapter initiates a handshake, verifying that target vCenters meet the minimum vCenter 9.0 version requirements and validating administrative access.
Identity Brokerage: The system utilizes the VCF Identity Broker (VIDB). Instead of merging SSO domains, VIDB fetches independent SSO Domain IDs and security token services from each instance.
Establishing Trusted Pools: Root certificates and lookup services are securely exchanged to create a cross-domain "Trusted Pool". This allows a token from one SSO domain (e.g., vsphere.local) to be securely exchanged for a token on another (e.g., nsx.local) on the fly.
Asynchronous Streaming via gRPC: Rather than pulling massive database tables, the VCF adapter subscribes to a continuous, long-lived HTTP/2 stream on the vCenters using gRPC. Changes, inventory updates, and events are streamed asynchronously and incrementally in lightweight batches.

Step-by-Step Configuration Workflow

Setting up a Linked vCenter Group is entirely driven by a streamlined wizard inside the modern VCF management platform:

Deploy VIDB: Deploy the VCF Identity Broker (VIDB) in either embedded or external cluster mode depending on your scale requirements.
Access the Console: Log into your VCF Operations Console.
Navigate to Linking: Go to Infrastructure Operations > Configurations > vCenter Linking.
Create the Group: Click Create Group, name your topology, select the independent vCenter Server instances you wish to link, and authorize the cross-domain trust.

Once complete, administrators can log into a single vSphere UI and view, manage, and provision resources across all linked instances simultaneously.

The Verdict

vCenter Linking in VCF 9.x represents a massive leap forward for enterprise infrastructure stability. By separating the management plane from the data replication plane, VMware has finally removed the upgrade roadblocks that plagued large-scale vSphere environments for years.

More details: https://blogs.vmware.com/cloud-foundation/2026/06/02/vcenter-management-evolved-new-vcenter-linking-in-vmware-cloud-foundation-9-x

Component Comparison Between VCF 5.2, VCF 9.0, and VCF 9.1

2026-05-20T10:37:45.048+05:30

As VCF 9.1 released, so here is quick summary of VCF Components comparison.

More details can be found on:

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/vcf/vcf-9-0-and-later/9-1/deployment/vcf-management-appliances.html#GUID-2bab6de2-024a-4900-9716-7fba53ea0721-en_id-e0fe7eb4-1875-4819-dca9-c34434b2d173

Delhi VMUG – Unlocking the Future with VCF

2025-12-06T06:11:00.004+05:30

In-Person Meetup | 20 December 2025 | Holiday Inn, Mayur Vihar, Delhi

After a long wait, VMUG Delhi NCR is thrilled to announce the return of its in-person community events. Our upcoming meetup, “Unlocking the Future with VCF”, brings together VMware professionals, architects, administrators, customers, and community enthusiasts for a day filled with learning, collaboration, and innovation.
This event marks an important milestone – the revival of our physical gatherings and the beginning of a stronger, more active Delhi VMUG chapter built on knowledge sharing and community spirit.

Why This VMUG Meetup Matters
The technology landscape is evolving rapidly, with multi-cloud adoption, modern applications, container platforms, and automation shaping the future of IT. VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) now stands at the center of this transformation.
Through this event, we aim to enable practitioners to:

Understand the transition from traditional vSphere environments to VCF

Explore modern Kubernetes platforms like VKS

Learn real-world migration strategies with HCX

Connect with peers, experts, and leaders in the VMware community

Whether you are new to VMware technologies or a seasoned professional, this meetup promises valuable insights and meaningful interactions.

📅 Event Details
📍 Venue: Holiday Inn New Delhi Mayur Vihar, New Delhi – 110091
📆 Date: Saturday, 20 December 2025
🕒 Time: 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM IST

📝 Agenda: https://tinyurl.com/vmugdelhiagenda
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM Registration & Networking
Kick off the morning by meeting fellow VMUG community members and interacting with peers and industry experts.

10:00 AM – 10:15 AM Introductions by VMUG Leaders
Abhishek Agarwal & Saroop Singh, the new Delhi NCR community leaders, will welcome the attendees and outline the vision for the chapter.

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM Keynote Session: Simplified Journey from vSphere to VCF
A deep dive into why organizations are embracing VCF and how they can transition smoothly from existing vSphere deployments.

11:15 AM – 11:30 AM – Tea Break

11:45 AM – 12:45 PM VKS Overview & Use Cases
Discover how VMware Kubernetes Services (VKS) simplifies modern app deployment and offers enterprise-grade container management.

12:45 PM – 1:45 PM Workload Migration Overview using HCX
Learn about real-world usage of HCX for seamless workload mobility, datacenter consolidation, and cloud transitions.

1:45 PM – 2:45 PM – Lunch Break

2:45 PM – 3:00 PM Quiz & Closing Note
A short fun quiz followed by concluding remarks from VMUG leaders and community announcements and Giveaways!

Why You Should Attend
✔ Exclusive technical sessions delivered by experts
✔ Real-world use cases & architectural insights
✔ Interact with VMware practitioners, partners & customers
✔ Be part of an active, growing Delhi NCR tech community
✔ A great opportunity to expand your network
✔ Fun, learning, and community engagement—all in one place!

🔗 Register Now
Grab your seat for the year’s most anticipated community meetup!
👉 https://tinyurl.com/vmugdelhi2025

🌐 Become a VMUG Member
If you aren’t already part of the global VMUG family, sign up today—it’s free!
👉 www.vmug.com

Join Us and Be Part of the Revival
The return of in-person VMUG Delhi NCR marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter. We look forward to reconnecting with the community, sharing knowledge, and building a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates
everyone’s VMware journey.

See you on 20th December at Holiday Inn, Mayur Vihar, New Delhi.

VCF 5.x and VCF9.0 Component Comparison

2025-06-26T10:24:00.003+05:30

VMware by Broadcom has announced the release of VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0, making it an ideal time to review and compare the key component from the VCF 5.x to VCF 9.0

Find more details on VCF 9.0 : Click here

Create a Custom ESXi ISO Image along with vendor Add-on Using vSphere Lifecycle Manager

2025-05-28T13:51:00.001+05:30

In case Custom Image with required build and version not available from Server Hardware OEM, you can create a custom ESXi ISO that incorporates vendor add-ons (such as those from HPE, Dell, Cisco, etc.) even if the specific ESXi build or version you're targeting hasn't been released by the hardware OEM yet. This approach allows you to leverage the latest security patches while still benefiting from the vendor-specific enhancements.

1. Import ESXi Patch and Vendor Add-on to vLCM Depot

Prerequisites:

Ensure you have the necessary privileges.
Obtain the correct versions of ESXi offline bundle depot zip file and vendor add-on zip file from Broadcom download portal.

Steps:

Log in to the vSphere Client.
Navigate to Menu > Lifecycle Manager.
Go to the Image Depot tab.
Click Actions > Import Updates.
In the Import Updates dialog:
- Click Browse and select the ESXi patch ZIP file.
- Click Browse again and select the vendor add-on ZIP file
- Click OK

Note: Ensure the ZIP files are compatible with your vSphere version.

Click lifecycle manager on below page:

Then after selecting image Depot click on action menu and then click on Import Updates, repeat this task for ESXi Depot zip file and then Vendor Add-on zip file as per your Hardware.

2. Create Temporary Cluster with Single Image Management

In the vSphere Client, navigate to Menu > Hosts and Clusters.
Right-click on the datacenter and select New Cluster.
Enter a name for the cluster (e.g., Temp-Custom-ISO-Cluster).
Check the box "Manage all hosts in the cluster with a single image".
Under chose how to setup custom image - Compose a new image like below:

Click Next and then choose the ESXi version and add-on along with correct version which you imported in Task 1:

Click Next and then Finish.

This will create a new cluster with Image as per tour ESXi Version Build along with Vendor Add-on.

Select cluster in the left pane under Host and Cluster Menu and then click on updates tab:

On this page in the top right corner click on three dots and then choose Export :

Below page select ISO and click on Export, make sure there is no pop-up blocker. if so accept and then you can retry the same.

This will download the ISO file which will have ESXi version along with Vendor-On.

3. Delete Temporary Cluster

In the vSphere Client, navigate to Menu > Hosts and Clusters.
Right-click on Cluster you created in above step (e.g., Temp-Custom-ISO-Cluster). and delete the same.

More details: https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/vcf/vcf-5-2-and-earlier/5-2/create-a-custom-esxi-iso-image-using-vsphere-lifecycle-manager.html

How to Replace vCenter Machine SSL Certificate with a Custom Certificate

2025-01-20T15:12:00.003+05:30

When managing a vCenter Server, it is important to ensure your certificates are properly configured for secure communication. This blog will walk you through the process of replacing the default machine SSL certificate with your own custom certificate in VMware vCenter.

Prerequisites:

Custom Certificate: You should already have your custom SSL certificate, private key, and root CA certificate ready.
Backup: Always take an offline snapshot of your vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) before proceeding, especially if the vCenter is part of an Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM) configuration. This ensures you can revert back if anything goes wrong.

Steps to Replace the vCenter Machine SSL Certificate:

1. Take an Offline Snapshot of vCenter

If you’re working in a vCenter Cluster (ELM), make sure to take an offline snapshot of all vCenter Servers in the cluster before starting the process. This ensures you can roll back to a stable state if needed.

2. Log in to vCenter Appliance (vCSA)

Connect to your vCenter Server Appliance via SSH. If SSH is not enabled, enable it from the vCenter Appliance Management Interface (VAMI).

3. Launch the VMware Certificate Manager

Once logged in, navigate to the VMware Certificate Manager utility to replace the SSL certificate.

For vCenter Server 6.x/7.x/8.x Appliance, run the following command:

/usr/lib/vmware-vmca/bin/certificate-manager

4. Select Option 1: Replace Machine SSL Certificate with Custom Certificate

After launching the Certificate Manager, select Option 1 to replace the machine SSL certificate with your custom certificate.

1) Replace Machine SSL certificate with custom certificate

When prompted, enter the administrator@vsphere.local password to authenticate.

5. Select Option 2: Import Custom Certificate

Next, choose Option 2 to import your custom certificate since you already have the custom certificate prepared.

6. Enter Directories for Certificate Files

You will now be asked to provide the location of your certificate files. Make sure you have the following ready:

Machine SSL Certificate (machine_name_ssl.cer)
Private Key (machine_name_ssl.key)
Root CA Certificate (Root64.cer)

Enter the paths of these files when prompted:

Machine SSL Certificate (e.g., /tmp/ssl/machine_name_ssl.cer)
Private Key (e.g., /tmp/ssl/machine_name_ssl.key)
Signing Certificate (Root CA Certificate) (e.g., /tmp/ssl/Root64.cer)

For example:

Provide a valid custom certificate for Machine SSL:
/tmp/ssl/machine_name_ssl.cer

Provide a valid custom key for Machine SSL:
/tmp/ssl/machine_name_ssl.key

Provide the signing certificate of the Machine SSL certificate:
/tmp/ssl/Root64.cer

7. Confirm the Changes

After entering the file paths, the utility will prompt you to confirm the replacement of the existing certificates. Answer Yes (Y) to proceed.

8. Restart vCenter Services

The certificate replacement process will replace the old SSL certificate with your custom one. Once completed, vCenter services will automatically restart to apply the new certificate.

9. Verify the New SSL Certificate

After the vCenter services restart, verify that the new certificate is applied by logging into the vSphere Client (Web UI) and checking the SSL certificate in your browser. You should now see your custom certificate instead of the default self-signed VMware certificate.

Important Notes:

If you have multiple vCenter servers in an Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM) configuration, ensure that you replace the machine SSL certificates on all vCenter instances in the ELM configuration.
Make sure the root CA certificate is trusted by all clients and devices that will communicate with the vCenter Server.
Always take a snapshot of your vCenter appliance before making any changes to the certificates.

By following these steps, you will replace the default SSL certificates with your custom ones, ensuring secure communications for your vCenter environment.

More details: you can also look in to VMware KB316601

Check SSH port connection using curl from VMware Appliances

2025-01-09T12:34:00.008+05:30

Login to appliance using correct credential, once you logged in run below command and replace x.x.x.x with your target ip and Port with port number you want to check connectivity.

root@myserver [ ~ ]# curl -v telnet://x.x.x.x:Port
* Trying x.x.x.x:Port...
* Connected to x.x.x.x (x.x.x.x) port Port (#0)
^C

if port reachable you will get connected status. else it will keep trying but not able to connect.

Packet capture for VM on esxi host for vNic and pNic using pktcap-uw

2024-01-22T11:40:00.000+05:30

To capture packet on ESXi host for particular VM and related uplink (pNic), you need to get the PortNum for VM and pNic used for that particular VM.

In this example I am taking Test-VM which has IP address 10.10.10.10

You can get Port-ID after connecting to esxi host using SSH on which that VM is running, using command net-stats -l

example:

net-stats -l

PortNum Type SubType SwitchName MACAddress ClientName

33577595 5 9 DvsPortset-0 00:50:56:82:70:48 Test-VM.eth0

You can also get the VM PORT-ID and pNic used for impacted VM for which you need to do packet capture.

esxtop

then press n for network detrails of host and VMs

PORT-ID USED-BY TEAM-PNIC DNAME PKTTX/s MbTX/s PSZTX PKTRX/s MbRX/s PSZRX %DRPTX %DRPRX

33577595 60324549:Test-VM.eth0 vmnic1 DvsPortset-0 1.79 0.00 82.00 2.26 0.00 76.00 0.00 0.00

Once you note the details for Port-ID and pNIC used for VM. You can go ahead and run the packet capture using pktcap-uw

Test-VM using port-id 33577595 and pNIC vmnic1

There are two way to get the capute one you can see the output direct on esxi console or you can capture the same in pcap file for later analysis.

To capture at VM Port-ID level:

Below command will show all the traffic on that VM port id which has 10.10.10.10 either source or destination IP.

pktcap-uw --capture VnicTx,VnicRx --switchport 33577595 --ip 10.10.10.10 -o - | tcpdump-uw -enr -

To capture the output of capture to a file you can use below command, you need to provide the path to capture file:

pktcap-uw --capture VnicTx,VnicRx --switchport 33577595 --ip 10.10.10.10 -o /vmfs/volumes/DatastoreName/FileName.pcap

To capture packet for particular source and destination for any port:

pktcap-uw --capture VnicTx,VnicRx --switchport 33577595 --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 -o - | tcpdump-uw -enr -

To capture packet for particular source and destination for specific port:

pktcap-uw --capture VnicTx,VnicRx --switchport 33577595 --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 --tcpport 22 -o - | tcpdump-uw -enr -

To capture output to a file:

pktcap-uw --capture VnicTx,VnicRx --switchport 33577595 --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 --tcpport 22 -o /vmfs/volumes/DatastoreName/FileName.pcap

To capture at pNic level used for that VM:

Below command will show all the traffic on pNIC level, where you can add filter using source IP, Destination IP and Port Number along with direction.

In below example I want to see the traffic sent or received on IP 10.10.10.10 on port number 22 on vmnic1

pktcap-uw --uplink vmnic1 --capture UplinkSndKernel,UplinkRcvKernel --ip 10.10.10.10 --tcpport 22 -o - | tcpdump-uw -enr -

To capture above command output to a pcap file for later analysis.

pktcap-uw --uplink vmnic1 --capture UplinkSndKernel,UplinkRcvKernel --ip 10.10.10.10 --tcpport 22 -o /vmfs/volumes/DatastoreName/FileName.pcap

To capture traffic between 2 particular end points on given pNIC

pktcap-uw --uplink vmnic1 --capture UplinkSndKernel,UplinkRcvKernel --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 -o - | tcpdump-uw -enr -

To Save output to a file:

pktcap-uw --uplink vmnic1 --capture UplinkSndKernel,UplinkRcvKernel --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 -o /vmfs/volumes/DatastoreName/FileName.pcap

To capture traffic between 2 particular end points along with port on given pNIC

pktcap-uw --uplink vmnic1 --capture UplinkSndKernel,UplinkRcvKernel --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 --tcpport 22 -o - | tcpdump-uw -enr -

To Save output to a file:

pktcap-uw --uplink vmnic1 --capture UplinkSndKernel,UplinkRcvKernel --srcip 10.10.10.10 --dstip 10.10.10.20 --tcpport 22 -o /vmfs/volumes/DatastoreName/FileName.pcap

You can change the port-ID, pNIC, IP and Port Number according your use case.

vRA 7.6 IaaS Management Agent Certificate replace with New Self Sign Certificate

2024-01-19T21:35:00.000+05:30

The system administrator can replace the Management Agent certificate when it expires or

about to expire with new self-signed certificate.

Each IaaS host runs its own Management Agent. Repeat this procedure on each IaaS node whose

Management Agent you want to update.

Prerequisites:

Obtain vRA Management Agent hostname (hn):

Copy the vRA Management Agent hostname from the vRA VAMI interface under cluster tab, where you see the warning or error for certificate for agent.

Obtain vRA Management Agent ID (nd):

Copy the details from the existing Agent Config file from the vRA Management Agent installation directory.

On each of the IaaS nodes where you will be replacing the certificate, obtain the Management Agent identifier by opening the below file.

<vra-installation-dir>\Management Agent\VMware.IaaS.Management.Agent.exe.config file.

agentConfiguration id

Obtain vRA appliance SSL Thumbprint (tp):

You can find this in the same file <vra-installation-dir>\Management Agent\VMware.IaaS.Management.Agent.exe.config file

Find below screenshot for sample file and data to copy

Once all the required data copied perform below 2 steps, before generating and registering new self-sign certificate with vRA appliance management site.

1. Stop the Management Agent service from your Windows Services snap-in.

VMware vCloud Automation Center Management Agent service

Stop to stop the service.

2 Remove the current certificate from the machine.

Local Machine certificate snap-in in MMC console, remove the current Management Agent certificate.

Register the Management Agent certificate with the vRA appliance management site.

Open a command prompt as an administrator and navigate to the Cafe directory on the

machine on which the Management Agent is installed at <vra-installation-dir>

\Management Agent\Tools\Cafe, typically C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\vCAC

\Management Agent\Tools\Cafe.

Enter the Vcac-Config.exe RegisterNode command with options to register the

Management Agent identifier and certificate in one step. Include the Management Agent

identifier you recorded earlier as the value for the -nd option.

Vcac-Config.exe RegisterNode -v -vamih "vra-va.eng.mycompany:5480" -cu "root" -cp

"secret" -hn "iaas.eng.mycompany" -nd "C816CFBX-4830-4FD2-8951-C17429CEA291" -tp

"70928851D5B72B206E4B1CF9F6ED953EE1103DED"

Restart the Management Agent.

Now you can verify from vRA VAMI UI under cluster Agent certificate warning/error should disappeared.

To get more details use VMware documentation: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/86046

Unregister vCenter with External PSC or Embedded PSC - Remove vCenter from ELM

2023-09-05T10:53:00.006+05:30

Prerequisite:

1. Make sure you have root and administrator@vsphere.local credential

2. Take offline snapshot of vCenter servers in ELM.

vCenter Server Appliance:

Power off the vCenter Server Appliance you are decommissioning.
SSH to one of the other working External PSC or Embedded PSC/vCenter appliance within the same SSO domain via root
To enable the Bash shell, run:
shell.set --enabled true
Run the shell command to start the Bash shell and log in.
Run the cmsso-util unregister command to unregister the vCenter Server Appliance:
cmsso-util unregister --node-pnid vCenterServer_System_Name --username administrator@your_domain_name --passwd 'vCenter_Single_Sign_On_password'
Where vCenter_Server_Appliance_System_Name is the FQDN or IP address of the vCenter Server Appliance that you want to decommission. Please enter the vCenter_Single_Sign_On_password in quotes.

Note: there is downtime involved in executing the cmsso-util unregister command. It will restart the services on the node where you are executing the command.
Delete the vCenter Server Appliance that you no longer need from the vSphere inventory.

Form more details: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2106736

Updating the vCenter Server Appliance via CLI and Offline Patch ISO.

2023-07-05T20:16:00.009+05:30

***Before starting the patching activity, in case of vCenter in ELM need to shutdown and take offline snapshot for all the vCenters in ELM . So that if rollback require there is working state to revert back, during vCenter patch activity recommended to pause VM backups.

Download patch ISO from VMware Patch download page, by logging with your customer connect credential.

https://customerconnect.vmware.com/patch (for example see screenshot below):

1. Find venter VM and note ESXi host it is running on. Put DRS Automation in manual mode if host part of DRS cluster.

2. Connect ESXi host UI on which vCenter VM is running.

3. Shutdown vCenter VM.

4. Take snapshot of VM.

5. PowerON vCenter VM

6. Mount vCenter latest patch iso

7. SSH to vCenter

Check the shell

If not on Vcenter appliance shell prompt.

Run this appliancesh

If already on Vcenter shell then run below commands.

Be on below prompt of venter appliance.

Command>

Run the below commands one by one.

Command> software-packages stage --iso --acceptEulas

Command> software-packages list --staged

Command> software-packages install --staged

After successful upgrade, this will reboot venter VM, wait for all the service come up.

To check version of vCenter after patch you can run the command (from bash shell)

Type shell and press Enter

vpxd -vl

To check service status on vcenter server run below command:

service-control --status

This completes the vCenter patch activity. You can remove snapshot as per your org policy. Keeping snapshot for longtime not recommended.

Enable SSH on NSX-T manger using CLI

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Login to NSX-T manager using admin account from the console

To start just for current session:

nsxmanager> start service ssh

To keep service started even after reboot:

nsxmanager> set service ssh start-on-boot

To check service status:

nsxmanager> get service ssh

To see the list of all services:

nsxmanager> get services

Check TCP/UDP port connectivity from ESXi host

2023-04-04T18:02:00.008+05:30

Run below command from esxi shell:

For TCP Port:

nc -vz x.x.x.x/name Port

example: if you want to check connectivity from esxi to 10.10.10.10 and TCP port (8000).

nc -vz 10.10.10.10 8000

Connection to 10.10.10.10 8000 port [tcp/*] succeeded!

For UDP Port:

nc -vz -u x.x.x.x/name Port

example: if you want to check connectivity from esxi to Syslog server (10.10.10.10) and UDP port (514).

nc -vz -u 10.10.10.10 514

Connection to 10.10.10.10 514 port [udp/*] succeeded!

VMware Appliances Reset Forget|Expired passwords

2023-04-04T17:55:00.002+05:30

To check current password policy:

chage -l root

To change password expiry policy to never expire you can use below command:

chage -M -1 root

vROPS

————

vROPS Admin Account:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2078313

vROPS root Account:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2001476

Unlock Admin Account

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2131633

vRLI

————

vRLI root Account:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/53649

vRLI admin Account:

https://docs.vmware.com/en/vRealize-Log-Insight/8.2/com.vmware.log-insight.administration.doc/GUID-48C871F8-6289-406C-9C9A-59E4EA1AF2E5.html

vCenter:

—————

vCenter Root Account:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2147144

vCenter Administrator@vsphere.local Account:

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2146224

vRA

—————

How to reset administrator@vsphere.local account password in vRA 7.x. (2150055)

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2150055#:~:text=Navigate%20to%20vRA%20Settings%20%3E%20SSO,Save%20settings

vRA root password

https://docs.vmware.com/en/vRealize-Automation/8.8/Administering/GUID-1BC4BD89-73C5-4C2A-875D-B8787418EE85.html#:~:text=At%20the%20root%20%5B%2F%5D%23,and%20press%20the%20Enter%20key

SRM

SRM Appliance root pass

https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/304686

SRM Appliance Deployment not taking IP details

2022-02-09T14:58:00.004+05:30

In case appliance not taking IP details as provided during the OVA deployment, use below commands from the console:

Find out the interface names using below command:

/opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_interfaces

Configure P for the interface:

/opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_set_network <interface name as per command output> STATICV4 <IPAddress> <NetMask> <Default Gateway>

Configure DNS IP:

/opt/vmware/share/vami/vami_set_dns -d <Domain Sufffix> <DNS ip1> <DNS ip2>

Configure Hostname

hostnamectl set-hostname your-new-hostname

Now you can reboot your appliance and then connect using the given IP using VAMI UI.

Bucket Policy vs IAM Policy vs S3 ACL !

2020-07-13T09:59:00.001+05:30

IAM Policies and Bucket Policies and ACLs! Oh, My! (Controlling Access to S3 Resources)

One of most commonly asked question and very confusing. I came across a blog from AWS, with great explanation on same. So though of sharing:

IAM policies vs. S3 bucket policies

IAM policies specify what actions are allowed or denied on what AWS resources (e.g. allow ec2:TerminateInstance on the EC2 instance with instance_id=i-8b3620ec). You attach IAM policies to IAM users, groups, or roles, which are then subject to the permissions you’ve defined. In other words, IAM policies define what a principal can do in your AWS environment.

S3 bucket policies, on the other hand, are attached only to S3 buckets. S3 bucket policies specify what actions are allowed or denied for which principals on the bucket that the bucket policy is attached to (e.g. allow user Alice to PUT but not DELETE objects in the bucket). S3 bucket policies are a type of access control list,

For more details must read: https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/security/iam-policies-and-bucket-policies-and-acls-oh-my-controlling-access-to-s3-resources/

AWS Security Fundamentals

2020-07-13T09:54:00.002+05:30

To start learning AWS Security, start with free digital fundamental training.AWS Security Fundamentals (2nd Edition):

https://www.aws.training/Details/eLearning?id=34259

Later to go more deep dive you can go for 3 days training on Security Engineering on AWS.

https://www.koenig-solutions.com/security-engineering-on-aws-training-certification-course#:~:text=The%20Security%20Engineering%20on%20AWS,%2C%20networking%2C%20and%20database%20services.

Big Data on AWS

2020-06-08T18:07:00.000+05:30

To start with big data on AWS, I highly recommend below free digital training:

https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2019/06/new-digital-course-now-available-data-analytics-fundamentals/

VMware vMotion Process !

2020-04-27T09:31:00.000+05:30

You may know what is VMware vMotion and its use case. If not quick summary on VMware vMotion:

Live migration of virtual machines without service interruption, it can be manual call by admin and this can be called by VMware DRS for load balance.

For more details how exactly vMotion process in the backend, must watch below video.

Part 1: Introduction to the vMotion process

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q_MPVeuWgc&feature=youtu.be

Part 2: vMotion Memory Copy - Under the Hood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdI7-FJEEmk

Remote Exam Testing Is Here! AWS Exams !!!

2020-04-22T10:10:00.001+05:30

You can take the AWS certification exam from your home now, for more details please follow below link:

https://home.pearsonvue.com/aws/onvue

Stay home, stay safe...

Remote Exam Testing Is Here! VMware Exam

2020-04-22T10:09:00.000+05:30

VMware Certification is pleased to announce that remote proctoring of its exams, delivered by Pearson VUE, will be available starting April 20, 2020. Remote proctoring allows you to take the exam from ANY secure location, and will be a permanent offering, regardless of the availability of in-person testing centers going forward. The cost per exam remains the same.

More details please use link below:

https://blogs.vmware.com/education/2020/04/16/remote-exam-testing-is-here/