By Tarsio MoraesWelcome back! Following the exciting VCF 9.1 announcement on May 5th and the binary drop on May 12th, it’s time to get our hands dirty.
If you are currently running VCF 9.0.2 (released on January 23, 2026), you might have noticed a slight hiccup when trying to upgrade your operations environment to 9.1. Today, I’m going to walk you through the exact steps to successfully bridge that gap, including deploying the newly required License Server.
The Upgrade Catch: Why Lifecycle Management Doesn’t Work
The first thing you’ll likely do after downloading the 9.1 binaries to your offline depot is log in to Fleet Manager / Lifecycle Management. You navigate to Upgrade Binaries, hit Check for Upgrade, and… nothing happens.
Don’t panic—there is a specific reason for this. To upgrade from the 9.0.x family to 9.1, it is mandatory to apply a specific patch file via the Admin Portal first. You cannot do this initial jump through the standard Lifecycle UI.
Here is the KB showing the steps
Here is exactly how to push the update through.
1.Download the Patch File:
Navigate to the Broadcom support page and download the specific patch file for the 9.1 operations upgrade (Operations-Upgrade-9.1.0.0.25346023.pak).
2.Access the Admin Portal:Do not use the standard Fleet Manager UI.
Log into your operations admin URL (https://[your-ops-URL]/admin).
3.Upload and Stage the Update:
Go to Software Updates > Start Software Update. Select the patch file you downloaded, then click Upload. Once the upload finishes, the system will automatically validate the staging process.
4.Accept Terms and Install:Warning: This will restart the cluster.
Acknowledge the warning that the cluster will restart during the update. Accept the terms and click Install. The UI will temporarily go offline as services restart.
5.Authenticate Privileged Operations:
When prompted, provide your root password to allow the installer to execute privileged operations.
6.Monitor the Pre-Checks and Installation:
The system will cycle through 14 distinct stages, updating components like the OS application monitor. Once it reaches step 14, the status will show as Completed and the version will reflect 9.1.
Once you log back into the regular portal, you’ll immediately notice some UI changes. The Fleet Settings have been reorganized, and while familiar appliances like vCenter and the NSX Fleet Manager remain in the inventory, Lifecycle Manager has shifted.
Deploying the New License Server
According to the official Broadcom documentation, the architecture has changed slightly between 9.0.2 and 9.1. You are now required to deploy a dedicated License Server.
Before starting, ensure you have a dedicated IP address and a DNS record ready for this new appliance (e.g., vcf9-lic.office.com).
1. Retrieve the OVA
When you navigate to Manage > License and attempt to add a license server, the system will prompt you to download the License Server OVA. You can download this manually from the Broadcom portal or sync it via your offline depot (which creates a vCenter license server folder containing the OVA).
2. Deploy the Appliance via vCenter
Deploy the OVA just like you would any standard appliance:
- Storage: Select your standard vCenter datastore.
- Network: Assign it to your management network (in my lab, I map this to the 200 VCF portgroup).
- Customization: Input your IP (e.g.,
192.168.200.249), Subnet Mask (255.255.255.0), Default Gateway, DNS, and Hostname. - Registration Key: Copy the Unique Registration ID provided in the VCF UI and paste it into the deployment wizard.
Power on the appliance once the deployment completes.
3. Finalize Registration and Licensing
Head back to the VCF Operations portal. The License Server should now show as Connected.
To finalize the setup, you need to perform a brief key-exchange process:
- Click Register on the License Server prompt.
- Download the registration file and import it.
- Download the verification file and import it.
- Download the final confirmation file.
Once validated, the server will finish syncing the keys. You can now assign your Primary License and Add-on Licenses directly from the new License Server drop-down menus. Be sure to hit Save, and verify that your environment shows zero site issues.
What’s Next?
That covers part one—our operations are now successfully running 9.1 with the new licensing architecture in place. In part two, we’ll tackle the SDDC Manager upgrade. See you in the next one!