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VCF deployer

zpod-vcf-deployer is a community automation tool that deploys VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) end-to-end on infrastructure provisioned by zPodFactory.

zPodFactory vs platform-specific automation

zPodFactory is the framework for deploying nested environments with the most vanilla component layout possible, while still preparing the full Layer 1 foundation that complex platforms expect:

  • DNS and NTP reachable from every host
  • Carved VLAN subnets, static routes, and trunk segments via zcore
  • Consistent passwords, SSH access, and network plumbing between physical endpoint and nested hosts

That foundation is what makes arbitrary nested labs workable — but some products ship their own installer and orchestration stack. VCF is a prime example: SDDC Manager and the VCF Installer drive a multi-hour, multi-phase Broadcom provisioning workflow (depot setup, bundle downloads, validation, SDDC deployment) that zPodFactory does not replace.

zpod-vcf-deployer sits on top of both layers (see also Bring your own … for the general pattern):

  1. zPodFactory — creates the zPod (core appliance, nested ESXi hosts, VCF Installer VM) from a matching profile.
  2. Official VCF automation — runs the Broadcom provisioning process against that zPod (depot, bundles, SDDC spec validation, SDDC deploy).

You get repeatable VCF labs without hand-building DNS records, depot wiring, or installer steps for every run.

Physical endpoint (vCenter / NSX)
        │
        ▼
   zPodFactory ──► zPod (zcore, ESXi, vcfinstaller, …)
        │
        ▼
 zpod-vcf-deployer ──► VCF Installer / SDDC Manager ──► VCF SDDC

What the deployer automates

The script is a single Python CLI (zpod-vcf-deployer.py, run via uv) that chains:

Step Description
Provision zPod Creates the zPod through the zPod API and waits until it is active
Render VCF config Fills a Jinja2-enabled JSON SDDC template with zPod variables ({{zpod_name}}, {{zpod_domain}}, {{zpod_password}}, …)
Prepare ESXi VCF 9.1+ only — installs the nested vSAN ESA mock-HW VIB over SSH where required
Configure DNS Adds records for vCenter, NSX, ESXi, SDDC Manager, and related VCF components
VCF depot Configures online or offline depot on the VCF Installer
Download bundles Pulls required VCF bundles (ESXi, vCenter, NSX, etc.)
Validate SDDC Runs VCF validation on the SDDC spec with live status
Deploy SDDC Executes SDDC deployment with milestone progress in the terminal

Typical full runs are on the order of ~2½ hours, depending on depot speed and physical cluster performance. The tool supports --verify-only to stop after validation and deploy later with a second run.

Both VCF 9.0.x and VCF 9.1.x are supported; version-specific behavior (DNS layout, depot components, ESXi prep) is inferred from the template’s top-level version field.

Screenshots

Deployment initialization

zPod provisioning and early pipeline steps with live terminal output.

zpod-vcf-deployer — deployment initialization

Offline depot and bundle downloads

Depot configuration on the VCF Installer and bundle download progress.

zpod-vcf-deployer — offline depot and bundle downloads

SDDC deployment progress

Global milestones and task status during SDDC deployment.

zpod-vcf-deployer — SDDC deployment progress

Deployment complete

Successful completion summary with per-step timings.

zpod-vcf-deployer — deployment complete

Screencast

Full terminal recording of an end-to-end run (zPod provision through SDDC deploy). Press play in the player below, or open on asciinema.org.

VCF 9.1+ depot mode

VCF 9.1 and later require an offline depot — Broadcom’s new activation model replaces the online depot used on 9.0.x. The deployer rejects --depot-mode online when a 9.1+ template is selected. See the project README for offline depot setup (doc-vcf-offlinedepot).

Profiles and templates

VCF deployments need a zPodFactory profile aligned with the VCF JSON template (host count, ESXi version, vcfinstaller component). Example profile shape:

  • zcore-* — core appliance (DNS, routing, NFS); legacy profiles may still use zbox-*
  • esxi-* — one or more nested ESXi hosts (CPU, memory, vNICs, vDisks per host)
  • vcfinstaller-* — VCF Installer / SDDC Manager appliance

Shipped templates under config/ in the repository cover common 3- and 4-host layouts for VCF 9.0.0.0 through 9.1.x (GA-pinned and -latest variants). GA templates pin full build-qualified component versions from the depot; -latest templates omit per-component versions so the installer picks the newest available (9.1+ only for express patches at bring-up).

Configure defaults once in .env (API URL, token, endpoint, profile, template path, depot settings), then deploy with:

uv run zpod-vcf-deployer.py -n my-vcf-lab

Prerequisites

  • uv on a workstation with API access to zPodFactory
  • zPodFactory instance with components enabled for your VCF profile (ESXi, vcfinstaller, etc.)
  • Broadcom download token for online depot (VCF 9.0.x), or an offline VCF depot server for 9.1+
  • Matching profile and template for your target VCF release and host count

Dependencies are declared inline (PEP 723); uv run installs them automatically — no manual virtualenv.