Short answer: a VCF offline depot for VMware Cloud Foundation 9 is just a web server that serves https://FQDN:PORT/PROD/ over TLS 1.2/1.3 with directory listings and (unless you run 9.1 without it) HTTP basic auth, filled by the VCF Download Tool. This generator builds the whole thing for you: a one-shot install.sh for Apache or nginx on Ubuntu, RHEL/Rocky or Photon OS, the vhost, the directory tree per Broadcom KB 312168, a verification script, the landing page, the vcf-download-tool commands for your VCF version, and an air-gapped two-script mode. Everything is generated in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.
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What the generated VCF offline depot files do
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| install.sh | Idempotent installer: packages, KB 312168 tree, htpasswd, TLS (Let’s Encrypt HTTP-01 / DNS-01, self-signed or your own certificate), vhost, firewall, renewal timer, smoke test. --uninstall removes the web config and keeps the data. |
| depot.conf | The Apache or nginx vhost: TLS 1.2/1.3 only, listings on /PROD/, basic auth, sendfile and long timeouts for multi-GB bundles. |
| tree.txt | Directory layout under the document root: PROD/COMP, PROD/metadata, PROD/vsan/hcl, optional UMDS store for ESX images and a Photon TDNF mirror. |
| verify.sh | Run from SDDC Manager or your laptop: DNS, TLS handshake, 401 without and 200 with credentials, directory listing, metadata files, free disk. |
| vcfdt-commands.sh | VCF Download Tool 9.1 commands: software depot ID, binaries download --depot-store for INSTALL and UPGRADE, esx download with an activation code, Day-N components, ownership fix. |
| prep.sh | Offline mode only: builds deps.tar.gz on an internet-connected box with the same OS, for install.sh --offline on the air-gapped host. |
Three things that bite
--depot-storemust point at the directory that contains PROD/, never at a sub-folder such as umds-patch/store, or the UMDS step fails (KB 446454).- VCF 9.0.2 depots can come up without /PROD/metadata/; extract
vcf-9.0.2.0-offline-depot-metadata.zipinto the depot root (KB 451834). - SDDC Manager must resolve the depot FQDN and trust the certificate. A self-signed certificate is fine for a lab; use an internal CA for production and import the chain.
Sources
- Broadcom KB 312168: VCF Offline Depot deployment (directory structure, web server and permission requirements)
- Broadcom KB 446454: VCF Offline Depot Download Tool fails due to incorrect depot store directory path
- Broadcom KB 451834: How to configure the metadata file for VCF 9.0.2.x offline depots
- William Lam: VCF 9.1 VCF Download Tool (VCFDT) cheatsheet and VCF 9.0 offline depot using Synology