Short answer: A single-node (Simple) VCF 9.0 management stack needs about 26 vCPU and 105 GB RAM without VCF Automation. With VCF Automation it’s about 50 vCPU and 201 GB RAM, and more than 2 TB of provisioned storage. Thin provisioning uses only a fraction of that. VCF Automation alone takes 24 vCPU and 96 GB, so at least one host needs 24 or more logical CPUs.
Simple vs High Availability deployment model
The VCF 9.0 Installer asks for a deployment model for the new appliances. High Availability (Three-node) is the recommended choice for production. Simple deploys NSX Manager, VCF Operations and VCF Automation as single nodes (VCF Installer deployment wizard). SDDC Manager is always a single node. Simple is the model to use for a lab or a proof of concept. It’s also the biggest saving compared to VCF 5.x, which always required three NSX Managers.
Resources per component (VCF 9.0, Simple)
| Component | Size | vCPU | RAM | Disk (provisioned) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vCenter | Small | 4 | 21 GB | 734 GB (default storage) | HW, storage |
| NSX Manager | Medium, 1 node | 6 | 24 GB | 300 GB | KB 403604 |
| SDDC Manager (VCF Installer appliance) | fixed | 4 | 16 GB | 914 GB | TechDocs |
| VCF Operations | Small, 1 node | 4 | 16 GB | see sizing worksheet | KB 397782 |
| VCF Operations collector | Small | 4 | 16 GB | see sizing worksheet | KB 397782 (Unified Cloud Proxy, Small) |
| VCF Operations fleet management | fixed | 4* | 12 GB* | not published | lab measurement* |
| VCF Automation (optional) | Small, 1 node | 24 | 96 GB | 100 GB | VCFA sizing |
* Broadcom TechDocs don’t publish sizing for the fleet management appliance. The figures are what William Lam measured on a deployed lab (see Further reading), so treat them as approximate.
Totals
| Scope | vCPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|
| Core stack: vCenter, NSX, SDDC Manager, VCF Operations, collector, fleet management | 26 | 105 GB |
| Core stack + VCF Automation | 50 | 201 GB |
The published disk sizes alone (vCenter, NSX, SDDC Manager, VCF Automation) add up to more than 2 TB. Deploy thin wherever you can. In a freshly deployed lab the space actually used is a few hundred GB.
What this means for lab hosts
- CPU: a VM can’t have more vCPUs than its host has logical CPUs. VCF Automation’s 24 vCPU therefore needs a host with at least 24 threads, for example a 12-core CPU with SMT. An 8-core/16-thread mini PC can run the core stack but not VCF Automation. vCPU overcommit across VMs is fine in a lab.
- Memory: memory is usually the limit. Plan for roughly 105 GB (core) or 201 GB (with Automation), plus ESXi and vSAN overhead and any workload VMs. Keep enough free RAM to put a host into maintenance mode.
- vCenter size: vSphere 9.0 also has a Tiny size (2 vCPU, 14 GB, 619 GB). Whether the VCF Installer offers it depends on the build, and the totals above assume Small.
- Skip VCF Automation at first: it’s the largest single consumer. Deploy the core stack, then add Automation later if you need it.
The host count, the single 10GbE NIC, the NFS versus vSAN choice and the installer overrides that make a small homelab work (single-host domain flag, NIC speed validation bypass, vSAN ESA HCL mock VIB, HTTP offline depot) are covered in Deploying a Minimal VCF 9.0 Lab – Insights from Explore 2025. Those overrides are unsupported and for lab use only. For licensing tiers, see vSphere 9.0 product line comparison.
This page covers VCF 9.0. VCF 9.1 moves several management functions into VCF management services, so check the 9.1 documentation before you size a 9.1 lab.
Further reading
- William Lam: Minimal resources for deploying VCF 9.0 in a Lab (the original post, with measured used-storage figures)
- Broadcom KB 397782: VCF Operations 9.0 Sizing Guidelines
- Broadcom TechDocs: Hardware Requirements for the vCenter Appliance (9.0)
