With the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, Aria Operations for Logs has officially been rebranded as VCF Operations for Logs. However, if you were expecting a simple in-place upgrade, there’s an important caveat: no direct in-place upgrade is supported.
Instead, administrators must deploy VCF Ops for Logs 9.0 as a fresh installation and gradually migrate integrations and data sources from their existing Aria Ops for Logs 8.18.x environment.
Why No In-Place Upgrade?
VMware Aria Operations for Logs version 8.18.x does not support an in-place upgrade path to version 9.0. The architectural and platform changes introduced in VCF 9.0 require a clean deployment.
This means that if you are currently running Aria Ops for Logs 8.18.3, you cannot simply apply an upgrade package. Instead, both versions must temporarily coexist while you complete the transition.
Recommended Migration Approach
Broadcom’s official upgrade guidance outlines the following steps:
- Deploy VCF Ops for Logs 9.0
- Set up a fresh instance of VCF Ops for Logs in your environment.
- Follow the prerequisites and deployment guidelines in the VCF 9.0 Management Component Upgrade Guide.
- Unconfigure Integrations from 8.18.3
- Keep your Aria Ops for Logs 8.18.3 instance online, but start unconfiguring existing integrations.
- This ensures that historical log data remains accessible, even though new logs will be directed elsewhere.
- Reconfigure Integrations on 9.0
- Point all your log sources, agents, and integrations to the new VCF Ops for Logs 9.0 instance.
- Validate ingestion pipelines to confirm that logs are flowing properly.
- Leverage Log Transfer if Needed
- Broadcom provides guidance for log transfer, allowing you to move log data from the old environment to the new one.
- Decommission the Old Instance
- Once all integrations and data have been verified in the new platform, you can safely retire your 8.18.3 deployment.
Key Takeaways
- Rebrand Only in Name? Not Quite. While the product name has changed from Aria Ops for Logs to VCF Ops for Logs, the lack of in-place upgrade means the transition is more than cosmetic.
- Parallel Operations Are Required. You’ll need to run 8.18.3 and 9.0 side by side during the migration phase.
- Fresh Deployment Is Mandatory. Treat this as a new installation rather than an upgrade.
- Plan for Migration Effort. Reconfiguring all integrations and log sources can be time-intensive, so schedule accordingly.
Summary
If your organization relies heavily on VMware Aria Operations for Logs today, be prepared for a stepwise migration process rather than a straightforward upgrade. By planning the deployment of VCF Ops for Logs 9.0 carefully—and keeping the old instance online for historical data—you can ensure a smooth transition without losing valuable log visibility.
For more details, consult Broadcom’s official documentation:
