3V0-24.25 Advanced VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 vSphere Kubernetes Service Questions and Answers

VCF 9.0 explains pod fundamentals by describing how Workload Management introducesvSphere Pods, stating a vSphere Pod is “equivalent of a Kubernetes pod” and that it “runs one or more Linux containers.” This directly eliminates optionB, because a pod can includeone or morecontainers (not only one).

The vSphere 9.0 documentation further defines a KubernetesPodas “a group of one or more containerized applications that share such resources as storage and network,” and notes the containers inside a pod are “started, stopped, and replicated as a group.” That definition reflects Kubernetes’ scheduling and lifecycle model: Kubernetes treats the pod as the primary unit it places and manages together, which is why a pod is regarded as thesmallest deployable unitfor running containerized workloads in Kubernetes. OptionsCandDare incorrect because pods are Kubernetes objects (not “managed by Docker” as a smallest entity), and Kubernetes abstracts the underlying runtime/host so pods are not defined as being “deployed directly on the virtual machine” as a characteristic.

Configuration Sequence (in order):

Deactivate the service.

Confirm uninstallation.

Delete the service.

Confirm deletion.

Uninstalling a Supervisor Service cleanly follows a “stop/remove/cleanup” pattern to avoid orphaned components and to ensure the Supervisor isn’t still reconciling the service while you remove it. First, youDeactivate the serviceso the Supervisor stops managing and running the Harbor service components. This prevents new service resources from being created while you are attempting to remove them and allows the platform to transition the service into a non-operational state safely.

Next, youConfirm uninstallationto initiate the removal workflow. This step acknowledges that the service’s deployed components (such as pods, controllers, and any associated objects) will be removed from the Supervisor-managed environment. After the uninstall workflow is initiated and the service is no longer active, you proceed toDelete the serviceto remove the Harbor service registration/entry from the Supervisor Services list, ensuring it is no longer available to namespaces or consumers. Finally, youConfirm deletionas the last safeguard, since deletion is typically destructive and removes the service definition from the environment’s available services catalog.

VCF 9.0 describes backing up workloads on VKS clusters usingVelero(Velero Plugin for vSphere) and shows the backup command pattern scoping backup content bynamespace(for example, velero backup create ... --include-namespaces=my-namespace). This demonstrates thatNamespacesare a primary object type within backup scope (you choose which namespace content is captured). The same section explains that after backup execution,Kubernetes metadata is uploaded to the object store. “Kubernetes metadata” in this context includes standard namespaced resources that represent running workloads and how they are exposed, such asServices(a core Kubernetes API object used to provide stable access to pods).

In addition to namespace scoping, Velero’s selection model commonly includes filtering backed-up Kubernetes objects using selectors (for example, selecting subsets of resources), which aligns with the “objects identified by a label selector” option as an object-selection mechanism within the scope of what Velero captures from Kubernetes APIs (metadata/resources) once the namespace is targeted.

Therefore, the best match to the documented Velero workload-backup model is:Namespace,Service, andlabel-selected objectswithin the included namespace(s).

VCF 9.0 explains that VKS releases are distributed throughcontent libraries, and that when you configure asubscribed content libraryyou can choose how content is downloaded and synchronized. Critically for constrained storage sites, the documentation states you can selecton-demand (“when needed”)download so thatonly the metadatais synchronized, and theactual image content is not downloadeduntil you explicitly need it—“as a result storage space is saved.”

This directly addresses the problem of a remote site with minimal datastore capacity: choosingWhen neededprevents the subscribed library from immediately caching all published VKS images locally. The vSphere content library guidance reinforces this behavior: with “download contents only when needed,” the system synchronizesmetadata only, which “saves storage space,” and you download a specific item’s content only when you synchronize that item for use.

Therefore, selectingDownload content → When neededis the correct action to avoid consuming all available datastore space.

In VCF 9.0 VKS clusters, network policy is a core Kubernetes networking control implemented by the cluster’s CNI (Antrea or Calico). The VCF documentation’s “VKS Cluster Networking” table describesNetwork policyas the feature that “controls what traffic is allowed to and from selected pods and network endpoints,” and identifies Antrea or Calico as the providers for this capability. That definition precisely matches optionB: it governs pod-to-pod and pod-to-external endpoint communication rules. This is different from ingress routing (which the same table describes separately as “Cluster ingress … routing for inbound pod traffic”), so option C is not correct for “network policy.” It is also different from NodePort behavior (external access via a port on each worker node through the Kubernetes network proxy), which is explicitly listed as “Service type: NodePort.” Finally, creating/operating clusters natively in Supervisor is a broader lifecycle function (Cluster API/VKS API), not the definition of network policy. Therefore,NetworkPolicyis the Kubernetes-layer mechanism to define and enforce allowed traffic flows.

VCF 9.0 defines VKS as an upstream Kubernetes offering that isbuilt for vSphereand delivered with “well-thought-out defaults” to reduce operational burden. It states VKS provides an“opinionated installation of Kubernetes”with defaults “optimized for vSphere,” which “reduce[s] the amount of time and effort” typically spent deploying and running an enterprise Kubernetes cluster—this directly supportssimplified management and operations (A).

VCF 9.0 also emphasizes VKS is“integrated with the vSphere infrastructure”(storage, networking, authentication) and is built on a Supervisor that maps to vSphere clusters, creating a “unified product experience.” This supportsconsistent Kubernetes deployment on vSphere (B)because clusters are provisioned and operated in a standardized, vSphere-native way.

Finally, VCF 9.0 states VKS clusters “use open source Linux-based” components from VMware by Broadcom and notes key integrations (for example, CNI options) are open source—supportingleveraging open-source technologies (D).

OptionsCandEare not VKS benefits as stated: VKS targets VKS-provisioned upstream Kubernetes clusters (not “any distribution”), and “pods directly on ESXi” is described asvSphere Pods(Workload Management), not a defining benefit of VKS clusters.

VCF 9.0 positions VKS clusters as Kubernetes-native environments where platform teams install and manage “standard packages” and add-ons. In VCF Automation’s VKS overview, VMware states that a set of packages is automatically included with a VKS cluster, includingkapp-controllerandsecret-gen controller. These components are part of theCarveltoolchain used for packaging and deploying applications/configuration in a Kubernetes-friendly, declarative way.

In addition, the VCF 9.0 CLI “package” workflows explicitly supportytt overlaysduring package installation/updates (for example, --ytt-overlay-file and --ytt-overlays), which are configuration mechanisms associated with Carvel-based packaging workflows.

Helmis the other widely used Kubernetes package manager for installing and configuring applications through charts and values, and is commonly used by DevOps teams on Kubernetes clusters such as VKS for app deployment and configuration management. By contrast, Fluent Bit is a log shipper, Multus is a CNI multiplexer, and Grafana is a visualization tool—none are package management tools.

When you build Kubernetes-aware policy constructs, “groups” are commonly used to collect objects so you can apply consistent controls (security posture, traffic rules, observability scope, etc.) to a set of endpoints. In VCF 9.0 documentation, the Kubernetes member types that can be used for group-based collection includeKubernetes NodeandKubernetes Serviceas supported member object categories. Nodes represent the worker compute endpoints that run workloads, while Services represent stable networking front-ends for sets of pods (and are often the anchoring object for policy and routing decisions at the Kubernetes layer). Using Node-based grouping helps apply policies to the infrastructure execution points where workloads run, and Service-based grouping helps apply policies consistently to application entry points and east-west communication targets, regardless of pod churn. This combination is especially useful in Kubernetes-centric operational models because it aligns policy scope with both (1) where workloads execute (nodes) and (2) how workloads are exposed and discovered (services).

VCF 9.0 distinguishes betweenbacking up the Supervisor control planeandbacking up workloadsthat run on the Supervisor, includingvSphere Pods. In the “Considerations for Backing Up and Restoring Workload Management” table, the scenario “Backup and restore vSphere Pods” explicitly lists the required tool as“Velero Plugin for vSphere”, with the guidance to “Install and configure the plug-in on the Supervisor.”

The same document is explicit thatstandalone Velero with Restic is not valid for vSphere Pods, stating: “You cannot use Velero standalone with Restic to backup and restore vSphere Pods. You must use the Velero Plugin for vSphere installed on the Supervisor.”

vCenter file-based backup is documented for restoring theSupervisor control plane state, not for backing up and restoring vSphere Pod workloads themselves. Therefore, to meet the requirement to protect third-party applications running asvSphere Pods, the architect should propose theVelero Plugin for vSphere.

A Global Namespace in a service-mesh-driven, multi-cluster design is fundamentally anorganizational and policy boundarythat lets platform teams treat multiple Kubernetes namespaces—across multiple clusters/regions—as one logical application domain. That is whyBis correct: it defines an application boundary spanning clusters, which is exactly what “GovApp” needs when its tiers are distributed across regions but must still behave as one application. It also explains whyAis correct: the value of a Global Namespace is that you can applyconsistent identity, security, and traffic policiesacross all member namespaces and clusters, rather than configuring them separately per cluster. This supports uniform mTLS/authorization posture, consistent service-to-service access rules, and standardized routing behaviors regardless of where a service instance runs.

The other options describe outcomes that may be enabled by additional service-mesh features, but they are not the corerequirementsthat define a Global Namespace: distributed ingress/egress is not guaranteed simply by the namespace construct, automatic workload placement is typically handled by schedulers/placement engines rather than the namespace boundary, and centralized logging is an observability capability outside the namespace requirement itself.

Hosts and Clusters

To create avSphere Zone(used as a Supervisor Management Zone and/or Workload Zone), the administrator must start from the vSphere Client inventory wherevCenterand its clusters are managed. That’s why the correct starting point in the “Inventories” toolbar isHosts and Clusters—it is the entry point used to select the vCenter object and the target clusters.

VCF 9.0 documents the zone-creation workflow as:navigate to vCenter, thenSelect Configure, thenselect vSphere Zones, and finally clickAdd New vSphere Zone. After naming the zone, youselect a vSphere cluster to add to the zoneand finish the wizard.

This sequence matches the intent of the hotspot: you must first open the inventory view that exposes vCenter and clusters (Hosts and Clusters), then perform the configuration steps under vCenter to define vSphere Zones. Once created, these zones can later be selected during Supervisor deployment (for multi-zone placement) or assigned to namespaces for workload placement.

In Kubernetes RBAC, cluster-wide permissions are defined withClusterRoleand granted to a user, group, or service account by creating aClusterRoleBinding. The VCF 9.0 documentation for VKS cluster access describes the RBAC workflow used to grant access: first you “define a Role or ClusterRolefor the user or group,” and then you “create a RoleBinding or ClusterRoleBindingfor the user or group and apply it to the cluster.” This wording reflects the RBAC distinction:RoleBindingis scoped to a namespace, whereasClusterRoleBindingis used when the permissions must apply at thecluster scope(cluster-wide resources and/or across namespaces).

VCF 9.0 further illustrates the purpose of ClusterRoleBinding in a token-auth example: it lists the required objects, including “ClusterRole: This defines the access to the Kubernetes cluster” and “ClusterRoleBinding: This binds the created Service Account with the defined ClusterRole.” That binding step is what grants the subject the cluster-level privileges defined in the ClusterRole, makingClusterRoleBindingthe correct object for permissions to cluster-wide resources.

In VCF 9.0, cluster autoscaling is delivered as anoptionalcapability that requires installing theCluster Autoscaleras a standard package. The VCF 9.0 materials explicitly call out Cluster Autoscaler as an optionally installed package for vSphere Kubernetes Service, alongside other optional packages (for example, Harbor, Velero, Istio, etc.). The release information further emphasizes that autoscaling features (including newer behaviors such as scaling from/to zero for supported VKr versions) require that “the autoscaler standard package” be installed.

Operationally, installing the autoscaler package provides the controller that watches pending pods and node utilization signals and then drives the required changes in desired worker capacity. After that controller is present, you typically express scaling intent through the cluster’s declarative configuration (for example, worker pool/node pool constraints and limits) so the autoscaler can act within the boundaries you define. Without the autoscaler package, changing replica counts or expecting automatic node growth/shrink will not produce autoscaling behavior because the control loop that performs those actions is missing.

In VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 and vSphere Supervisor architectures, the decision to deploy aSingle-Zoneor aMulti-ZoneSupervisor is made at the time ofinitial enablement. A Single-Zone Supervisor is tied to a specific vSphere Cluster. A Multi-Zone Supervisor requires a minimum of three vSphere Zones (each mapped to a cluster) to be defined before the Supervisor is deployed so that the Control Plane VMs can be distributed for high availability.

Currently, there is no supported "in-place" migration path to convert a deployed Single-Zone Supervisor into a Multi-Zone Supervisor by simply adding zones later. If an organization requires the high availability provided by a three-zone architecture, the administrator must decommission the existing Single-Zone Supervisor and then re-enable the Supervisor Service using the Multi-Zone configuration wizard. This design ensures that the underlying Kubernetes Control Plane components are correctly instantiated with the necessary quorum and anti-affinity rules that can only be established during the initial "Workload Management" setup phase.

The problem describes demand spikes where capacity exists, but the application cannot meet demand—this typically indicates the cluster needs toscale out(more nodes/pods) automatically when load increases. In VCF 9.0, VKS supportsCluster Autoscaleras an optional package and specifically calls out improvements: “Cluster Autoscaler supports scaling from zero or to zero… You must have the autoscaler standard package installed.” This directly supports optionA(install cluster autoscaling) as the mechanism to dynamically add capacity during peak events and reduce it afterward, optimizing cost and operations while meeting bursts. A load balancer (including Foundation Load Balancer) helps distribute traffic acrossexistingendpoints, but it does not create new compute capacity when pods are pending due to insufficient nodes. Similarly, installing Contour relates to ingress (routing inbound traffic) and is not, by itself, a capacity scaling solution. Oversubscription is a risky workaround that can degrade performance and does not provide targeted, policy-driven elasticity. Therefore, enablingcluster autoscalingis the correct way to address burst demand when underlying resources are available.