William Lam
@lamw.bsky.social
Distinguished Platform Engineering Architect, Broadcom • 📢 Customer Advocate • 🧑💻 Technologist • 🖊️ Blogger • 👨👧👦 Father • 🧗♂️ Spartan Races
AI Daily Brief is podcast I've been listening for some time, great way to get 5min pulse of ever changing AI landscape.
They ran an ROI Benchmark Survey (1200+ folks across 536 companies, 5K+ use cases), results available aidbintel.com/research
Some interesting findings ...
They ran an ROI Benchmark Survey (1200+ folks across 536 companies, 5K+ use cases), results available aidbintel.com/research
Some interesting findings ...
AIDB Intelligence
Intelligence For Better AI Decisions — Research, information and living benchmarks for business AI.
aidbintel.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:37 PM
AI Daily Brief is podcast I've been listening for some time, great way to get 5min pulse of ever changing AI landscape.
They ran an ROI Benchmark Survey (1200+ folks across 536 companies, 5K+ use cases), results available aidbintel.com/research
Some interesting findings ...
They ran an ROI Benchmark Survey (1200+ folks across 536 companies, 5K+ use cases), results available aidbintel.com/research
Some interesting findings ...
[🆕] - Automating License Entitlement Workflows between VCF Operations & VCF Business Service Console (BSC) williamlam.com/2025/12/auto...
☝️Just in time for the holidays! 😅🎄🎁
#VCF9
☝️Just in time for the holidays! 😅🎄🎁
#VCF9
December 18, 2025 at 5:20 PM
[🆕] - Automating License Entitlement Workflows between VCF Operations & VCF Business Service Console (BSC) williamlam.com/2025/12/auto...
☝️Just in time for the holidays! 😅🎄🎁
#VCF9
☝️Just in time for the holidays! 😅🎄🎁
#VCF9
[🆕] - Dynamically Rebalance or Evacuate VKS Control Plane / Worker Nodes across vSphere Zones in VCF 9.0 williamlam.com/2025/12/dyna...
👌Nice enhancements to vSphere Zones in #VCF9
👌Nice enhancements to vSphere Zones in #VCF9
December 16, 2025 at 6:08 PM
[🆕] - Dynamically Rebalance or Evacuate VKS Control Plane / Worker Nodes across vSphere Zones in VCF 9.0 williamlam.com/2025/12/dyna...
👌Nice enhancements to vSphere Zones in #VCF9
👌Nice enhancements to vSphere Zones in #VCF9
📢 vSphere 8.0 Update 3h is now available!
Upgrade from VC 7.0u3w ✅
Upgrade to 9.0.x ❌
📒 Release Notes:
🔸VC techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
🔹ESX techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
Upgrade from VC 7.0u3w ✅
Upgrade to 9.0.x ❌
📒 Release Notes:
🔸VC techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
🔹ESX techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
VMware vCenter 8.0 Update 3h Release Notes
techdocs.broadcom.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:51 PM
📢 vSphere 8.0 Update 3h is now available!
Upgrade from VC 7.0u3w ✅
Upgrade to 9.0.x ❌
📒 Release Notes:
🔸VC techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
🔹ESX techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
Upgrade from VC 7.0u3w ✅
Upgrade to 9.0.x ❌
📒 Release Notes:
🔸VC techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
🔹ESX techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware...
[🆕] - Increasing VCF Installer & SDDC Manager Timeout for NSX Deployment williamlam.com/2025/12/incr...
👆Few useful parameters to update for resource constrained environments
#VCF9
👆Few useful parameters to update for resource constrained environments
#VCF9
Increasing VCF Installer & SDDC Manager Timeout for NSX Deployment
For resource constrained environments, deploying VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) can take longer, especially when deploying on top of a Nested ESXi configuration. However, the VCF Installer does prov…
williamlam.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:41 PM
[🆕] - Increasing VCF Installer & SDDC Manager Timeout for NSX Deployment williamlam.com/2025/12/incr...
👆Few useful parameters to update for resource constrained environments
#VCF9
👆Few useful parameters to update for resource constrained environments
#VCF9
Micron exits consumer Memory/Storage business … and now Samsung is stopping their SATA SSD production!
Who’s left that provide consumer grade components for labs!?! 😤
www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-to-h...
Who’s left that provide consumer grade components for labs!?! 😤
www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-to-h...
Samsung to halt SATA SSD production, leaker warns of up to 18 months of SSD price pressure, worse than Micron ending consumer RAM - NotebookCheck.net News
Samsung is reportedly preparing to wind down its SATA SSD business, and a notable hardware leaker warns the move could have broader implications for consumer storage pricing than Micron’s decision to end its Crucial RAM lineup. The report suggests reduced supply and short-term price pressure may follow as the market adjusts.
www.notebookcheck.net
December 15, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Micron exits consumer Memory/Storage business … and now Samsung is stopping their SATA SSD production!
Who’s left that provide consumer grade components for labs!?! 😤
www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-to-h...
Who’s left that provide consumer grade components for labs!?! 😤
www.notebookcheck.net/Samsung-to-h...
December 11, 2025 at 8:12 PM
[🆕] - Quick Tip - Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Consumption CLI for Air-Gapped Environments williamlam.com/2025/12/quic...
#VCF9
#VCF9
December 10, 2025 at 10:45 PM
[🆕] - Quick Tip - Downloading VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Consumption CLI for Air-Gapped Environments williamlam.com/2025/12/quic...
#VCF9
#VCF9
🥳 VMUG #VCF9 Licensing & Download Token Creation for VMUG Advantage + VCP-VCF Certification looks to be LIVE now!
1️⃣ Login to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al...
2️⃣ You'll auth to support.broadcom
3️⃣ Go back to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al... access license entitlement / token generation
1️⃣ Login to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al...
2️⃣ You'll auth to support.broadcom
3️⃣ Go back to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al... access license entitlement / token generation
December 9, 2025 at 5:20 PM
🥳 VMUG #VCF9 Licensing & Download Token Creation for VMUG Advantage + VCP-VCF Certification looks to be LIVE now!
1️⃣ Login to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al...
2️⃣ You'll auth to support.broadcom
3️⃣ Go back to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al... access license entitlement / token generation
1️⃣ Login to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al...
2️⃣ You'll auth to support.broadcom
3️⃣ Go back to support.broadcom.com/group/ecx/al... access license entitlement / token generation
December 8, 2025 at 4:38 PM
[🆕] - Quick Tip - Using VCF CLI to login to vSphere Supervisor when configured with VCF Automation williamlam.com/2025/12/quic...
#VCF9
#VCF9
December 6, 2025 at 1:22 AM
[🆕] - Quick Tip - Using VCF CLI to login to vSphere Supervisor when configured with VCF Automation williamlam.com/2025/12/quic...
#VCF9
#VCF9
👇The CNCF 14-Month K8s Support Lifecycle is no joke, blink of an eye and you're out of support, if you're not keeping up!
The true cost of Kubernetes release support for Platform Engineers platformengineering.org/blog/the-tru...
The true cost of Kubernetes release support for Platform Engineers platformengineering.org/blog/the-tru...
The true cost of Kubernetes release support for Platform Engineers
Compare the true cost and operational trade-offs of Kubernetes extended support fees from hyperscalers (AWS, GCP, Azure) versus the longer, predictable maintenance cycles of VMware VCF and other enter...
platformengineering.org
December 5, 2025 at 11:07 PM
👇The CNCF 14-Month K8s Support Lifecycle is no joke, blink of an eye and you're out of support, if you're not keeping up!
The true cost of Kubernetes release support for Platform Engineers platformengineering.org/blog/the-tru...
The true cost of Kubernetes release support for Platform Engineers platformengineering.org/blog/the-tru...
Nice post from Tomas Fojta on #VCF9 Automation Networking Deep Dive 🧠🌐
fojta.wordpress.com/2025/12/05/v...
fojta.wordpress.com/2025/12/05/v...
VCF Automation 9.0 Networking Deep Dive
When talking to customers that are adopting VCF 9 with VCF Automation I realized there is confusion on how the networking should be set up especially related to the new concepts such as supervisor,…
fojta.wordpress.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Nice post from Tomas Fojta on #VCF9 Automation Networking Deep Dive 🧠🌐
fojta.wordpress.com/2025/12/05/v...
fojta.wordpress.com/2025/12/05/v...
[🆕] - Automating the Reporting of VCF Workload Domain Import Pre-Check Validations williamlam.com/2025/12/auto...
☝️This can be used to remotely pre-check bunch of vCenter/NSX before attempting VCF import to take care of requirements to ensure success!
#VCF9
☝️This can be used to remotely pre-check bunch of vCenter/NSX before attempting VCF import to take care of requirements to ensure success!
#VCF9
December 4, 2025 at 3:45 PM
[🆕] - Automating the Reporting of VCF Workload Domain Import Pre-Check Validations williamlam.com/2025/12/auto...
☝️This can be used to remotely pre-check bunch of vCenter/NSX before attempting VCF import to take care of requirements to ensure success!
#VCF9
☝️This can be used to remotely pre-check bunch of vCenter/NSX before attempting VCF import to take care of requirements to ensure success!
#VCF9
Damn! More bad news for consumer memory 😭
"It will halt the sale of the "Crucial" unit's consumer-branded products at retailers, e-tailers and distributors worldwide, but will continue product shipments through the consumer channel until February 2026"
www.reuters.com/business/mic...
"It will halt the sale of the "Crucial" unit's consumer-branded products at retailers, e-tailers and distributors worldwide, but will continue product shipments through the consumer channel until February 2026"
www.reuters.com/business/mic...
Micron to exit consumer memory business amid global supply shortage
Memory chipmaker Micron Technology said on Wednesday it will exit its consumer business, as it doubles down on advanced memory chips used in artificial intelligence data centers amid a global supply s...
www.reuters.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Damn! More bad news for consumer memory 😭
"It will halt the sale of the "Crucial" unit's consumer-branded products at retailers, e-tailers and distributors worldwide, but will continue product shipments through the consumer channel until February 2026"
www.reuters.com/business/mic...
"It will halt the sale of the "Crucial" unit's consumer-branded products at retailers, e-tailers and distributors worldwide, but will continue product shipments through the consumer channel until February 2026"
www.reuters.com/business/mic...
JFYI - You can get the 128GB (2 x 64GB) @ B&H that is ACTUALLY under $1K USD ... 😅
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt...
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt...
crucial 128gb ddr5 5600 mhz so-dimm memory kit | B&H Photo Video
Shop B&H's in stock, large inventory for fast shipping, great service and everyday low prices on crucial 128gb ddr5 5600 mhz so-dimm memory kit. For more info, please call 800-947-4415
www.bhphotovideo.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:17 PM
JFYI - You can get the 128GB (2 x 64GB) @ B&H that is ACTUALLY under $1K USD ... 😅
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt...
www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt...
[🆕] - Import vCenter Server with Single ESX Host as new VCF Workload Domain? williamlam.com/2025/12/impo...
#VCF9
#VCF9
December 3, 2025 at 4:53 PM
[🆕] - Import vCenter Server with Single ESX Host as new VCF Workload Domain? williamlam.com/2025/12/impo...
#VCF9
#VCF9
🤣 That’s a new milestone for AI … hearing Jason Bateman advertise for Claude on Smartless
December 2, 2025 at 10:20 PM
🤣 That’s a new milestone for AI … hearing Jason Bateman advertise for Claude on Smartless
[🆕] - Managing Storage for VCF Automation (VCFA) Content Library Transfer Spooling Area williamlam.com/2025/12/mana...
#VCF9
#VCF9
December 1, 2025 at 6:47 PM
[🆕] - Managing Storage for VCF Automation (VCFA) Content Library Transfer Spooling Area williamlam.com/2025/12/mana...
#VCF9
#VCF9
December 1, 2025 at 5:30 PM
[🆕] - Enabling new vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) Cluster Management for VCF Automation (VCFA) williamlam.com/2025/11/enab...
👆Digging the new VKSM service that is now natively within VCFA for managing VKS Clusters at scale! Had some time before🌴 to deploy in my lab ✅
#VCF9
👆Digging the new VKSM service that is now natively within VCFA for managing VKS Clusters at scale! Had some time before🌴 to deploy in my lab ✅
#VCF9
Enabling new vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) Cluster Management for VCF Automation (VCFA)
As of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0.1, users can now manage the full lifecycle of their vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) Clusters, including backup and restore, using the new vSphere Kubernetes…
williamlam.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:59 AM
[🆕] - Enabling new vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS) Cluster Management for VCF Automation (VCFA) williamlam.com/2025/11/enab...
👆Digging the new VKSM service that is now natively within VCFA for managing VKS Clusters at scale! Had some time before🌴 to deploy in my lab ✅
#VCF9
👆Digging the new VKSM service that is now natively within VCFA for managing VKS Clusters at scale! Had some time before🌴 to deploy in my lab ✅
#VCF9
👌KB to bookmark for vSphere CPU Support Deprecation & Discontinuation knowledge.broadcom.com/external/art...
👉Intel KB for CPU EOL www.intel.com/content/www/...
Remember, OEMs own HW support, not Broadcom. Plan accordingly
Skylake (Intel EOS 12/2023) ❌ 9.0
Cascade Lake (Intel EOS 06/2025) ⚠️ 9.0
👉Intel KB for CPU EOL www.intel.com/content/www/...
Remember, OEMs own HW support, not Broadcom. Plan accordingly
Skylake (Intel EOS 12/2023) ❌ 9.0
Cascade Lake (Intel EOS 06/2025) ⚠️ 9.0
CPU Support Deprecation and Discontinuation In VCF Releases
knowledge.broadcom.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:07 PM
👌KB to bookmark for vSphere CPU Support Deprecation & Discontinuation knowledge.broadcom.com/external/art...
👉Intel KB for CPU EOL www.intel.com/content/www/...
Remember, OEMs own HW support, not Broadcom. Plan accordingly
Skylake (Intel EOS 12/2023) ❌ 9.0
Cascade Lake (Intel EOS 06/2025) ⚠️ 9.0
👉Intel KB for CPU EOL www.intel.com/content/www/...
Remember, OEMs own HW support, not Broadcom. Plan accordingly
Skylake (Intel EOS 12/2023) ❌ 9.0
Cascade Lake (Intel EOS 06/2025) ⚠️ 9.0
Minor update to the Realtek Network Driver for ESXi (1.101.01) Fling is now available which resolves the network connection issues observed with RTL1111 devices. If you've installed the earlier version, you can simply upgrade w/o re-installing williamlam.com/2025/11/real...
Realtek Network Driver for ESXi
I never thought this day would ever come as I am sure this will come as a complete shock to many, but I am pleased to announce that we have just released a new VMware Fling: Realtek Network Driver …
williamlam.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Minor update to the Realtek Network Driver for ESXi (1.101.01) Fling is now available which resolves the network connection issues observed with RTL1111 devices. If you've installed the earlier version, you can simply upgrade w/o re-installing williamlam.com/2025/11/real...
JFYI - To deploy VCF 9.0.1 onto a single or dual physical ESX host, the required override flag has changed.
Please see williamlam.com/2025/06/depl... for the updated details, remember this is for Lab/PoC purposes and not for production 😅
Please see williamlam.com/2025/06/depl... for the updated details, remember this is for Lab/PoC purposes and not for production 😅
Deploying VCF 9.0 on a single ESXi host?
By default, the VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0 Installer requires a minimum of 3 ESXi hosts when you select vSAN (OSA or ESA) for storage or 2 ESXi hosts when you choose to use external storage …
williamlam.com
November 21, 2025 at 1:54 PM
JFYI - To deploy VCF 9.0.1 onto a single or dual physical ESX host, the required override flag has changed.
Please see williamlam.com/2025/06/depl... for the updated details, remember this is for Lab/PoC purposes and not for production 😅
Please see williamlam.com/2025/06/depl... for the updated details, remember this is for Lab/PoC purposes and not for production 😅
📈 If you thought memory prices were expensive this year ... prices could double by late 2026! 🤯
www.reuters.com/business/nvi...
NVMe (Memory) Tiering capability could not have come sooner! It can really SAVE some serious 💰 + better HW/resource utilization!
blogs.vmware.com/cloud-founda...
www.reuters.com/business/nvi...
NVMe (Memory) Tiering capability could not have come sooner! It can really SAVE some serious 💰 + better HW/resource utilization!
blogs.vmware.com/cloud-founda...
www.reuters.com
November 20, 2025 at 6:40 PM
📈 If you thought memory prices were expensive this year ... prices could double by late 2026! 🤯
www.reuters.com/business/nvi...
NVMe (Memory) Tiering capability could not have come sooner! It can really SAVE some serious 💰 + better HW/resource utilization!
blogs.vmware.com/cloud-founda...
www.reuters.com/business/nvi...
NVMe (Memory) Tiering capability could not have come sooner! It can really SAVE some serious 💰 + better HW/resource utilization!
blogs.vmware.com/cloud-founda...