Identity service introduced with VCF 9.0 that signs in users of fleet components by linking VCF Single Sign-On with the company's identity provider. It runs either embedded within vCenter or as a cluster of three appliance nodes.
Also called Workspace ONE Access.
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Each book explains VCF Identity Broker in context, with comparison tables and the common traps.
Terms in this definition
- IDENTITY
A column property, written IDENTITY(seed, increment), that gives each new row the next number in a rising sequence. SCOPE_IDENTITY reports the latest value created in the current scope, and a rolled-back transaction still uses up the numbers it took.
- VMware Cloud Foundation
Broadcom's platform for private cloud. It unifies management of NSX, vSAN, vSphere, VCF Automation and VCF Operations as one fleet; VVF, by contrast, lacks automation and cloud management.
- VCF Single Sign-On
Lets users reach NSX, vCenter, VCF Automation, VCF Operations and other fleet components with a single login in VCF 9.0; VCF Identity Broker connects it with an outside identity provider.
- Identity provider
Microsoft Entra ID is one example: a system that keeps identity records up to date and lets applications hand off sign-in, permission checks and logging to it.
- Agents (classic) API
First-generation Foundry Agent Service API, based on threads, messages and runs. It is deprecated, replaced by conversations and responses, and retires on 31 March 2027.
- vCenter
Management software for VMs, clusters and ESX hosts. Each domain in VCF gets a dedicated one.
Related terms
- ADFS
Active Directory Federation Services, Microsoft's identity federation product. VCF Identity Broker accepts it as an outside IdP (over OIDC or SAML) so people can sign in to VCF.
- OIDC
OpenID Connect, an OAuth 2.0-based identity standard that issues JSON ID tokens. VCF Identity Broker supports it, alongside SAML 2.0, for external IdPs.
- VCF Operations fleet management appliance
Successor to VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle, which cannot be upgraded to 9.0. This appliance underpins VCF Operations fleet management, looking after lifecycle and binaries for VCF Operations, VCF Automation, VCF Identity Broker and add-ons.
- VCF Planning and Preparation Workbook
Excel workbook for collecting what a VCF fleet deployment needs up front, such as host numbers, sizing, and settings for VCF Automation, vSphere Supervisor, VCF Identity Broker and workload domains.