The requirement specifies that management tooling must be resilient at the component level within a single site, meaning each site’s management components (e.g., VMware Aria Suite) must withstand individual failures without relying on the other site. Let’s evaluate each option in the context of VCF 5.2 and Aria Suite:

Option A: The solution will implement an external load balancer for Aria Operations Cloud ProxiesAria Operations Cloud Proxies collect data for monitoring and don’t inherently require an external load balancer for resiliency within a site. TheVMware Aria Operations Administration Guideindicates that proxies are lightweight and typically deployed per cluster, with resiliency achieved via multiple proxies, not load balancing. This doesn’t directly address component-level resiliency for the broader Aria Suite management tools.

Option B: The solution will configure the VCF Workload domain in a stretched topology across two locationsA stretched topology extends a workload domain across two sites for site-level resiliency (e.g., disaster recovery), not component-level resiliency within a single site. TheVCF 5.2 Architectural Guidenotes that stretched clusters rely on cross-site failover, which contradicts the requirement for single-site resilience, making this irrelevant to management tooling within one site.

Option C: The solution will deploy three Aria Automation appliances in a clustered configurationVMware Aria Automation (formerly vRealize Automation) supports a clustered deployment with three appliances (primary, replica, and failover) to ensure high availability within a site. TheVMware Aria Automation Installation Guideconfirms that this configuration provides component-level resiliency by allowing the cluster to tolerate individual appliance failures without service disruption. In VCF, Aria Automation is a key management tool, and this design meets the requirement for single-site resilience.

Option D: The solution will deploy Aria Suite Lifecycle Manager in a high availability configurationAria Suite Lifecycle Manager (LCM) manages the lifecycle of Aria components but isn’t deployed in a clustered HA configuration itself in VCF 5.2—it’s a single appliance with backup/restore options. TheVCF 5.2 Administration Guidenotes that LCM resiliency is typically achieved via infrastructure HA (e.g., vSphere HA), not native clustering, making this less directly aligned with component-level resiliency compared to Aria Automation clustering.

Conclusion:Option C best meets the requirement by ensuring Aria Automation, a critical management tool, is resilient at the component level within a single site through clustering, aligning with VCF and Aria Suite best practices.References:

VMware Cloud Foundation 5.2 Architectural Guide(docs.vmware.com): Management Component Design.

VMware Aria Automation Installation Guide(docs.vmware.com): Clustered Configuration for HA.

VMware Aria Suite Lifecycle Administration Guide(docs.vmware.com): LCM Deployment Options.