Hosts on vSphere Distributed Switch 5.0 and Earlier Lose Connectivity to vCenter Server

Hosts on a vSphere Distributed Switch 5.0 and earlier cannot connect to vCenter Server after a port group configuration.

Problem

After you change the networking configuration of a port group on a vSphere Distributed Switch 5.0 or earlier that contains the VMkernel adapters for the management network, the hosts on the switch lose connectivity to vCenter Server. In the vSphere Web Client the status of the hosts is nonresponsive.

Cause

On a vSphere Distributed Switch 5.0 and earlier in vCenter Server, the port group containing the VMkernel adapters for the management network is misconfigured in vCenter Server and the invalid configuration is propagated to the hosts on the switch.

Solution

1. Connect to an affected host by using the vSphere Client.
2. Under Configuration, select Networking.
3. In the vSphere Standard Switch view, create a new standard switch if the host does not have a standard switch suitable for the management network.
   1. Click Add Networking.
   2. In the Add Network wizard, under Connection Types select Virtual Machine, and click Next.
   3. Select Create a vSphere standard switch.
   4. Under the Create a vSphere standard switch section, select one or more unoccupied physical adapters on the host to carry the management traffic and click Next.
      If all physical adapters are already busy with traffic from other switches, create the switch without a physical network adapter connected. Later, remove the physical adapter for the management network from the proxy switch of the distributed switch and add it to this standard switch.
   5. In the Port Group Properties section, type a network label that identifies the port group that you are creating and optionally a VLAN ID.
   6. Click Finish.
4. In the vSphere Distributed Switch view, migrate the VMkernel adapter for the network to a standard switch.
   1. Select the vSphere Distributed Switch view, and for the distributed switch, click Manage Virtual Adapters.
   2. In the Manage Virtual Adapters wizard, select the VMkernel adapter from the list and click Migrate.
   3. Select the newly created or another standard switch to migrate the adapter to, and click Next.
   4. Enter a network label that is unique in the scope of the host and optionally a VLAN ID for the management network, and click Next.
   5. Review the settings on the target standard switch and click Finish.
5. In the vSphere Web Client, configure the distributed port group for the management network with correct settings.
6. Migrate the VMkernel adapter for the management network from the standard switch to a port on the distributed switch by using the Add and Manage Hosts wizard.
   For information about the Add and Manage Hosts wizard, see the vSphere Networking documentation.
7. If you have moved the physical adapter from the proxy switch to the standard switch, you can reattach it to the distributed switch again by using the Add and Manage Hosts wizard.