Under certain conditions, the conversion from an existing LACP configuration to the enhanced LACP support on a vSphere Distributed Switch 5.5 and later might fail.

Problem

After you upgrade a vSphere distributed switch to version 5.5 and later, when you initiate the conversion to the enhanced LACP support from an existing LACP configuration, the conversion fails at a certain stage of the process.

Cause

The conversion from an existing LACP configuration to the enhanced LACP support includes several tasks for reconfiguring the distributed switch. The conversion might fail because another user might have reconfigured the distributed switch during the conversion. For example, physical NICs from the hosts might have been reassigned to different uplinks or the teaming and failover configuration of the distributed port groups might have been changed.

Another reason for the failure might be that some of the hosts have disconnected during the conversion.

Solution

When the conversion to the enhanced LACP support fails on a certain stage, it is completed only partially. You must check the configuration of the distributed switch and the participating hosts to identify the objects with incomplete LACP configuration.

Check the target configuration that must result from each conversion stage in the order that is listed in the table. When you locate the stage where the conversion has failed, complete its target configuration manually and continue with the stages that follow.

Table 1. Steps to Complete the Conversion to the Enhanced LACP Manually
Conversion Stage Target Configuration State Solution
1. Create a new LAG. A newly created LAG must be present on the distributed switch. Check the LACP configuration of the distributed switch and create a new LAG if there is none.
2. Create a an intermediate LACP teaming and failover configuration on the distributed port groups. The newly created LAG must be standby that lets you migrate physical NICs to the LAG without losing connectivity.

Check the teaming and failover configuration of the distributed port group. Set the new LAG as standby if it is not.

If you do not want to use a LAG to handle the traffic for all distributed port groups, revert the teaming and failover configuration to a state where standalone uplinks are active and the LAG is unused .

3. Reassign physical NICs from standalone uplinks to LAG ports. All physical NICs from the LAG ports must be reassigned from standalone uplinks to the LAG ports

Check whether physical NICs are assigned to the LAG ports. Assign a physical NIC to every LAG port.

Note: The LAG must remain standby in the teaming and failover order of the distributed port groups while you reassign physical NICs to the LAG ports.
4. Create the final LACP teaming and failover configuration on the distributed port groups.

The final LACP teaming and failover configuration is the following.

  • Active: only the new LAG
  • Standby: empty
  • Unused: all standalone uplinks
Check the teaming and failover configuration of the distributed port group. Create a valid LACP teaming and failover configuration for all distributed port groups for which you want to apply LACP.

Example

For example, suppose you verify that a new LAG has been created on the distributed switch and that an intermediate teaming and failover configuration has been created for the distributed port groups. You continue with checking whether there are physical NICs assigned to the LAG ports. You find out that not all hosts have physical NICs assigned to the LAG ports, and you assign the NICs manually. You complete the conversion by creating the final LACP teaming and failover configuration for the distributed port groups.