6.0.1

Hosts on a vSphere Distributed Switch 5.1 and Later Lose
Connectivity to vCenter Server
Hosts on a vSphere Distributed Switch 5.1 and later 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 5.1 and
later 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 5.1 and later in vCenter Server that has networking rollback disabled, 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 From the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) to an affected host, use the Restore vDS option from the
Network Restore Options menu to configure the uplinks and the ID of the VLAN for the management
network.
The DCUI creates a local ephemeral port and applies the VLAN and uplink configuration to the port.
The DCUI changes the VMkernel adapter for the management network to use the new host local port to
restore connectivity to vCenter Server.
After the host re-connects to vCenter Server, the vSphere Web Client displays a warning that some
hosts on the switch have different networking configuration from the configuration stored in vSphere
distributed switch.
2 In the vSphere Web Client, configure the distributed port group for the management network with
correct settings.
Situation Solution
You have altered the port group
configuration only once
You can roll the configuration of the port group back one step. Right-click
the port group, click Restore Configuration, and select Restore to
previous configuration.
You have backed up a valid
configuration of the port group
You can restore the configuration of the port group by using the backup
file. Right-click the port group, click Restore Configuration, and select
Restore configuration from a file.
You can also restore the configuration for the entire switch, including the
port group, from a backup file for the switch.
You have performed more than one
configuration step and you do not
have a backup file
You must provide valid settings for the port group manually.
For information about networking rollback, recovery, and restore, see the vSphere Networking
documentation.
3 Migrate the VMkernel adapter for the management network from the host local ephemeral port to a
distributed port on the switch by using the Add and Manage Hosts wizard.
Unlike distributed ports, the ephemeral local port of the VMKernel has a non-numeric ID.
For information about handling VMkernel adapters through the Add and Manage Hosts wizard, see
the vSphere Networking documentation.
Chapter 8 Troubleshooting Networking
VMware, Inc. 83