VMNIC interfaces in Standby on the vSwitch after upgrading from ESX 3.0.x to 3.5 Update 5

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• VMNIC interfaces are in Standby on the vSwitch.
• This issue occurs after upgrading from ESX 3.0.x to ESX 3.5 Update 5.
  

Environment

VMware ESX Server 3.0.x

Cause

With the addition of the maxActive parameter for ESX 3.5 in /etc/vmware/esx.conf, there may be an issue during the upgrade from ESX 3.0.x where maxActive is set to 0 instead of the total number of active VMNIC interfaces on the vSwitch during the upgrade.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, edit the vSwitch NIC and move the Standby Adapters to the Active Adapters within the NIC Teaming tab.

To work around this issue:

1. Click Properties for the vSwitch.
2. Select the vSwitch, then click Edit.
3. From the NIC Teaming tab, highlight the VMNICs under Standby Adapters, and move them up to the Active Adapters section by clicking Move Up.
4. Click OK, then Close.
   

Additional Information

Impact/Risks:
The issue is purely cosmetic as the network adapters continue to pass traffic on the network.