Unable to remove a network adapter from a virtual switch or Enable Beacon Probing

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Unable to remove a network adapter from a virtual switch.
• Cannot enable beacon probing.
• The following error message appears:

A specified parameter was not correct. Vim.Host.VirtualSwitch.LinkDiscoveryProtocolConfig.

Environment

VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware ESX 4.0.x

Resolution

This issue may occur if the /etc/vmware/esx.conf file is missing the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) settings for the virtual switch.

To resolve this issue:

1. Log in to the ESX Service Console as root.
2. Run the command:
   
   #esxcfg-vswitch -B both <vSwitch>
   
   Where <vSwitch> is the name of the virtual switch with the error (for example, vSwitch1).
   
   Note: You may use any of these options for the -B parameter: down, listen, advertise, both. For more information, see the man pages for esxcfg-vswitch.
   
3. In the vSphere Client, refresh the networking configuration.
4. Remove the network adapter.
5. Run this command to verify if the NIC is removed successfully:
   
   #esxcfg-vswitch -l
   
   
6. If the NIC was not removed successfully, run this command to remove it:
   
   #esxcfg-vswitch -U <vmnic> <vSwitch>
   
   Where <vSwitch> is the name of the virtual switch and <vmnic> is the name of network adapter (for example, vSwitch1, vmnic0).
   
   Note: Ensure to run the #esxcfg-vswitch -l command to verify if NIC is removed successfully.