Changing the vSAN ESXi Host Name

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSAN
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

This article explains the process to change the name of the vSAN host.

Resolution

*** You must have full and current backups of ALL of your critical data before proceeding. ***

Notes:

• You must understand all of the following considerations and assumptions BEFORE attempting this.
• If this is a VxRail cluster engage Dell VxRail support for assistance with this.
• If using VCF changing the hostname once the cluster has been deployed is not supported so do not follow these steps for changing the hostname.

Considerations:

• Putting a vSAN node into Maintenance Mode with Ensure Accessibility can be used but comes with certain inherent risks.
• Should a disk fail on another vSAN node while this node is in Maintenance Mode, it can lead to inaccessible objects.
• A Full Data Migration Maintenance Mode may be used but is usually time prohibitive.  As the vSAN node will only be in Maintenance Mode for a few minutes for this change, usually Ensure Accessibility can be used, but only the business case can dictate which Maintenance Mode option is appropriate.
• Should there be any delay in the host rename, make sure to extend the vSAN Delay Timer to avoid a premature resync. Changing the default repair delay time for a host failure in vSAN (327031)
• If the management network of the ESXi host is on a vSphere Distributed Switch, migrate the network to a vSphere Standard Switch or to an ephemeral port group on the vDS before proceeding. For more information, see the below KBs:
  • Disabling vNetwork Distributed Switches (To migrate networking from DVS to Standard Switch) (324554)
  • Static (non-ephemeral) or ephemeral port binding on a vSphere Distributed Switch (324492)

Assumptions:

This guide assumes that there are no other maintenance or network changes being conducted at the same time.

This guide assumes that the user has knowledge of third-party products and other software that may be impacted by this hostname change. The implementor is expected to anticipate and plan for taking the appropriate actions to maximize business continuity.

 

If any of the steps fail, STOP and call VMware Technical Support.

 

Complete all of the following steps one host at a time:

1. Place host in Maintenance Mode with Ensure Accessibility (or Full Data Migration if appropriate).
2. Disconnect the ESXi host.  Right click the host and select Disconnect.
3. Remove the ESXi host from the vCenter inventory.  Right click the host and select Remove From Inventory.
4. Change the FQDN name of the host through the DCUI, iDRAC, iLO, or from a direct web client.
5. Make sure to update the DNS lookup records on the DNS servers.
6. Re-add the host back to vCenter inventory.
7. Reconnect the host back to vCenter.
8. Exit the host from Maintenance Mode.
9. A resync may trigger if this is not completed within 60mins:
   1. Allow resync to complete before proceeding to the next host.

This process cleanly reintroduces the host to vCenter and updates the vCenter database.

If using a Distributed Switch and you choose not to migrate to a Standard switch or an ephemeral port group on the vDS additional steps need to be done before Removing/Re-adding the hosts to/from inventory.

1. Take screenshots of the current vDS config for the hosts
2. Upon re-adding the hosts to vCenter you will see the below error on the vDS
3. To fix this use the screenshots taken earlier of the host(s) vDS config and re-add the host(s) to the vDS with the exact same config to avoid any network outages.

Note: If you run into any issues while reconfiguring the vDS open a case with VMware Networking for assistance.