Adding NICs to virtual machine from the host client assigns the port groups in the reverse order

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• When adding multiple NICs to VM from the ESXi host client, the port group gets the VM NIC assigned in the reverse order.
• The same operations works correctly when it is performed from the vCenter server.
• This affects both ESXi host client 6.5 and 6.7
• For Example:

1. Click Create Vm
Assuming that we have following portgroups names and network adapters:
- Network Adapter 1: znm0
- Network Adapter 2: cap1
- Network Adapter 3: cap2
- Network Adapter 4: cap3
- Network Adapter 5: cap4
- Network Adapter 6: cap5
2. Finishing Create VM dialog
3. Virtual machine is created
4. Go to virtual machine and click Edit Settings
5. By looking at the order portgroups are assigned in the reverse order
- Network Adapter 1: cap5
- Network Adapter 2: cap4
- Network Adapter 3: cap3
- Network Adapter 4: cap2
- Network Adapter 5: cap1
- Network Adapter 6: znm0

• In vmware.log, you see a pattern similar to:

2018-12-06T11:44:30.161Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet0 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:79
2018-12-06T11:44:30.163Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet0 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:79
2018-12-06T11:44:30.165Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet1.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:89:06:83"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.165Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet1.generatedAddressOffset = "10"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.165Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet1 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:83
2018-12-06T11:44:30.167Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet1 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:83
2018-12-06T11:44:30.170Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet2.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:89:06:8d"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.170Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet2.generatedAddressOffset = "20"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.170Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet2 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:8d
2018-12-06T11:44:30.171Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet2 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:8d
2018-12-06T11:44:30.174Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet3.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:89:06:97"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.174Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet3.generatedAddressOffset = "30"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.174Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet3 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:97
2018-12-06T11:44:30.175Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet3 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:97
2018-12-06T11:44:30.178Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet4.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:89:06:a1"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.178Z| vmx| A100: ConfigDB: Setting ethernet4.generatedAddressOffset = "40"
2018-12-06T11:44:30.178Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet4 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:a1
2018-12-06T11:44:30.179Z| vmx| I125: Ethernet4 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:89:06:a1

2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet0.networkName = "cap4"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet0.addressType = "generated"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet0.uptCompatibility = "TRUE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet1.virtualDev = "vmxnet3"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet1.networkName = "cap3"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet1.addressType = "generated"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet1.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet1.uptCompatibility = "TRUE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet1.present = "TRUE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet2.virtualDev = "vmxnet3"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet2.networkName = "cap2"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet2.addressType = "generated"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet2.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet2.uptCompatibility = "TRUE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet2.present = "TRUE"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet3.virtualDev = "vmxnet3"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet3.networkName = "cap1"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet3.addressType = "generated"
2018-12-06T11:44:29.806Z| vmx| I125: DICT ethernet3.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"

• In hostd.log, you see entries similar to:

2018-12-06T11:42:05.530Z warning hostd[BF40B70] [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/56bc902c-5021a758-578e-3ca82a138c9c/template_vmware_support/template_vmware_support.vmx opID=91599455 user
=root] File - failed to get objectId, '/vmfs/volumes/56bc902c-5021a758-578e-3ca82a138c9c/template_vmware_support/template_vmware_support.vmx': One of the parameters supplied is invalid.
2018-12-06T11:42:05.530Z warning hostd[BF40B70] [Originator@6876 sub=Vmsvc.vm:/vmfs/volumes/56bc902c-5021a758-578e-3ca82a138c9c/template_vmware_support/template_vmware_support.vmx opID=91599455 user
=root] File - failed to get objectId, '/vmfs/volumes/56bc902c-5021a758-578e-3ca82a138c9c/template_vmware_support/template_vmware_support.vmsd': Success.
 

• In vmkernel.log, you see entries similar to:

2018-12-06T11:44:29.907Z cpu5:1447579)Sched: vm 1447580: 6199: renamed group 9239518 to vm.1447579

2018-12-06T11:44:29.907Z cpu5:1447579)Sched: vm 1447580: 6216: group 9239518 is located under group 4
2018-12-06T11:44:30.147Z cpu5:1447579)VSCSI: 3801: handle 8849(vscsi0:0):Creating Virtual Device for world 1447580 (FSS handle 91943562) numBlocks=20971520 (bs=512)
2018-12-06T11:44:30.147Z cpu5:1447579)VSCSI: 273: handle 8849(vscsi0:0):Input values: res=0 limit=-2 bw=-1 Shares=1000
2018-12-06T11:44:30.213Z cpu11:1447580)VMMVMKCall: 218: Received INIT from world 1447580
2018-12-06T11:44:30.215Z cpu11:1447580)PVSCSI: 3411: scsi0: wdt=1 intrCoalescingMode=2 flags=0x1f
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)WARNING: NetDVS: 681: portAlias is NULL
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)Net: 2324: connected template_vmware_support eth4 to znm0, portID 0x3000152
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)WARNING: NetDVS: 681: portAlias is NULL
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)Net: 2324: connected template_vmware_support eth3 to cap1, portID 0x3000153
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)WARNING: NetDVS: 681: portAlias is NULL
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)Net: 2324: connected template_vmware_support eth2 to cap2, portID 0x3000154
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)WARNING: NetDVS: 681: portAlias is NULL
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)Net: 2324: connected template_vmware_support eth1 to cap3, portID 0x3000155
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)WARNING: NetDVS: 681: portAlias is NULL
2018-12-06T11:44:30.218Z cpu11:1447586)Net: 2324: connected template_vmware_support eth0 to cap4, portID 0x3000156
2018-12-06T11:44:30.280Z cpu9:67731)Config: 706: "SIOControlFlag2" = 12, Old Value: 13, (Status: 0x0)
2018-12-06T11:44:32.315Z cpu4:1447586)Vmxnet3: 17651: Using default queue delivery for vmxnet3 for port 0x3000153
2018-12-06T11:44:32.315Z cpu4:1447586)NetPort: 1662: enabled port 0x3000153 with mac 00:0c:29:89:06:97
 

Note: The preceding log excerpts are only examples. Date, time, and environmental variables may vary depending on your environment.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5

Resolution

VMware is aware of this issue and working to resolve this in a future release

Workaround:
Use vCenter Server Web client to perform this operation or Perform NIC addition one at a time