VMotion operations fail on an ESXi host if all DPUs on the host are in failed state

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• VMs fail to migrate via VMotion.
• The source or destination ESXi host has one or more DPUs.
• The portgroup used for VMotion traffic is provided by DPU functionality.
• All DPUs in the source or destination ESXi hosts for the VMotion operation are in a non-functional state.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

All DPUs on an ESXi host are not functional. VMotion traffic is routed through a portgroup provided by DPU functionality.

Resolution

Ensure that VMotion traffic is not routed though a portgroup provided by DPU functionality. The best practice would be to use a non-DPU-backed portgroup on a vSphere Distributed Switch accessible by all hosts in the cluster. 

Additional Information

This same recommendation would hold true for VSAN traffic, or any traffic critical to the functionality of the vSphere infrastructure.