Locating Virtual Machine MoRef IDs in vCenter Using MOB for NSX Edge VM Validation

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

When NSX generates an alert indicating "edge VM not present in both NSX inventory and vCenter," resolving this issue requires validating the Managed Object Reference (MoRef) ID of the virtual machine in vCenter. This validation process leverages vCenter's Managed Object Browser (MOB) interface to locate the specific VM using its IP address. By following a systematic approach through the MOB interface, administrators can retrieve the necessary MoRef ID to verify the VM's presence and resolve inventory discrepancies between NSX and vCenter.

The key focus is verifying whether the reported edge VM truly exists in vCenter and obtaining its unique identifier to resolve the NSX inventory mismatch. This process is essential for maintaining consistency between NSX and vCenter inventories, particularly when dealing with edge VM deployments.

Environment

VMware NSX-T Data Center
VMware NSX

Resolution

1. In the web browser URL enter https://<vcentere fqdn>/mob/?moid=grpup-d1
2. Select content in the MOB main screen.
3. Under rootFolder select the (Datacenters) link to ManagedObjectReference:Folder:
   
   
   >> This shows the MoRef of the data center: 
   
   
   
   
4. In the web browser url enter: https://<vcenter_name_or_ip>/mob/?moid=SearchIndex&method=findByIp
   1. In the datacenter box replace MOID with the MoRef of the datacenter collected in step 3
   2. In the ip (string) box enter the IP address of the VM reported in the error message.
   3. In the vmSearch (boolean) box enter true.
   4. Select Invoke Method.
      
      The following example shows a successful search result: