Renaming a VMware VSS portgroup while virtual machine are connected

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides the steps to change the name of a vSS port group in production when virtual machines are connected.

Notes:

• Renaming a port group on a standard vswitch is not possible.
• The option to modify the name of port group on VSS ( Select Portgroup on vswitch with three dots (...) > edit settings ) will create a stale entry on the networking view.
• If the name of the port group is modified with VMs running on it, the view will change as below :

-Home > Inventory > Host & Cluster> Configure>Virtual switches, Portgroup name will show as the new port group name with VM listed as 0 

-Home > Inventory > Networking, old and new port group names will be listed with the Old port group showing the virtual machine.

For eg:

1. "VM Network test" is a port group on the standard switch with a VM running on the same.

2. Modifying the name of port group from  {Select Portgroup on vswitch with three dots (...) > edit settings} 

3. Under Virtual switches, the Portgroup is renamed successfully but the VM under renamed portgroup listed is now 0.

4. Under Networking view, old portgroup is still listed with the VM running on it.

5. The renamed portgroup has no VM listed.

 

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi and vCenter Server

Cause

Renaming portgroup is only an option with  Distributed Switch and is not applicable to Virtual standard switch ( VSS).

 

Resolution

If you wish to rename port group without creating stale entries, please follow the below steps as a workaround :

- Create a new standard port group with same port group settings as old port group and desired name

- Then, move the VMs from old port group to new portgroup by changing each VM's network adapter settings :

  Select VM> Edit setting>Network Adapter> Browse >Select new portgroup from the list> Save

- Finally, once satisfied with the setting on new portgroup, Remove old portgroup  :

  Select old portgroup switch with three dots (...) > edit settings>Remove}

For eg: