Host loses network after migrating from Standard to DVS

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• ESXi lost management network after reboot
• The host shows not responding in vCenter
• ESXi does not respond to ping
• Packet Capture on vmnicX confirms no ARP reply

           Where X is the vmnic number (for example,vmnic0)

Environment

VMware Esxi 7.x, 8.x

Cause

The active uplink responsible for the management network, failed-over as per the load balancing policy configured and under the following conditions it could not communicate outside:

 

• Physical Issue with Network Adapter
• Physical issue with Network cable between vmnic & Physical Switch
• Misconfiguration at the Physical Switch/TOR Switch

Resolution

• Check the link status of network adapter from Management Console of Server Ex: iDRAC - Dell Servers, iLO - HP Server, KVM - UCS etc.
• Check the connectivity using packet capture with another vmnic
• Engage physical network team to troubleshoot the connectivity issue when vmnicX is in use.

            Where X is the vmnic number (for example,vmnic0)

Additional Information

How to use Packet-Capture Tool

Troubleshooting network connection issues