HCX-IX Mobility agent host compatibility error while trying to upgrade Distributed Switch

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware HCX

Issue/Introduction

• Unable to upgrade Distributed Switch due to HCX-IX Mobility Agent host incompatibility.
• Below error would be noticed:
  Some VMware ESX/ESXi hosts attached to the distributed switch are not compatible with the new distributed switch version. Upgrade or remove the incompatible hosts to proceed.

  

 

• Cannot remove this Mobility Agent(MA) host from the vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) as it is a dummy host.
• As this Mobility Agent host is deployed by HCX-IX, it cannot be upgraded via vCenter side like we do for normal ESXi

Environment

VMware vCenter Server
VMware ESXi
VMware HCX

Cause

HCX-IX Mobility Agent host version does not support the VDS version we are trying to upgrade.

 

Resolution

Make sure there are no ongoing migrations in HCX.
Disconnect the Mobility Agent host from VC and then remove from inventory.
This will allow you to upgrade Distributed Switch.

Then login to HCX Hybridity UI and redeploy IX appliance. This will get a new Mobility Agent host matching the vCenter version.
From HCX Manager UI -> Interconnect -> Service Mesh >> Appliances >> 'Select-IX-Appliance' >> REDEPLOY 

 

Additional Information

Upgrade a vSphere Distributed Switch to a Later Version

Mobility Agent vSphere Host for HCX Migrations

HCX uses the Mobility Agent service to perform vMotion, Cold, and Replication Assisted vMotion (RAV) migrations.

The HCX-IX appliance adds the Mobility Agent service as a host object in the vCenter Server. 


Example of an environment setup where you will hit same issue:
vCenter 8.0 U3
ESXi 8.0 U3
Mobility Agent(MA) Host version 7.0 U3
If you try upgrading VDS from 7.0.3 to 8.0.3, you will hit this issue as MA host version is lower.