VMkernel Logs Flooded with "Unblock Port" Errors
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VMkernel Logs Flooded with "Unblock Port" Errors

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Article ID: 383368

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0 VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Issue/Introduction

The vmkernel log contains events with "Unblock Port" messages and the component listed as 'nsx-esx' even though NSX is not in use, similar to the snippet below

####-10-14T06:57:09.162Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:2891590)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 301990012
####-10-14T06:57:09.162Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:2891590)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 268435579
####-10-14T06:57:09.175Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu8:2898085)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 301990013
####-10-14T06:57:09.175Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu8:2898085)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 268435582
####-10-14T06:57:09.175Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu8:2898085)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 301990013
####-10-14T06:57:09.175Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu8:2898085)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 268435582
####-10-14T06:57:09.263Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:2891590)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 301990012
####-10-14T06:57:09.263Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:2891590)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 268435579
####-10-14T06:57:09.264Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:2891590)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 301990012
####-10-14T06:57:09.264Z In(182) vmkernel: cpu5:2891590)cswitch: VSwitchPortEthFRPUpdateInt:5829: [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-esx" subcomp="vswitch"]Unblock Port 268435579

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x

VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

When a VM connects to a DVS or VSS, it generates this event. However, after that, this event will only be triggered when the guest VM changes its vNIC's MAC address, adds or removes a multicast address, enables or disables promiscuous mode, or modifies the multicast flag.

Resolution

These messages are purely informational and do not impact connectivity. However, if the guest OS or application is not intended to exhibit the behavior described in the "Cause" section of this article, it is recommended to contact the relevant vendor for further investigation.

Additional Information

  • To identify the VM name causing a specific event, you can run the command "esxcli vm process list" to retrieve the list of VM processes. Once you have the output, compare the World ID shown with the CPU ID mentioned in the event log. For example, the events discussed in this article have entries like "cpu5:2891590" and "cpu8:2898085." By matching the CPU IDs from the event log with the World IDs in the process list, you can determine the VM name associated with the event.

 

  • To identify the switch port being used by the VM, refer to the following Knowledge Base article: 341568
  • To identify the multicast flag being received by the specified port, you can use the vsish utility and collect the output using the get status command. This will provide you with relevant information regarding the multicast flags associated with that port.

For more detailed information, refer to the article on Broadcom’s Knowledge Base: 376164



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