ESXi host(s) loses IP address configuration after gracefully shutting down and powering up a vSAN cluster

Products

• VMware vSAN
• VMware vSphere ESX 8.x

Issue/Introduction

After powering up nodes as part of a planned maintenance window (having used the "Shutdown vSAN" option in vCenter to gracefully shut down the cluster), hosts lose their IP configuration, and objects become inaccessible.

Cause

The impacted ESXi host(s) have their vmk configuration set to obtain their IP settings automatically. 

Resolution

Add static IP addresses to the host(s) that are impacted/not already configured with static IP's:

In vCenter:

1. Select an ESXi host > Configure > Networking > VMkernel adapters
2. Navigate to the vSAN vmk
3. Select the 3 dots to the left of the vmk and select Edit
4. Click on "IPv4 settings" (or IPv6 settings" if in use)
5. Select the radio button for "Use static IPv4 settings" and ensure you set a static IP address:

     6. Click OK