Performing a change to a host on a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) or vSphere Standard Switch (vSS) fails with "An error occurred while communicating with the remote host ... The change has been rolled back"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When performing a change task on an ESXi host with respect to a virtual switch (vDS or vSS), the task fails with the error "An error occurred while communicating with the remote host. Network configuration change disconnected the host 'host-name' from vCenter Server and has been rolled back. Cause: A change in the network configuration disconnected the host 'host-name' from vCenter Server. The change has been rolled back."
  
  
• Examples of changes can include, but are not limited to:
  • migrating the management vmkernel adapter (vmk0) to a new switch or portgroup
  • changing the management adapter portgroup's MTU
  • or adding or removing a VLAN tag from the management adapter's portgroup
  • trying to add all standard switch uplinks to the DVS without migrating the management vmkernel adapter

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

• This error occurs because whatever change was attempted caused the host to lose connectivity to the vCenter Server, so the vCenter automatically reverts the change in order to preserve host connectivity.
  • For example, if trying to move the management adapter, vmk0, from a standard switch (vSS) to the distributed switch (vDS) and this error is seen, it is possible that the NICs on the vDS are not able to pass management traffic. Therefore when the vmkernel adapter was moved and connectivity to the host was lost, the change was rolled back.
• Another possibility for this alarm is when trying to remove a NIC from a vSS; if the remaining NICs on the vSS aren't able to pass the management traffic, again impacting host's connectivity to vCenter, the change is reverted.
  • Additionally, if all uplinks from the vSS are trying to be moved to a vDS at the same time and the management vmkernel interface (vmk0) is not moved, then this error will show

Resolution

• Identify how the result of the change is causing the host to lose connectivity to vCenter, such as examining the configuration of the NIC(s) that the host's management adapter would use if the change were to complete successfully, and resolve it.
• Once the connectivity of the host to vCenter has been confirmed to be stable in the condition the task were to complete, retry the task. 
• Migrate the management vmkernel interface (vmk0) at the same time you are migrating the vSS vmnic uplinks to the vDS in question

Additional Information

Unable to migrate or add the host into the vDS with LAG configuration - Fails with error: Network configuration change disconnected the host from vCenter server and has been rolled back