NSX-T Host Preparation Fails with Error Code 9560 When Moving/Reimaging an ESXi Host Between NSX-Enabled Clusters

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to prepare/reconfigure an ESXi host in an NSX-enabled cluster, the operation fails with the following error:

Error: Transport Zone TransportZone/6367cd30-d929-4231-a685-XXXXXXX cannot be relocated from HostSwitch ## ## cb 8f 36 65 96 d8-8b 68 3f 4b e5 ## ## ## 
to HostSwitch  ## ## cb 8f 36 65 96 d8-8b 68 3f 4b e5 ## ## ##  in a single transaction.  
Delete HostSwitch from current Transport Zone to add later to another Transport Zone. (Error code: 9560)

 

• Below Additional observed behavior could also be seen:

  • Host preparation task fails at ~15% during the steps “Applying NSX switch configuration” or “Enabling host status in controller”.

  • The NSX UI/Manager may show the host stuck in Not Configured or Error state.

  • Reimaging the ESXi host and re-adding it to the cluster still reproduces the issue.

Environment

VMware NSX

 

Cause

This issue occurs due to a mismatch between existing transport zone / host switch configuration remnants and the new cluster’s configuration.
Key findings:

• The host retained uplink profile references from its previous cluster even after reimage.

• When applying the new Transport Node Profile (TNP) and uplink, NSX attempts to migrate the host switch between transport zones in a single transaction, which is unsupported.

• TCP connectivity on required NSX Manager ports (1234, 1235) failed from the problematic host, confirming a host-level networking/stack issue.

• Other hosts in the same VLAN with identical configuration could connect successfully, proving the issue was isolated to the rebuilt host.

Resolution

Follow below steps for troubleshooting towards Resolution:

1. Confirm Error in NSX Manager UI / Tasks

   • Task fails with Error Code 9560 as shown above.

2. Check Host Connectivity to NSX Managers on the problematic host:

    

   nc -zv <NSX-Manager-IP> 1234 nc -zv <NSX-Manager-IP> 1235

   • On the failing host → command hangs without completing.

   • On a healthy host in the same VLAN → completes successfully.

3. Validate Connections towards NSX Managers in ESXi

    

   esxcli network ip connection list | grep 1234

   esxcli network ip connection list | grep 1234 5

   • Confirms if connection attempts are logged.

4. Packet Capture on Host vmkernel Interface

    

   pktcap-uw --uplink vmnicX --proto 6 --dstport 1234 -o /tmp/1234.pcap

   • Showed SYN packets leaving the host but no response received → confirming issue was specific to host’s stack or NIC handling.

5. Compare Host Network Configurations

   • Check MTU, VLAN tagging, vmkernel adapters, and routing tables.

   • Compare NIC driver and firmware versions with working hosts.

6. Check KB:401260 to confirms limitations around applying NSX Transport Node Profile on vLCM enabled clusters.

   • NSX-T install on ESXi fails on a vLCM enabled cluster 

7. Uninstall NSX from the affected ESXi Host (if its not vLCM enabled)

   • Uninstall NSX from a Managed Host in a vSphere Cluster

8. Reimage / Rebuild the Host

   • Perform a full host reimage to ensure clean OS and networking stack.

   • Ensure drivers/firmware match the working cluster baseline.

9. Re-add Host to NSX-enabled Cluster

   • Apply correct Transport Node Profile and Uplink Profile for the target cluster.

   • Verify preparation tasks complete.

10. vLCM Consideration

    • If vLCM is in use, ensure supported workflows. NSX cannot apply a TNP directly on a vLCM-enabled cluster (see KB 401260).

 

If the issue persists even after fixing the image, please open a support ticket with Broadcom Support .