Troubleshooting “Potentially Mismatched Fibre Channel HBA Pairs” in VMware ESXi
Article ID: 410551
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
When an ESXi host reports:
Potentially mismatched Fibre Channel HBA pairs.
#esxcli storage core path list | grep "Adapter: vmhba" | sort |uniq -c
994 Adapter: vmhba3
879 Adapter: vmhba4
834 Adapter: vmhba5
1039 Adapter: vmhba6
Environment
ESXi 7.x and above.
Cause
There may be a Fibre Channel configuration problem.
The host has detected a different number of storage paths on its Fibre Channel (FC) HBAs.
Large discrepancies usually point to zoning, cabling, or login issues in the SAN fabric.
Resolution
1. Verify HBA status in ESXi
Run:
#esxcli storage core adapter list
#esxcli storage core adapter stats get -A vmhbaX
Check:
• Link state (should be online).
• Error counters (CRC errors, link failures).
2. Review path inventory
List paths per HBA:
#esxcli storage core path list | grep vmhba3
#esxcli storage core path list | grep vmhba4
Look for:
• Missing LUNs on one adapter.
• Paths in dead or off state.
3. Inspect the SAN fabric
• Confirm each HBA WWPN is logged in on the switches.
• Validate zoning: each host HBA should be zoned to the same target ports as its peers.
• Check for port errors or flapping.
4. Validate cabling and hardware
• Ensure cables are connected to the correct switch and port.
• Replace suspect SFPs or cables.
• Confirm HBAs are on VMware’s Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) and running the recommended driver/firmware.
5. Rescan and compare results
After corrections:
#esxcli storage core adapter rescan --all
#esxcli storage core path list | grep vmhba
Path counts should now be balanced across HBAs.
When a mismatch is acceptable
Some configurations deliberately present storage through only one fabric (e.g., boot LUNs, RDMs, or isolated workloads).
If so, document the design to prevent future confusion.
Additional Information
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