ESXi Host Intermittently Disconnects from vCenter Server due to IP Address Conflict

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

An ESXi Host intermittently disconnects from vCenter Server. The host may not automatically reconnect and might require manual re-connection.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Cause

When this issue occurs, the vCenter Server's vpxd.log shows messages similar to the following, indicating an apparent IP address conflict, even though the Host is attempting to use its own current IP address:

Example Log Entry:

YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS.SSSZ warning vpxd[ProcessID] [Originator@Subsystem sub=ComponentName opID=OperationID] Host IP address conflict detected. [vim.HostSystem:host-XXXX, YourHostName.YourDomain.com] is trying to change IP from YourHostName.YourDomain.com to ##.##.##.##. New IP is already used by YourHostName.YourDomain.com

Resolution

Inconsistent or incorrect DNS resolution (forward or reverse) for the ESXi host's hostname or IP address can prevent vCenter from accurately verifying the Host's network identity and status during host checks, especially if vCenter Server is unable to correctly resolve the Host's DNS entries.

Please refer to the following KB to further troubleshoot the DNS related issues:

Resolving ESXi Host Disconnects Caused by DNS Resolution Failures in vCenter Server