NSX-T: Recommended Procedure to Safely Decommission or Uninstall NSX from a Host Transport Node

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to decommission or uninstall NSX from a Host Transport Node, administrators may encounter desynchronization between the NSX Manager and vCenter inventory. This can result in the transport node remaining in an inconsistent state, where NSX components appear partially uninstalled or detached from the NSX inventory.

Environment

VMware NSX 4.x

Cause

This issue occurs due to an improper decommissioning sequence or removal of NSX components directly from the ESXi host/vCenter before performing the correct uninstallation steps from the NSX Manager. As a result, NSX Manager’s inventory and internal database retain stale references to the decommissioned host.

Resolution

Follow the below procedure to safely uninstall NSX from a Host Transport Node and prevent desynchronization:

Procedure:

1. Confirm Current Status:

   • Log in to the NSX Manager → System > Fabric > Nodes > Host Transport Nodes.

   • Identify the host(s) to be decommissioned and check their current configuration and state.

2. Place the Host in Maintenance Mode:

   • In vCenter, place the target ESXi host in maintenance mode to ensure no workloads are running.

3. Uninstall NSX Components:

   • From NSX Manager UI, select the Host Transport Node and click Actions → Uninstall NSX.

   • Wait for the task to complete successfully.
     (Note: Do not manually remove VIBs from ESXi at this stage.)

4. Verify Successful Uninstallation:

   • Confirm that the host status in NSX Manager changes to Not Configured.

   • Validate using API or CLI that NSX VIBs are removed:

     #esxcli software vib list | grep nsx

     Output should show no NSX VIBs present.

5. Remove Host from NSX Manager Inventory (if applicable):

   • Once uninstallation completes, the host can be safely removed from NSX Manager inventory.

6. Remove from Transport Zone (if required):

   • If the host was part of a Transport Zone or Cluster, ensure it is removed cleanly from the respective groups.

 

Also Refer Doc: Uninstall NSX from a Managed Host in a vSphere Cluster