Unable to place an NSX prepared host in Maintenance Mode while host is showing Install Failed in NSX UI
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Unable to place an NSX prepared host in Maintenance Mode while host is showing Install Failed in NSX UI

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Article ID: 416301

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Updated On:

Products

VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

An attempt to migrate (vMotion) a VM from one ESXi host to another fails with the following error message for NSXA down, also seen in the screenshot below

"Currently connected network interface uses network 'DVSwitch[…] NSX port group(nsxa down), which is not accessible"

Additionally, the ESXi hosts with NSXA down may appear with "Install Failed" status in the NSX UI under System -> Fabric -> Hosts.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

This is the result of a broken connection between the APH and the proton service in one or more NSX Manager appliances. The following loglines seen in the log file /var/log/vmware/appl-proxy-rpc.log indicate the presence of this issue:

2025-07-02T16:22:36.803Z nsxmgr## NSX 82410 - [nsx@#### comp="nsx-manager" subcomp="appl-proxy" s2comp="nsx-net" tid="####" level="WARNING"] StreamConnection[106###5135 Connecting to unix:///var/run/vmware/appl-proxy/aph.sock(pid:###### uid:113 gid:117) sid:##########] Couldn't connect to 'unix:///var/run/vmware/appl-proxy/aph.sock(pid:##### uid:113 gid:117)' (error: 2-No such file or directory)
2025-07-02T16:22:36.803Z nsxmgr## NSX 82410 - [nsx@#### comp="nsx-manager" subcomp="appl-proxy" s2comp="nsx-net" tid="#####" level="WARNING"] StreamConnection[106###5135 Error to unix:///var/run/vmware/appl-proxy/aph.sock(pid:386085 uid:113 gid:117) sid:-1] Error 2-No such file or directory
2025-07-02T16:22:36.803Z nsxmgr01 NSX 82410 - [nsx@6876 comp="nsx-manager" subcomp="appl-proxy" s2comp="nsx-rpc" tid="82448" level="WARNING"] RpcConnection[106###5135 Connecting to unix:///var/run/vmware/appl-proxy/aph.sock(pid:##### uid:113 gid:117) 0] Couldn't connect to unix:///var/run/vmware/appl-proxy/aph.sock(pid:###### uid:113 gid:117) (error: 2-No such file or directory)
2025-07-02T16:22:36.803Z nsxmgr## NSX 82410 - [nsx@#### comp="nsx-manager" subcomp="appl-proxy" s2comp="nsx-rpc" tid="#####" level="WARNING"] RpcTransport[1] Unable to connect to unix:///var/run/vmware/appl-proxy/aph.sock(pid:##### uid:113 gid:117): 2-No such file or directory

The presence of following lines in the output of the net-dvs -l command on the affected ESXi host additionally confirms the presence of this issue:

com.vmware.common.opaqueDvs.status.component_list = nsxa,vswitch,lcp.ccpSession,lcp.liveness,lcp.kcpSyncStatus , propType = CONFIG
com.vmware.common.opaqueDvs.status.component.nsxa = down ,      propType = CONFIG
com.vmware.common.opaqueDvs.status.component_list = nsxa,vdl2,vswitch,lcp.ccpSession,lcp.liveness,lcp.vdl2SyncStatus,lcp.kcpSyncStatus , propType = CONFIG
com.vmware.common.opaqueDvs.status.component.nsxa = down ,      propType = CONFIG

Resolution

Method 1: Using the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI)

This method is the most reliable and requires direct access to the host's console or a remote management tool like iDRAC, iLO, or KVM. 
Connect to the physical console of your ESXi host.

  • Press F2 to access the system customization menu.
  • Log in as the root user.
  • Navigate to Troubleshooting Options using the arrow keys and press Enter.
  • Select Restart Management Agents and press Enter.
  • Press F11 to confirm the restart.
  • Wait a few moments for the agents to restart, then press Enter and Esc to log out of the DCUI. 

Method 2: Using the ESXi Shell (SSH)

You can use an SSH client like PuTTY to connect to the host. You must enable SSH in the DCUI or host client first. 
Use an SSH client to log in to the ESXi host with root credentials and run the following commands individually to restart the two main management agents:

/etc/init.d/vpxa restart

/etc/init.d/hostd restart

If you still experience issues, you can restart all management agents by running:

services.sh restart

Caution: Do not use services.sh restart if you have VMware NSX, vSAN, or LACP configured on the host, as it can cause network disruptions. 

Method 3: Using the VMware Host Client (Web UI)

  • Open a web browser and navigate to the IP address or hostname of your ESXi host.
  • Log in with your root credentials.
  • Go to Host > Manage and select the Services tab.
  • Find the hostd or vpxa service, right-click it, and select Restart from the context menu. 

Method 4:  Reboot Host

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