NSX upgrade pre-check fails on SDDC with error: "NSX audit not connected transport nodes validator failed"

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

• The pre-check for NSX upgrade for ESXi hosts, from SDDC fails and reports error: "NSX audit not connected transport nodes validator failed" for multiple ESXi hosts in the cluster.

• Checking on NSX UI, for all the ESXi host reporting throwing above error, their status is degraded in NSX.

• Validated the manager and controller connectivity for the hosts. They are connected and are working as expected.
• No services are down across any ESXi host.
• However, pNIC/Bond reports one  adapter as being down on all these ESXi hosts.

• Checking further, the adapter "vusb0"  or any "vmnic#" is reported as down on NSX UI.

• The vusb0 adapter is not attached on the DVS configured with DVS, and is not being used for VM/ESXi host networking.
• vmnic# may not be in use but attached to the DVS. 
• However it is still reported as down to NSX, resulting in the host being in degraded state.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

The vusb0 adapter is created automatically by the vendor-provided custom ISO used to install or upgrade ESXi. It enables a secure connection to the physical server console directly from the host operating system.

As the vusb0 adapter is reported to NSX as down, the ESXi hosts are set to Degraded state.

A downed vmnic# is either having a cable issue or a adapter which shouldn't be in use. 

Resolution

To resolve the degraded host state in NSX and successfully pass the SDDC upgrade pre-check, perform either options as appropriate:

• Disable vusb0: The vusb0 interface needs to be disabled across all the ESXi hosts. To disable the vusb interface in the remote management application (e.g. Dell iDRAC, HPE iLO), refer to the respective server vendor's documentations for documentation.
• Address disconnected network adapters: vmnic# must be either reconnected or removed from the VDS if not in use.

 

Verification
After disabling the vusb0 adapters or reconnecting vmnics, verify that the ESXi host status displays as "Up" in the NSX UI.
Run the NSX upgrade pre-check from SDDC Manager

Additional Information

For more information regarding vusb0, please refer article: ESXi creates standard switch vSwitchBMC with uplink vusb0 automatically after upgrading to 8.0.3 version