A Virtual Machine (VM) is not showing in the NSX Manager inventory
Article ID: 417787
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
A Virtual Machine (VM) is not showing in the NSX Manager inventory and is therefore not visible for applying NSX policies, security groups, or Distributed Firewall (DFW) rules.
- The VM is powered on and running but does not appear in the NSX Manager inventory under Inventory > Virtual Machines.
- Security policies or firewall rules based on the VM's name or attributes are not being applied.
Environment
VMware NSX
Cause
The primary cause is that the Virtual Machine's Network Interface Card (NIC) is connected to a network that is not managed by NSX.
For NSX to discover a VM and include it in its inventory, the VM must be connected to an NSX-backed network segment (or logical switch). If the VM is connected to a standard vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) or a standard switch port group that has not been prepared by NSX, the NSX Control Plane and Data Plane components (like nsx-vdl2) will not register the VM for management.
Resolution
To ensure the VM is correctly registered in the NSX inventory, you must migrate the VM's network adapter to an NSX-managed network segment.
- Identify the Target NSX Segment:
- In the NSX Manager UI, navigate to Networking > Segments.
- Identify or create a Segment that is associated with the NSX overlay or VLAN transport zone where the VM resides.
- Migrate the VM Networking:
- In vCenter Server, right-click the Virtual Machine.
- Select Edit Settings.
- Under the Hardware tab, locate the VM's Network Adapter.
- Change the selected network from its current port group to the NSX Segment identified in Step 1.
- Click OK to apply the change.
- Verification:
- Once the VM's network is connected to the NSX Segment, the NSX control plane will detect the VM.
- Navigate back to the NSX Manager UI and check Inventory > Virtual Machines.
- The VM should now appear in the inventory, and NSX-related services (DFW, security tags, etc.) can be applied.
Feedback
