VMware ESXi host disconnects from vCenter after applyDVPort operation and rolls back

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

• An ESXi host logs show an error message indicating that the applyDVPort Network API operation failed and was rolled back because the task caused the host to disconnect from vCenter Server.
• The issue may appear after updating the environment from version 7.0.3 to 8.0.3 and can occur approximately every 5 minutes. The following event message is recorded repeatedly in vCenter/ESXi logs for every failed API task:
  • The operation applyDVPort on the host <host-fdqn> disconnected the host and was rolled back.
• The ESXi host logs may contain a large number of similar events, for example:

  info hostd[2121212] [Originator@2121 sub=Vimsvc.ha-eventmgr opID=HB-host-<host-uuid>-DvsHandleHostReconnect-<dvs-uuid> user=vpxuser] Event 166 : Network configuration on the host <hostname> is rolled back as it disconnects the host from vCenter server.

Environment

 ESXi and vCenter Server

Cause

• The underlying issue was a misconfiguration or physical connectivity problem with a specific uplink (vmnicX) used by the vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS).
• The VDS was attempting to apply a port configuration (applyDVPort), but the operation failed because the necessary management network connectivity (gateway and/or vCenter) was lost due to the faulty uplink, triggering an automatic rollback.
• This situation is a known behavior where, if a network configuration change results in the host losing connectivity to its gateway or vCenter, the change is automatically rolled back to prevent complete management loss.

Resolution

The issue can be resolved by correcting the uplink configuration and ensuring the VDS had proper physical connectivity for its uplinks:

1. Remove the Uplink: Remove vmnicX from the vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS).

2. Re-add the Uplink: Re-add vmnicX and assign it to a different available uplink slot, in this case, uplinkY.

3. Reboot the Host: Reboot the ESXi host after making the VDS configuration change.

After this procedure, the host should not experience disconnection errors or the issues above with the VDS.