Tier-0 Interface deletion fails with error 500030 "object has children or is being referenced"

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

• Attempting to delete a Tier-0 Gateway interface fails in the VMware NSX Manager UI or via API.
• The following error is encountered:

  The object Tier-0 Interface '<Interface_Name>' cannot be deleted as either it has children or it is being referenced by other objects: Default: Locale Service 'default' (Error code: 500030)

• No visible dependencies such as Static Routes, BGP neighbors, or NAT rules appear to be associated with this interface in the UI.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

This issue occurs when the Tier-0 interface is a member of a High Availability (HA) VIP configuration.

In NSX, an HA VIP configuration references specific uplink interfaces to provide a floating IP address across Edge nodes. Even if the interface appears unused in other networking sections, the management plane protects the object because its UUID is explicitly registered in the ha_vip_configs section of the Tier-0 Gateway's advanced configuration.

The error message points to the Locale Service because it is the immediate parent object in the hierarchy, but the actual blocker is the functional dependency within the VIP settings.

Resolution

This is a condition that may occur in a VMware NSX environment.

To successfully delete the interface, you must first remove it from the HA VIP configuration:

1. In the NSX Manager UI, navigate to Networking > Tier-0 Gateways.
2. Locate the Tier-0 Gateway and click Edit.
3. Expand the Advanced Configuration section.
4. Locate HA VIP Configuration and click the associated number (e.g., "1") to view the VIP details.
5. In the VIP configuration window, check the Interfaces column.
6. Deselect the interface you intend to delete from the list of member interfaces.
7. Save the VIP configuration and then save the Tier-0 Gateway settings.
8. Navigate back to Interfaces under the Tier-0 Gateway; you should now be able to delete the interface successfully.

 

Workaround

If the UI is unresponsive or does not show the dependency, the interface can be removed from the HA VIP via the NSX Policy API by performing a PATCH request to the Tier-0 logical-router endpoint, ensuring the specific interface UUID is removed from the redundant_uplink_port_ids array.

Additional Information

TechDocs: Configure an HA VIP on a Tier-0 Gateway