Inability to Enable EVC on Cluster Containing vCenter Server Due to "Non-Ephemeral Distributed Virtual Port Groups" Error
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Inability to Enable EVC on Cluster Containing vCenter Server Due to "Non-Ephemeral Distributed Virtual Port Groups" Error

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Article ID: 428279

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

  • Attempts to enable Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) on a cluster fail because the vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) VM is powered on.
  • After powering off the VCSA and attempting to re-register it to a host in a different cluster (to facilitate the EVC enablement), the network connection fails.
  • The following error is displayed in the ESXi Host Client: 
     
    Addition or reconfiguration of network adapters attached to non-ephemeral distributed virtual port groups is not supported.
  • The vCenter Server fails to connect to the network, rendering the environment unmanageable.

Environment

  • VMware vSphere 7.x / 8.x
  • VMware vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA)
  • vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) configured with Static Binding

Cause

This issue is caused when vCenter is running on a CPU instruction set that conflicts with the one being applied by EVC:

  1. EVC Requirement: All VMs in the cluster not running on the same or lower CPU instruction set being applied by EVC, including the vCenter Server, must be powered off to enable EVC.
  2. VDS Limitation: When a Distributed Port group uses Static Binding (default), the vCenter Server is the only entity authorized to assign ports. If vCenter is powered off, the ESXi host cannot query it to validate the port connection.
  3. Consequently, when the vCenter VM is re-registered or powered on at a new location while the service is down, the host blocks the connection to the static port group.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must temporarily migrate the vCenter Server Network Adapter to a portgroup that uses Ephemeral Binding. Ephemeral binding allows the ESXi host to manage port connections locally without requiring the vCenter Server service to be online.

Prerequisites: Ensure you have access to the ESXi Host Client (https://<ESXI-IP-ADDRESS>/ui) for the hosts involved, as vCenter will be offline during parts of this procedure.

Step 1: Configure an Ephemeral Portgroup

  1. Log in to the vSphere Client.
  2. Navigate to Networking.
  3. Right-click the existing Distributed Switch and select New Distributed Port Group (or edit an existing spare portgroup).
  4. Under Settings, ensure the VLAN type matches the Management VLAN used by vCenter.
  5. Critical: Change Port binding from "Static binding" to Ephemeral - no binding.
  6. Complete the wizard.

Step 2: Migrate vCenter to the Ephemeral Portgroup

  1. Right-click the vCenter Server VM and select Edit Settings.
  2. Change the Network Adapter connection to the new Ephemeral Portgroup created in Step 1.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Ensure the vCenter VM remains network accessible.

Step 3: Enable EVC (The "Shuffle" Workflow) Scenario: Two clusters (Cluster A and Cluster B) sharing a VDS. vCenter is currently in Cluster A.

  1. Enable EVC on Cluster B: Since vCenter is in Cluster A, you can enable EVC on Cluster B immediately (assuming Cluster B VMs are powered off or migrated).
  2. Power Off vCenter: Shut down the vCenter Server Guest OS.
  3. Migrate vCenter:
    • Log in to the ESXi Host Client for the host currently running vCenter (in Cluster A).
    • Unregister the vCenter VM.
    • Log in to the ESXi Host Client for a host in Cluster B (where EVC is now enabled).
    • Browse the datastore, locate the vCenter .vmx file, and Register VM.
  4. Power On vCenter:
    • Power on the vCenter VM on the Cluster B host.
    • Note: Because the portgroup is Ephemeral, the VM will successfully connect to the network even though vCenter services are initially starting up.
  5. Enable EVC on Cluster A:
    • Once vCenter is online, log in to the vSphere Client.
    • Now that Cluster A is empty (or contains only powered-off VMs), enable EVC on Cluster A.

Step 4: Cleanup (Optional)

  1. Migrate the vCenter VM back to its original Static Binding portgroup if required by policy (Note: This can be done while vCenter is online).
  2. Remove the temporary Ephemeral portgroup if it is no longer needed.

Additional Information

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