ESXi host shows as powered off in NSX Manager UI

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

In the NSX Manager UI, an ESXi host may incorrectly display a status of Powered Off while the host is actually powered on and active in vCenter. This incorrect status prevents the installation of NSX components on the host, as the system does not recognize the host as being in a valid state for deployment. This behavior may persist even after moving the host to different clusters.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

This issue is typically caused by a synchronization lag or a stale entry in the NSX inventory database that fails to update the runtime power state of the host from vCenter.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must refresh the host's registration within the vCenter inventory to trigger a clean sync with NSX:

1. Log in to the vSphere Client.
2. Right-click the affected ESXi host and select Maintenance Mode > Enter Maintenance Mode.
3. Right-click the host again and select Connection > Disconnect.
4. Right-click the disconnected host and select Remove from Inventory.
5. Once removed, right-click your Cluster and select Add Hosts.
6. Follow the prompts to add the ESXi host back into the cluster.
7. Re-associate the host with your Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS) if it was not automatically added.
8. Log in to NSX Manager and verify that the host status now reflects the correct power state.
9. Proceed with the NSX installation on the host.