Adding an uplink to the DVS fails with error "A specified parameter was not correct"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Adding an uplink to the DVS fails with error "A specified parameter was not correct" as seen in the following screenshot:


Additionally, the following loglines are observed in hostd.log on the affected ESXi host:

2026-03-02T14:55:24.306Z In(166) Hostd[#######]: [Originator@6876 sub=Hostsvc opID=########-#####-auto-###-##:########-##-bb-#### sid=######## user=vpxuser:username] Invalid NIC order: one of more PNIC specified are not uplinked to vswitch.

...

2026-03-02T14:55:24.306Z In(166) Hostd[#######]: -->       nicOrder = (vim.host.NetworkPolicy.NicOrderPolicy) {

2026-03-02T14:55:24.306Z In(166) Hostd[#######]: -->          standbyNic = (string) [

2026-03-02T14:55:24.306Z In(166) Hostd[#######]: -->             "vusb0"

2026-03-02T14:55:24.306Z In(166) Hostd[#######]: -->          ],

2026-03-02T14:55:24.306Z In(166) Hostd[#######]: -->       }

There is also a device named vusb0 present on this ESXi host. There is a standard switch called vSwitchBMC with no uplinks. Clicking on the "Manage Physical Adapters" for this vSwitch reveals that the vusb0 device is listed under the Standby section of available uplinks. 

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.x
VMware ESXi 8.x

Cause

The issue is caused by the vusb0 shows up as an uplink that can be allocated. 

Resolution

Move the vusb0 device from the standby to the unused section of the standard switch called vSwitchBMC. This resolves the issue.

Additional Information

Related KB articles:
Standard or Distributed Switch changes fail with the error "A specified parameter was not correct"

Unable to remove uplinks from Distributed Switch - "Invalid network policy" "Cannot add portgroup"