Guest OS reports "Network cable unplugged" after NSX-V to NSX-T migration.

Products

• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

Following a virtual machine migration from NSX-V to NSX-T infrastructure utilizing VMware Aria Automation Orchestrator (vRO), the Windows & Linux Guest OS reports the network adapter as "Network cable unplugged" or "Media disconnected".

Within the vCenter Server VM Edit Settings, the network adapter hardware status displays as "Connected". Disabling and enabling the interface within the Guest OS fails to bring the network link up.

Environment

VMware NSX

Cause

The migration workflow executed via Aria Automation Orchestrator (vRO) provisioned or modified the NSX-T segment logical port with the admin_state parameter set to DOWN.

In NSX-T, the logical port's administrative state dictates the link status passed from the ESXi hypervisor to the virtual machine. An admin_state of DOWN supersedes the hardware "Connected" state defined in vCenter Server, causing the hypervisor to drop the virtual link layer and the Guest OS VMXNET3 driver to report a disconnected cable.

Resolution

In order to resolve the issue, kindly follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Log in to the NSX-T Manager UI.

2. Navigate to Networking > Segments.

3. Locate the Segment associated with the affected virtual machine network interface.

4. View the Ports for the selected Segment and locate the specific logical port attached to the VM.

5. Edit the port configuration and change the Administrative State from "Down" to "Up".
   

6. Save the configuration. The ESXi hypervisor will immediately assert a link-up condition, restoring connectivity to the Guest OS.

Workaround

Audit the vRO migration workflow payload to ensure the segment port admin_state parameter is explicitly defined as UP or omitted to allow the default segment profile realization to apply.