Distributed Port Groups Not Visible on ESXi Hosts after upgrading to a new version
Article ID: 436617
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
After upgrading ESXi hosts to a newer version, administrators may observe that multiple VMNET Distributed Port Groups are no longer visible under the Virtual Switches configuration view in the vSphere Client for specific hosts.
The port groups appear to be "missing" when compared to pre-upgrade screenshots.
The host remains correctly associated with the vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS).
The port groups are visible and intact at the VDS level and on other non-upgraded hosts.
Environment
VMware vSphere ESX 9.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0.x
Cause
This is a display-by-design behavior in newer versions of the vSphere Client. To optimize the UI and reduce clutter, the vSphere Client may only display Distributed Port Groups on a per-host basis if they are actively in use (i.e., have at least one VM or VMkernel port assigned) on that specific host.
Resolution
No corrective action is required as the environment is functioning correctly. You can verify the integrity of the network configuration using the following methods:
Method 1: Direct Host Client Verification
Log in to the ESXi Host Client (https://<host-ip>/ui). Navigate to the Networking tab. All Distributed Port Groups associated with the host will be listed here, even if they have zero active VMs.
Method 2: Functional Validation
Create or Edit a VM: Create a test Virtual Machine on the upgraded host.
Assign Network: Assign the "missing" Port Group to the VM’s network adapter.
Refresh vCenter View: Once the VM is powered on or assigned, the Port Group will immediately reappear in the host’s Configure > Networking > Virtual Switches view.
Method 3: Migration Test
vMotion an existing VM from a different host to the upgraded host. The associated Port Group will automatically populate in the host's networking list once the VM resides on that host.
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