Unable to find identity (MORef) of new VM in vCenter

Products

• VMware vCenter Server 8.0

Issue/Introduction

• When a new virtual machine is deployed with the same name and IP address as a decommissioned VM, vCenter may continue to return the Managed Object Reference ID (MoRef ID) of the old VM. This occurs even if the old VM is disconnected from the network.
• Queries to the vCenter Managed Object Browser (MOB) using the IP address return the MoRef ID of the decommissioned VM.
• Backup software or automation tools fail to "see" the new vProxy identity, if the new VM is deployed for vProxy.
  • The error "Unable to find identity (MORef) of vProxy's virtual machine" may appear in log

Environment

VMware vSphere 7.x

VMware vSphere 8.x

VMware vSphere 9.x

Cause

vCenter maintains a persistent mapping of IP addresses to MoRef IDs in its inventory database based on the last reported state from VMware Tools. Because Managed Object IDs are unique and immutable, a new VM will always have a different MoRef than the old one. If the old VM object is not explicitly removed from the inventory, vCenter's lookup mechanism prioritizes the existing stale database entry for that IP address over the newly added object.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, the stale mapping must be cleared from the vCenter database and the inventory cache refreshed.

Step 1: Verify the Current Mapping

1. Log into the vCenter Managed Object Browser (MOB) at: https://[vCenter _FQDN]/mob/?moid=SearchIndex&method=findByIp
2. Enter the IP address of the VM.
3. Confirm if the returned MoRef ID matches the decommissioned VM rather than the new one.

Step 2: Clear Stale Inventory

1. In the vSphere Client, locate the old/decommissioned VM.
2. Right-click the VM and select Remove from Inventory or Delete from Disk. This action clears the MoRef ID and IP mapping from the vCenter Database (VCDB).
3. If the stale record persists in the MOB after removal, restart the vpxd service on the vCenter Server to flush the management proxy cache.

Step 3: Force Inventory Update

1. Assign a unique, temporary IP address to the new VM.
2. This forces vCenter to create a new, distinct database record for the new MoRef ID and updates the inventory cache.
3. Once the correct MoRef is visible in the MOB, you may revert the IP address to the original value if the old record has been properly cleared.