Adding IP pool range in Network Protocol Profiles in vCenter fails with error: A specified parameter was not correct:pool.ipv4Config.range

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

• When attempting to add or modify IP address ranges within a Network Protocol Profile in vCenter Server, the operation fails if the total string length of the IP pool range exceeds a specific character limit.
• The issue appears to limit the user to approximately 6–8 IP ranges or individual IP entries.

• The vSphere Client displays the error: A specified parameter was not correct:pool.ipv4Config.range.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

The issue is caused by a hardcoded character limit in the vCenter Server database and source code. The field DBFIELD_LEN_RANGE caps the total length of the range string at 128 characters.

This limit is reflected in the vCenter Database (VCDB):

• VPX_IP_POOL.IPV4_RANGE VARCHAR(128)

• VPX_IP_POOL.IPV6_RANGE VARCHAR(128)

Because the limit is based on string length rather than the count of IPs, the number of acceptable ranges varies depending on the number of characters in each octet and the format of the range (e.g., 192.168.1.10-192.168.1.20 consumes more characters than 10.0.0.1-10.0.0.2). Typically, this results in a practical limit of 6–8 range tokens.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must ensure the total string length for the IP pool range does not exceed 128 characters.

1. Consolidate Ranges: Whenever possible, group contiguous IP addresses into a single range (e.g., use 192.168.1.10-192.168.1.50 instead of listing multiple smaller sub-ranges).

2. Multiple Network Protocol Profiles: If the required number of non-contiguous IP ranges exceeds the 128-character limit, create additional Network Protocol Profiles or associate the network with multiple pools if the architectural requirements allow.

Additional Information

This limit has been in place since vCenter Server 6.0 and applies identically to both IPv4 and IPv6 configurations.