vDS Port Groups Missing in ESXi Host Client but Visible in vCenter
Article ID: 438889
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
When selecting an ESXi host from the vCenter Server under virtual switches, all available port groups of the vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) are visible and can be browsed.
However, when logging directly into the ESXi Host Client, these port groups cannot be browsed or seen; only port groups that are currently in use by a virtual machine or VMkernel adapter on that specific host are listed.
Environment
- VMware vCenter Server
- VMware vSphere ESXi
Cause
- By default, distributed port groups are created using Static port binding, meaning the vCenter Server is the sole control plane entity that provisions and assigns switch ports.
- The standalone ESXi host lacks the authority to independently assign a new port on a statically bound distributed port group.
- The ESXi Host Client UI intentionally filters these port groups from the available network list unless a local asset is already actively using a previously allocated port.
Resolution
No corrective action is required, as this is the intended architectural design of vSphere networking. All standard network provisioning and virtual machine assignments for statically bound distributed port groups must be performed via the vCenter Server vSphere Client.
If there is a strict administrative requirement to assign a virtual machine to a distributed port group directly from the ESXi Host Client (such as during a vCenter Server recovery scenario), you must configure the target distributed port group with Ephemeral binding.
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