ESXi Hosts Missing from "Add and Manage Hosts" List on vSphere Distributed Switch (Datacenter Scope Restriction)

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to add existing ESXi hosts to a vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) using the "Add and Manage Hosts" wizard in vCenter, the target hosts do not populate in the list of available hosts.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server v7.x/v8.x
vSphere ESXi Server v7.x/v8.x

 

Cause

This behavior is by design and is caused by vCenter's logical boundary rules for Distributed Switches.

• A vSphere Distributed Switch is a control-plane object that is strictly scoped to the specific Datacenter in which it was created. Because it cannot span across multiple Datacenters, vCenter filters the "Add and Manage Hosts" inventory list to only display hosts that reside within the exact same Datacenter as the vDS.
• If an ESXi host resides in Datacenter A, it is completely invisible to a vDS created in Datacenter B.

Note: While missing or insufficient Enterprise Plus licensing can also cause ESXi hosts to be greyed out or unselectable, cross-datacenter placement results in the hosts missing from the wizard entirely.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must provision a new Distributed Switch within the same Datacenter object where the target ESXi hosts reside.

Steps to Resolve:

1. Navigate to the Networking inventory view in the vCenter Web Client.

2. Locate the specific Datacenter where your target ESXi hosts currently reside.

3. Right-click that target Datacenter and select Distributed Switch > New Distributed Switch.

4. Complete the wizard to configure the new vDS (Name, Uplinks, Network I/O Control, etc.).

5. Once the new vDS is created under the correct Datacenter, right-click the switch and select Add and Manage Hosts.

6. The target ESXi hosts will now appear as available to be added. Proceed with migrating the physical adapters (vmnics) and VMkernel adapters to the new vDS.