vCenter Upgrade to 9.1 fails with NetFlow enabled on DVS Uplink Portgroups pre-check error

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VCF Operations for Networks

Issue/Introduction

• If VCF Operations for Networks isn't upgraded to version 9.1, the upgrade vCenter Server to version 9.1 would exhibit the below upgrade pre-check failure:

Some uplink distributed portgroup(s) on the source vCenter Server have NetFlow enabled.
Make sure NetFlow is disabled and NetFlow Override port policies is disabled in the following uplink distributed portgroup(s) list.

• This typically occurs in environments managed by VCF Operations for Networks (formerly vRNI), which automatically enables NetFlow on the VDS.

Environment

• VMware vCenter Server
• VCF Operations for Networks

Cause

VDS IPFix on Uplink Portgroups is not supported in VCF 9.1.

If VCF Operation for Networks is not upgraded to 9.1, this error may occur during the vCenter upgrade process. Upgrading VCF Operation for Networks to 9.1 is necessary.

Upgrading VCF to 9.1 has strict sequential requirements. VCF Operation for Networks must be upgraded before upgrading vCenter. Reference document: https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/vmware-cis/vcf/vcf-9-0-and-later/9-1/deployment/upgrading-cloud-foundation.html

 

Resolution

Upgrade VCF Operation for Networks to version 9.1 prior to the vCenter upgrade.

Afterward, the NetFlow configuration in vCenter VDS Uplink Portgroups will automatically disappear, and the vCenter upgrade will succeed.

Additional Information

This issue can also occur in instances where VCF Operations for Networks is upgraded to 9.1 prior to vCenter being upgraded but there were issues with the upgrade of vCenter Operations for Networks. If any of the following KB articles were used to address these issues, the NetFlow configuration may remain on vSphere Distributed Switches even after VCF Operations for Networks is upgraded to 9.1:

• Deploy VCF Management Components" task fails during "Import VCF Operations in Fleet Lifecycle"
• Upgrading VCF 9.0 environment to 9.1 fails when trying to "Import VCF Operations in Fleet Lifecycle"
• Failed component cleanup during VCF 9.1 installation or upgrade

In this scenario, manual remediation is necessary. 

1. In the VCF Operations UI, navigate to Operate > Administration > Integrations. 
2. Expand VMware Cloud Foundation > <VCF Instance Name> > <Workload Domain Name>
3. Click the vertical ellipses (three dots) next to the vCenter adapter under the expanded workload domain. Select Edit.
4. Uncheck the Enable NetFlow (IPFIX) on this vCenter box. Click the Save button.
5. Repeat Steps 3 through 5 for any other vCenter Servers affected by this issue.
6. Retry the vCenter Server upgrade pre-check.

 

Note: If VCF Operations for Networks is not deployed or the issue remains after the steps in the Resolution and Additional Information sections have been performed, address similar symptoms-  check for active Netflow configurations on the vDS port groups. If Netflow is enabled, disable it to allow the vCenter upgrade to proceed successfully.