vDS Status Shows as "Down" When we select Adding or Managing Hosts in Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS)

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi
• VMware NSX

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to add or manage a VMware ESXi host on a Distributed Virtual Switch (DVS), the vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) status displays as "Down".

This issue prevents proper network configuration, host connectivity through the DVS, and the ability to vMotion virtual machines.

 

Environment

• VMware vCenter 8.0
• VMware ESXi 8.0
• VMware NSX

Cause

There is a communication failure between the ESXi hosts and the NSX Manager cluster. This connectivity loss prevents the ESXi hosts from successfully completing NSX preparation, which causes the associated vDS to report a "Down" state.

Resolution

• Validate the manager and controller connectivity from the affected ESXi host as below:

nsxcli -c get managers

nsxcli -c get controllers

• If the outputs indicate a disconnected or negative state, navigate to the vCenter Server UI.

• Ensure minimum of two NSX Manager nodes is powered on to establish quorum and restore manager and controller connectivity to the ESXi hosts. 

• Troubleshoot and restore the network connectivity between the ESXi host and the NSX Manager virtual machines.

• Once connectivity is resolved, verify that the vDS status returns to an "UP" state and confirm that vMotion operations complete successfully.

Additional Information

For comprehensive troubleshooting steps, refer to Broadcom KB 404034