Unable to Remove NSX Components from ESXi Hosts Managed by vSphere Configuration Profiles

Products

• VMware NSX
• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to uninstall or remove NSX components from an ESXi host residing within a cluster with vSphere Configuration Profiles (VCP) enabled, option parameters are greyed out in NSX UI.

vCenter Server continuously re-enforces the cluster-wide VCP baseline configuration on the host. If the vSphere Configuration Profiles option is disabled directly at the vCenter cluster level, it risks removing or unconfiguring NSX from all nodes simultaneously instead of a single targeted host.

Environment

VMware NSX 4.x

VMware vCenter Server 9.x

Cause

vSphere Configuration Profiles enforce strict, unified configuration baselines across all member hosts within a managed cluster container. Software packages and networking elements cannot be modified on individual nodes while they remain bound to the active cluster policy.

Resolution

To safely remove NSX from a specific host without impacting the remaining nodes in the cluster, use the following steps:

1. Place the target ESXi host into Maintenance Mode.
2. Drag and drop the host completely out of the VCP cluster into the Datacenter root folder as a standalone host.
3. Once moved to the datacenter folder in vCenter Server, let NSX remove the configuration from the host automatically.
4. Once the automatic removal completes, move the standalone host back into the new cluster folder in vCenter.