VMware Cloud Director assigns wrong External IP address to IP masqueraded VM

Products

• VMware Cloud Director

Issue/Introduction

A VM deployed with IP masquerading does not display the expected external IP address. Instead, a duplicate IP from the external IP pool appears to be assigned. No network connectivity issues are observed — traffic flows correctly through NSX. The Cloud Director UI shows the incorrect external IP, leading to potential confusion during monitoring or troubleshooting.

Environment

VMware Cloud Director 10.6.1

Cause

This issue may occur when:

• The static IP pool of the external network has been modified (e.g., edited IP ranges).

• The vApp was powered off and then powered on after these changes.

When the vApp is powered on:

• The external IP for the router gets updated in the VCD database.

• However, the NAT service configuration may not get updated accordingly.

• As a result, the VM NICs continue pointing to the old external IP, causing the VCD UI to reflect outdated information.

Resolution

To refresh the external IP assignments in the VMware Cloud Director UI, follow these steps:

1. Log in to the VMware Cloud Director portal.

2. Navigate to the vApp Network associated with the affected VM(s).

3. Go to Services > Edit.

4. Do not make any changes—simply click on Save.

   This action forces VCD to re-sync the gateway service configuration in the database.

5. After saving, the correct external IP should now be reflected in the UI for the VM NICs.

Additional Information

This is a UI inconsistency and does not impact actual VM connectivity.