Summary tab shows multiple network port groups that are not used by the virtual machine

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

When viewing the Summary tab of a virtual machine in the Inventory, these symptoms are observed

 

• In the virtual machine's Summary tab, the virtual NICs are not associated with one or more of the listed port groups.
  
  
• The reported number of port groups exceeds the number of virtual NICs configured on the virtual machine.
  
  
• A discrepancy is observed between the number of network port groups shown in the Summary tab and the actual number of virtual NICs present on the virtual machine.
  
  
• When connecting directly to the ESXi host using the vSphere Client, the excess port group(s) are not displayed.
  
  
• Removing and re-adding the relevant port groups to the virtual machine does not resolve the issue.

Cause

This issue occurs when a snapshot of the virtual machine is taken while it is connected to one of the listed port groups, and the virtual machine is later connected to a different port group. If the snapshot is not consolidated, the virtual machine will continue to report as being connected to the previous port group, as the virtual machine could theoretically revert to that connection if the snapshot is restored.

Common Scenarios:

• This issue is often observed after performing a network migration from one vSwitch to another. If the virtual machine had a snapshot prior to the migration, both the old and new port groups may appear in the Summary tab.
• It is also commonly observed during vSphere upgrades, especially when virtual machines with existing snapshots are moved from an old environment to a new one.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, if the snapshot is no longer required, remove it from within Snapshot Manager. For more information on consolidating snapshots, see Consolidating/Committing snapshots in VMware ESXi.

Additional Information

Notes:

• To revert to a previous snapshot taken while the virtual machine was on the old Port Group, you may need to correct the port group to which the virtual NIC is connected to once the revert is completed.
• A similar behavior can occur with datastores displaying in the summary tab as well. This can be caused by ISOs connected as CD-ROM devices when the snapshot was taken.