Host networking rollbacks occur when an incorrect modification is made to the networking configuration for the connection with vCenter Server. This feature acts as a lifesaver, granting a second chance when a network misconfiguration occurs.

On the other hand, if you have a Home Lab like mine with only one NIC per server, attempting to move from a vSphere Standard Switch to a vSphere Distributed Switch can be tricky. During the disconnection period, the network rollback mechanism triggers, causing the network uplink to revert to the Standard switch. As a result, configuring your environment under the vSphere Distributed Switch through the UI becomes impossible.

To address this, there’s a configuration setting in vCenter Advanced Settings that can be temporarily modified to disable the Network Rollback mechanism. However, exercise caution: be absolutely certain of your changes and thoroughly double-check all network configurations. Otherwise, your host might end up in a tight spot.

VMware documentation: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-networking/GUID-88B9F893-9739-47DF-9F1B-BAF139E554D6.html

Setting: config.vpxd.network.rollback

Procedure

  • Select your vCenter Server Instance object under the navigation pane

    

  • On the right pane, select Configure and under Settings, select Advanced Settings


  • Click Edit Settings on the top right corner and filter by name with config.vpxd.network.rollback. Change the value from true to false


Make sure you modify this setting back to true once you had finished the network migration to vSphere Distributed Switch.