Rename distributed switch uplinks

[DieterA]

We are implementing distributed switches in our environment, we are trying to migrate using powercli and it works great.

My question is purely cosmetic. Is it possible to rename the different uplinks via powercli? I haven't found anything to do so.

Now it's dvuplink1, ... and so on, but we want to have meaningful names to it, saying to which networks this is an uplink and even mention the group to which it is connected on our core switch, for quicker troubleshooting.

[erikverbruggen]

It is possible to rename the uplink ports but I'm not sure if this is possible with PowerCLI. Maybe you can use the Set-VDport PowerCLI cmdlet?

[LucD · Accepted solution]

Try something like this

$vdsName = 'vds1'

$oldUplinkName = 'dvUplink'

$newUplinkName = 'MyUplink'

$vds = Get-VDSwitch -Name $vdsName

$spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSConfigSpec

$spec.ConfigVersion = $vds.ExtensionData.Config.ConfigVersion

$spec.UplinkPortPolicy = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSNameArrayUplinkPortPolicy

$vds.ExtensionData.Config.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName | %{

    $spec.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName += $_.Replace($oldUplinkName,$newUplinkName)

}

$vds.ExtensionData.ReconfigureDvs($spec)

[DieterA]

This seems to work. Thank you!

I now have another problem, when I try this script on Distributed switches created by powerCLI I get following error:

"The resource 'dvUplink1' is in use. Uplink or Link Aggregation group name dvUplink1 is in use by the teaming policy defined at DVPortgroup dvpg-373"

If I do this on manually created Distributed switches, the script works like a charm.

This looks like a problem described in https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=20436.... However I am doing this on a vcenter 6.5 appliance, which is much newer than vcenter 5.5.

I found out that if you create a New Distributed Switch in vCenter 6.5 it is created with uplinks named "Uplink 1, Uplink 2,...". When I create the same switch using powerCLI, the uplinks are named "dvUplink1, dvUplink2,..." probably here in lies the problem.

[LucD]

Can't you test the vCenter version, and then update the content of the $oldUplinkName variable accordingly?

[robbielozier]

I am trying to do something very similar. I want to rename the dvUplinks to a very specific name and assign the vmnic to the correct dvUplink.  I have 6 uplinks and would like to name the dvUplinks dvUplink0, dvUplink1, dvUplink4, dvUplink5, dvUplink6 and dvUplink8.  When I attempt to modify the script above I receive the error "Exception calling reconfiguredvs with "1" argument. Cannot complete operation due to concurrent modification by another operation."

[LucD]

Most of the time that indicates there is something wrong with $spec.ConfigVersion

Can you check if the value corresponds with the one in $vds.ExtensionData.Config.ConfigVersion

[robbielozier]

Thank you for the quick response. Here is what I have as a test with 2 dvuplinks.  Any help is appreciated.

$dvduplink1 = 'dvUplink1'
$Uplink0 = 'Uplink0"

$vds = Get-VDSwitch -Name Test-VDS
$spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSConfigSpec

$spec.ConfigVersion = $vds.ExtensionData.Config.ConfigVersion

$spec.UplinkPortPolicy = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSNameArrayUplinkPortPolicy

$vds.ExtensionData.Config.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName | %{

    $spec.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName += $_.Replace($dvduplink1,$Uplink0)

}

$vds.ExtensionData.ReconfigureDvs($spec)
#
$dvduplink2 = 'dvUplink2'
$Uplink1 = 'Uplink1"

$vds = Get-VDSwitch -Name Test-VDS
$spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSConfigSpec

$spec.ConfigVersion = $vds.ExtensionData.Config.ConfigVersion

$spec.UplinkPortPolicy = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSNameArrayUplinkPortPolicy

$vds.ExtensionData.Config.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName | %{

    $spec.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName += $_.Replace($dvduplink2,$Uplink1)

}

[robbielozier]

$vds.ExtensionData.ReconfigureDvs($spec) is at the end of the script as well.

[LucD]

Yes, but you are using the old value (the one before the 1st call to ReconfigureDvs).

You can do them all in 1 call, something like this.

I use a hash table to lookup the new name.

$dvsLink = @{

    'dvUplink1' = 'dvUplink0'

    'dvUplink2' = 'dvUplink1'

    'dvUplink3' = 'dvUplink4'

    'dvUplink4' = 'dvUplink5'

    'dvUplink5' = 'dvUplink6'

    'dvUplink6' = 'dvUplink8'

}

$vds = Get-VDSwitch -Name vds1

$spec = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSConfigSpec

$spec.ConfigVersion = $vds.ExtensionData.Config.ConfigVersion

$spec.UplinkPortPolicy = New-Object VMware.Vim.DVSNameArrayUplinkPortPolicy

$vds.ExtensionData.Config.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName | %{

    $spec.UplinkPortPolicy.UplinkPortName += $dvsLink[$_]

}

$vds.ExtensionData.ReconfigureDvs($spec)

[robbielozier]

That worked perfectly. Thank you again. Now I just have to figure out how to map thev vmnics to the uplinks.