Can't add host/ports from esxi 5.1 host to dVS in mixed cluster

[hostasaurus]

Hi all, I'm working through an upgrade of a 4.1 Enterprise Plus cluster to 5.1.  Thus far, I've gotten vCenter updated to 5.1 build 947673 and I took one host out of the cluster, wiped it, and did a fresh install of ESXi 5.1, then patched up to current build 914609.  I added it back in as a new host to vCenter.  I updated a quantity of v4 cpu licenses to v5 and applied the new key.  All licenses are enterprise plus.

I went to Home -> Inventory -> Networking and attempted to add the new host into one of the distributed virtual switches but it does not show in the list of available hosts, nor does it show in the list of incompatible hosts; both are empty.  It's ports don't show up as available to add to a port group.

Any ideas?  Can you not mix 4.1 and 5.1 hosts in a distributed switch?  Hopefully that's not hte issue or that will make upgrading difficult.

Thanks!

[memaad]

Hi,

From what I recall, we should be able to add ESXi host 4.1 and 5.1 in vCenter server 5.1 at same time in single DVS.

Regards

Mohammed

[Brian_Wing]

Did you have any success adding your upgraded 5.1 hosts back into your 4.1 DVS?  I'm going through the same upgrade and I'm having all kinds of trouble adding my host back to my DV Switch.

[hostasaurus]

I ended up having to do it using Host Profiles.  I created a profile off one of the 4.1 servers, edited as needed to set the various interface names and to prompt me for ip information, then applied it back to the 5.1 server, it asked what ip's should be used for the various vnic's and then applied.  It destroyed the config that was there and replaced with the correct dVS setup.

[Brian_Wing]

I tried using an earlier host profile I had created, it failed, so I created a new one based on one of my hosts and it still errors out when applying the profile:

Call "HostProfileManager.GenerateConfigTaskList" for object "HostProfileManager" on vCenter Server "vCenter.calix.local" failed.

Unexpected error updating task config spec: Unknown.

Guess it's time to use that support we pay for!

--Brian

[hostasaurus]

Get ready for all kinds of other host profile failures after you get your upgrade done.  There's numerous bugs that will basically leave you stuck with all of your servers out of profile compliance, making it nearly useless from a keeping servers in compliance perspective.

[Brian_Wing]

So I was able to finally get update manager working.  Guess I had sunspots yesterday.  I don't normally use host profiles except when I bring in a new host (which isn't all that often) and I've detatched the host profile after it's broght into the cluster.

I think after I'm done with all of my upgrades I'll just re-baseline with one of the hosts to have a profile I can use to bring new hosts online.

Thanks

--B

[abugeja]

im also having the same problem as Scotty. Has anyone been able to resolve this yet?

[abugeja]

I have tried the host profile method but i cant get that to work either. How did you resolve it?

EDIT - This is the error message i receive when i create a host profile

call "hostprofilemanager.generateconfigtasklist" for object "hostprofilemanager" on vcenter server "ourvmcenterserver.domain.com.au failed. unexpected error updating task config sepc: unknown

Message was edited by: abugeja

[abugeja]

managed to sort it out as well using host profiles.