How to Resolve Incompatible Network Configuration for Host Being Added to New Cluster with vSAN

Learn how to troubleshoot and fix the incompatible network configuration for host being added to new cluster with vSAN error in VMware vSphere.

VMware vSAN is a software-defined storage solution that allows you to create a hyper-converged cluster using local disks of the hosts. However, sometimes you may encounter an error message that says “Incompatible network configuration for host being added to new cluster with vSAN” when you try to add new hosts to the cluster. This error usually indicates that the network settings of the new hosts do not match the existing cluster configuration.

Incomplatible network configuration
Some of newly added hosts to the cluster contain a network configuration that is incompatible with the network configuration of the cluster.
Physical adapters of host on Distributed Switch VSAN VDSwitch does not match the input.

In this article, we will explain the possible causes and solutions for this error, and provide some useful tips and references to help you troubleshoot and fix the issue.

Causes of the Incompatible Network Configuration Error

There are several factors that can cause the incompatible network configuration error, such as:

• The new hosts have different ESXi versions or patch levels than the existing cluster hosts.
• The new hosts have different vSphere Distributed Switch (vDS) settings than the existing cluster hosts.
• The new hosts have different vSAN network settings than the existing cluster hosts.
• The new hosts have manual vSAN or network configurations that conflict with the cluster settings.
• The new hosts have network adapters that are not compatible with vSAN.

Solutions for the Incompatible Network Configuration Error

Depending on the cause of the error, there are different solutions that you can try to resolve the issue. Here are some common steps that you can follow:

Solution 1: Verify that the new hosts have the same ESXi version and patch level as the existing cluster hosts

You can check the ESXi version and patch level by logging in to the host with SSH and running the command vmware -v. If the versions or patches are different, you need to update the new hosts to match the cluster hosts. You can use VMware Update Manager (VUM) or esxcli commands to update the hosts.

Solution 2: Verify that the new hosts have the same vDS settings as the existing cluster hosts

You can check the vDS settings by logging in to the vSphere Client and navigating to Networking > vSphere Distributed Switch. If the vDS settings are different, you need to update the new hosts to match the cluster hosts. You can use the vSphere Client or PowerCLI commands to update the vDS settings.

Solution 3: Verify that the new hosts have the same vSAN network settings as the existing cluster hosts

You can check the vSAN network settings by logging in to the vSphere Client and navigating to Cluster > Configure > vSAN > Network. If the vSAN network settings are different, you need to update the new hosts to match the cluster hosts. You can use the vSphere Client or esxcli commands to update the vSAN network settings.

Solution 4: Verify that the new hosts do not have manual vSAN or network configurations that conflict with the cluster settings

You can check the manual configurations by logging in to the host with SSH and running the commands esxcli vsan and esxcli network. If the manual configurations are present, you need to remove them or disable them before adding the new hosts to the cluster. You can use the esxcli commands to remove or disable the manual configurations.

Solution 5: Verify that the new hosts have network adapters that are compatible with vSAN

You can check the compatibility of the network adapters by logging in to the vSphere Client and navigating to Host > Configure > Hardware > PCI Devices. If the network adapters are not compatible, you need to replace them or add new ones that are compatible before adding the new hosts to the cluster. You can use the VMware Compatibility Guide to check the compatibility of the network adapters.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question: How can I use Quickstart to add new hosts to the cluster and configure their networking automatically?

Answer: Quickstart is a feature that allows you to add new hosts to the cluster and configure their networking to match the cluster configuration in a few steps. To use Quickstart, you need to have an existing cluster and hosts added to it, and you need to have configured the host networking in the initial cluster configuration. You also need to have the same ESXi version and patch level, and no manual vSAN or network configurations on the new hosts. To use Quickstart, follow these steps:

1. In the vSphere Client home page, navigate to Home > Hosts and Clusters and select a configured cluster.
2. Right-click the cluster and select Add Hosts. The Add hosts wizard appears.
3. On the Add hosts page, add new or existing hosts to the cluster. You can add hosts that are not part of the vCenter Server inventory or hosts that are managed by your vCenter Server instance and are in the same data center as your cluster.
4. Click Next. The Host summary page lists all hosts that will be added to the cluster and related warnings.
5. On the Host summary page, review the details of the added hosts and click Next.
6. (Optional) On the Import Image page, select the host whose image to use as the image for the cluster. The Import Image page appears when you add hosts to a cluster managed with a single image.
7. On the Ready to complete page, review the IP addresses or FQDN of the added hosts and click Finish. The Extend Cluster Guide page appears.
8. In the Configure hosts card, select Configure. If the vSphere DRS feature is enabled on the cluster, configure the networking options in the vMotion traffic page.
9. (Optional) Select the Use VLAN check box and enter an ID for the vMotion distributed port group.
10. (Optional) Select a protocol type from the drop-down menu.
11. Select an IP type from the drop-down menu.
12. Click Next. The vSAN traffic page appears.
13. (Optional) Select the Use VLAN check box and enter an ID for the vSAN distributed port group.
14. Select an IP type from the drop-down menu.
15. Click Next. The Ready to complete page appears.
16. Review the network settings and click Finish. The hosts are added to the cluster and configured with the cluster networking.

Question: How can I troubleshoot the incompatible network configuration error if the solutions above do not work?

Answer: If the solutions above do not work, you can try to troubleshoot the incompatible network configuration error by using the following methods:

• Check the vSAN health status and network performance by logging in to the vSphere Client and navigating to Cluster > Monitor > vSAN > Health and Cluster > Monitor > vSAN > Performance. If there are any errors or warnings, follow the suggested actions to resolve them.
• Check the vSAN network configuration and connectivity by logging in to the host with SSH and running the commands esxcli vsan network list and esxcli vsan network test. If there are any errors or failures, follow the suggested actions to resolve them.
• Check the vSphere Distributed Switch configuration and connectivity by logging in to the vSphere Client and navigating to Networking > vSphere Distributed Switch. If there are any errors or warnings, follow the suggested actions to resolve them.
• Check the ESXi host logs and events by logging in to the vSphere Client and navigating to Host > Monitor > Logs and Host > Monitor > Events. If there are any errors or warnings related to the incompatible network configuration error, follow the suggested actions to resolve them.

Summary

In this article, we have discussed how to troubleshoot and fix the incompatible network configuration for host being added to new cluster with vSAN error in VMware vSphere. We have explained the possible causes and solutions for this error, and provided some useful tips and references to help you troubleshoot and fix the issue. We hope that this article has been helpful and informative for you.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. The solutions and methods described in this article may not work for all situations and environments. You should always test the solutions and methods before applying them to your production environment. You should also consult the official VMware documentation and support resources for further guidance and assistance. We are not responsible for any damages or losses caused by the use of the solutions and methods in this article.