Rename ESXi host with VDS setup

In this post, I will list the steps required to rename a VMware vSphere ESXi host that is part of vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS).

test SSH logon and shell access is working

Enable SSH and Shell, to ensure can get root access to the ESXi host before the next steps

Place Host in Maintenance Mode

Note which physical NIC’s are participating in each VDS as Uplinks e.g.:

dvSwitch0-Management-Uplinks
1 – vmnic0
2 – vmnic1

dvSwitch1-Production-Uplinks
1 – vmnic3
2 – vmnic4

dvSwitch2-Storage-Uplinks
1 – vmnic5
2 – vmnic6
3 – vmnic7
4 – vmnic8

Disconnect from vCenter

Remove from vCenter Inventory

Add DNS record to reflect new Hostname
If the IP address is changing, do this before changing the name
Connect to host Web Client as root
Leave AD Domain if joined
Change Name – Networking -> TCP/IP -> Default TCP/IP Stack
Re-join AD Domain if necessary
If not Domain joined, hostname (and IP) could be changed in DCUI via iLO

Add Back Into vCenter

Add to vCenter using root credentials (tested as above)
The host should have retained most of the vDS config but will need it’s Physical NIC’s assigned to the relevant vDS DVUplinks
vCenter -> Networks -> Distributed Switches -> Right-click on vDS -> Add and Manage Host…
Use the wizard to Add the renamed hosts NIC’s to the relevant Uplinks
Confirm Connections to storage are functional
Exit Maintenance Mode

Test vMotion and VDS functionality

Test vMotion by migrating a VM between from and to the ESXi host – to be thorough ensure the networking at the guest operating system level is correct