AzureLocalNetworkInfraConnectionTestInfraIPConnectionVMSwitch_Readiness

Name	AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_VMSwitch_Readiness
Severity	Critical: This validator will block operations until remediated.
Applicable Scenarios	Deployment (without ArcGateway), Upgrade (without ArcGateway)

Overview

This validator checks that a suitable virtual switch exists or can be created for testing infrastructure IP pool connectivity. The validator needs a virtual switch with the same physical adapters as defined in the management intent to properly test network connectivity from infrastructure IPs.

Requirements

1. Either an existing external virtual switch with matching management intent adapters, OR
2. Ability to create a new external virtual switch using the management intent adapters
3. The virtual switch must be properly configured and operational

Troubleshooting Steps

Review Environment Validator Output

Review the Environment Validator output JSON. Check the AdditionalData.Detail field for information about virtual switch readiness.

{
  "Name": "AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_VMSwitch_Readiness",
  "DisplayName": "Test VMSwitch readiness for all IP in infra IP pool",
  "Title": "Test VMSwitch readiness for all IP in infra IP pool",
  "Status": 1,
  "Severity": 2,
  "Description": "Test VMSwitch readiness for all IP in infra IP pool",
  "Remediation": "Make sure at least one VMSwitch pre-configured on the host SERVER01 has the same set of adapters defined in management intent.",
  "TargetResourceID": "Infra_IP_Connection_VMSwitchReadiness",
  "TargetResourceName": "Infra_IP_Connection_VMSwitchReadiness",
  "TargetResourceType": "Infra_IP_Connection_VMSwitchReadiness",
  "Timestamp": "<timestamp>",
  "AdditionalData": {
    "Source": "SERVER01",
    "Resource": "VMSwitchReadiness",
    "Detail": "[FAILED] Cannot test connection for infra IP with wrong VMSwitch configured on host SERVER01.",
    "Status": "FAILURE",
    "TimeStamp": "<timestamp>"
  }
}

---

Failure: No Suitable VMSwitch Found

Error Message:

[FAILED] Cannot test connection for infra IP with wrong VMSwitch configured on host SERVER01.

Root Cause: Either:

• No external virtual switch exists on the host
• Existing virtual switches don't use the same physical adapters as defined in the management intent
• The validator cannot create a suitable virtual switch

Remediation Steps

1. Check Current Virtual Switch Configuration

Verify existing virtual switches:

# List all virtual switches
Get-VMSwitch | Format-Table Name, SwitchType, NetAdapterInterfaceDescription, EmbeddedTeamingEnabled -AutoSize

# Check which physical adapters are used by each switch
Get-VMSwitch -SwitchType External | ForEach-Object {
    $switch = $_
    $team = Get-VMSwitchTeam -Name $switch.Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($team) {
        Write-Host "`nSwitch: $($switch.Name)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
        Write-Host "  Team Members:" -ForegroundColor White
        $team.NetAdapterInterfaceDescription | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "    $_" }
    } else {
        Write-Host "`nSwitch: $($switch.Name)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
        Write-Host "  Single Adapter: $($switch.NetAdapterInterfaceDescription)" -ForegroundColor White
    }
}

2. Check Management Intent Configuration

Identify which adapters should be used according to your deployment configuration:

# View physical adapters
Get-NetAdapter -Physical | Select-Object Name, Status, LinkSpeed, InterfaceDescription | Format-Table -AutoSize

# Your management intent should specify which adapters to use
# Example: Management intent uses "Ethernet" and "Ethernet 2"

3. if you have an existing VMSwitch, but uses wrong adapters

You might need to modify/re-create the VMSwitch so it use the same adapters as defined in the management intent.

Warning: Modifying the virtual switch will temporarily disconnect network connectivity.

# Remove existing switch (if safe to do so)
$oldSwitch = Get-VMSwitch -Name "ExistingSwitch"
Remove-VMSwitch -Name $oldSwitch.Name -Force

# Create new switch with correct adapters
$adapterNames = @("Ethernet", "Ethernet 2")
New-VMSwitch -Name "ConvergedSwitch(ManagementIntent)" `
    -NetAdapterName $adapterNames `
    -EnableEmbeddedTeaming $true `
    -AllowManagementOS $true

4. Verify Virtual Switch is Operational

After creating or modifying the virtual switch:

# Check switch status
Get-VMSwitch | Select-Object Name, SwitchType, NetAdapterInterfaceDescription |  Format-List

# Check that management OS has access
Get-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS | Select-Object Name, SwitchName, Status | Format-Table -AutoSize

# Verify physical adapters are bound to the switch
Get-VMSwitchTeam -Name "ConvergedSwitch(ManagementIntent)" | Select-Object Name, TeamingMode, LoadBalancingAlgorithm

# Test basic connectivity
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 8.8.8.8 -InformationLevel Detailed

5. Retry the Validation

After creating or fixing the virtual switch, re-run the Environment Validator.

---

Additional Information

Virtual Switch Requirements for Infrastructure IP Testing

The validator requires a virtual switch that:

1. Uses management intent adapters: Must use the same physical adapters specified in the deployment's management intent
2. Is External type: Must be an external virtual switch (not Internal or Private)
3. Allows Management OS: Must have -AllowManagementOS $true to create management vNICs
4. Is operational: Must be in a healthy state

Virtual Switch Naming Convention

The validator uses Network ATC naming standards:

• Switch name pattern: ConvergedSwitch(IntentName) or similar
• Management vNIC pattern: vManagement(IntentName)

Example for intent named "ManagementIntent":

• Switch: ConvergedSwitch(ManagementIntent)
• vNIC: vManagement(ManagementIntent)

Existing vs. New Virtual Switch

The validator behaves differently based on existing virtual switch configuration:

Scenario	Validator Behavior
No external switches exist	Creates a new temporary switch for testing
1 external switch with correct adapters	Uses the existing switch
1 external switch with wrong adapters	FAILS - cannot proceed
Multiple external switches	Searches for one with matching adapters

Switch Embedded Teaming (SET)

For multi-adapter management intents, the validator expects Switch Embedded Teaming:

# SET switch combines multiple NICs into a team
# Benefits:
# - Load balancing across adapters
# - Fault tolerance if one adapter fails
# - RDMA support (if NICs support it)

# Verify SET is enabled
Get-VMSwitch | Where-Object { $_.EmbeddedTeamingEnabled -eq $true }

# Check team configuration
Get-VMSwitchTeam | Select-Object Name, TeamingMode, LoadBalancingAlgorithm, NetAdapterInterfaceDescription

Common Virtual Switch Issues

Issue: Switch creation fails

Solution 1 - Check adapter status:

# Ensure adapters are Up and not already bound
Get-NetAdapter -Physical | Select-Object Name, Status, DriverDescription

# Check if adapters are already bound to another switch
Get-VMSwitch | ForEach-Object {
    $_ | Select-Object Name, @{N='Adapters';E={($_ | Get-VMSwitchTeam).NetAdapterInterfaceDescription -join ', '}}
}

Solution 2 - Remove existing bindings: If adapter is bound to old switch, remove it

Issue: Management OS loses connectivity after switch creation

Make sure the first adapter used in your management intent list is having connection before you configure the VMSwitch.

Issue: Wrong adapters in the switch

Solution - Rebuild switch with correct adapters:

# Document current management IP configuration
$mgmtIP = Get-NetIPConfiguration | Where-Object { $_.IPv4DefaultGateway -ne $null }
$ipAddress = $mgmtIP.IPv4Address.IPAddress
$prefixLength = $mgmtIP.IPv4Address.PrefixLength
$gateway = $mgmtIP.IPv4DefaultGateway.NextHop
$dnsServers = ($mgmtIP | Get-DnsClientServerAddress -AddressFamily IPv4).ServerAddresses

# Remove old switch
Remove-VMSwitch -Name "OldSwitch" -Force

# Create new switch with correct adapters
$correctAdapters = @("Ethernet", "Ethernet 2")  # From management intent
New-VMSwitch -Name "ConvergedSwitch(ManagementIntent)" `
    -NetAdapterName $correctAdapters `
    -EnableEmbeddedTeaming $true `
    -AllowManagementOS $true

# Reconfigure management IP
Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
$newVNIC = Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.Name -like "vEthernet*" -and $_.Status -eq "Up" } | Select-Object -First 1
New-NetIPAddress -InterfaceAlias $newVNIC.Name `
    -IPAddress $ipAddress `
    -PrefixLength $prefixLength `
    -DefaultGateway $gateway
Set-DnsClientServerAddress -InterfaceAlias $newVNIC.Name -ServerAddresses $dnsServers

Temporary vs. Permanent Virtual Switch

Temporary switch (created by validator):

• Created only if no suitable switch exists
• Used only for validation testing
• Cleaned up after validation completes
• Named according to Network ATC standards

Permanent switch (pre-existing):

• Already exists from previous Network ATC deployment or manual creation
• Used by validator if it matches requirements
• Not modified or removed by validator

Network ATC and Virtual Switches

During actual deployment, Network ATC will create virtual switches based on intents:

# After deployment, Network ATC creates switches
# Example for management intent:
Add-NetIntent -Name "ManagementIntent" `
    -Management `
    -AdapterName "Ethernet", "Ethernet 2"

# This creates:
# - External virtual switch with SET
# - vManagement virtual adapter
# - Proper IP configuration

The validator's temporary switch mimics this structure for testing purposes.

Verification Commands

Complete verification of virtual switch setup:

# 1. Check switch exists and is external
Get-VMSwitch -SwitchType External | Format-Table Name, SwitchType, EmbeddedTeamingEnabled -AutoSize

# 2. Check adapters in the switch match management intent
$switch = Get-VMSwitch -Name "ConvergedSwitch(ManagementIntent)"
Get-VMSwitchTeam -Name $switch.Name | Select-Object -ExpandProperty NetAdapterInterfaceDescription

# 3. Check management vNIC exists
Get-VMNetworkAdapter -ManagementOS | Where-Object { $_.SwitchName -eq $switch.Name }

# 4. Check physical adapters are Up
Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object { $_.InterfaceDescription -in (Get-VMSwitchTeam -Name $switch.Name).NetAdapterInterfaceDescription }

# 5. Test connectivity
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 8.8.8.8

Related Validators

Prerequisites for this validator:

• AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_Hyper_V_Readiness - Must pass first

Validators that run after this validator:

• AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_MANAGEMENT_VNIC_Readiness - Validates management vNIC
• AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_vNIC_Readiness - Validates test vNIC creation
• AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_IPReadiness - Tests IP configuration
• AzureLocal_NetworkInfraConnection_Test_Infra_IP_Connection_DNS_Server_Port_53 - Tests DNS connectivity

Related Documentation

• Create a virtual switch for Hyper-V
• Azure Local host network requirements