A school IDF access switch enters a PoE reboot loop, taking down the management VLAN for a small vSphere cluster. NSX-T Manager cannot reach those hosts, and an operator starts deleting Distributed Firewall rules to un-stick the cluster. What should the administrator do?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
When the closet switch is brown-outing on PoE, the cluster's management plane just lost its hallway. That is not a DFW bug. Get the IDF switch stable and the management VLAN back; ripping out firewall rules will not power the copper.
Full Explanation
Small clusters often share an IDF switch for ESXi management. A PoE or reboot loop on that switch isolates hosts from NSX-T Manager and vCenter without any change to Distributed Firewall policy. Deleting DFW sections, Carbon Black isolation, and Workspace ONE Access policy will not restore Layer-2 management. Stabilize the physical switch and power, recover the management VLAN, then confirm Manager-to-host connectivity.