Cluster install using UPI method and Vmware provider fails to bootstrap when the static mac addresses used to pin a static ip address dhcp is out of the scope of Vmware OUI. Bootstrap node is able to start, and ignition data is correctly pulled from master nodes, but they never transition to Ready state. From sosreport, we see the following error:

CreateContainerConfigError: host IP unknown; known addresses: [{Hostname master0.example.com}]

The real error was not found until we set kubelet logging level to 8. After kubelet restart we see the error:

Feb 08 20:50:43 master0.example.com kubenswrapper[5047]: I0208 20:50:43.264301    5047 config.go:281] "Setting pods for source" source="file"
Feb 08 20:50:43 master0.example.com kubenswrapper[5047]: I0208 20:50:43.286595    5047 cloud_request_manager.go:106] "Requesting node addresses from cloud provider for node" nodeName=master0.example.com
Feb 08 20:50:43 master0.example.com kubenswrapper[5047]: I0208 20:50:43.286789    5047 vsphere.go:638] Failed to patch IP for interface "ens192" as MAC address "00:10:10:00:03:01" does not belong to a VMware platform

This happened in a new cluster deployment, but I could reproduce the issue over an already installed cluster (UPI/vSphere). Either if OpenshiftSDN or OVNKubernetes, once I change the mac address for one with a OUI different from "00:50:56", the node is unable to report again its own ip address. The node joins the cluster but the External-IP and Internal-IP address become empty.

    4.12.17

    Follow UPI documentation and set static mac addresses to an OUI (first three octets) to anything different than "00:50:56"

    1. Follow UPI/vSphere Documentation.
    2. Set static ip assignment in dhcp, pinning to specific mac addresses, but use a OUI different from "00:50:56" (ej: 01:01:01)
    3. Boot nodes. 
    

    Bootstrap node works correctly and master nodes boot, they never transition to Ready. SDN pod is unable to start.

    Install method should work.