Correcting auto-applied network ATC intent

Question

The issue arises when Network ATC automatically applies an unexpected network intent configuration to S2D cluster nodes after onboarding. This unintended setup can cause misalignment with the original design and raises concerns about cluster stability. The key need is to review the auto-applied intent, validate its impact, and then safely correct or override it without disrupting operations.

How to properly inspect what ATC has configured and adjust it back to the intended design, ensuring compliance and stability while avoiding downtime

Answer 1

Hello,

When Network ATC applies an unintended network intent to your Storage Spaces Direct cluster, the first priority is to inspect exactly what ATC has configured. You can do this by running Get-NetIntent on each node, which will list the active intent name, the associated adapters, VLANs, and IP assignments. If you want to see the raw JSON definition that ATC generated, use Get-NetIntent -Name <intentname> | ConvertTo-Json -Depth 5. This gives you the full applied configuration so you can compare it against your original design.

Once you’ve confirmed the differences, you can safely override or correct the configuration by creating a new intent that matches your intended design and applying it with New-NetIntent followed by Set-NetIntent. ATC does not allow partial edits of an existing intent; the supported method is to define a new intent and apply it, which replaces the previous one. If you need to remove the auto-applied intent entirely, you can run Remove-NetIntent -Name <intentname> and then reapply your own configuration.

To ensure compliance and stability, validate the cluster networking after changes with Test-Cluster -Include "Network" and check that all cluster networks are online in Failover Cluster Manager. Also review the logs under %SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-NetworkATC%4Operational.evtx for any errors during intent application. This confirms that the override was accepted and that the cluster is back in a healthy state without requiring downtime.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

Domic Vo.