Presented herein are techniques to detect a misconfigured duplicate Internet Protocol (IP) address in a distributed data center network fabric. A network topology is provided that includes a plurality of network elements. A network element receives a configuration message comprising an IP address from a first host associated with the first network element. The IP address is detected to already be in use by a second host associated with a second network element. A request message is provided to the second network element, the request message configured to cause the second network element to attempt to contact the second host. A reply message is received from the second network element. If the reply message indicates that the second host exists at the second network element, an indication of a misconfiguration event is generated. Otherwise, the IP address is associated with the first host.