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Vmware Esxi Manual Mac Address

Once I upload the VM to ESXi a customization is automatically happening assigning a new MAC address, UUID, etc., how can I avoid that from happening? I need the VM on ESXi to be exactly the way it was on Workstation. I know that I can manually set the MAC on ESXi, but that doesn't prevent whatever other customizations are happening.

I think we are all familiar with the manual MAC address issue - some software depends on the MAC for licensing, and in VMware you need to stick to a certain range of Ethernet addresses if you want to be able to manually put in your own MAC address.

Somehow I think that should have been written in big, bold letters before I started virtualizing a couple of years ago. I'm pretty sure it wasn't mentioned in the class, either. I have several apps that generate their license based on a server's MAC. And yes, now I have to change virtual NICs on several VMs from either Flexible or E1000 to VMXNET2.

Currently running vSphere 4.1, ESX build 320092 across the board.

Vmware Esxi Manual Mac Address 2017

Since I didn't plan ahead far enough to manually put in those MAC addresses, now I have no choice but to find some way to keep them until the vendors can regen the licensences.

So, here's the procedure I'm using to keep the MAC address:

1) Write down the old MAC

2) Replace Flexible NIC with VMXNET2

Static

Vmware Esxi Manual Mac Address 2016

3) Unregister the VM

Vmware Esxi Manual Mac Address 2016

4) Edit the .vmx file and replace the automatically assigned MAC address with the old MAC address

Vmware Mac Address Assignment

- this is how I get around the GUI

Vm Mac Address

5) Re-register the VM with the host

Vmware Find Mac Address

6) Boot up

So far it has worked for me just fine on two test servers. The question is: Will this cause any problems down the road?

Vmware Esxi Manual Mac Address 1

I am currently running a 'vanilla' network setup - no distributed vSwitches. However I do plan on putting that in place later this year, and that's where I'm not sure it my little procedure will come up to surprise me at that point.