Specifications

VMware, Inc. 311
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This!chapter!guides!you!through!the!basic!concepts!of!networking!in!the!ESX!Server!
environment!and!how!to!set!up!and!configure!a!network.!It!contains!the!following!
sections:
! “Setting!the!MAC!Address!Manually!for!a!Virtual!Machine”!on!page 311
! “VMkernel!Network!Card!Locator”!on!page 314
! “Forcing!the!Network!Driver!to!Use!a!Specific!Speed”!on!page 315
! “Enabling!a!Virtual!Adapter!to!Use!Promiscuous!Mode”!on!page 315
! “Sharing!Network!Adapters!and!Virtual!Networks”!on!page 316
! “Using!Virtual!Switches”!on!page 320
Setting the MAC Address Manually for a Virtual Machine
VMware!ESX!Server!generates!MAC!addresses!for!the!virtual!network!adapters!in!each!
virtual!machine.!In!most!cases,!these!MAC!addresses!are!appropriate.!You!might!need!
to!set!a!virtual!network!adapter’s!MAC!address!manually.!For!example:!
! Virtual!network!adapters!on!different!physical!servers!share!the!same!subnet!and!
are!assigned!the!same!MAC!address,!causing!a!conflict.!
! Ensure!that!a!virtual!network!adapter!always!has!the!same!MAC!address.!
This!section!explains!how!VMware!ESX!Server!generates!MAC!addresses!and!how!you!
can!set!the!MAC!address!for!a!virtual!network!adapter!manually.!
Networking
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