Why VMs deployed by Commander use manual MAC addresses when the base image is set to automatic
When VMs are deployed through Commander, the MAC address configuration may differ from what is specified in the base image. This article explains why manual MAC addresses are applied during deployment and what implications this has for cloning and network configuration.
When vCenter VMs are deployed by Commander, the MAC addresses are set to manual, even if the base image was originally configured for automatic. This is necessary to provide MAC information to Commander at the time of deployment.
The MAC information is required to achieve other requested network configurations, such as assigning IP addresses from pools or creating routes for VMs deployed behind a network fence. When Commander switches a VM's NIC settings to manual, a unique MAC address is generated, so no MAC collisions are introduced onto the network.
This also occurs when Commander clones VMs previously deployed by Commander.
However, if you clone a VM deployed or cloned by Commander directly in vCenter, you will get an exact copy of the VM, including the manually configured MAC address, thereby introducing a conflict onto the network.
Avoid working outside Commander to prevent this from occurring, or reconfigure VMs that have been cloned outside Commander to use automatic addressing.
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