Vmware notes on selecting network adapters
https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1001805
Advanced network settings
VMX-file parameters
Basic setup
MAC address handling
ESX - specific
VMware-tools related Wake on LAN
Advanced setup - experts only Advanced MAC address handling - experts only
other parameters related to network
| Basic setup - see basic table for reasonable blocks |
| ethernet0.present = "false" | Main-switch: set to "true"
to enable the device. This parameter works like a mainswitch - if it is set to "true" all other parameters related to the same device are parsed. If it is set to "false" the other parameters are ignored. |
| ethernet0.startConnected = "true" | Silently defaults to "true"
set ito "false" f you don't want the nic to be connected at boot |
| ethernet0.virtualDev
= "vlance" ethernet0.virtualDev = "vmxnet" ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000" |
On current VMware-versions you can
use any of these 3 e1000 performs best but your OS may not come with the drivers vmxnet needs drivers that come with the VMware-tools vlance should work on all older OS without additional drivers |
| ethernet0.connectionType
= "bridged" ethernet0.connectionType = "hostonly" ethernet0.connectionType = "nat" ethernet0.connectionType = "custom" ethernet0.connectionType = "monitor_dev" |
Sets the connection type. Silently defaults to "bridged" also see additional notes |
| ethernet0.vnet = "vmnet0" ... ethernet0.vnet = "vmnet9" |
Sets the number of the used vmnet. Only use with connection type "custom" also see additional notes |
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| MAC-address handling |
ethernet0.addressType
= "generated"
ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:40:7e:22" ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0" |
This lines are added automatically
on first start of a VM. If you need a different MAC delete this lines and use those from the next block |
ethernet0.addressType = "static" ethernet0.address = "00:50:56:3e:86:29" |
This settings have to be used to
configure a MAC-address manually. Valid range: 00:50:56:00:00:00 00:50:56:3f:ff:ff |
ethernet0.addressType = "static" ethernet0.addressType = "generated" ethernet0.addressType = "vpx" |
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| advanced MAC-address handling |
ethernet0.ignoreMACAddressConflict
= "false"
|
I think this is another silent default - usually a Nic will not come up if the same Mac exists on the network. |
ethernet0.noPromisc = "true"
|
This disables - well have a guess
- yes , this disables promiscous-mode. On Linux hosts you must be root to set nics into promiscous mode - read more |
ethernet0.noForgedSrcAddr = "true"
|
This disables spoofing of Mac-address |
ethernet0.reassignMAConResume
= "true"
|
I guess this is another silent default - usually VMware tries to assign the same MAC after resume as it was used before resume. |
| ethernet0.checkMACAddress = "FALSE" | ESX and WS 6.5 - allows to set a MAC outside the usual range (experimental) |
ethernet0.downWhenAddrMismatch
= "false"
|
see knowledgebase |
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| Tools related settings |
| ethernet0.allowGuestConnectionControl = "false" | Disallow control of connection from
inside the guest. (Only works with guests that have VMware tols installed) Silent default is "true" |
ethernet0.disableMorphToVmxnet
= "false"
|
Vlance-nics magically morph to VMXnet
nics after tools-install. Don't use ... |
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| Wake on Lan |
ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "false"
|
Workstation 6 and higher only
Set to "true" to enable WakeOnLan functions Don't specify unless you really need it. |
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| ESX specific ? |
ethernet0.devName
ethernet0.exclusive ethernet0.pvnID ethernet0.networkName Ethernet0.connectionType = "monitor_dev" Ethernet0.devName = "vmnic0" Ethernet0.networkName = "sciquestprod" |
ESX - specific ? |
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| Advanced
setup WARNING: don't use this unless you kow what you are doing |
ethernet0.numRecvBuffers
ethernet0.numXmitBuffers ethernet0.rxbw.limit ethernet0.rxbw.queuesize ethernet0.rxfi.droprate ethernet0.rxfi.dropsize ethernet0.txbw.limit ethernet0.txbw.queuesize ethernet0.txfi.droprate ethernet0.txfi.dropsize ethernet0.noReceiveAfterSend ethernet0.yieldAfterSend ethernet0.flashWriteable ethernet0.forcedToBridged |
Fine-tuning: don't ask me |
ethernet0.features
="0"
|
Do you get poor UDP-performance with
vmxnet-device ? Try this - see forumpost May speed up performance when running ghost ... |
ethernet0.allow64bitVmxnet = "true" ethernet0.allow64bitVlance = "true" |
ON 64-bit hosts VMware likes to
assign E1000 - but you can force it to use different adapters by
useing this lines along with the appropriate virtualDev-entries. |
ethernet0.opromsize
= ?
|
Boot ROM size - don't know details |
ethernet0.features = "0x2"
|
Enable TCP Segmentation Offloading
(TSO) for a Windows virtual machine on ESX 2.x Reference: knowledgebase 1465 |
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| related parameters These parameters are somehow related but not dependant on the main-switch that |
| vlance.noOprom =
"true" vmxnet.noOprom = "true" |
Recent VMware-versions allow Network-boot.
If you know that you don't need this, you can free some memory by using this |
ethernet.e1000.available
= "true"
ethernet.vlance.available = "true" ethernet.morphNICs = "true" ethernet.perfMonInterval = ? |
Don't use |
vnet.dontProbe = "false"
|
Sometimes Windows-guests have problems
to probe the virtual Nics at boot-time: try this Don't use it if you don't need it - it affects performance |
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There are two different ways to assign Virtual Nets: The easy way uses one out of three options: ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged" ethernet0.connectionType = "hostonly" ethernet0.connectionType = "nat" The expert way uses a combination of 'connectionType' and "vnet" ethernet0.connectionType = "custom" and the exact number of the VNET you want - like ethernet0.vnet = "vmnet0" Lets have an example: you have two bridged networks on Player: vmnet0 and vmnet2 If you use ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged" ethernet1.connectionType = "bridged" the second ethernet device will not come up. If you use ethernet0.connectionType = "custom" ethernet0.vnet = "vmnet0" ethernet1.connectionType = "custom" ethernet1.vnet = "vmnet2" instead - both devices will come up. http://sanbarrow.com/vmx/vmx-network-advanced.html |
