Which MAC Address to use? Virtualized or machines?

a_gunsinger · ‎06-29-2011

We have VM Player running XP Pro within whcih is an old application we run. That application is very MAC address specific where in that computers MAC has to be registered with and recognized by the application servers which then allow the app to run after verifying it by MAC. Normally on an XP machine I would give them the ethernet LAN MAC for the machine. But in VM Player XP it shows a buch of different MACs created by the VM. What are all these and within a VM is the PCs native MAC not usable?

Hope that makes some sense.

vmroyale · ‎06-29-2011

Hello.

Where are you seeing the bunch of different MAC addresses at? Can you provide the output of "ipconfig /all" ?

Either way, check out kb 1008473 for a solution.

Good Luck!

a_gunsinger · ‎06-29-2011

That KB says after right clicking on the VM adapter > Properties > Advance. But there is no Advanced Tab.

VM IP Config is shows:

C:\>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : garvinre-d03f34
        Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : localdomain

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : localdomain
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter

        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0C-29-1A-B7-71
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.130
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.2
        DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.254
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.2
        Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.2
        Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, June 29, 2011 12:54:51 PM

Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, June 29, 2011 1:24:51 PM

PC ITSELF IPCONFIG SHOWS:

C:\Users\administrator.EMED>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

   Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : em-g226c
   Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : emed.uc.edu
   Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
   IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
   DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : emed.uc.edu
                                       msbb.uc.edu

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : msbb.uc.edu
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/1000 PL Network Connection
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-13-72-16-71-5C
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::f4b7:f4f6:6465:9047%13(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.97.35.57(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, June 29, 2011 8:01:42 AM
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, July 03, 2011 5:28:31 AM
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.97.35.1
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.27.3.2
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 285217650
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-15-49-07-D5-00-12-3F-74-3F-7F

   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.27.3.2
                                       10.25.3.2
   Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 10.27.3.253
   Secondary WINS Server . . . . . . : 10.25.3.253
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter VMware Network Adapter VMnet1:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet
1
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-50-56-C0-00-01
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::5049:9858:c8e6:535d%14(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.6.1(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 335564886
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-15-49-07-D5-00-12-3F-74-3F-7F

   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
                                       fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
                                       fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter VMware Network Adapter VMnet8:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter for VMnet
8
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-50-56-C0-00-08
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3047:4199:f601:f1b5%16(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.80.1(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 369119318
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-15-49-07-D5-00-12-3F-74-3F-7F

   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
                                       fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
                                       fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

vmroyale · ‎06-29-2011

In XP Network Connections window, choose "Local Area Connection" and obtain the properties for it. Then choose the "Configure" button in the top of the Local Area Connection properties window - this will be beside the "Connect using" box and the VMware Accelerated AMD PCNet Adapter will be listed there. After clicking the Configure button, you should see the "Advanced" tab.

The MAC address listed when "ipconfig /all" is run on the host are for the virtual networking components. If you are licensing an application on your VM, then these addresses on the host don't matter.

a_gunsinger · ‎06-29-2011

This is just a touch outside my eperience level. So from a MAC dependant application, you think its most likely to want the VMs MAC address showing in in the VM? And if so, which one, the VMs re-assigment of the ethernet ports MAC or one of the VM MACs?

vmroyale · ‎06-29-2011

So from a MAC dependant application, you think its most likely to want the VMs MAC address showing in in the VM?

Yes, if the application is installed in the VM then that VM's MAC address is the one you will want to use. If you cannot use the VMware provided MAC address, then you can change the MAC address on the adapter properties from within Windows. Changing the MAC address is really only going to be useful in instances where you already have a license "stuck" to a specific MAC address.

And if so, which one, the VMs re-assigment of the ethernet ports MAC or one of the VM MACs?

The actual MAC address as reported by the VM, when you run "ipconfig" in the VM itself.

All

Which MAC Address to use? Virtualized or machines?