Network preferences don't offer the physical Ethernet devices I have (and need)

[Martin_Cracauer]

When configuring networking in vmware workstation 9 on Linux it only offers me a selection of devices, apparently limited by overly simple string-based filtering. I get offered my eth<n> named devices, plus an already existing Linux bridge.

However, the device I need to connect to is called "ethmain1", which is a physical ethernet port and the only network where my DHCP and PXE servers are listening.

It also incorrectly offers "eth0" which I don't have at all. This makes the automatic setting fail because it picks eth0 which doesn't exist.

Is there a text file where I can just tell it the right name?

[Martin_Cracauer · Accepted solution]

Allright, so the answer for future reference.  Thank you so much for support to help with this.

/etc/vmware/networking

It has a copy if the list of interfaces that vmware "made up" (those have a "-1" at the end) and it has the interface currently assigned to the bridge for vmware, with a "0" at the end.  You cannot edit it with a correct list of interfaces (with the "-1"), however, if you just stick the correct interface into the main entry (with the "0" at the end it will keep that setting.

[code]

VERSION=1,0

answer VNL_DEFAULT_BRIDGE_VNET -1

add_bridge_mapping bridgestb -1

add_bridge_mapping eth0 -1

add_bridge_mapping ethmain1 -1

add_bridge_mapping eth3 -1

add_bridge_mapping eth5 -1

add_bridge_mapping tap4 -1

add_bridge_mapping ethmain1 0

[/code]

First line "ethmain1" is ignored but the last line sticks, and things work.