"Failed to connect virtual device Ethernet0" error when provisioning a template across different ESXi clusters in vCenter Server
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"Failed to connect virtual device Ethernet0" error when provisioning a template across different ESXi clusters in vCenter Server

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Article ID: 310720

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

  • When provisioning a virtual machine template in VMware vCenter Server to another cluster, the below error is displayed when trying to power on the provisioned VM:
    Failed to connect virtual device Ethernet0
  • The virtual machine fails to automatically assign a network label and cannot connect to the network.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.x
VMware vCenter Server 7.x

Cause

  • This is expected behavior since a virtual machine template created in a specific cluster retains the network label it was assigned during its creation.
  • If another cluster has different network labels, it retains the old network label and does not automatically change the name. When the virtual machine is powered on, it does not have a network connection.
  • This issue is most common on third party software that calls on VMware's API framework to automatically provision virtual machines from one given cluster to another.

Resolution

  • Create a virtual machine template with the default network label in each cluster that you will be provisioning to.
    Note: The downside of this option is every virtual machine will have to be unique for each cluster. However, this allows automatic provisioning on the virtual machine with the appropriate label.

  • Manually assign the network label after provisioning the virtual machine.
    • Right-click the VM -> Edit Settings -> Network Adapter.
    • Browse and select the right Network Adapter.