"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.