Network connectivity is lost after taking a snapshot of a Windows 2003 server

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

 

Symptoms:

• After taking a snapshot of a 2003/R2 server using Flexible network adapter, the virtual machine network connectivity is lost.
• Rebooting the virtual machine restores connectivity.
• Disconnecting/connecting network adapter from virtual machine settings restores connectivity until a snapshot is taken.

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0
VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0

Cause

This issue occurs because the flexible network adapter may not handle traffic reliably in newer 64-bit hypervisors.

Flexible network adapters not supported

Resolution

To resolve the issue, change the network adapter(s) from Flexible to VMXNET3 for Windows 2003/R2 server.

 

Additional Information

For more information, see Choosing a network adapter for your virtual machine (1001805).

For more information on Windows 2003 compatibility, see the VMware Compatibility Guide.

Choosing a network adapter for your virtual machine