MAC address behavior during vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) file-based restore

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When restoring vCSA from a file-based backup, the restored vCSA may inherit the original MAC address instead of generating a new one.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 8.x

Cause

This is expected behavior. If you specify the same Virtual Machine name (VM name) as the original vCSA during restore, the installer will assign the MAC address stored in the backup metadata to the new vCSA during Stage 1 deployment process.

Resolution

If you wish to force the generation of a new MAC address, you must specify a different VM Name during the Stage 1 deployment process. When a different VM name is used, a newly generated MAC address is assigned to the restored vCSA.

Additional Information

Restore vCenter Server from a File-Based Backup