VM name in VMware Cloud Director UI does not match guest OS hostname

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

In VMware Cloud Director (VCD), the VM name displayed in the Tenant Portal or Provider Portal may not align with the hostname configured inside the Guest Operating System. This can lead to confusion during monitoring and inventory auditing.

Environment

10.x

Cause

VCD maintains two separate name attributes for a virtual machine:

1. VM Name: The label used in the VCD inventory database.

2. Computer Name: The hostname residing within the Guest OS (accessible via Guest Customization).

If a VM is deployed from a template and the user provides a new inventory name without enabling "Guest Customization" to update the internal hostname, a mismatch occurs.

Resolution

To align the names for an existing VM:

1. Log in to the VCD Tenant Portal.

2. Go to Resources > Virtual Machines.

3. Click on the name of the affected VM.

4. Navigate to the General section and click Edit.

5. Update the Name field to match the actual hostname of the Guest OS.

6. Click Save.

Note: This change only affects the VCD inventory display and is non-disruptive to the running VM.

Additional Information

To ensure alignment during deployment:

• Enable Guest Customization.

• Select the option Use VM Name for the Computer Name setting.