esxcfg-nics -l output shows a different vmnic-to-MAC address correlation than what was previously configured.VMware ESXi
To restore and persist VMNIC numbering, you must manually assign (alias) the VMNIC name to the specific PCI address of the adapter.
esxcfg-nics -llocalcli --plugin-dir /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli/int/ deviceInternal alias listNote: If the NIC uses a native driver, you must update both the pci and logical bus types.
Example (Setting vmnic0 to address s00000002.00):
localcli --plugin-dir /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli/int/ deviceInternal alias store --bus-type pci --alias vmnic0 --bus-address s00000002.00localcli --plugin-dir /usr/lib/vmware/esxcli/int/ deviceInternal alias store --bus-type logical --alias vmnic0 --bus-address "pci#s00000002.00#0"rebootVerify: After the reboot, confirm the VMNIC order matches your vSwitch configuration using esxcfg-nics -l.
Workaround
If manual re-aliasing is not feasible across a large environment, migrating to a vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) is recommended, as it manages networking configuration at the vCenter level rather than relying on local host VMNIC numbering consistency.