How does VMWare generate unique MAC addresses?

Solution 1:

You can hard code them in a VM, but you can't predict them if you allow vmware to auto-generate them. VMware has a lot of different KB articles that mention this topic, but I think this one is the best place to start.

Some things to keep in mind:

  1. If you statically assign them, you must use the allowed range that VMware defines.

  2. If you replicate/copy/duplicate a VM that has a static assignment, you will have problems if it is on the same broadcast domain.

Solution 2:

You can set a static MAC by following the instructions in this link. That should give you all the control you're looking for.