Reconfigure Network After Cloning a VM in vSphere: Step‑by‑Step Guide

Previously we shared how to clone a virtual machine using the vSphere Client; after cloning, the VM's network is non‑functional and requires reconfiguration, which differs from standard network setup. Below is the detailed tutorial.

Step 1: Power on the VM and open the console

Step 2: Change the hostname (optional)

If you wish to rename the cloned VM (originally centoswy01), change it to a new name such as centoswy02. See the linked tutorial for details.

Original name:

centoswy01

New name:

centoswy02

Step 3: Identify the current MAC address

Run ifconfig –a to list network interfaces and note the HWaddr (e.g., 00:0C:29:97:13:F7).

Step 4: Backup the network script

Execute cp /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 ifcfg-eth1 to create a backup named ifcfg-eth1.

Step 5: Edit the ifcfg-eth0 file

Open the file with vi /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0. The original content is shown below.

Step 6: Modify key parameters

Change the HWADDR to match the MAC address obtained in Step 3, set ONBOOT=yes, change BOOTPROTO from dhcp to static, and add the IP address, netmask, gateway, and DNS entries.

Step 7: Resulting ifcfg-eth0 file

Step 8: Update udev persistent‑net rules

Edit vi /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules, comment out the first eth0 entry and enable the eth1 entry, then save and quit.

Step 9: Restart the network service

Run service network restart. The command output is shown below; if the configuration does not take effect, use source to reload the file.

Step 10: Verify connectivity

After reboot, use ifconfig to check the IP address and ping www.baidu.com to confirm network access.

Step 11: Troubleshooting

If the network remains down, try the following:

Update HWADDR in ifcfg-eth0 to the MAC address shown by ifconfig -a (e.g., HWADDR="00:0C:29:97:13:f7").

Remove the persistent‑net rules file and reboot:

# rm -rf /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules
# reboot

In summary, ensure that the cloned VM’s network interface and MAC address match the configuration in ifcfg-eth0 and the udev rules.