Here’s a rewritten version of the original article with improved clarity, structure, and flow, while preserving the technical accuracy:
How to Retrieve a VM’s MAC Address Using VCF Orchestrator
VCF Orchestrator is a powerful automation tool for managing tasks in a VMware environment. One particularly useful function it can perform is retrieving the MAC address of a virtual machine (VM).
In a previous role, I worked with a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) that required manual updates every time a new VM was deployed. One of the required fields was the VM’s MAC address. To streamline this process, I created a JavaScript function to automate MAC address retrieval.
This guide walks you through how to use that function effectively.
Understanding MAC Address Allocation in vSphere
vSphere provides multiple methods for automatically assigning MAC addresses to virtual machines via the vCenter Server:
– VMware OUI Allocation: This is the default mechanism used by vSphere.
– Prefix-Based Allocation: Allows administrators to define a custom prefix for generated MAC addresses.
– Range-Based Allocation: Enables MAC address assignment from a pre-defined range.
Once assigned, a VM’s MAC address remains fixed unless a conflict occurs. Notably, vSphere doesn’t check MAC address conflicts for powered-off VMs. If a conflict arises when a VM is powered back on, it may be assigned a new MAC address.
JavaScript Function to Retrieve a MAC Address
Below is a generic JavaScript function designed to retrieve the MAC address from a VM object. Ideally, this should be implemented as an action within VCF Orchestrator.
function getVmMacAddress(vmObject) {
System.log(‘———————————‘);
System.log(‘Get VM MAC Address’);
var networkDeviceTypes = [
VcVirtualVmxnet3,
VcVirtualE1000,
VcVirtualPCNet32,
VcVirtualVmxnet,
VcVirtualVmxnet2,
];
var devices = vmObject.config.hardware.device;
var loop = function (device) {
if (networkDeviceTypes.some(function (type) { return device instanceof type; })) {
var macAddress = device.macAddress;
System.log(“MAC Address: “.concat(macAddress));
return { value: macAddress };
}
};
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