Configure MAC prefix via webUI does not allow xx:xx:xx:Y format

[thijz]

HI,
I'm trying to set the MAC prefix for our first Prox cluster.
According to the documentation this can be done via the GUI (Datacenter > Options > MAC prefix) and indeed that works just fine, however ...

The GUI only allows me to enter a value in xx:xx:xx: format
According to this document (https://pve.proxmox.com/pve-docs/datacenter.cfg.5.html) you can go further and use xx:xx:xx:x

This comes in handy if you want to make sure that there is no overlap between different clusters :
xx:xx:xx:0 = cluster 1
xx:xx:xx:1 = cluster 2
etc

In fact, this way of working is even encouraged in this document : https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Manual:_datacenter.cfg

If i modify the /etc/pve/datacenter.cfg file directly and add 'mac_prefix: BC:24:11:0' then this info is immediately available on all nodes, BUT ... the GUI does not show this value : it changes to 'none' and if i add a new network interface to a VM if uses random MAC's, not the BC:24:11:0 prefix ... :-(

This looks like a bug to me (?) or the documentation is incorrect

version info :
proxmox-ve: 7.4-1 (running kernel: 5.15.131-2-pve)
pve-manager: 7.4-17 (running version: 7.4-17/513c62be)
pve-kernel-5.15: 7.4-9

 

[LnxBil]

Have yout tried using two zeros? MAC addresses are often padded with zeros to have the same ascii format.

 

[thijz]

Hi LnxBil,
That doesnt work either : is soon as i go past the 6 first characters (xx:xx:xx) the border around the input field turns 'red', indicating that this is not a valid value

I have tried many different formats but it looks like you simply cant specify a prefix that is more than 6 characters

 

[gfngfn256]

Trying to think of something ....... (though you've probably tried a bunch!)
What happens if you modify the /etc/pve/datacenter.cfg file directly and add 'mac_prefix: BC:24:11:00' or 'mac_prefix: BC:24:11:00:' or maybe 'mac_prefix: BC:24:11:0:'

 

[thijz]

i tried all the suggestions, but none of these worked ..
i ended up just using BC:24:11: for cluster 1 and BC:24:12: for the second, and so on