Urgent Inquiry Regarding Static MAC Address for VM Deployment

[sherifhassan21]

Dears,

I have an urgent question regarding deploying third-party software (ZKTech Time Management license) on a Windows virtual machine running on Proxmox. The vendor has informed me that their license is tied to the machine’s MAC address, and they advised against using a VM, mentioning that the MAC address might change automatically, which could invalidate the license.

Kindly, I need two questions here:

1. Does Proxmox automatically change the MAC address of a VM after it has been created?
2. If so, is there a way to configure a static MAC address that will remain fixed permanently for the VM, ensuring the license remains valid?

This clarification is critical, as changing the MAC address would require me to pay to reset the license.
Thank you very much for your support and quick response.

 

[leesteken]

Sounds a bit like you have never created a VM on Proxmox before? You can chose the MAC address of all virtual network interfaces yourself (in the VM Creation wizard and also in the VM Settings afterwards) and Proxmox does not randomly change the VM configuration (so it will be permanent). Make sure to avoid duplicate MAC addresses (virtual and/or physical) on your local network.

Please note that people on this forum are unpaid volunteers. If you need \urgent support for your critical questions then get a support subscription (with support tickets): https://forum.proxmox.com/threads/p...ptions-and-why-everybody-should-buy-one.9244/

 

[sherifhassan21]

Thank @leesteken, for your clarification and quick response. That’s very helpful.

I understand now that I can set the MAC address manually during VM creation or later in the VM settings, and that Proxmox will keep it permanent without random changes. This resolves my concern about the license being tied to the MAC address.

I have put 02:AB:CD:00:00:01. Also, I have attached my VM network settings. Just check and let me know if there is anything that needs to be changed.

Regards

 

[cwt]

Side question: why do you use the e1000 vnic? VirtIO usually performs much better.